Producers include: Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Hal Willner, Bono, Flood.

Compilation producer: Hal Willner.

The soundtrack to this Wim Wenders-directed film about a hotel that plays host to rich mental patients features material by Bono (the co-author of the original story) with and without U2. The disc was produced by Hal Willner, and much of the music is played by the Million Dollar Hotel Band (whose members include Bono, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, and Bill Frisell). The resulting musical palette is dark and sweeping.

U2, which began dabbling in electronica in the early '90s, contributes a handful of subtle electronica gems. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" (featuring lyrics by Salman Rushdie and ghostly pedal steel by Lanois), the slow-burning and sensual "The First Time," and the ethereal "Stateless," which is goosed along by Danny Saber's sound effects. Elsewhere, the MDH Band maintains the shadowy mood moving from Chet Baker-inspired vibes ("Bathtub," "Tom Tom's Dream") to providing a Mazzy Star-like bed behind Milla Jovovich's whispered reading of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love." The only ripple in this sea of musical tranquillity is Tito Larriva's brilliant Spanish-language reworking of "Anarchy in the UK," re-titled "Anarchy in the USA."

What the critics say...

Rolling Stone (3/30/00, p.62) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...[U2's] sensibility becomes high cinema....this is enormous rock that retains some subtlety and detail in its soulful equation."
Q (4/00, p.90) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A deeply atmospheric affair...as flagged up by U2's beautiful, slow-burning 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet' and ethereal 'Stateless'. The album's real surprises lie within the remainder of the tracks..."
Mojo (Publisher) (4/00, pp.92-3) - "...Plenty to hold your interest here, try Jon Hassell's woozy trumpet on 'Amsterdam Blue', 'Falling At Your Feet's subtle drum programming, or the 'snatch' of dialogue in which Milla Jovovich tells us what became of her beaver..."