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Rating:
"There is a sort of musical Apartheid in some parts of the world, especially in the USA. According to these people’s theory, if you are part of a rock n’ roll band, you must remain trapped by the label given to you. I find it unfair; we are a rock n’ roll band, and we experiment with the sounds of rave, of black music."
Bono during an interview referring to the PopMart Tour.
The distinctly punk spirit that the early U2 showed as youngsters is the same that, for better or worse, has always pushed them to dare, while many other big names rested on the laurels of a consolidated greatest hits setlist.
They admit their missteps without beating around the bush. For example, to this day, they don't seem 100% convinced they did the right thing by releasing Rattle & Hum (in my opinion, it was a great move).
The point. Why focus on the nineties of the Irish band in this review? Because, in my opinion, it was an important artistic phase for the four, as much as the previous decade.
Rare are the cases of artists whose productions are so different from each other. Isn't it peculiar that Where The Streets Have No Name and Numb were composed by the same minds?
During the decade in question, Bono and company played with the saturation of their ego - as a mockery - parodying the most colorful and rotten show business; this is the difference between acting foolish and being foolish.
Like a sort of Roger Waters playing an evil general, Bono played the dissolute rockstar that the media wanted him to be. Tired of my serious and composed persona? Here’s the jerk for you.
The same reason that drove them to organize immense shows (ZooTv Tour and PopMart Tour).
Grand entrances, lemon-shaped spaceships and costumes. Giant screens depicting images of war and rampant consumerism. A circus-like atmosphere that aimed to show something deeper.
The nineties were also the same years that saw the rise of the band's haters due to Bono’s humanitarian commitments around the world, poorly digested by a slice of public opinion (a particularly complex subject that I don't believe is fit for the review).
From a musical point of view (which, let's be honest, is what matters), this compilation is really complete and well-packaged. Even Mike Hedges' mixes of some tracks from the Pop album are included in new versions that, honestly, are better than the originals. Discoteque is more streamlined and well-structured with its nice riff that sets the mood, for example.
There are also many tracks clearly stemming from Achtung Baby, but also the gritty Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me from the Batman Forever soundtrack; a track that was originally to be included in Zooropa. The lyrics could be associated with those of The Fly in various aspects.
Miss Sarajevo was part of the Passengers project, alongside the trusted Brian Eno. Heart-wrenching and melancholic, it featured Luciano Pavarotti.
A twenty-year-old couldn't have written a track like Gone, where Bono questions his own merits, or like MoFo, a deep dedication to his mother, albeit supported by a heavily electronic base.
Electrical Storm is unfortunately a track rarely played live. It boasts the collaboration of William Orbit and its ethereal intro. A simple yet effective pop rock dedication that in my opinion ranks among their best productions.
This writing will appear disordered just like U2, as defined by The Edge himself:
"We need a certain disorder between one record and another, we need new ideas and new cues. We always start recordings full of enthusiasm, as if we were debuting."
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