U218 Singles

U2 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B000JJRINY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,790 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > Post-Punk
  • #15 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Whittling down the back catalog of one of the most popular and respected bands of the last quarter-century to a single-disc collection is bound to inspire argument and dissent from the fans and faithful over what is included--and all that gets left behind--and U2's 26-year career is as celebrated and beloved as any band of their generation. U218 Singles doesn't try to please everyone, wisely sticking to the acknowledged high points (and there are many) between 1983's War and 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Nitpickers may quibble that the collection leans too heavily on the band's most popular albums and skips the (admirable if less anthemic) techno-pop tangents of Zooropa and Pop and the earnest energy of the Boy/October years, but the musical majesty accumulated here testifies to the undeniable power and emotion U2 can muster in a four-minute pop song. Two new Rick Rubin-produced tracks don't break new ground for the band, but both would fit snugly somewhere in the U2 canon--"Window in the Skies" is pure late-period arena rock with a typically towering falsetto chorus, while Green Day helps inject some October-era urgency into "The Saints Are Coming". The sum of these 18 tracks is a first-rate primer, perfect for that 10-year-old niece or nephew who thinks U2's big break was that iPod commercial. --Ben Heege

Product Description

U218 Singles is the first single-disc collection - including 16 of their best-known songs. Also included are two brand-new tracks recorded with producer Rick Rubin at Abbey Road Studios in London: "The Saints Are Coming" (with Green Day) and "Window in the Skies."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the Very Casual U2 Fan, November 21, 2006

By 

Erik J. Malvick "Erik Malvick" (Davis, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: U218 Singles (Audio CD)

I am a huge U2 fan, and like many U2 fans, this compilation falls short. However, it has a purpose that is really not geared for the die hard fan. This album is meant to be a definitive collection of U2 songs over their career for the casual fan who may be new to the group. If one looks at it that way, this album is probably fine. This album is heavily weighted to the more recent popular albums (except "Pop" itself), and it does justice in picking those songs.

Unfortunately, as a 1 disc compilation it is forced to neglect some early gems, namely "I Will Follow", which at the least is a definitive U2 song. It also fails in the sense that the casual U2 fan may in fact be more interested in hearing the more obscure greats. It does well in picking from the Joshua Tree, War, and the Unforgettable Fire (Pride, New Years Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Where the Streets Have No Name, etc.) but it neglects songs off of Boy, October, and other greats off of Zooropa, Pop that would probably be worth while to the casual fan who is looking for something new without necessarily buying each individual album first.

In fact, I would say that if you are a new U2 fan and not aware of much pre- "All That You Can't Leave Behind" or "Achtung Baby", you might be better off buying the earlier compilations "Best of - 1980-1990 or 1990-2000" they give a better sampling of U2's best during those periods. However, if you are content with the popular stuff of the last 5 years, this album will do you just fine.

If you are a die hard fan who fails to see the purpose of this compilation, buy the two new songs online and don't support U2's effort here. Or, perhaps the DVD will appeal to you. Just realize that part of the reason of this compilation (and the previous ones) is to fill out a recording obligation, so that they can do more of what they want and perhaps go back and be a bit experimental as in the Achtung Baby / Zooropa days. The sooner they did this compilation, the sooner they can get to the new stuff.

As for the song selection. If you are a real die hard U2 fan like I am, you've probably recorded your own greatest hits to fit your own needs. If you haven't, do so. You're better off doing that than complaining about the track listing here. Let this album be enjoyed by those who are still learning U2. In 10 years, they could be the biggest fans just like you and I.

61 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Forget., December 18, 2006

By 

Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: U218 Singles (Audio CD)

I work with kids who are elementary school age (6-12), many of whom have been neglected or abused by their very own families. Almost none of them know who U2 is. All they know is Eminem, 50 Cent, Usher, and all the other hip hop/rap artists. They know nothing about religion, or better yet, spirituality. They don't know about hope, self-analysis, or generativity. They know cruelty, self-preservation and hostility. They think they will have all the bling, the big house, the girls, the limousine--what they see in the hip hop/rap videos.

Enter U2. "Beautiful Day", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Where The Streets Have No Name", "Stuck In A Moment That You Can't Get Out Of", "With Or Without You", "Pride (In The Name Of Love)", "One", "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", "The Saints Are Coming", "Sweetest Thing" and even "Sunday Bloody Sunday" get these kids to think about more than violence, sex and money. U2 offers them another way of looking at their lives while introducing them to rock and roll.

While I understand all the people talking about the record company scalping fans by putting this cd out, I think that's a narrow view of the wider possibility--introducing the next generation to a great band, a band that every child, teenager and adult ought to be familiar with. That's what I think about now, the next generation and how depraved they are with all this rap/hip hop pollution. I'd buy a copy of "U218 Singles" for all 48 unfortunate kids I work with if it meant that one kid would grow up to make some great music like U2 has.

Also, few artists can release a 16 song set that's impeccable, where you know every song almost like friends you've grown up with and lived with. That's rare in the music business, and even rarer by today's standards.

It was worth it to me to put down 10 bucks for "The Saints Are Coming" and digitally remastered versions of the other tracks.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Best Of Collection of U2 Hits Which Doesn't Really Cover The Band's Extraordinary Body of Work, December 30, 2006

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: U218 Singles (Audio CD)

Imagine if you're a diehard Elton John or Billy Joel fan and their record distributors had released just one CD containing the greatest hits of their memorable musical careers. You'd be disappointed and quite upset, realizing that much of their excellent oeuvre hadn't made it onto a single CD greatest hits compilation. Well this is what diehard fans of U2 have to contend with in this latest, greatest hits collection that contains just 16 of the Irish rockers best songs, plus two new songs recorded especially for this compilation. While this collection may just be ideal for the casual fan or person unfamiliar with U2's great, truly important, body of work, others will be more inclined to collect the original album CDs and then select their own "greatest hits" compilation of U2's work (I am especially disappointed by the inexplicble absence of the great rock anthem "I Will Follow" from this CD compilation, since any serious fan of U2's music will mention this elegant song as one of the best from the band's early period (early to mid 1980s). There are two other, much better, compilations of their hit songs covering the periods from 1980 to 1990 and 1990 to 2000. Acquire these first before thinking of buying this disappointing CD compilation.