Achtung Baby

Yeah, nah. Fuck U2.

Meh. Pretty generic Pop/Rock album. What bothered me the most is that I grew tired of Bono's voice by end.

U2's other perfect album. This album completely reinvents U2 from the traditional arena rock that reached its peaked in Joshua Tree. But just like Joshua Tree, U2's innovation and creativity sets it apart from anything else from the era. Now there is influence from the prior shoegaze and Madchester movements that dominated the UK in the years prior, but there truly is nothing else that ever had or will sound like this album. And yet U2 still delivers a product that can appeal to the pop audience... it just takes a few listens to really get into. "Zoo Station" is the perfect intro that slaps us immediately with the new sound, with the industrial sound and distorted vocals and guitar riffs (you can really see the influences here). The next song is another amazing track and is probably the best blend of their new style and the U2 pop we're used to, which explains why it's the 4th single. The third track "One" is one of their most famous songs, and yes it is a great song. I'm just not into that kind of song. Next two songs are again amazing. Love the subject and production of "Until the end of the world" and "... Your Horses." I also love how the guitar goes from complete distortion to a gradual clarity in the latter song. Next song "So Cruel" is pretty good, but I'm not crazy about it like the others, probably since it's less exciting and also the longest track at nearly 6 minutes. I do really like the production value, especially starting at the 2 minute mark. Also love the emotion in the vocals that align so well with the instrumentals. Next we have my favorite track, "The Fly." Note this was their lead single. Not "One" or "Mysterious Ways" which would have appealed to pop audiences and old fans... but this lunatic piece. When this single dropped on radio and MTV, everyone blew their shit. Between the industrial sound, distortion, and darker tone, this was nothing like they had ever made, and a perfect message about what this album would be about. I absolutely love the sound. The next track is their other famous funky pop track, "Mysterious Ways," which you are likely to hear on any modern rock station. You can dance to it. You can sing to it. I love where the song turns around the 2 minute turn with the amazing Eno production touch. Next track "Tryin to throw..." is the weakest of them all, and is one of the flaws preventing this from being absolutely perfect. Album picks up again with "Ultra violet" which goes back to their Joshua Tree roots and has an optimistic message in contrast to the grim undertones among the rest of the album. Next track "Acrobat" uses an Irish time signature and has my favorite lyrics. The last track "Love is Blindness" is also a tad bit weak, but it's slower pace makes it the best canididate to close off this masterpiece. As you can tell, I absolutely love the album from front to end, which just one really boring track, and the others with all sorts of highlights that expose the zenith of U2's talent and creativity. I'm not sure how influential this album was due to how different it was to the other rising genres out there, but it stands out as a work with its own identity, standing the test of time 30 years and on.

I am delighted to confirm that U2 are not my U. This album supposedly marks one of the greatest reinventions in rock history. So well done U2 on leaving your post-punk roots behind and reinventing yourselves as a bland, beige proto-Coldplay.

Their best album, and it's not even close. The band was in need of something of a reinvention, which in U2's case meant making sure the songs didn't sound like they were about God. Or at least not come off as self-righteous. And for Bono Vox, that's asking a lot. "One" is Bono's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", destined to be covered ad nauseum for years to come. My favorite song here is "Trying To Throw You're Arms Around The World", and 22-year old me was delighted to hear them play it when I saw them on their Zoo TV Tour in support of this album in Ames, Iowa. Every song here is a banger, and proof that Bono is capable of magic when he doesn't take himself so seriously. R.E.M.'s "Automatic for the People", Nirvana's "Nevermind" and this masterpiece were all released within a 12-month time frame. During the same time frame, both Robin Yount and George Brett collected their 3,000th hit, and a large black woman walked up to me and said, "You got a fine ass. You could fry an egg on that ass" waiting in line to get into a bar. What a great time it was to be alive.

Isn’t Bono the world’s largest shit?

How do you follow The Joshua Tree? This is how. You expand your sound. You get out of your comfort zone a bit. The songs on Achtung Baby feel more personal and sound more energetic. Only thing is I personally don't care for is the last 2 songs. Other than that, great album!!!

Nein. It’s like 4 session musicians all contributed their required piece to a contracted recording. The cohesion, lustre, charisma, and taste of steamed lettuce.

Fuck off Bono. Fun Fact: Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant chose this album title from a shortlist of 16 including Achtung Adult and Achtung Teenager.

Never been a big U2 fan. Enjoyed the Edge's playing, but never the group as a whole. This record, at certain points, sounds very loose, like a jam session that happens to be going well. Bono has a lot of effects on his voice but none make me enjoy it anymore. Hard zone out on a good portion of this record. Favorite tracks: "One", "Ultra Violet"

Perfect

I haven't listened to this album in 15 years, and listening back to it, I'm surprised at how essential it still sounds. Particularly because U2 have become utterly irrelevant in recent years..... but this album stands out as being a classic of its time. A reinvention that kept the band at the top of their game

Can't get much better than that!

