U2 The Best of 1980-1990

A package of U2 hits that only spans the ’80s is a mixed blessing: odd because it disrupts the intelligent planning of the average U2 album by ripping these songs from their contextual moorings; and disappointing because commercial oomph seems to have shouldered quality in the selection process.

We get the forgettable remix of “The Sweetest Thing” or midcareer meanderings such as “The Unforgettable Fire.” We don’t get the exuberant “Two Hearts Beat as One” or “Gloria.”

But wait: Seek out the copies with the limited-edition disc of B-sides. This sterling bonus more than makes up for A-side shortcomings. There’s “Spanish Eyes,” with Bono screeching to the crescendo; “Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl,” where he veers drunkenly into lust. “Unchained Melody” is a heartbreaker; “Love Comes Tumbling” showcases the wild loop and helicopter whirl of the Edge’s early stylings, reminding us that he was the finest rock stylist of the decade. The band’s cover of Patti Smith’s beautiful “Dancing Barefoot” evokes moonlit night swimming, scarier for the grace it brings to the obsessive love triangle it describes.

The second disc is one winning cut after another, a collection of surprises that so completely overwhelms the greatest-hits disc that it makes you wonder: Why were these B-sides, again?

© Dayton Daily News, 1998. All rights reserved.