A Bit Too Much of a Good Thing

Review Score: (8/10)
"Best of 1980-1990" is an excellent one-disc sampler of U2's best years, and probably all that the casual fan will need. All of their biggest and most familiar hits are here.

However, this sampler also has a couple of weaknesses. First, Island apparently tried to bulk-up the disc by adding a few unnecessary unknowns (e.g. "Bad"). The casual fans who will be buying this CD don't want those songs. Second, the listener should be warned that U2's sweeping guitar anthems, which sound so great on the radio, can become rather tiresome when heard one after another, after another, etc.

In other words, all the essentials are here, but it might be a lot to swallow in one listen.

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