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U2's first two greatest-hits albums neatly divided themselves by decade, with the first covering the '80s and the second summing up the '90s. Their third hits comp, 2006's U218 Singles, is at once more ambitious and more concise, offering an overview of their first 26 years on a single disc comprised of 18 tracks -- and since two of those are new songs, that leaves just 16 songs to tell their whole story. That's not much space for a band with a career as lengthy and ambitious as U2, so it's inevitable that some painful cuts have been made. Nothing from October, Zooropa or Pop is here, and unless you're buying various import editions that have "I Will Follow" as a bonus track, there's nothing from Boy, either. There's only one cut each from The Unforgettable Fire and Rattle and Hum -- and bucking conventional wisdom, none of their three widely accepted masterpieces -- War, The Joshua Tree, or Achtung Baby -- provide the most songs here. No, out of all their albums the one that dominates U218 Singles is All That You Can't Leave Behind, their 2000 comeback from the depths of the misguided Pop, and one of two records that they've released since their last hits compilation, The Best of 1990-2000.
The other record they've released since then is How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which provides two songs here -- or, as many as there are from War and Achtung Baby. What this means is that this compilation skews very heavily toward latter-day U2 -- eight out of 18 tracks, a full 44 percent of the collection, are from 2000 on, which means that U218 Singles presents the classicist version of the band, featuring the anthems from U2 at their peak, plus the highlights from when U2 were trying their best to sound like U2 at their peak. They did it quite well, of course, from both a commercial and artistic standpoint, sometimes writing songs that stood proudly alongside "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (as in "Beautiful Day") and sometimes not ("Elevation"). When it's all mixed together, it paints a portrait of a band that's a little slicker and streamlined than it often was, and it's hard not to miss the big-hearted yet moody band that made "Bad," "Gloria," and "A Sort of Homecoming," not to mention the middle-aged Euro experimentalists responsible for "Numb" and "Stay! (Faraway, So Close)," two essential components of the band that has been forced aside by the arena rock pros on display here.
Then again, U2 always were the best arena rockers of their generation, and for those who love the spectacle and sound of the band in full flight, U218 Singles serves up that side of the band quite well, along with two new entries that find the band continuing the assured, even-handed sound of Atomic Bomb: a cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming," recorded with Green Day and rewritten to vaguely address the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and "Window in the Skies," an anthemic pop number that relies too heavily on synth strings yet is saved by the band's sturdy songwriting and reliable performance. As such, it might not cover all the bases, but it covers enough of the major ones to be a good summary for fellow travelers who just know U2 from the radio, and it's also a good one-stop introduction to the basics for neophytes.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Paul Thomas, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1980 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Tim Palmer, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Lanois, Producer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Eno, Producer, Programmer, Synthesizer Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lillywhite, Producer, Mixer, Additional Producer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Harris, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Rainey, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Heaney, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2000 Island Records Limited
PAT MCCARTHY, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mark Wallace, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Lanois, Producer, Tambourine, Strings, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Eno, Producer, Keyboards, Programming, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Bono, Vocals, Harmonica, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Flood, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Meegan, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Mary Kettle, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1987 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Daniel Lanois, Producer - Brian Eno, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1984 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
PAT MCCARTHY, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mark Wallace, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Lanois, Producer, Tambourine, Strings, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Eno, Producer, Keyboards, Programming, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lillywhite, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Vocals, Harmonica, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Flood, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Meegan, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Composer - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Mary Kettle, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1987 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Lillywhite, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jacknife Lee, Synthesizer Programming, AssociatedPerformer - CARL GLANVILLE, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Heaney, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2004 Island Records Limited
Paul Thomas, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1983 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Daniel Lanois, Producer, Mixer, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Eno, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Flood, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Robbie Adams, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Composer, Mixer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Shannon Strong, Producer, Assistant Producer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1991 Island Records Limited
Tim Palmer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Barrett, Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Daniel Lanois, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Eno, Producer, Synthesizer Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Bono, Vocals, Synthesizer Programming, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jay Goin, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Richard Rainey, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer - Chris Heaney, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2000 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
PAT MCCARTHY, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mark Wallace, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Lanois, Producer, Tambourine, Strings, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Eno, Producer, Keyboards, Programming, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lillywhite, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Vocals, Harmonica, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Flood, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Meegan, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tim Buckley, Studio - Joe O'Herlihy, Studio - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Unknown, Background Vocalist, Other, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Marc Coleman, Studio - Arnie Acosta, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mary Kettle, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Scott Sedillo, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Cheryl Engels, Mastering Engineer, Unknown, Other, StudioPersonnel - Thomas 'Beno' May, Unknown, Other - Des Broadbery, Studio - Tom Mullally, Studio - Marion Smyth, Studio - Mary Gough, Studio
℗ 2006 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
PAT MCCARTHY, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Lanois, Producer - Brian Eno, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, Producer, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Harris, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Joe O'Herlihy, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Nicholas Milne, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Daragh O'Toole, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Una O'Kane, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Nicola Cleary, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Aengus O'Connor, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1998 Island Records Limited
Paul Thomas, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1983 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Daniel Lanois, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Eno, Producer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Flood, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Robbie Adams, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Guitar, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Shannon Strong, Producer, Assistant Producer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1991 Island Records Limited
Paul Barrett, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Author, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Shelly Yakus, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Rob Jacobs, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jimmy Iovine, Producer - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Ian Bryan, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1988 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Daniel Lanois, Producer - Alvin Sweeney, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Eno, Producer - Steve Lillywhite, Producer, Mixer, Additional Producer, StudioPersonnel - Bono, Author, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Harris, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Composer, Editor, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Rainey, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Cheryl Engels, Editor, StudioPersonnel - Chris Heaney, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2000 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Tim Palmer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Lanois, Producer - Alvin Sweeney, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Eno, Producer - Bono, Author - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer - The Edge, Composer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer
℗ 2000 Universal-Island Records Ltd.
