U218 Singles [LP]

by U2

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	05/05/2017
Label:	Mercury / Interscope
UPC:	0602517135505

Tracks

1. Beautiful Day
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
3. Pride (In the Name of Love)
4. With or Without You
5. Vertigo [Single Version]
6. New Year's Day [Edit]
7. Mysterious Ways
8. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of

Album Credits

Performance Credits

U2   Primary Artist
Green Day   Primary Artist
Larry Mullen, Jr.   Drums,Percussion
The Edge   Guitar
Adam Clayton   Guitar (Bass)
Terry Lawless   Wurlitzer

Technical Credits

Richard Rainey   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Robbie Adams   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Jimmy Iovine   Audio Production,Producer
Paul Thomas   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Steve Lillywhite   Audio Production,Mixing,Producer
Carl Glanville   Audio Engineer,Mixing,Engineer
Brian Eno   Audio Production,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Flood   Audio Engineer,Mixing,Engineer
Daniel Lanois   Audio Production,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Patrick McCarthy   Engineer
Paul Barrett   Engineer
Shelly Yakus   Mixing
Andrew Scheps   Mixing
Simon Gogerly   Mixing
Simon Osborne   Mixing
Kevin Killen   Engineer
Larry Mullen, Jr.   Composer
The Edge   Mixing,Composer
Greg Collins   Mixing
Greg Fidelman   Engineer
U2   Composer
Chris Heaney   Assistant Engineer
Rob Jacobs   Mixing
Richard Jobson   Composer
Rick Rubin   Producer
Stuart Adamson   Composer
Anton Corbijn   Photography
Dave Meegan   Engineer
Stephen Harris   Mixing,Engineer
Bono   Composer
Chris Lord-Alge   Mixing
Nellee Hooper   Mixing,Producer
Adam Clayton   Composer
Tim Palmer   Mixing,Engineer
Paul Hewson   Composer
Cheryl Engels   Audio Post-Production
Sam O'Sullivan   Studio Manager,Drum Technician
Andrew McPherson   Photography
Paul Slattery   Photography
Pennie Smith   Photography
Joe O'Herlihy   Engineer
David Corio   Cover Photo
Scott Sedillo   Digital Editing,Mastering Assistant
Shaughn McGrath   Design
Dallas Schoo   Guitar Technician
Steve Matthews   Production Coordination
Dawn Kenny   String Arrangements
Thomas May "Beno"   Technical Support
Arnie Acosta   Mastering
Colm Henry   Photography
Paul McGuinness   Management
Candida Bottaci   Production Coordination
Matt Mahurin   Photography
Steve Averill   Consultant
Sheila Rock   Photography
Craig Thomas   Producer
Rab McAllister   Studio Technician
David Evans   Composer