The Essential U2

What is your tracklist for The Essential U2? Either 2 full discs or 3 full discs.

I do these kind of albums for my favourite artists. 

The best album of this type I've ever heard is Led Zeppelin's 4-disc Box set.

For U2 the logical thing would be to have a 1980s disc, a 90s one and a 00s/10s one, but I don't think a 3-disc collection would do justice to U2.  My Prince and Springsteen collections are 6-disc sets!

I do these kind of albums for my favourite artists. 

The best album of this type I've ever heard is Led Zeppelin's 4-disc Box set.

For U2 the logical thing would be to have a 1980s disc, a 90s one and a 00s/10s one, but I don't think a 3-disc collection would do justice to U2.  My Prince and Springsteen collections are 6-disc sets!

WOuld those be your own custom collections?

Even if it's hard, just try!

Quote from: Tumbling Dice on November 06, 2017, 12:24:09 PM

I do these kind of albums for my favourite artists. 

The best album of this type I've ever heard is Led Zeppelin's 4-disc Box set.

For U2 the logical thing would be to have a 1980s disc, a 90s one and a 00s/10s one, but I don't think a 3-disc collection would do justice to U2.  My Prince and Springsteen collections are 6-disc sets!

WOuld those be your own custom collections?

Even if it's hard, just try!

Yes.

I will get around to it.  For now I'd like to see other people's.

The trick is to get the ratios right. Regardless of how many tracks it contains, an Essential U2 Collection would have to be 40% '80s material, 40% '90s material, and the leftover 20% can be allocated to songs from 2000-2017.

Keep in mind that since U2 put out twice as many albums in the '80s as they did in the '90s, the latter albums get double the representation in this formula.

The trick is to get the ratios right. Regardless of how many tracks it contains, an Essential U2 Collection would have to be 40% '80s material, 40% '90s material, and the leftover 20% can be allocated to songs from 2000-2017.

Keep in mind that since U2 put out twice as many albums in the '80s as they did in the '90s, the latter albums get double the representation in this formula.

Go on then, you know you want to.

I'm doing mine like the Led Zep Box set which like TD said was the best set of this type.

Disc 1.

1. Out of Control
2. A Sort of Homecoming
3. New Years Day
4. Seconds
5. I Will Follow
6. Electric Co.
7. Tomorrow
8. Drowning Man
9. Promenade
10. October/Bad
11. The Unforgettable Fire
12. Gloria
13. Sunday Bloody Sunday
14. Pride
15. 40

Disc 2

1. Hawkmoon 269
2. I Still Haven't Found...
3. With Or Without You
4. Luminous Times
5. Desire
6. Heartland
7. Angel of Harlem
8. Room at the Heartbreak Hotel
9. Bullet the Blue Sky
10. Running to Stand Still
11. She's a Mystery to Me
12. Red Hill Mining Town
13. One Tree Hill
14. All I Want Is You
15. Where the Streets...

Disc 3

1. Zooropa
2. Even Better Then The Real..
3. One
4. Mofo
5. The Fly
6. So Cruel
7. Slow Dancing
8. Please
9. Until the End of the World
10. Discotheque
11. Lemon
12. Stay
13. Acrobat
14. Ultraviolet
15. Wake Up Dead Man

Disc 4

1. Beautiful Day
2. Vertigo
3. Sometimes You Can't Make it..
4. In A Little While
5. Kite
6. Mercy
7. No Line on the Horizon
8. Stuck in a Moment
9. North and South of the River
10. Disappearing Act
11. Wave of Sorrow
12. Sleep Like A Baby
13. The Troubles
14. The Ground Beneath Her Feet
15. Moment of Surrender

Very nice, SC.  I feel it's a bit light on 90s U2, but the problem is that mixing 80s and 90s U2 songs on one disc is a bit awkward.  My idea is to use God Pt II as a bridge between the two eras.  Also I noticed there's no live versions of songs.  Mine would have the Elevation version of Streets from Boston, the Popheart version of Please and possibly a live version of Bullet and Exit from the JT tour.

Wow ...... so hard to choose just two discs worth.

Disc 1:
Out of Control
Electric Co
Tomorrow
Surrender
New Year’s Day
Drowning man
BAD
A sort of homecoming
EPAA
Disappearing act
BTBS
RTSS

Disc 2:
One tree hill
Mothers of the disappeared
One
So cruel
Zooropa
MOFO
Kite
In a little while
Native Son
Moment of surrender
Being born
Sleep like a baby tonight





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Well, Here is my top 50 U2 songs. MY essential U2. Ill break it down per decade, Im not sure how many discs it would take:

1.   An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
2.   Electric Co.
3.   Out Of Control
4.   Tomorrow
5.   Scarlet
6.   New Year’s Day
7.   Drowning Man
8.   Seconds
9.   Surrender
10.   Bad
11.   A Sort Of Homecoming
12.   Elvis Presley & America
13.   Wire
14.   I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
15.   Running To Stand Still
16.   Trip Through Your Wires
17.   One Tree Hill
18.   Sweetest Thing (original B side version)
19.   Luminous Times
20.   Desire
21.   Hawkmoon 269
22.   God part II
23.   A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel

24.   Night & Day
25.   Zoo Station
26.   Until The End Of The World
27.   So Cruel
28.   The Fly
29.   Ultra Violet
30.   Acrobat
31.   Love Is Blindness
32.   Zooropa
33.   Numb
34.   Lemon
35.   Daddys Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
36.   Dirty Day
37.   Slug
38.   Always Forever Now
39.   Your Blue Room
40.   Mofo
41.   Last Night On Earth
42.   Gone
43.   Miami
44.   Please
45.   Wake Up Dead man

46.   Grace
47.   Moment Of Surrender
48.   Cedars Of Lebanon
49.   Soon
50.   Winter (Linear)

Three songs from Passengers!  Don't tell Larry.

