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As I recently reviewed U2’s 18 Singles – a collection hoping to tap into the kind of success that The Beatles 1 had a few years ago – it occurred to me that I could put together a better 18-song playlist. Remember, I’m going for the band’s hits; so bigger in this case is probably better. First, I must identify the “must-haves.” Here is my list: “Angel of Harlem,” “Beautiful Day,” “Desire,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Mysterious Ways,” “One,” “Pride (In The Name of Love),” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “With or Without You.” These are the band’s signature songs. (Only “Angel of Harlem” was excluded from 18 Singles.) Now, I need to identify the best of the rest: “All I Want Is You,” “Bad,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” “I Will Follow,” “New Year’s Day,” “Sweetest Thing” and “Vertigo.” Are there better songs not yet mentioned? Probably, but you’d be hard-pressed to find something bigger or more popular. That leaves room for one song. Regrettably, I’m only choosing amongst the singles, so personal favorites like “In a Little While,” “Hawkmoon 269,” “So Cruel” or “A Sort of Homecoming” do not qualify. Nor does “Flower Child,” an All That You Can’t Leave Behind castoff that I’m utterly convinced would be a huge hit for the band if they would only release it as a single. Looking at the list of the band’s singles, “Discotheque,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Numb” and “Stay (Farwaway, So Close!)” jump out. Of the four, the last two didn’t chart as well as the first two, so the final spot goes to either “Discotheque” or “Staring at the Sun.” Listening to each as I keep my criteria in mind, I can envision the band opening a concert with “Discotheque.” “Staring at the Sun”? Not so much. So here’s the final 18-song tracklist, in chronological order: 1. I Will Follow How’s it look?
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That track listing blows the actual listing for 18 Singles out of the water.
That’s what I like to hear. How do you get a job putting together greatest hits compilations???
I love your track listing but being a U2 fan since the beginning I find it hard to dislike anything they do, but saying that compilations should be banned by law for challenging the pockets of fans just for a couple of new tracks
That’s the beauty of the new sales model. You should be able to get those songs without re-buying all the hits. My version of 18 Singles would be for the most casual of U2 fans (and they do exist…somewhere).
if this album you created was released tommorrow I`d buy it in a heartbeat…18 killer tracks
Fans should also check out my list of U2’s Deep Cuts.
As a note, I just tried to burn this playlist to an 80-minute CD and it would not fit. So I cut “Discotheque” and didn’t look back. 17 Singles it is.