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U2 - Best of 1990-2000

U2 - Best of 1990-2000

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $15.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: These are Films, not Videos
Review: ... In a form of short films. I almost think it is wrong to call them videos, but for the sake of this review I will conform.

The videos range from performances, studio or live, abstract, narrative, movie theme songs and there is even a cartoon!! There are some bonus videos also which is really awesome like The Ground Beneath Her Feet, which I think is one of the best songs U2 has ever recorded. There are also audio tracks from the directors that you can listen to, so you can get some insight on what they were trying to do when making the video. Also with DVD the qualities of the videos are perfect, the sound and picture is crystal clear.

..some of these videos I have never seen and I have been a fan for over ten years. ....

If you aren't a fan or already are you should at least watch these videos just for the artistic editing, photography, directing and how the band can adapt or act to different environments. Electrical Storm is a perfect example. To watch this fine band change over the course of a decade is almost surreal. U2 has always been more than a band and I must say that this group of videos or short films rather shows that.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Important material missing...
Review: ...for example, the "buffalo" version of One is not on the DVD. There is a documentary about why there are three versions of the video, but they only include two. This is all the more pitiful if you consider that all the packaging is based on the images from the "buffalo" version of One. The documentary offers a possible reason: the band thought that being "wallpaper" behind the live band was the video's "proper place" (I could not disagree more. I personally consider this the best of the One the best of the three and one of the best videos they ever made.)

So, keep your old copies of the Auchtung Baby video collection safe. But remember, 15 to 20 years is all magnetic tape can last... and only if you store it properly and you hardly ever watch it.

There are other problems: other material missing, the empty spot for the buy-seperately DVD, the odd play order, the menus which are a bit oddly organized, etc. All in all, the things that this DVD is lacking are completeness, thoughtfulness, and integrity.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great video collection, but...
Review: ...it could have been put in chronological order, included ALL of the videos between 1990 and 2002, and have the 5.1 DTS/Dolby Digital surround sound option. Here's what should be instead:

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing (three versions)
2. The Fly
3. Mysterious Ways
4. One (three versions)
5. Until The End Of The World
6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
7. Love Is Blindness
8. Numb (two versions)
9. Lemon
10. Stay...Faraway, So Close
11. Miss Sarajevo
12. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
13. Discotheque
14. Mofo
15. Staring At The Sun (two versions)
16. Last Night On Earth
17. Gone (LIVE)
18. Please (two versions)
19. If GOD Will Send His Angels
20. The Ground Beneath Her Feet
21. Beautiful Day (two versions)
22. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of (two versions)
23. Elevation (Tomb Raider mix)
24. Walk On
25. Electrical Storm
26. The Hands That Built America
27. The Best Of 1990-2000 "History mix"

Documentaries----------------------------------------------------
1. A Story Of One
2. Missing Sarajevo
3. U2 Sur Mer

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent dvd
Review: Although U2 always delivers excellent products, this dvd lacks the perfection of the others. You can find everything you ever wanted for a u2 fan, all their work from last decade however it lacks of the alternate versions of beautiful day, but you can find them in the other dvd realeses, and of course the missing elevation video available only in the tomb raider dvd. The only problem is that de dolby digital sound isn't available in the dvd, and more documentaries would've been great.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: As awful as it possibly might be
Review: And this is from someone who thinks that U2 music and lyrics are in the top echelon of rock music accomplishments, next to those of Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Nirvana. Let me be frank here: these videos, with the exception of Wim's spot and the footage from the 1992 gig, are an evidence of total lack of creativity and spirit. Period.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dissapointed
Review: Being buddies with the establishment has taken a toll on their live performances.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Something for Everyone
Review: Casual fans and die-hards alike will be pleased with this comprehensive collection of videos and extras.
What some may claim lacked on its CD counterpart (the absence of The Fly in the US, etc.) is more than made up for here. What you do get, however is amazing...

For starters - the classics that stand the test of time ('Mysterious Ways,' 'One') are delightful paired with newer gems ('Gone,' 'Beautiful Day'). With the more recent songs, it's as if us fans have earned the privilege of being spectators - and together get to watch the tunes grow into anthems comparable to their predecessors.

