U2 -- The Best of 1990–2000

6/10

U2 released six full-length albums in the 1980's, and outside of wondering why the one I like least is most represented, I have few complaints with their The Best of 1980-1990 compilation. The band released four albums between 1990-2000, but I have some serious issues with their 2002-released compilation, The Best of 1990–2000.
The thing is...the 90's are an underrated decade for U2. 1991's Achtung Baby, adding alternative rock and European dance music tones to the band's sound, is objectively their best album. 1993's Zooropa is their most artistically adventurous. 1997's much maligned Pop features some great songs. 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind, which also features into this compilation, is a great entry in the band's discography. The band had a great opportunity to create a memorable, excellent compilation here. Instead, The Best of 1990–2000 feels soulless. The most egregious offense is the absolutely artlessly constructed track order. There's not much flow or logic here. The song selection  doesn't exactly help, but something much better could have been arranged out of these sixteen songs...and let's get to that song selection.

Achtung Baby gets the most representation here, as it should. All four songs featured are great choices, though "Ultraviolet" should be here, as well. The weird Zooropa's best two songs, "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" and "The First Time" are thankfully featured. However, the oddball "Numb," which has never worked apart from its spot tucked into Zooropa, sticks out like a sort thumb, and doesn't fit at all. A new mix not only doesn't help, but seems to exist for absolutely no reason. And speaking of new mixes...

I think U2's Pop might be the most underrated album in their catalogue. An issue the producers have often suggested hampered Pop is that the band actually spent TOO MUCH time fine-tuning the songs (the band have said the opposite, but the four year gap between Zooropa and Pop begs to differ). It's almost laughable then, that the band seem to think that these over-tinkered new mixes for the songs used here on The Best of 1990-2000 will somehow greatly improve them. They should have just included the actual versions found on Pop, which would have more accurately represented the band's actual 90's-00's output. With that said, I'm glad "Gone" is here, but I would gladly trade out the lifeless remixes of the other two Pop choices for either "Last Night on Earth" or "Do You Feel Loved." I guess "Staring at the Sun" makes sense, but "Discothèque," really? 

Next comes All That You Can't Leave Behind, which head-scratchingly only receives two slots. "Beautiful Day" is a must, but "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"'s selection over the album's other nine songs feels a little strange. "Elevation" or "Walk On" or maybe even both should be here. In their place, though? You've get a new song called "Electrical Storm," which is an absolutely forgettable non-starter. You've got "Miss Sarajevo" from the Passengers project the band did with Brian Eno, which is either an inspired choice, or something that shouldn't be here because it's not an actual U2 song. You've got "The Hands That Built America" from Martin Scorsese's The Gangs of New York, which wasn't even released during this time period (it came out in 2002), isn't great, and only seems to be here as a reminder that the band got a song into a Scorsese film. Then you've got the only non-album song that actually has a right to be here, Batman Forever's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me." The song, found on that 1995 film's soundtrack, was an actual 90's hit, and a good song, though I could do without Bono's orgasm sounds at the end.

The final product here is extremely unsatisfying, and only necessary for a completionist. There are some legitimately great songs on The Best of 1990-2000, which is why I won't dip the score under a 6/10, but this disc infuriates me.

2002 Island/Interscope
1. Even Better Than the Real Thing from Achtung Baby (1991) 3:39
2. Mysterious Ways (Best of version) from Achtung Baby 4:02
3. Beautiful Day from All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) 4:05
4. Electrical Storm (William Orbit mix) 4:37
5. One Achtung Baby 4:35
6. Miss Sarajevo (Radio edit; originally credited to Passengers (U2 & Brian Eno)) Original Soundtracks 1 (1995) 4:30
7. Stay (Faraway, So Close!) Zooropa (1993) 4:58
8. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of All That You Can't Leave Behind 4:31
9. Gone (New mix) Pop (1997) 4:32
10. Until the End of the World Achtung Baby 4:38
11. The Hands That Built America (Theme from Gangs of New York) 4:57
12. Discothèque (New mix) Pop 4:40
13. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me Batman Forever Soundtrack (1995) 4:44
14. Staring at the Sun (New mix) Pop 4:48
15. Numb (New mix) Zooropa 4:21
16. The First Time Zooropa 3:44