U2 -- The Best of 1980–1990

8/10

U2's The Best of 1980-1990 is the first U2 album I ever owned, a Christmas present from my mother in 1998, along with History: America's Greatest Hits and Caedmon's Call. While all three gifts were thoughtful, I think it's safe to say, she knew that the U2 album would be the biggest hit--I'd been telling her they were my favorite band for years. I listened to The Best of 1980–1990 about a million times up until the point that I started buying all of U2's individual albums myself. Looking at the compilation now, and realizing that it was just freshly released that Christmas, it's clear why the band decided on that date...just a year after their 1997 album, Pop. The band knew fans were tired of the weird, more opaque late 90's U2, and wanted the old band back. The Best of 1980–1990 ended up outselling Pop by about 5 to 1. I'm pretty sure its release was a highly calculated move. 

For a kid who had to keep his love of U2 within the doors of his household in the late 90's because of the band's perception, The Best of 1980–1990 was a welcome relief. Listening to it now, nearly 23 years later, and having listened to all of the band's full-length studio albums dozens to hundreds of times, my perception of The Best of 1980–1990 is strangely similar to what it was back then:

As the first eight songs, some of U2's most well-known, pre-1988 hits, roll out, I think wow, this band has an insanely ridiculously great back-catalogue of hits! I love these songs! When track nine, The Unforgettable Fire comes in, I thought back then, Whoa, what's this? It's different, but I like it! Now, I just think, oh, here's the title track from my favorite album. Then the next four songs come on, and I thought and think, oh, I don't like these as much. Then the last track comes on, and I think, yes, this one's better. Good closer to. Then the secret track comes on. Back then, I thought, woah, this is beautiful, and totally suits my general mood. Now, I just think, wow, just one song from October, and it's a secret track? 

The Best of 1980–1990 is a strange beast. It definitely features the songs it absolutely must have, and they're the first eight up. But FOUR songs from Rattle and Hum, which I think is U2's weakest album of the 80's...and only one from Boy and October? How is "Gloria" not here instead of one of these Rattle and Hum tracks?

I'm not angry they used some of the single edits for the first eight songs. It kind of makes the songs flow well into each other. I'm only angry that the band's weakest album is over-represented, and their first two albums are under-represented. Of course, if you haven't heard the band's individual albums, you won't know what you're missing. All of the songs you want are here, and then when the ones you don't really know come on, you've had your fill, and can turn this off. But if you know what's missing, it's a bit infuriating.

P.S.: This album also came in a two-disc version that became a bit of an expensive rarity. Those songs are on streaming services now, so you can save your cash. Or at least, I can save my cash.

I also remember a night in September of 1999, when I was listening to this, and first noticed "The Unforgettable Fire." It felt like such an impressionist, alien song, yet one whose painful emotions were immediately connective. The next afternoon, after school, I was gathering shopping carts in the New Roads Winn-Dixie parking lot, and had the song pop into my head at the exact moment I suddenly realized that my peers were going to be spending their senior years playing sports (which I missed), partying on False River, and hanging out, while I was going to be spending mine working at this grocery store. What a strange moment of melancholy that was.

1998 Island
1. Pride (In the Name of Love) from The Unforgettable Fire (1984) 3:48
2. New Year's Day (Japanese single version) from War (1983) 4:17
3. With or Without You from The Joshua Tree (1987) 4:55
4. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For from The Joshua Tree 4:38
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday from War 4:40
6. Bad (Edited version) from The Unforgettable Fire 5:50
7. Where the Streets Have No Name (Edited version) from The Joshua Tree 4:35
8. I Will Follow from Boy (1980) 3:36
9. The Unforgettable Fire from The Unforgettable Fire 4:53
10. Sweetest Thing (Single mix) Newly recorded version 3:00
11. Desire from Rattle and Hum (1988) 2:59
12. When Love Comes to Town from Rattle and Hum 4:17
13. Angel of Harlem from Rattle and Hum 3:49
14. All I Want Is You from Rattle and Hum  6:30 with October from October as a hidden track (1981) 2:21