The soundrack pieces ('The Hands That Built America,' 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me' and 'Miss Sarajevo') are alternately catchy and meaningful, providing just the right balance of rock star power/humanitarian commentary.

The visually creative masterpieces ('Stay,' 'Please,' 'Electrical Storm') illustrate why U2 has enjoyed such MTV longevity - their risks are often more profound than their safe hits.

The humorous hits ('Numb,' 'Discotheque') remind us that these four geniuses can laugh at themselves as easily as we can. For an extra chuckle, be sure to listen to the director commentaries that accompany the videos. They're fantastic!

And last but not least - the mini-documentaries are phenomenal. 'The Story of One' shares the genesis of all three 'One' video versions in discussion form with their respective directors; the chill-inspiring 'Missing Sarajevo' shows us the actual 'Miss Sarajevo' pageant winner-years later with Bono and Edge en route to their now historical concert (and what it took to get there); and U2 Sur Mer is simply the making of the video for 'Electrical Storm' featuring legendary director Anton Corbijn, guest star Samantha Morton and a very 'wet' Larry Mullen, Jr.

As I said before...something for everyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sound
Review: Could someone PLEASE tell me how to change the sound settings on the DVD...my DVD lists Dolby Digital on the box as a sound setting, however when I play the DVD I can not change the settings. I also can not play the additional videos. Do I have a bad DVD?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply amazing for the price.
Review: First off. Take a look at the price of this DVD and then take a look at the CD. The DVD isn't only less expensive, it's considerably less expensive. Obviously the fact that the recording industry lost (settled?) a multimillion dollar class action lawsuit for price fixing hasn't solved the problem that CD audio is still vastly overpriced.

On this DVD you get 23 separate unique videos (not counting the alternate versions of some videos (the CD has 25 tracks not counting remixes). Each video has a commentary by the director giving some unique insight to music videos. Also there are three mini-documentaries.

One thing I love about this DVD is the main track listing is virtually identical to the CD version (practically unheard of in this sort of pairing) with the exception of track 16 "For the First Time" on the CD being substituted for "The Fly" on the DVD (a better pick). This means you can pop it into your DVD player and listen to the same album but also have visual accompaniment of music videos. At first I was disappointed that the seven bonus tracks were separate from the main tracks because I wanted to be able to just stick the disc in and play all the tracks. To my pleasant surprise there is a section on the DVD that will let you play the 16 main tracks, all the tracks on the disk, and even a selection that will play all the tracks randomly (something I didn't know was possible for DVD video).

Some people will be surprised when they open this that this is really a 2-DVD set, only the second DVD is not included. In order to get the 2nd DVD you must purchase a special version of the double-CD. At first I was happy about this as I already had that DVD from the CD and now I had something besides the flimsy slip case to put it in, but after thinking about it, it would probably anger people who didn't buy the CD, or can't find that special version.

This is the way all "best of" compilations should be. Any true fan of an artist, typically has all the material found on a best of disc so there is little incentive to get it. Often record companies will one or two brand new tracks on it to convince fans to buy it, but here, not only are you getting a best of, but you are getting it all on videos (something you don't have).

The sound, presentation, packaging, and value of this DVD is superb. The duration is just four minutes short of three hours. I especially like the alternate version of the song "Please" found here that is even better than the album. If anyone knows where it can be found on CD, please let me know.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Poor DVD Encoding
Review: For anyone who cares about optimum picture...

This DVD has very poor encoding. Most of the time it looks like bad digital cable or internet streaming. Blocky and poor contrast (look at the One video, for instance, YUK!).

In addition, my copy (in Canada) was not compatible for 2 channel stereo playback. So, if you don't have a surround system, but play it through your TV or stereo, you will get a horrible sound quality. Everything has an echo to it, as the vocal channel was mixed so low and the background so high. In Electrical Storm, for instance, there is a constant whine of stupid background noise, and Bono's vocals are lost in the background. This is the case for most, but not all of the tracks.

What a pitiful effort by the world's most filthy-rich band.

Save your money on this one. If you want some U2 get the excellent Elevation DVD, which is superb.


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