Customer Reviews

U2 - Best of 1990-2000 [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I was somewhat disappointed with the CD 'The Best of 1990-2000' due to the revisionist remixes of all the songs from 'Pop' (1997), as though the band needed to apologize for a decade of experimentation. However, for a serious U2 fan who missed half of the U2 videos in the 1990s, this DVD is excellent and complete. The following is a list of the videos (in chronological order):

1. "The Fly" (our first glimpse of U2 chopping down 'The Joshua Tree' and a preview to the imagry of the ZooTV tour to follow)

2. "Mysterious Ways" (to match The Edge's liquid guitar sounds, the entire video is appropriately shot with a shimmering lens)

3. "One" (two versions for a song with multiple interpretations)

4. "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (successfully capturing the imagry in the song)

5. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" [Temple Bar Edit] (mostly a compilation of some live video footage combined with some studio shots of Bono singing)

6. "Until the End of the World" (again, more of a compilation of live video footage from the ZooTV Tour)

7. "Numb" (multiple versions - one used as video on the ZooTV tour and the other more infamous version with The Edge being assaulted/adorned, the latter of which is probably the band's best video)

8. "Lemon" (including the introduction of Bono's character "MacPhisto")

9. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" (directed by Wim Venders, this one has excellent cinematography and follows along the story-line of the movie for which the song was penned)

10. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (although this wholly-animated video could have been better without all the gratuitous tie-ins to the 'Batman Forever', it is entertaining nonetheless)

11. "Miss Sarajevo" (a beautiful song with a somewhat unmemorable video)

12. "Discotheque" (the source of much ire surrounding the 'Pop' (1997) record, it is worth it to see the band having fun)

13. "Staring at the Sun" (nothing particularly memorable in this video, as U2 don the Miami-look)

14. "Last Night On Earth" (although deliberately conceptual, getting the band to actually act is always a questionable proposition)

15. "Please" (an underrated song and an underrated video, although the latter does not quite catch the political bent to the lyrics)

16. "If God Would Send His Angels" (on this one, the conceptualism works as the top half of the screen displays Bono singing on a bus seat while the bottom half displays the person sitting (or not sitting) across from him)

17. "Gone" [Live] (this is a live video taken from the 'PopMart Live in Mexico City' VHS, which IS better than the studio version included on the 'Pop' record)

18. "Mofo" (using a remix of the song, this one is simply cuts of live video footage)

19. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" (good video for a movie promo, complete with Salmon Rushdie, who wrote the lyrics)

20. "Beautiful Day" (if you haven't seen this one, then you've been living under a rock - NOTE: for an alternate version, get the double-CD version of 'The Best of 1990-2000' which includes the History Mix DVD)

21. "Stuck in a Moment" (two versions - one more serious and the other more humorous)

22. "Electrical Storm" (Larry Mullen makes his acting debut with Samantha Morton - visually quite nice)

23. "The Hands That Built America" (just a studio performance)

With most of these videos comes commentary from the director, as well as an interesting mini documentaries behind the videos for "One" and the 1997 Sarajevo concert. All in all, this is a great package as far as a collection of videos goes. I only wish they could add similar extras to "The Best of 1980-1990" DVD counterpart, which is yet to be released.

Quick Overview: This DVD is both an excellent survey of U2's music during the past decade and a fascinating anthology of music videos, both conceptual and performance. Musically, it contains all of the songs from the regular release of the CD "U2: The Best of 1990-2000", with the exception that "For the First Time" is replaced by "The Fly". In addition, it contains seven bonus tracks, songs lamented by many for not being included on the CD. Cinematically, it boasts both performance and conceptual videos of varying quality; with the inclusion of intriguing director commentaries, many of the videos merit multiple viewings. Alternate videos for "Even Better Than The Real Thing", "One", "Stuck in a Moment...", "Staring at the Sun", and "Numb" are provided to yield a total of 28 music videos for 23 songs. As a special treat, three documentaries are included. All in all, this is an amazing DVD.