I'll take a shot at two discs:

1. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
2. I Will Follow
3. Out of Control
4. Gloria
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday
6. New Year's Day
7. A Sort of Homecoming
8. Pride (In the Name of Love)
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. Bad
11. Where the Streets Have No Name
12. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
14. With or Without You
15. Running to Stand Still
16. One Tree Hill
17. Desire
18. Heartland
19. All I Want Is You
20. A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel

21. Even Better Than the Real Thing
22. One
23. Until the End of the World
24. The Fly
25. Mysterious Ways
26. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
27. Zooropa
28. Lemon
29. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
20. Mofo
21. Staring at the Sun
22. Gone
23. Please
24. The Ground Beneath Her Feet
25. Beautiful Day
26. Walk On
27. Kite
28. Vertigo
29. Miracle Drug
30. City of Blinding Lights
31. Fast Cars
32. Magnificent
33. Moment of Surrender
34. Cedars of Lebanon
35. Winter
36. Invisible
37. Iris (Hold Me Close)
38. Cedarwood Road
39. The Troubles
40. The Crystal Ballroom

Disc 1:
1. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
2. I Will Follow
3. Out of Control
4. A Day Without Me
5. The Electric Co.
6. Gloria
7. October
8. A Celebration
9. Sunday Bloody Sunday
10. New Year's Day
11. Two Hearts Beat As One
12. "40"

Disc 2:
1. Pride (In the Name of Love)
2. The Unforgettable Fire
3. Bad
4. MLK
5. Where the Streets Have No Name
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
7. With Or Without You
8. Bullet the Blue Sky
9. One Tree Hill
10. Desire
11. Angel Of Harlem
12. All I Want Is You

Disc 3:
1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. One
3. The Fly
4. Mysterious Ways
5. Zooropa
6. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
7. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
8. Your Blue Room
9. Miss Sarajevo
10. Discothèque
11. Staring at the Sun
12. Please

Disc 4:
1. Beautiful Day
2. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
3. Elevation ( )
4. Walk On
5. Electrical Storm
6. Vertigo
7. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
8. City Of Blinding Lights
9. Magnificent
10. Get On Your Boots
11. The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
12. Every Breaking Wave

Disc 5 (Best of the B-Sides):
1. J. Swallo
2. Trash, Trampoline, and the Party Girl
3. Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop?)
4. Bass Trap
5. Yoshino Blossom
6. Spanish Eyes
7. Deep in the Heart
8. Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)
9. Lady With The Spinning Head (Extended Dance Remix)
10. Where Did It All Go Wrong?
11. Holy Joe
12. Summer Rain

Disc 6 (Pride's Picks):
1. An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
2. I Threw a Brick Through a Window
3. Scarlet
4. Red Light
5. Surrender
6. Elvis Presley and America
7. Acrobat
8. Numb
9. Lemon
10. Moment of Surrender
11. Unknown Caller
12. White As Snow

My essential U2 is:

Disc 1 - Boy
Disc 2 - Achtung Baby
Disc 3 - Pop

Deluxe Edition DVD - Zoo TV Live in Sydney with bonus extra U2 Live at Red Rocks

I've done mine on 4 discs. I've not actually chosen a lot of my favourite tracks/versions. I've picked what I would consider the most accessible or best representative of U2 in each era regardless of whether or not I like the song.

CD1 - 1978-1983

1. I Will Follow
2. Out Of Control
3. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
4. Twilight
5. The Electric Co.
6. A Celebration
7. October
8. Fire
9. Tomorrow
10. Gloria
11. Two Hearts Beat as One
12. New Years Day
13. Sunday Bloody Sunday
14. Drowning Man
15. Like A Song...
16. 40
17. Party Girl (Live from Red Rocks)

Disc 2 1984-1989

1. The Unforgettable Fire
2. Pride
3. Indian Summer Sky
4. MLK
5. Where The Streets Have No Name
6. With or Without You
7. Running To Stand Still
8. One Tree Hill
9. Exit
10. Sweetest Thing (Single Mix)
11. Silver and Gold (Studio Version)
12. Desire
13. Heartland
14. When Love Comes To Town
15. Angel Of Harlem
16. All I Want Is You
17. Bad (Live, Wide Awake in America)

Disc 3 1990-1999

01. The Fly
02. Even Better Than The Real Thing
03. Until The End of the World
04. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
05. Love is Blindness
06. Lady With The Spinning Head (UV1 Mix)
07. Zooropa (Radio Edit)
08. The First Time
09. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
10. Miss Sarajevo
11. Your Blue Room
12. Discotheque
13. Mofo
14. Last Night On Earth (Single Version)
15. Please (Single Version)
16. Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad
17. One (Live, Passengers Orchestral Version)

Disc 4 - 2000-2015

1. Beautiful Day
2. Stuck In A Moment
3. Kite
4. Walk On (Single Version)
5. Electrical Storm (William Orbit Mix)
6. The Ground Beneath Her Feet
7. Vertigo
8. Miracle Drug
9. Sometimes You Cant Make It On Your Own
10. Window In The Skies
11. No Line On The Horizon
12. Breathe
13. Every Breaking Wave
14. This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
15. The Crystal Ballroom
16. Invisible (RED) Edit
17. Ordinary Love