OK, better late than never. I just discovered U2. I have been avoiding them for years because I always hated the song "With or Without You", and the fact that it was played 10,000 times a day in it's prime. That being said, is there a definitive greatest hits collection that I should buy? The band seems to have about a dozen or so collections, and I have no idea which one has the best selections of their music.
Aside from when they seemed to have an edge to them in the 80s, no pun intended, you really are discovering a band that is so corporately driven that best of is probably better not sought
That makes one of us Come to think of it how can you like that song and not like With or Without You? It's basically the same song but WoWY actually had some effort out into it Man this just reaffirms my hate for U2
Don't listen to the haters, U2 is my all-time favorite. I've seen them probably a dozen times and I'll see them every tour till they're done. If you want to truly appreciate them not sure a greatest hits compilation is the way to go because you'll end up with a dozen songs you've heard a thousand time. I love Pride and New Years Day, but you've heard them forever. Start at the beginning and go with Boy. Then move onto October and War. Some of their best stuff right there. A good live compilation is Under a Blood Red Sky. Actually now that I think of it, Rattle and Hum is your best bet. Some old, some newer (for back then), some live, some stuff on no other album (go youtube When Love Comes To Town with BB King-outstanding). Star-Spangled Banner and Bullet the Blue Sky, I think, is one of their best live songs. Lots of deep stuff in their lyrics, every song could be about God or love or War or all of them or none of them. One is my favorite song and that together with Please remind me of my dearly departed love of my life. Hard to listen to those songs in concert for me. _
Check out the clip--can't believe BB was 62 back then--saw him 2 years ago in CT and he's on his way out. Love when he's talking to Bono about the great lyrics, said 'you're a little young to be writing lyrics like that'. _
Hey Hackett, congrats on becoming a fan of the best rock band on the planet. You will find being a fan of U2 is a peculiar thing ... Most ppl you will come across who have an opinion on rock music will bash you for liking U2, but it comes down to taste I guess. The U2 sound is unique, because as they moved through their albums, they completely reinvented themselves along the way quite a few times, with massive success, which is such a rare feat. So it is natural that die hard fans of other groups have become jealous of that success and popularity, you can hear it so pervasively in their comments. Then there's the Bono factor ... I've never seen a man more criticized for doing so much good and brining so much light into the world. The main criticism is that he has an "ego" and is "full of himself". I always found this humorous, because every rock star has an ego, its what makes them brilliant on stage. And then you will also hear ppl wag their finger at you that Bono and the rest of the group are tax evaders in Ireland. Every wealthy person in the world uses some tax shelters, so again, this is baseless as far as their musical talent. And with the millions of lives they have made better through their campaigns ... who cares really? So if you can weather the storm of U2 haters, which there are many, then congrats on discovering an amazing band. I've always thought that you listen to U2 with your soul, not your ears. If you get to the point when you are really in tune with the lyrics, Bono's song writing lyrics go to places that few others go. They are actually a hard core Christian rock band, as I would say about 80-90 percent of their lyrics are based on scripture, but Bono is so brilliant as a writer, that he totally disguises it. For example: Where the Streets Have No Name is about heaven. Every word. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is about finding Jesus. The point is that finding Jesus is not enough, because you always have to strive to live in His path. Finding Jesus is not the end all, be all. This song was blasted by Christian groups as blasphemous, which is one of the reasons why U2 have always had a strained relationship and have never promoted themselves as a Christian band, because they did not want to have to satisfy certain sects that would try to claim them as their own. But anyways, this was a number one song on billboard for so many weeks, and there they are singing about Jesus to the rest of the world. Beautiful. Elevation ... Another song with blatant biblical roots. Vertigo ... Obvious. End of the World ... This song is about Judas' betrayal of Jesus. So many other non hits as well, which brings me to your question about greatest hits ... Greatest Hits is a good place to start, but to judge U2 on their hits is a tragic mistake. This is, I think why some ppl don't like them. They release commercial style songs such as Vertigo, Elevation, Beautiful Day (a great song) to rope the masses in. I can understand why many don't like these songs, they can sound ... so commercial on face value. However, once you get into the albums, thats where you find the real gems that fans love, and went to see them play on tour in RECORD numbers in 2009-11. The 360 Tour shattered attendance records for just about every venue they played at, including the Rose Bowl, and NJ's own Meadowlands, where they outdrew even hometown favorite Bruce Springsteen, and even the pope. So my advice would be to sift through the albums to find your own personal gems. I will give you a list of my top 10 non hits: Kite Bad 40 (Live in Chicago Version) So Cruel Ultraviolet In a Little While Walk On Dirty Day (Live Zoo Tv version) All I Want Is You Love Rescue Me Joshua Tree is amazing, but I definitely think Achtung Baby is their best album. But even their recent albums are great which separates themselves from rock bands below them like the Stones, Bruce, etc who haven't produced relevant music in decades. See them live too. It is my best advice. I have seen all the great bands live, and there is nothing on earth like a live U2 concert. Bono's opera like voice and Edge's "sonic otherness" as Bruce described it, makes for some fantastic sounds, plus their shows usually are produced visually like no other including Pink Floyd. And I can't quite describe the feeling when your in a group of 90,000+ ppl singing "Amazing Grace" in unison as a Segway between One and Streets Have No Names. After a show at MSG in 05, the whole crowd exited into Penn Station and onto the streets chanting "How lonnnngggg to singgg this song" from the last song "40", its just crazy so DEFINITELY see them live if you ever get a chance!!