Details, Shot One ("Conceptual Videos"): The most successful conceptual videos are "Numb" (Godley version), "Please", and "If God Will Send His Angels". The "Numb" video bluntly demonstrates the cause of The Edge's numbness--it's also quite funny and disturbing. "Please" and "If God Will Send His Angels" are probably my favorites. Bono's performance in "Please" is poignant, and the gimic employed by Corbijn works well here. The use of split screen and altered film speed in "If God Will Send..." effectively communicates that awful out-of-sync feeling of being alone among people, even among friends.

"One" deserves special mention. Three videos were made for this. Pellington's version, employed in concert, emphasized buffalos, images of which adorn both the CD and DVD; sadly, this video was NOT included on the DVD. The other two videos are here, and they are interesting. Corbijn's version is notable for having Bono's father playing a major role; in addition, you get to decide which member of U2 would make the most attractive woman--I don't think it's Bono.

Details, Shot Two ("Performance Videos"): What would U2 be without footage of them on stage? Many of these videos, including conceptual ones, feature perforance footage. Some, like "Gone" and "Mofo", are essentially concert videos; I prefer watching these songs on the Zoo TV and PopMart videos. Others, like "Even Better Than the Real Thing", "Mysterious Ways", and "Staring at the Sun", utilize novel filming techniques to
bolster the song's mood or message. Some are more successful than others. For example, at first boring, the strange effects in "Staring at the Sun" (Scott version) become almost revelatory at the end. In "Please" and "One", expressions on The Edge's face at key points of the video are very telling and make the inclusion of performance footage mandatory.

One Drop of Sad: These are minor quibbles. 1) Navigation is sometimes frustrating. You click on the director's name and you get either the video OR the video with commentary. If you click on the triangle beside his name, you definitely get commentary. If you have the same trouble, keep trying; eventually, you will get the straight video. 2) With "Mofo", I had to try accessing the video several times before I heard the soundtrack. "Mofo" was the only video with which I had this problem. 3) Although the box claims subtitles in five languages, I did not find Japanese subtitles actually provided for the songs I checked, and I checked most of them. 4) Some songs, like "Beautiful Day" and "One", had alternate videos. It would have been nice to have ALL versions. (This is a BEST OF anthology, so maybe they only included the best of the alternates?)

Extra Tidbits: The DVD booklet provides interesting, albeit short, notes on each song. The DVD package provides storage space for the U2 The History Mix DVD, that came with the special edition of "The Best of 1990-2002" CD.

In Summary: This is an outstanding DVD. It contains most, arguably the best, of the singles from 1990-2000 with their videos, all of which contain something of at least passing interest and some of which are very powerful. The director commentaries are fascinating and provide valuable behind-the-scenes information. The documentaries are a nice addition. I highly recommend "U2: The Best of 1990-2002"; it's one of the best DVDs I've bought this year.

U2's new DVD ("The Best Of 1990-2000") is a great addition to any U2 music collection. It mirrors the CD of the same name in sound quality, plus you get to see the band as well. Oh, let us not forget the seven bonus tracks for a grand total of twenty-three video tracks.

If you like U2 at all do yourself a favor and get this DVD, you will enjoy all or most of the video tracks. Here is the track list: Even Better Than The Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, Electrical Storm, One, Miss Sarajevo, Stay(Faraway So Close), Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Gone, Until The End Of The World, The Hands That Built America(Theme From "Gangs Of New York"), Discotheque, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, Staring At The Sun, Numb, and The Fly.

The bonus tracks are: Please, If God Will Send His Angels, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Lemon, Last Night On Earth, Mofo, and The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

There are also Three Mini-Documentaries: U2 Sur Mer, A Story Of One, and Missing Sarajevo for a grand total of 2 hours and 56 minutes worth of U2 audio-visual. Is it worth it, why it's even better than the real thing...well almost.

I had never really payed much attention to U2. Other than bobbing my head whenever With or Without You came on the radio, or laughing at the silly video for "Numb" when I saw it on TV... I was never a huge fan.

But recently I have found myself strangely drawn to this amazing band, after downloading the song "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" from their album Zooropa. There's just so much beauty in that song that it made me want to find out more about these guys. So I downloaded, and I researched, and when the time came to redeem a faulty Coldplay DVD for another product, this video collection caught my eye.

