U2: The Edge (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Bono (vocals, guitar); Adam Clayton (bass); Larry Mullen (drums, percussion).

Producers include: Steve Lillywhite, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, William Orbit, U2.

Recorded between 1990 & 2000.

Personnel: Bono (vocals, guitar, synthesizer, background vocals); Daniel Lanois (guitar, percussion, background vocals); Rosie Nic Athlaioch (strings); Paul Barret (brass); Brian Eno (piano, harmonium, keyboards, synthesizer, programming, sound effects); Marius de Vries (keyboards, programming); Steve Osborne, William Orbit (keyboards); Adam Clayton (bass guitar); Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums, percussion); Iain Roberton, Rico Conning, Ben Hillier, Jake Davies (programming); Howie B (loops, turntables).

Audio Mixers: Daniel Lanois; Joe Chiccarelli; Mike Hedges; Robbie Adams; Steve Lillywhite; Tim Palmer; William Orbit; Jeremy Wheatley.

Recording information: HQ, Dublin, Ireland; Nice, France; The Leonard Hotel, London, England.

Photographer: Anton Corbijn.

The story goes like this: poised on the brink of disappearing in their own earnestness in the wake of the Rattle and Hum, U2 revitalized themselves with Achtung Baby, embracing irony and modern music in a garish celebration of pop culture that effectively distracted attention from the wounded, broken heart at its center. Basking in the acclaim of Achtung Baby, U2 continued to release Euro-experimental music -- equal parts Madchester, Krautrock, and good old-fashioned prog rock, partially courtesy of longtime collaborator Brian Eno -- until their ambition imploded on Pop, leading them to a celebrated return to roots, All That You Can't Leave Behind. Through it all, they turned out singles that equaled their '80s work (and in the case of "One" and "Beautiful Day," surpassed it), providing the basic ingredients for a great hits collection, The Best of 1990-2000. Anytime U2 flirted too closely with either dance or electronica has been replaced by mixes that attempt to give these tunes the sound of neo-classicist U2 … la All That You Can't Leave Behind. So, all the Pop material ("Gone," "Discotheque," "Staring at the Sun") is given new mixes, as is "Numb." There are great songs here -- not just "Mysterious Ways" and "Beautiful Day," but relatively rare items like the Passengers tune "Miss Sarajevo" (sounding more majestic than ever) and the Batman & Robin theme "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (a glam rock pastiche that was the best thing about the film and remains a highlight), plus the underappreciated "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" (as lovely as anything they've ever cut). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The story goes like this: poised on the brink of disappearing in their own earnestness in the wake of the Rattle and Hum, U2 revitalized themselves with Achtung Baby, embracing irony and modern music in a garish celebration of pop culture that effectively distracted attention from the wounded, broken heart at its center. Basking in the acclaim of Achtung Baby, U2 continued to release Euro-experimental music -- equal parts Madchester, Krautrock, and good old-fashioned prog rock, partially courtesy of longtime collaborator Brian Eno -- until their ambition imploded on Pop, leading them to a celebrated return to roots, All That You Can't Leave Behind. Through it all, they turned out singles that equaled their '80s work (and in the case of "One" and "Beautiful Day," surpassed it), providing the basic ingredients for a great hits collection, but The Best of 1990-2000 is botched, nearly fatally so, by a desperate attempt to rewrite history. Original mixes are replaced by recent remixes, while album tracks (why does "The First Time" close the collection?) and two new songs elbow out actual hits. Naturally, this highlights what's missing, which is quite a bit: "The Fly," "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," "Zooropa," "Lemon," "Mofo," "Last Night on Earth," "Walk On," "Elevation," "Peace on Earth," to name a few. This wouldn't hurt as much if the new songs were good, but they're bland, particularly "Electrical Storm" (which, to add insult to injury, is presented not in the original mix, but in a William Orbit mix), an attempt to give the aesthetic of Behind a vague electronic gloss that doesn't work. Worst of all, anytime U2 flirted too closely with either dance or electronica has been replaced by mixes that attempt to give these tunes the sound of neo-classicist U2 … la All That You Can't Leave Behind. So, all the Pop material ("Gone," "Discotheque," "Staring at the Sun") is given new mixes, as is "Numb," none improvements and all undermining the actual career arc of U2 in the '90s. Then, these mixes, new songs, and hits are thrown out seemingly at random, with no regard for either chronology or musical momentum. Sure, there are great songs here -- not just "Mysterious Ways" and "Beautiful Day," but relatively rare items like the Passengers tune "Miss Sarajevo" (sounding more majestic than ever) and the Batman & Robin theme "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (a glam rock pastiche that was the best thing about the film and remains a highlight), plus the underappreciated "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" (as lovely as anything they've ever cut). And that may be enough for some listeners, but it's hard not to wish that The Best of 1990-2000 actually lived up to its title and presented an overview of this excellent era in a logical, accurate manner. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The decade of the 1990's was an era of transition for the legendary quartet from Dublin known to the world as U2. An earlier (and more serious) body of work gave way to albums such as POP and ZOOROPA, which radiated the band's positivity and energy in a more lighthearted fashion. THE BEST OF 1990-2000 culls the benchmark tracks from the band's studio albums ("One," "The First Time," "Beautiful Day"), as well as key movie soundtrack cuts ("Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," "Miss Sarajevo").

While some diehards cooled their passion for the band in the height of their glitz and glamour, experiencing "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" shows the band stripped down to perfection in their most basic and graceful state. THE BEST OF goes even further, luring collectors with new tracks ("Electrical Storm," "The Hands That Built America") as well as new mixes of "Numb" and "Discotheque."

Rolling Stone (11/28/02, p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The result feels surprisingly coherent, both familiar and fresh..."

Spin (12/02, pp.44-6) - 8 out of 10 - "...It's an accurate summary of the band's '90s output..."

Entertainment Weekly (11/8/02, p.107) - "...U2 issued enough alternative material in the 90's to make this two-CD set worth considering..." - Rating: B-

Q (12/02, p.69) - Included in Q Magazine's "The 50 Best Albums of 2002."

Q (12/02, p.131) - 4 out of 5 - "...There are two new tracks. Complex, sprawling and fascinating. 'Electrical Storm' swells with every hearing..."

Mojo (Publisher) (12/02, p.124) - "...What this collection reveals, ultimately, is that U2 are the sum of their constituent parts....It's the non-muso element to all this that makes U2 such a human group..."