This is my favourite U2 album. I (generally) find them a bit bombastic and earnest, a bit too polished and devoid of swing. But this is the record where they discovered noise, irony and even a modicum of funk. I love industrial music, so the noisy, industrial production style really appeals to me. And, despite the deliberately trashy presentation, there are some really strong songs here, including One, which I would argue is the greatest song they ever wrote. I saw U2 once in the early 2000s, and I was surprised at how closely Bono stuck to the vocal arrangements from the records, occasionally throwing in snippets of other song s(with mixed results) to try and keep things fresh, but I really got the impression that (despite his great pipes), he doesn't think on his feet particularly quickly in a musical sense. I suspect in the studio he works really hard until he finds the best performance, and that is generally locked in forever. But when he sang One, I felt that this was a song he deeply understood, musically, and it was not just a replaying of the record. His performance was much ore fluid and in the moment. While not as hard-edged as a lot of the records I was listening to when this came out (Einsturzende Neubauten, Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, etc etc), this had the advantage of having really great songs at the core (which you would certainly not accuse Skinny Puppy of. The only late 80s, early 90s industrial band with really great songs was Nine Inch Nails). I listened to this record a lot, and each track still stands up. The songs are less global, worthy and important, and much more human and morally ambiguous. There is a quite a bit informed by the Edge's divorce, but also reflected int eh band's own near-divorce. It was a bold swing at a real change, and one that paid off for them, extending their career that had perhaps run otu of obvious places to go. Interestingly, having heard some of the demos, I suspect a LOT of the greatness of this album comes down tot he production and mixing team, of Eno, Daniel Lanois, Flood and Steve Lillywhite, who took some pretty half backed ideas and edited and mixed them into an amazing record. Lanois can record, Eno can edit, Lillywhite can mix, but for my money, the real secret sauce is Flood. This is him starting to move into the big time, from the alternative bands he had worked with previously. The band threw everything and the kitchen sink on tape, but it is the editing a mixing that really lifts this (and I think Flood can be clearly heard here).

MY FAV

Before starting the 1001 albums journey, Achtung Baby was one of my favourite albums to listen to. Its also probably the only u2 album that's equally balanced throughout, with the usual like Joshua Tree or All You Can Leave Behind being much stronger in first side and weaker in the second. Although the 80s were great to them, to me, the 90s was the best u2 era. You have a perfect album like Achtung along with the underrated but great Zooropa and Pop. Its a shame they haven't been able to put out anything near interesting and consistent since the 2000s. Since I already know the album well enough, I decided to listen to the deluxe tracks instead and was suprised by its quality. You do have some duds like their cover of Paint it Black and Fortunate Son, but there are also quality numbers like Lady With the Spinning Head and the Temple Bar Mix of Horses. About half of them were truely great. The guitar sound on this is fantastic, really crunchy on Zoo Station and The Fly, delicate on One and groovy on Mysterious Ways. The rhythm section is great throughout and the vocals have a fantastic range from baritone to falsetto. Overall a great album and one I wish I could have experienced when it came out.

Usually I find U2 to be pretty overrated, but this album's really good. Very interesting sound to start the 90s with.

Effectively bouncing between styles and moods, this is a great album that stands among U2's best.

Am I giving an album a 5 because of one single? Yes, because that single is One, which is a top 5 song. I hear all of your objections - it's too saccharine, you don't like Bono, you have no taste - and I reject them all. Best track: One

Their career high point. A huge leap on from the Joshua Tree. The album belongs to the Edge and the guitar sound throughout this is just brilliant - an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have a complicated relationship with U2. I was a fan of their first two albums as a youngster but found War to be little more than ham-fisted chest-beating and anyway, you sort of had to take sides in those days between them and the Bunnymen and I knew which side I was firmly on. But then they released this - easily the best album of their career - and I was back on board for a few years. It tails off noticeably towards the end but the first two thirds is magnificent. And, really, what have the Bunnymen done that's truly great since 1987?