I loved it. Absolutely loved it. There's not a single video I disliked, and everything from the short documentaries to the commentary tracks by the videos' directors, I found fascinating. I especially fell in love with the slick packaging, even if at first I was irked by having an empty DVD space (not a problem once you purchase the Greatest Hits collection on CD, though-- it comes with an extra DVD).

My favorite video is, of course, the very powerful "Stay (Faraway, So Close)", but other standouts include "Electrical Storm", "If God Will Send His Angels", "Miss Saravejo", "One" and the hilarious campfest "Discoteque".

Oh, and here are some amusing Easter Eggs to be found on the DVD:

The Fish Tank--
Go to the video menu for "One." Press "1" or "01" and enter on your remote. Repeat this two more times. You will see a fish tank with some very peculiar fish in it. ^^

The correct order of alternate videos--
Press stop twice on the main menu, and then play.

William Borroughs--
Go to Bonus Tracks and enter the menu for "Last Night on Earth" and press "8" or "08" and hit enter.

While I was disappointed with the collector's edition of the CD (lacking many brilliant B-sides like Night and Day in favor of techno-wannabe remixes), the DVD edition is simply brilliant. Most of the songs that have supported more than one video worldwide see all their versions included (exceptions being the buffalo-themed "one" video, that you can still catch on the "one" documentary, and the alternate "beautiful day" video included in the mini-DVD sold with the CD, that you can place in the DVD box on its reserved space)

The image quality is brillant, and the bonuses are actually all interesting and well-done, which is rare on a music-based DVD (the Bowie DVD is brilliant for its wealth of clips, but has no bonus whatsoever). Aside from the alternate videos, nearly all the videos have an audio commentary filled with interesting bits and pieces about the realisation of the video and anecdotes from the band. Last, but not least, there are a few documentaries about the band and some songs (the "one" documentary is really well done).

Song quality, image quality, bonus quality : all in all, this DVD is a must-have for any U2 fan

I really dig U2 and have been a fan for many years. So, of course, I purchased this DVD to add to my collection as soon as it came out.

It has bunches of videos I've never seen or forgotten about and a few documentaries that give you an insight to how this band progressed through the 90's and why there are 3 "one" videos. I like that you can randomize the play order of the videos, you can just let it play at a party or whatever.

The music videos are great, but I want more interaction from the band. Some more interviews from these years would have been nice and maybe more behind the scenes views of the videos. It feels kind of empty. I am REALLY dissapointed that the 2nd "One" video was not included at all, the one with the running buffalo. It's my favorite song and my favorite music video for that song and it's missing. They do talk about it in the documentary about "One" but that's all you get to see. Oh, well, I do have the music video on my Achtung Baby video, but I really wanted it in this collection.
Also, I'm dissapointed that the DVD-ROM content is for Windows users only. Plenty of DVD's include content that both Mac's and PC's can access, but unfortunately, not this one. The Foo Fighters did it to me, too, on their new bonus DVD. That stinks. I hate ".exe" applications.

I appreciate that they left a spot for the DVD that came with the Best Of CD. Nice thinking.

If you really want to see some performance from the band, get the Elevation Tour live from Boston DVD, it's as close as you can get to being at the concert again. A very nice DVD.

All in all, I do recommend this DVD to U2 fans everywhere.
Peace!

This DVD is flawless. Its definately an improvement on the limited edition 2CD version which had adulterated versions and unnecessary techno remixes. This is really a complete collection. At first glance, I thought it only had the 16 music videos listed on the box. Not only does this DVD have bonus videos such as Whose Gonna Ride, Please and Lemon, it has 3 documentaries, director commentaries for almost every video and even alternate video versions for songs such as the fantastic One, Staring At The Sun, Stuck In A Moment among others. My favorite videos here are the Berlin version of One, Numb, Stay, Even Better Than The Real Thing and The Fly. The documentary, 'The Story Of One' is really well made too. I dont know if I'm ever going to get tired of this collection. Totally worth the price!

First off. Take a look at the price of this DVD and then take a look at the CD. The DVD isn't only less expensive, it's considerably less expensive. Obviously the fact that the recording industry lost (settled?) a multimillion dollar class action lawsuit for price fixing hasn't solved the problem that CD audio is still vastly overpriced.

