The Best of 1980–1990
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''The Best of 1980–1990'' is the first greatest hits compilation by Irish rock band U2, released in 2 November 1998. It mostly contains the group's hit singles from the 1980s, but also mixes in some live staples, as well as one new recording, " Sweetest Thing". In April 1999, a companion video (featuring music videos and live footage) was released. The album was followed by another compilation, ''
The Best of 1990–2000 ''The Best of 1990–2000'' is the second greatest hits album by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 5 November 2002 through Island Records and Interscope Records. It was issued as both a single-disc CD compilation and as a multi-disc com ...
'', in 2002. A limited edition version of the album that included a second disc of
B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
was released a week earlier than the standard single-disc version. At the time of release, the official word was that the two-disc album would be available the first week the album went on sale, then pulled from stores. While this edict never materialized, it did result in the two-disc version being in very high demand. Both versions charted in the ''Billboard'' 200, with the two-disc version debuting at number two and setting a new first-week sales record in the United States for a greatest hits album by a group, with 237,500 copies sold. The boy on the album's cover is Peter Rowen, brother of Bono's friend
Guggi Guggi (born Derek Rowen) is an avant-garde Irish artist, once a member of the goth/ post-punk band Virgin Prunes alongside his close friend Gavin Friday. Guggi was born in Dublin in 1959. He grew up with and remains best friends with U2's ...
(real name Derek Rowen) of the
Virgin Prunes Virgin Prunes were an Irish post-punk band formed in 1977 in Dublin, Ireland. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of singer Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1991. History The Vir ...
. Peter also appears on the covers of U2's early EP ''
Three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
'', two of their first three albums (''
Boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is ...
'' and ''
War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
''), and '' Early Demos''.


Commercial performance

In the United States, the double-disc version of the album (''The Best of 1980-1990/The B-Sides'') debuted and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 during the week of 21 November 1998, with 237,500 copies sold. This set a new record for the best-selling opening week for a greatest hits collection by a group in the
SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
era. The next week, it fell to number five, while the single-disc version of the album entered the chart at number 57. The single-disc version of the compilation later peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200. ''The Best of 1980-1990/The B-Sides'' remained on the chart for 17 weeks, while the single-disc version was present on the chart for 44 weeks. The double-disc version was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of two million, on 4 December 1998; the standard edition was certified double platinum on 6 March 2002. In the United Kingdom, the limited double-disc version debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
on 14 November 1998, before dropping the following week to number two. It remained on the chart for 20 weeks. The single-disc edition entered at number eight on 21 November 1998, and two weeks later it reached its peak of number four. It charted for 126 weeks in the UK. The single-disc edition was certified quintuple platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
, denoting shipments of 1.5 million units, on 8 November 2002. In Canada, the double-disc version release had a numbered, limited edition of 175,000 units pressed. The double-disc version of the album debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums Chart for the week of 21 November 1998; this version stayed on the chart for four weeks. The next week, the standard edition debuted and peaked at number five on the chart, before falling to number eight the following week. The single-disc version remained on the chart for 15 weeks. In Ireland, the album debuted with the highest single-week sales since 1993, when IRMA started keeping records. The album reached number one on Ireland's album chart and remained on the chart for 76 weeks.


Track listing


Disc one


Disc two (Limited Edition B-Sides)

*Note: The version of "Bass Trap" found on this compilation is a shortened edit from the original 5:14 version found on "The Unforgettable Fire" 12" single EP from 1985. Same goes for the version of "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel", which is an edit from the original version (5:29) on the "Angel of Harlem" single from 1989.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Video

Music and words by U2. All tracks have been remastered for this release. #"Pride (In the Name of Love)" #"New Year's Day" #"With or Without You" #"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" #"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (from '' U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky'') #"Bad" (from ''
Rattle and Hum ''Rattle and Hum'' is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed by ...
'') #"Where the Streets Have No Name" #"I Will Follow" #"The Unforgettable Fire" #"Sweetest Thing" #"Desire" #"When Love Comes to Town" #"Angel of Harlem" #"All I Want Is You" #"One Tree Hill" (Live - from a previously unreleased cut of ''Rattle and Hum'')


Certifications

! scope="row", Argentina (
CAPIF The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers ( es, Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas, CAPIF) is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a n ...
) , 5× Platinum , 40,000^ , -


Personnel

* Bono – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica *
The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
– guitar, keyboards, vocals *
Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...
– bass guitar *
Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...
– drums, percussion


See also

*
U2 discography The discography of the Irish rock band U2 consists of 14 studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, 67 singles, and nine extended plays (EPs). The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 as teenagers. In 1979, ...
*''
The Best of 1990–2000 ''The Best of 1990–2000'' is the second greatest hits album by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 5 November 2002 through Island Records and Interscope Records. It was issued as both a single-disc CD compilation and as a multi-disc com ...
'' * List of best-selling albums in Argentina


References


External links


''The Best of 1980–1990'' (standard edition)
at U2 Wanderer, with comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more

at U2 Wanderer

at U2 Wanderer {{DEFAULTSORT:Best of 1980-1990, The Album chart usages for Italy U2 compilation albums B-side compilation albums 1998 greatest hits albums U2 video albums Island Records compilation albums Island Records video albums Albums produced by Steve Lillywhite Albums produced by Daniel Lanois Albums produced by Brian Eno Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine Albums produced by Bono