I am a huge U2 fan and even I'll admit this is not their finest effort. Quite simply U2 tried to do too much too fast in the wake of the Joshua Tree.  By comparison they did the same thing with Zooropa following Achtung Baby, but that was more successful.
What you get on this CD is a combination of some live material for the Joshua Tree Tour, some songs which are just fantastic in that mode, and studio rechordings.  I particularly find the live version of "Bullet the Blue Sky" fantastic.  "I Still Haven't Found..." is great here with a backing gospel choir. As for the new songs, I think the standouts include "All I Want is You" which is a sequel to "With or Without You" , "Desire", "Hawkmoon 269", "Silver and Gold", and "When Love Comes to Town" with BB King.
My biggest complaint about this album (and even the movie) is that U2 seem to be trying to win America over, as if The Joshua Tree didn't already do it.  I think with a little more time they could have produced a full studio album of new songs (considering the awesome B-Sides that came out of the accompanying singles) and a full live album.  Of particular note are the absense of some wonderful live songs that were in the film and not on this album.  "With or Without You" from the movie is spectacular and even better is "Where the Streets Have No Name".
Oh well, this album does provide a nice perspective on what U2 were feeling at the end of the 80's on the heels of the success of the Joshua Tree.
I am a huge U2 fan and even I'll admit this is not their finest effort. Quite simply U2 tried to do too much too fast in the wake of the Joshua Tree. By comparison they did the same thing with Zooropa following Achtung Baby, but that was more successful. What you get on this CD is a combination of some live material for the Joshua Tree Tour, some songs which are just fantastic in that mode, and studio rechordings. I particularly find the live version of "Bullet the Blue Sky" fantastic. "I Still Haven't Found... " is great here with a backing gospel choir. As for the new songs, I think the standouts include "All I Want is You" which is a sequel to "With or Without You" , "Desire", "Hawkmoon 269", "Silver and Gold", and "When Love Comes to Town" with BB King. My biggest complaint about this album (and even the movie) is that U2 seem to be trying to win America over, as if The Joshua Tree didn't already do it. I think with a little more time they could have produced a full studio album of new songs (considering the awesome B-Sides that came out of the accompanying singles) and a full live album. Of particular note are the absense of some wonderful live songs that were in the film and not on this album. "With or Without You" from the movie is spectacular and even better is "Where the Streets Have No Name". Oh well, this album does provide a nice perspective on what U2 were feeling at the end of the 80's on the heels of the success of the Joshua Tree.