On this DVD you get 23 separate unique videos (not counting the alternate versions of some videos (the CD has 25 tracks not counting remixes). Each video has a commentary by the director giving some unique insight to music videos. Also there are three mini-documentaries.

One thing I love about this DVD is the main track listing is virtually identical to the CD version (practically unheard of in this sort of pairing) with the exception of track 16 "For the First Time" on the CD being substituted for "The Fly" on the DVD (a better pick). This means you can pop it into your DVD player and listen to the same album but also have visual accompaniment of music videos. At first I was disappointed that the seven bonus tracks were separate from the main tracks because I wanted to be able to just stick the disc in and play all the tracks. To my pleasant surprise there is a section on the DVD that will let you play the 16 main tracks, all the tracks on the disk, and even a selection that will play all the tracks randomly (something I didn't know was possible for DVD video).

Some people will be surprised when they open this that this is really a 2-DVD set, only the second DVD is not included. In order to get the 2nd DVD you must purchase a special version of the double-CD. At first I was happy about this as I already had that DVD from the CD and now I had something besides the flimsy slip case to put it in, but after thinking about it, it would probably anger people who didn't buy the CD, or can't find that special version.

This is the way all "best of" compilations should be. Any true fan of an artist, typically has all the material found on a best of disc so there is little incentive to get it. Often record companies will one or two brand new tracks on it to convince fans to buy it, but here, not only are you getting a best of, but you are getting it all on videos (something you don't have).

The sound, presentation, packaging, and value of this DVD is superb. The duration is just four minutes short of three hours. I especially like the alternate version of the song "Please" found here that is even better than the album. If anyone knows where it can be found on CD, please let me know.

I can't believed the majority of these videos have been around for about 10 years and I'm only just now seeing them. "The Best Of" is just another example of the miracle of DVD. It preserves as a perfect time-capsule the most creative, energetic and inspiring period of U2's development. For the most part, each video feels brand new, which means that, like much of U2's music, they will stand the test of time.

The packaging of the DVD is terrific; I was a little creeped-out by the blank place-holder for The History Mix disc (how's that for prescience on the part of the U2 marketers?). And the disc itself is smartly arranged; on many of the videos, you can choose the director's cut you want to watch. Each video also has director commentary, and a few of them offer documentaries. All three docs are fascinating, providing some insights into Bono's character (he's great at imitations) that I'd never seen before.

Best videos are both versions of "One," the live "Until the End of the World" (what a rocking show that was), "Electrical Storm," "Numb," "Stay," "Beautiful Day," "Lemon" (one of the bonus tracks), both versions of "Stuck in a Moment" and "Miss Sarajevo."

"Even Better ..." feels bit dated though it's packed with imagery; "Mysterious Ways" also feels a little too early-90s, and "Discotechque" ... well, it demonstrates why POP won't hold up as well as The Joshua Tree. "Hold Me ..." is ruined by flim clips from a forgettable "Batman" movie, though the animation looks nice. "Staring at the Sun" is well-directed by Ridley Scott's son, but it's as vague as the song. As for "The Fly" ... great song, funny opening sequence (set to "The Fly Lounge Mix"), but too dark and undercooked. Still, it's a treat to have all these videos in one place.

U2 is the greatest rock band in history and I'm excited about their next 10 years.

What you do get is a great collection of U2 video's from "Achtung Baby" to "All That You Can't Leave Behind", with a few "odds and ends" "Electrical Storm", "Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me" (from the Batman sequel), "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" (from The Million Dollar Hotel), and "The Hands That Built America" (from Gangs of NY), "Miss Sarajevo", but no "Elevation", found on the first "Tomb Raider" film, and no "Walk On"? 2 versions of "One" make it on here, but the famous "buffalo" version doesn't?

When will Popmart and ZooTV be on DVD as well as 1980-1990 and "Under a Blood Red Sky"? Somehow the "Making Of Unforgettable Fire" has been released instead.

And where's the Surround sound?

With all these complaints, I still give it 5 stars because of what IS on there. A vast majority of the music videos they did in that time period, and a lot of extras. I listen to it more than I watch it, but it's one I'll put on frequently enough to give it repeated viewings. The 90s were a major change of pace for U2, taking the band to a whole new level, and the collection reflects it.

Essential? Absolutely. Room for improvement? Always.