Lol, I'm not so sure about that. I mean, U2's music is totally different from Creed's and I don't think I'll ever like U2's music more than say Creed's music or Alter Bridge's music or 12 Stones' music. U2's just a tad bit too, for lack of a better word, "soft" for me to like them more than the bands I mentioned, being the rocker that I am.
But I am a fan of U2 and I really respect what they've done over the years. Bands like U2 are rare.
As for the singles being the worst, well for the most part, they're not as good creatively as the rest of the songs. But rarely are a band's singles their best work. There's an exemption to the rule, though, imo. As I've already said, "One" and "My Own Prison" are my two favorite Creed songs and both were released as singles. I think those two songs are Creed's best work and I am sure there are others who would agree with me. So I can't completely agree with your statement, lol.
You know, I've always wondered how much Wind-Up pushed them to go commercial with their last two CDs. I just can't see Mark, Flip, Scott and Brian(when he was still apart of the band) wanting to go commercial just for the sake of making a bunch of money. Basically, I can't see them as wanting to "sell" out. I think Wind-Up pushed them to make more commercially friendly CDs.