U2 "Best Of 2000-2020" and Super Deluxe 1979-2025 Box Set Idea

[michaelp1981]

Hello U2!

I'm Michael P, and I've been a long-time fan of U2 since I was a little kid in the '80s. So far there's been a "Best Of 1980-1990" and a "Best Of 1990-2000", and I think it's a great time to put out a "Best Of 2000-2020"! This is a suggestion for music you guys already own (it is not unsolicited material). I don't think a "Best Of 2000-2010" would work since "Beautiful Day", "Stuck In a Moment" & "Electrical Storm" are already on the "1990-2000" set, and "The Saints Are Coming" & "Window In the Skies" are on the "U218 Singles" set. But I do think alternate or live versions of those hits should definitely be on the Bonus Disc in the Deluxe Edition, because it feels wrong to not have them on a 2000s collection.

 

I'm sure you guys have access to more stats than I do, but based on various Billboard Chart positions, and the number of plays on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes and Amazon, I've created a possible track listing for 3 different formats:

1. A 1-disc Standard Edition
2. A 2-disc Deluxe Edition https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo3HJBcdzHXCYIgpJ4jr6NJLf9fJmQAJ_
3. An 8-disc Super Deluxe Edition (1979-Present) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo3HJBcdzHXDUHmwKk9lDUO6hS83ugU0N

 

The 8-disc Super Deluxe Edition is what I think U2 fans would REALLY be excited about, because it would include a lot of rare / previously unreleased tracks from 1979 to the present! It includes an exclusive expanded version of the 2-disc "1980-1990" set, an exclusive altered/expanded version of the 2-disc "1990-2000" set that more accurately reflects the underappreciated '90s era, which would then allow for an exclusive 2-disc "2000-2010" set and an exclusive 2-disc "2010-Present" set, making 8 discs total.

 

I've attached a PDF file listing possible tracks for the 3 formats, making a few edits to fit them into 80 minutes per disc. But to keep this email from dragging on too long, I'll just list the rare / previously unreleased highlights of the 8-disc set below. And you probably already have people working for you who could put this compilation together, but if you'd like, I'd love to help with compiling, editing and remastering (and remixing if necessary)! I'm good at audio mixing, audio mastering, and excellent at audio editing. I've also mailed rough physical copies of this proposed set to UMG in LA and Island Records in New York.

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear back from you!

Michael (Michael P) Evans

 

• Life On a Distant Planet
• The Dream Is Over
• Be There
• She's a Mystery to Me (studio version if it exists, or live version)
• Wild Irish Rose
• You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart - Bono & Sinead O'Conner DUET (I've made a rough mix using Bono's bootleg demo and Sinead O'Conner's vocals from her final version to help imagine what a duet version could sound like.)
• GoldenEye - Bono & Tina Turner DUET (I've made a rough mix using Bono & Edge's bootleg demo and Tina Turner's vocals and bassline from her final version to help imagine what a duet version could sound like for the 30th Anniversary next year, 2025.)
• Mission: Impossible (Junior's Hard Mix) [by Adam & Larry]
• Beat On the Brat
• Mercy (original version in its full 6 1/2 minute glory!)
• The Batman (Edge's 1 min. theme song from 2005)
• Don't Come Knocking (not the soundtrack version, but the version with Bono, Edge and Andrea Corr that was streamed on U2.com back in 2006)
• Winter (the Linear version)
• Soon
• Glastonbury (studio version if it exists, or live version)
• North Star (studio version if it exists, or live version)
• Boy Falls From the Sky (studio version if it exists, or live version)
• Breathe (Mandela Version)
• This Is
• What's Going On (2017 Version)
• Forty Foot Man
• A "Songs of Surrender" out-take or two
• A new song or two (like on the "1990-2000" set) or a new recording of an older song (like on the "1980-1990" set)
• Stuck In a Moment (FULL acoustic version, not the edited one)
• Original of the Species (Single Version)
• Window In the Skies (a live version)
• Heaven and Hell (an alternate version without the Wop-Doo-Wop backing vocals)
• Ordinary Love (Original Version, now hard to find)
• The Crystal Ballroom (12" Mix)

U2 Best Of 2000-2020 (and 1980-2025).pdf

[CorkVegan]

That's a fine tracklist.

Don't forget "Womanfish" though.

 

[noelb222]

@michaelp1981 that’s such a cool idea!!! To be able to hear rare/unreleased tracks would be such a great. I’ve found a few on YouTube, which honestly are very good. Again, such a cool idea!!!