| Details | | Contributing Artists: | B.B. King, The Memphis Horns | | Distributor: | Phantom Import Distributi | | Recording Type: | Live | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | DDD |
Album Notes
U2: Bono (vocals, guitar); The Edge (guitar, keyboards, vocals); Adam Clayton (bass); Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums).
Additional personnel includes: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Una O'Kane, Nicola Cleary, Aengus O'Connor, Nicholas Milne (strings); The Memphis Horns (horns); Paul Barrett (piano, keyboards); Billy Preston (Hammond organ, background vocals); Joey Miskulin (organ); Brian Eno (synthesizer); Benmont Tench (keyboards); Ms. Bobbye Hall (percussion); Rebecca Evans Russell, Phyllis Duncan, Helen Duncan, Edna Wright, Maxine Waters, Julia Waters (background vocals).
Producers: Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, Jimmy Iovine.
Engineers include: Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Paul Thomas.
This excellent compilation was U2's first, collecting their best material from their first decade of recording. The Island Records issue comes with a 15-song bonus disc of B-sides. The set contains previously unreleaed versions of songs.
U2 burst onto the scene at the onset of the '80s with a majestic, uplifting, earnest approach and a unique textural sound that endeared them to fans and critics alike. They spent the rest of the decade growing up in public, solidifying their status as post-punk icons, marrying the good intentions of old-school alternative rock with the epic sonic scale of classic '70s rockers, never sounding less than totally original and never pausing for a hits compilation--until 1998. BEST OF offers a good representation of the complex body of work that made the band a legend.
Fittingly, the album begins with the debut's "I Will Follow," a statement of commitment to pursuing truth and spirituality despite continual and inevitable misgivings. "Desire" mates Bono's lyrical fervor with a modified Bo Diddley beat to fine effect. New world meets old on the bluesy B.B. King collaboration "When Love Comes to Town." Closing things out, "All I Want is You" shows the moody, reflective side of the band, giving Bono a chance to croon and the rest of the band to exhibit the understated side of their instrumental might.
Editorial Reviews
The martial snares and boyish histrionics that made them one of the world's biggest rock acts have held up pretty well....As for disc 2, aside from the playful `Sweetest Thing' and some worthy covers, the B sides sound like it. - Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly (12/11/1998)
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