U2

In the future, when aliens arrive on earth and ask to hear what the turn of the millennium sounded like, Global Emperor Hasselhoff will simply sit back and cue up this collection of singles by U2. Though light on early material (nothing from Boy or October, back when Bono's ego was dwarfed only by his ambition), this collection is the soundtrack to the ending of an era and the beginning of a new one, capturing the hope, the struggle, the cynicism and, ultimately, the joy of life in the '00s. The additional tracks on this version of the release are "Vertigo" and "I Will Follow," both recorded live at a Milan concert in 2005.