Once upon a time the spiritual themes and political posturing of U2 were considered old hat, an idealistic relic of the idealistic ’80s with little to offer the new, distinctly grungy musical landscape.
How would U2 “go away and dream it all up again,” as Bono famously stated. Where does a rock band go when it has already conquered the world?
Well, U2 went to the clubs.
Kicking in 1991 with “Achtung Baby”–started in Berlin in a just-reunited Germany–the Irish quartet literally was shouting, “Watch out!” Epitomized by “Mysterious Ways,” the album was equally esoteric and universal, classic rock and cutting edge. And you could dance to it.
With its prolific early period canonized on “Best of 1980-1990,” here comes a second serving, “Best of 1990-2000.” Having only four albums–compared to volume one’s eight–to draw from, listeners may consider this collection second best. Don’t.
One listen to the bleeding rock ‘n’ roll heart of “Beautiful Day” or the woozy opera of “Miss Sarajevo,” should nullify such notions. But experimental tracks from 1993’s “Zooropa” and 1997’s “Pop” make this album wildly different from its predecessor, as much as they made ’90s U2 unique from its initial incarnation.
“Give me one more chance and you’ll be satisfied/ Give me two more chances, you won’t be denied/ And the heart is where it’s always been/ The head is somewhere in between,” Bono sings on the opener “Even Better Than The Real Thing.”
There’s also the spacious, millenial groove of the 1995 single “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” which was the best thing in “Batman Forever”–including Tommy Lee Jones.
The group turns down the busy electronics on “Discotheque” in a remix pulsing with hypnotic rock swagger, while “One” is essential listening for any music fan. The “All You Need Is Love” of its time and for all times, “One” captures U2 at its lyrical best.
Early pressings include a second CD of B-sides and remixes and a bonus disc with a clutch of previews from the upcoming “Best of 1990-2000” DVD.
“Best of” also features two new songs. Latest single “Electrical Storm” is a slow seductive ballad, while “The Hands That Built America” is the melodic, if slightly overreaching, theme from the upcoming Scorcese film “Gangs of New York.”
The selections here are solid, especially the sweet comedown of “The First Time.” But either “The Fly” or “Grace” should have subbed for “Staring At The Sun,” which sounds lost in mid-tempo land. And the Adam Clayton/Larry Mullen, Jr. hit “Mission: Impossible Theme” would have been a welcome addition to the B-sides disc.
If U2 has anything, it’s staying power. Speaking to DotMusic recently, Bono called a work-in-progress titled “Full Metal Jacket,” the “mother of all rock ‘n’ roll tunes.”
“It’s a remarkable guitar thing,” Bono said. “It’s a reason to make a record. This song is that good.”
Those of us growing up inherently disenchanted with the saccharine bombast of blow-dried hair bands, or repulsed by the overblown product of image-makers Madonna and Prince, revered organic artists like REM, The Replacements and U2.
As the “Best of” albums testify, for more than 20 years U2 has served as nothing less than the theatrical soundtrack of our lives. May the curtain ever be slow to fall.