"U218 Singles" is U2's latest attempt to cash in on its long-gone glory days and appeal to young 'uns. U2 began as a "born-again" Christian rock band in Dublin. They had post-punk alt. rock, with a rougher edge than the slickly produced New Wave hits currently on the scene. In the beginning,Bono&his band had something fresh&innovative."U218",is,like all greatest hits comps, a mixed bag. There are some fun,catchy tunes from U2's early days,such as "Sweetest thing","With or without you",and "Mysterious Ways." There are more spiritual radio hits like "Pride (in the name of love)" which simultaneously invokes Jesus and Martin Luther King,along with "I still haven't found what I'm looking for","Beautiful Day" and "Where the streets have no name." That's the good (where's "Bullet the blue sky"?). Now,onto the bad&the ugly."U218" also has the faded glory "hits" of "Sometimes you can't make it on your own" and "Stuck in a moment you can't get out of." The catchy message rock of the '80s has degenerated into preachiness&sanctimony in the millennium. There's the turgid "Elevation" that has some cheesy lyrics about the "curve of your thighs"(it's NOT sexy),and somehow got remixed for the openly campy Tomb Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie. It makes sense. There's the genuinely wretched "Vertigo" song that got plugged into endless rotation thanks to the iPod ad. Finally,there's the pretentious "Saints are coming" duet with Green Day. When two pretentious bands collide,it's... something else."U218" is mediocre. There are genuinely great songs blended with wretched ones. If you REALLY REALLY like U2,I recommend "In the name of love: Africa celebrates U2." It's got amazing covers from Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, the Sierre Leone Refugee All Stars and Vieux Farka Toure. The best U2 is out of Africa.
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