Matt McGee ([email protected])
Fri, 27 Nov 1998 18:43:23 -0800
Dayton Daily News
November 20, 1998, Friday, CITY EDITION
BYLINE: RON ROLLINS, Dayton Daily News
U2 THE BEST OF 1980-1990/THE B-SIDES
Island
A package of U2 hits that only spans the '80s is a mixed blessing: odd
because it disrupts the intelligent planning of the average U2 album by
ripping these songs from their contextual moorings; and disappointing
because commercial oomph seems to have shouldered quality in the selection
process.
We get the forgettable remix of Sweetest Thing or midcareer meanderings
such as The Unforgettable Fire . We don't get the exuberant Two Hearts Beat
as One or Gloria .
But wait: Seek out the copies with the limited-edition disc of B-sides.
This sterling bonus more than makes up for A-side shortcomings. There's
Spanish Eyes, with Bono screeching to the crescendo; Trash, Trampoline and
the Party Girl, where he veers drunkenly into lust. Unchained Melody is a
heartbreaker; Love Comes Tumbling showcases the wild loop and helicopter
whirl of the Edge's early stylings, reminding us that he was the finest
rock stylist of the decade. The band's cover of Patti Smith's beautiful
Dancing Barefoot evokes moonlit night swimming, scarier for the grace it
brings to the obsessive love triangle it describes.
The second disc is one winning cut after another, a collection of surprises
that so completely overwhelms the greatest-hits disc that it makes you
wonder: Why were these B-sides, again?
Matt McGee [email protected]
http://users.owt.com/pleeker/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Fri Nov 27 1998 - 18:44:33 PST