The Best Of 1980-1990
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Release Date: April 1999
Duration: 78 Minutes
Liner Notes:
Artwork By (Cover Design): Averill Brophy Associates - Dublin. Executive Producer: Paul McGuinness. Compilation Editor: Brian McCue At Printed Light. Post Production Mixer: Ted Hall At POP Sound. Video Production Managers: Candida Bottaci, Sheila Roche. Photography (Back Cover): Anton Corbijn. Photography (Front Cover): Ian Finlay. Written by: U2. Compiled by Dreamchaser Productions. (C) 1999 U2 Limited | (P) 1999 Polygram International Music BV / Universal Music | (P) 1999 South Africa | (C) Universal | (C) O.V.I. 1992 | Packaging (C) 1992 Vision Video Ltd. Barcode: 6 001210 148104. Track 5 is taken from "Live at Red Rocks"; Tracks 6 and 12 are live / rehearsal performances from the "Rattle & Hum" film recordings; Track 10 is a 1998 video ("The Single Mix") of a B-side originally from 1987; Track 15 is from a previously unreleased cut of "Rattle & Hum".
Track List:
- Pride (In The Name Of Love) (Video Director: Donald Cammell)
- New Year's Day (Video Director: Meiert Avis)
- With Or Without You (Video Director: Meiert Avis)
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Video Director: Barry Devlin)
- Sunday Bloody Sunday (Video Director: Gavin Taylor)
- Bad (Video Director: Phil Joanou)
- Where The Streets Have No Name (Video Director: Meiert Avis)
- I Will Follow
- The Unforgettable Fire (Video Director: Meiert Avis)
- Sweetest Thing (Video Director: Kevin Godley)
- Desire (Video Director: Richard Lowenstein)
- When Love Comes To Town (Video Director: Phil Joanou)
- Angel Of Harlem (Video Director: Richard Lowenstein)
- All I Want Is You (Video Director: Meiert Avis)
- One Tree Hill (Video Director: Phil Joanou)
Catalog:
- Australia:
- VHS: Polygram 051 858-3
- Canada:
- VHS: Polygram 440 051 859-3
- Taiwan:
- VCD: Polygram 061449-2 (Two 5" Discs)
- UK:
- VHS: Polygram 051 858-3
- USA:
- VHS: Polygram 440 051 859-3
Media Review:
Review: The Best of 1980-1990 [Video/DVD]
4 stars (out of 5)
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
As one of the most popular bands of the '80s, U2 didn't quite fit into any particular category. They were a post-punk band that quickly found acceptance from a hard rock audience, a group that made fully formed albums but often made their best statements on individual songs, especially during the '80s. Consequently, they're a very hard band to anthologize. Since they were most effective on single songs, it seems that throwing all of them together on one disc would work. The problem is, each of the albums, from Boy to Rattle and Hum, has a distinctive flavor that doesn't necessarily blend when combined, especially in the nonchronological form of The Best of 1980-1990. There's little quibbling with the featured tracks on U2's first compilation -- a few important songs, such as "Gloria," "I Fall Down," "Seconds," and "Two Hearts Beat as One," may be missing, but everything else deserves to be here ("Pride," "New Year's Day," "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Bad," "Desire," etc.). Even though the song selection is strong, the album winds up as less than the sum of its parts -- each song is pretty great of its own accord (even the single mix of the B-side "Sweetest Thing," which is, in truth, not much different at all), but the overall effect is a little underwhelming. On one hand, it may be a good choice for casual fans or nostalgia mongers, since it does contain everything they need to hear, but anyone who has more than a passing interest in the band will be better suited with individual albums. [A DVD video edition was also released.]
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