Love this song. Love in the movie when BB King is like, "chords?!?!? I don't play chords fellas!" haha. Saw clips of him at Glastonbury a few years ago, he is older now, but he was still playing the blues and rockin out lol.
I just saw this thread.,,,i am not a huge u 2 fan,,i like them and have a few albums but cannot answer the question,,,,,YET. A buddy of mine is a HUGE fan and actually wrote a book about them so I will pose the question to him and get back to you,,,,,but it looks like some of the guys here have already been pretty helpful.
I appreciate the suggestions here but I'd still like to test the waters more before I dive in. Can you reccomend the best album to start with?
Top non-hits for me--mostly older stuff I Will Follow (best first song on a band's first album of all time IMHO) Twilight Bad Indian Summer Sky God Part 2 Please Tomorrow In God's Country Bullet the Blue Sky Gone When Love Comes to Town Running to Stand Still All I Want Is You _
Great read, spot on. Best live performance I've ever seen literally each concert. Probably the closest was Springsteen back in 1978-79. _
I hate to give you a curve ball for an answer, but I have to because I think its the best answer. Either on Amazon or on the U2 website try to get your hands on the "Zoo TV Live from Sydney" double CD. This will show you the band at their best, as they breeze through their epic catalog from 1980-1993. This covers all of Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. I became a fan for live when I was about 20, and I saw the Zoo TV concert DVD. To appreciate and to love this band is to know their live stuff. If you want to go the straight forward route, I suggest the first album you'd want to start with Joshua Tree, and then Achtung Baby. LOL. Just click the above if you have a chance. 3.5 million views of a concert clip is crazy, and I'm certain most ppl click it to hear Bono's bridge from 4:30-5:45. Keep in mind this is later in their career. Best pipes in rock history, but they are starting to fade. Finally.
Thanks bud. I've definitely been so lucky to see a lot of awesome bands, and luckily my wife loves live music as much as I do. The Stones were amazing even though I saw them in their later years ... they still had it. Always been a myth for me in regards to "old rockers" losing their game. They are so crafty and perfect with the beat, some of the vocal range starts to go at a time, but guys like Jagger, Bono etc do vocal work to keep in great shape. Ppl forget, Sinatra sang into his 70s with perfection. Believe it or not Stokes, I might have to say Fleetwood Mac is the 2nd best live band I've ever seen. Ppl sleep on Lindsey Buckingham, but he is one of the best guitar players ever. When I saw them, Stevie Nicks sang Landslide, and then she left Lindsey on stage alone, I was thinking, okay that was going to be the highlight (I mean there is no songstress like Stevie Nicks), and then Lindsey played "Never Going Back", and I was like WOW. Amazing and unbelievable how good they were. I dont just like the old stuff. If it was 20 years ago, Arcade Fire would be a household name, its just that its so hard to make a name for yourself in rock. They are an incredible band, actually going to see them at Barclays in AUgust, they have 3 sold out shows there. The Brooklynites love them. The Killers are actually good too, but no visual production to their shows. That is unacceptable. But Brandon flowers, he's another amazing singer.
Just hearing that clip gives me chills--have always loved Edge's little riff on All I Want Is You starting at about the 3:25 mark. His sound is so distinctive. Cannot wait for their next tour. _
my buddy says there is a Best of U2 album for the 1980's-90's also he says that the U2 18 Singles CD is a great collection,,,,,,hope this helps
The greatest hits album from the 1980'-1990's is excellent. That's the era when they wrote their best songs IMO. Also, All That You Can't Behind is a great album from the early 2000's. I've been watching their FAllon performance on youtube just about every day, I'm looking forward to the release of their new album this Summer.