Fabien Waltmann, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - CHRIS THOMAS, Producer - NELLEE HOOPER, Producer, Mixer, Additional Producer, StudioPersonnel - Greg Collins, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Lillywhite, Producer, Additional Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Composer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Gogerly, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - CARL GLANVILLE, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Rossiter, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Osborne, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Edge, Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Composer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2004 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Rick Rubin, Producer - Tre Cool, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Dirnt, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - CHRIS LORD-ALGE, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Green Day, MainArtist - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Greg Fidelman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jacknife Lee, Producer - Stuart Adamson, ComposerLyricist - BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - The Edge, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Jobson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Terry Lawless, Conductor/Piano, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Rick Rubin, Producer - Bono, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Greg Fidelman, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - U2, MainArtist - Andrew Scheps, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Adam Clayton, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - David Evans, ComposerLyricist - Paul Hewson, ComposerLyricist - Larry Mullen, ComposerLyricist - The Edge, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Mullen, Jr., Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Dawn Kenny, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Album review
U2's first two greatest-hits albums neatly divided themselves by decade, with the first covering the '80s and the second summing up the '90s. Their third hits comp, 2006's U218 Singles, is at once more ambitious and more concise, offering an overview of their first 26 years on a single disc comprised of 18 tracks -- and since two of those are new songs, that leaves just 16 songs to tell their whole story. That's not much space for a band with a career as lengthy and ambitious as U2, so it's inevitable that some painful cuts have been made. Nothing from October, Zooropa or Pop is here, and unless you're buying various import editions that have "I Will Follow" as a bonus track, there's nothing from Boy, either. There's only one cut each from The Unforgettable Fire and Rattle and Hum -- and bucking conventional wisdom, none of their three widely accepted masterpieces -- War, The Joshua Tree, or Achtung Baby -- provide the most songs here. No, out of all their albums the one that dominates U218 Singles is All That You Can't Leave Behind, their 2000 comeback from the depths of the misguided Pop, and one of two records that they've released since their last hits compilation, The Best of 1990-2000.
The other record they've released since then is How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which provides two songs here -- or, as many as there are from War and Achtung Baby. What this means is that this compilation skews very heavily toward latter-day U2 -- eight out of 18 tracks, a full 44 percent of the collection, are from 2000 on, which means that U218 Singles presents the classicist version of the band, featuring the anthems from U2 at their peak, plus the highlights from when U2 were trying their best to sound like U2 at their peak. They did it quite well, of course, from both a commercial and artistic standpoint, sometimes writing songs that stood proudly alongside "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (as in "Beautiful Day") and sometimes not ("Elevation"). When it's all mixed together, it paints a portrait of a band that's a little slicker and streamlined than it often was, and it's hard not to miss the big-hearted yet moody band that made "Bad," "Gloria," and "A Sort of Homecoming," not to mention the middle-aged Euro experimentalists responsible for "Numb" and "Stay! (Faraway, So Close)," two essential components of the band that has been forced aside by the arena rock pros on display here.
Then again, U2 always were the best arena rockers of their generation, and for those who love the spectacle and sound of the band in full flight, U218 Singles serves up that side of the band quite well, along with two new entries that find the band continuing the assured, even-handed sound of Atomic Bomb: a cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming," recorded with Green Day and rewritten to vaguely address the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and "Window in the Skies," an anthemic pop number that relies too heavily on synth strings yet is saved by the band's sturdy songwriting and reliable performance. As such, it might not cover all the bases, but it covers enough of the major ones to be a good summary for fellow travelers who just know U2 from the radio, and it's also a good one-stop introduction to the basics for neophytes.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 19 track(s)
- Total length: 01:17:42
- Main artists: U2
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Universal-Island Records Ltd.
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2006 Universal Island Records Ltd. A Universal Music Company. ℗ 2006 Universal Island Records Ltd. A Universal Music Company.
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