U218 Singles is a greatest hits album by the Irish rock bandU2, released in November 2006. In most markets, the album contains 18 songs. The first 16 tracks are 16 of their most successful and popular singles. The 17th track is a cover version, in collaboration with Green Day, of The Skids' "The Saints Are Coming" to benefit Hurricane Katrina charities. The 18th and closing track is a new song entitled "Window in the Skies". However, in some markets, such as the United Kingdom, an extra song, "I Will Follow", is added to the track list as the opening track. U218 Videos, a DVD featuring music videos from throughout U2's career, was released concurrently. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart on 9 December 2006 at number 12 with sales of 134,000 copies. It spent 45 weeks on the chart. Despite not being released until November 2006, it was the seventh-highest-selling album in the world that year.
Artwork and packaging
The art direction and design for U218 Singles was handled by Shaughn McGrath. Many different photographs were used in the album's packaging with front and back cover photographs taken by David Corio and Anton Corbijn, respectively with booklet photographs by Corbijn, Paul Slattery, Andrew McPherson, Colm Henry, Matt Mahurin, Pennie Smith, and Sheila Rock.
Track listing
No songs from October, Zooropa, Pop, or the Passengers project Original Soundtracks 1 are included.
Variations
A includes a live DVD featuring ten songs recorded on the Vertigo Tour in Milan. "I Will Follow" appears as a bonus track on UK and Australian editions of the CD. The deluxe version in the UK, Ireland, and Canadian iTunes Stores also contains nine of the live songs from the limited edition bonus disc as audio tracks, as well as a digital booklet and a bonus track, "Smile," for those who pre-ordered the album. The United States deluxe iTunes version does not come with a digital booklet, but instead with "Smile" as a bonus track even if it was not pre-ordered.
''Vertigo 05: Live from Milan'' DVD
Vertigo 05: Live from Milan is a concert film included as a bonus DVD in the deluxe edition of the U218 Singles. The DVD features ten songs from the band's 25-song concert on 21 July 2005 in Milan, Italy, during the Vertigo Tour. It is U2's second concert release from the tour, preceded by and followed by U2 3D. On the iTunes Store deluxe edition of the album, these songs are featured as bonus audio tracks, except for "Original of the Species", which was later released as an iTunes Store exclusive single.
