Phil once wrote a review of a U2 album in the Kansas State Collegian. I'm printing the text of said review in hopes it will inspire him to review the new record, due out this Tuesday. Phil, if you're up to topping the whopper below, e-mail me your thoughts on "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb":
U2 unleashes part 1 of greatest hits
With the release of "The Best of U2 1980-1990," the Irish megagroup charges back into the mainstream of rock music with a collection of songs from its first sever studio recordings.
The various songs on the album range from fan favorites such as "New Year's Day" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" to more obscure songs such as the title track from the band's 1984 release, "The Unforgettable Fire".
Lyrically, the band has progressed consistently through the years.
From "A boy tries hard to be a man/ his mother takes him by the hand/ he starts to cry, oh why," the opening lines of 1980's "I Will Follow," to "My hands are tied/ my body bruised/ I got nothing to win/ I got nothing to lose," from 1987's heartfelt sentiment of "With or Without You," lead singer Bono and company have displayed brilliantly the continuous maturing process their music has gone through.
Musically, U2 is all over the place.
Their style varies from the heavily Irish folk-influenced "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to "When Love Comes to Town," a duet with blues legend B.B. King.
[NOTE: B.B. King didn't have diabetes then, but he does now, and he hates it when you prick his fingers to determine his blood sugar. --dn]
U2 adds a touch of religion with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which Bono describes as a gospel song.
Some things have remained constant for the quartet. The innovative guitar work and trademark riffs of lead guitarist The Edge not only influenced many young guitar players in the 1980s, but also has produced a sound that is distinctively U2.
Fans who bought the album within the first week of its release received the "b-sides" compact disc to accompany "The Best of U2 1980-1990".
Included on this collection are "Sweetest Thing," which has been released as a current single, and "Unchained Melody," a remix of the signature Righteous Brothers' song.
"Sweetest Thing," although recorded in 1998, orginally was written and recorded during the making of "The Joshua Tree" in 1986. The song, currently premiering as a video on MTV, was written by Bono to his wife, Ali, as a way to relay his apologies for being on the road during her birthday.
B-side "Unchained Melody" has all the power and emotion of the original song, along with the addition of the signature guitar sound of The Edge.
Collectively, "The Best of U2 1980-1990" is a must for people who consider themselves true music fans.
The album is a definitive collection of a band that has stood the test of time and has managed to keep its music alive, despite the constant shifts in the volatile world of popular music.
5 out of 5 stars.
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