So this one was a pretty easy assignment for me, as I love this album – and know it well… Also didn’t hurt that I saw the 1992 tour when U2 came to Cleveland, as that was the hardest rock ticket to get that year… U2 was a “college” band when I was in college in the early 80’s, so “Boy” & “October” were in regular rotation, but it was 1983’s “War” album that totally blew them up big time… I remember thinking at the time, most bands are fortunate if they have 1 “great” album in them, or perhaps 2 if they are really lucky… Most bands tended to have 2 or 3 really good songs on an album, with the rest being less than stellar – and that would get them to their next album… If you did this for 4 or 5 albums, you’d achieve no greatness, but you’d have a solid body of work that kept the record company and fans happy… So when “War” came out, that was their “great” album in my opinion… But then when 1987’s “The Joshua Tree” came along, it was like wow – that’s 2 all-time classics from this band… Not that 1985’s “The Unforgettable Fire” wasn’t awesome – it certainly was, it just wasn’t on the same level of the album that came before, or after it… So when “Achtung Baby” came out in 1992, I knew it would be good – but had no idea it would be yet another amazing top-shelf album from the band, but that’s what they created – and that put them into a whole different category for me, as only a handful of artists ever really achieve that kind of creative greatness… They’ve since added 2 more in my opinion, so my list is below – and each is a separate and distinct project, with an original sound, an original theme, and original stories to tell… War – 1983 The Joshua Tree – 1987 Achtung Baby – 1992 All That You Can’t Leave Behind – 2000 Songs Of Experience – 2017 As for “Achtung Baby”, it absolutely is loaded with musical goodness IMO, as there is not an average track on the album – it’s just a matter of which ones are better than others… I’ve always used a 7-point scale when rating songs, as 5 is just not enough – and 9 would just be silly : ) – so here is my take, and in order of goodness… 7-STARS Acrobat – Incredibly underrated, and one of their best songs ever… One – A true classic… End Of The World – Another of my deeper cut loves… Ultra Violet – Another underrated classics… So Cruel – Just love this song – the way the music matches the lyrics, stunningly good… The Fly – This was amazing to see live in 1992… 5-STARS Zoo Station – Great way to open the album… Love Is Blindness – Great way to close the album… Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around the World – A woman need a man, like a fish needs a bicycle… Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses 4-STARS Even Better Than The Real Thing Mysterious Ways Kinda funny that “Mysterious Ways” was one of the big hits from the album, and I have ranked last, as this is such an amazing album… Bono & The Edge clearly drive this band, and both were in their prime here, and their work on this album was spectacular… I recently bought a pair of Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones, and pair them with the Tidal high-fidelity streaming service (no compression), and Bono’s vocals on this album are something to behold, as is The Edge’s guitar work… A well-deserved 5 for one of the all-time classics…

I’ve never been much of a U2 fan, but was pleasantly surprised by Achtung Baby. A lot of pop hits on this one, and the fillers were also listenable. The kind of album I would not intentionally play, but wouldn’t complain about it either. Overall good, but of course included what I consider to be some typical U2 nonsensical lyrics. This album isn’t a #1, but I certainly see it as a solid #2. I also liked the bonus material on the Spotify edition. 3.5 stars. Rounding up!

I was old enough to realise this was a big deal when it came out: I'd been reading the papers for a while, and the whole Berlin/ Trabant/ multimedia/ ooo-look-William-Burroughs schtick was eye-catching and exciting, particularly as I was ignorant of the influences they were raiding/co-opting, though even then the ladles of irony felt excessive, suggestive of gull-catchers or, worse, a band not entirely confident of its material. I think that I somehow never managed to listen to the entire record, though "The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways" amused me, the dumb irony notwithstanding. A couple of years later, the inkies showed me the many lurid and glorious shades of vitriol, which they poured generously onto U2. This is a fun record, and the modish production has aged well, though a few Madchester-esque drum inflections feel forced. On the other hand, the trash can-clatter on Zoo Station felt spot on, and the flow of the first three songs pleased me on both play throughs today. Bono does his thing and it's alright. Don't expect modernist poetry from him, but the loud and flashy framing suits his eschewal of subtlety and suggestion. U2 are rare, perhaps unique as a blockbuster, heroic band born of the late Cold War, when the heavy late '70s and early '80s dread of nuclear annihilation fell on a grey, miserable cross-Atlantic political atmosphere, the Troubles bringing death every week. Explicitly making a record in and about post-reunification Berlin, with Brian Eno was the most on-the-nose act U2 could've done, and like a typical Berlin Wall mural it works as proudly noisy pop art. None of the songs are bad, and there are at least five outright bangers - am including The Fly and Mysterious Ways here, despite "The Soup Dragons" passing my lips involuntarily as I write this. This is a good U2 record! If you hate U2, you'll still hate it! But I had fun. And they all sound like they had fun, particularly The Edge. Now the thrill of seeing whether my shoes get splattered by the vomit of disdain if Simon has emptied the bucket over the Bonoboys…

"Rattle and Hum" was a big heartfelt favorite in the ol' parent's Volvo, so I was a bit confused when this came out to follow - why now the irony and insincerity? Seemed very artificial. I genuinely liked this as a "good U2 album" without any excuses and it still stands up pretty well; ubiquitous singles that are probably forgotten now still bang quite hard. "So Cruel" was even my favorite song for a while, for reasons lost to antiquity probably involving being sad I didn't get to snog a particular girl. Yikes! I saw them at Wembley stadium on the subsequent Zooropa tour (nb: better album overall), and it was a phenomenal spectacle - PJ Harvey, flying cars and giant video screens, and the first public sighting of Salman Rushdie since the fatwa. The '90s, man

Just as Joshua Tree was a somewhat pleasant surprise for me, Actung Baby was as well. I'm no U2 fan but this is a pretty decent album. Right away you get the sense of a more industrial alternative sound on Zoo Station and it works really well. I've never so much cared for One and I really don't think it fits well on this album. Reading about the production team on this album, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, I found it interesting and pretty funny that Eno's role in production was to, "come in and erase anything that sounded too much like U2" The track Until the End of the World really gave me a National vibe to it and I really did enjoy it. There's a dark vibe to this whole album and I won't let U2 take full credit for it, I gotta give a nod to the production duo on this. That being said this is a really good album 4 stars

Nr. 148/1001 Zoo Station 3/5 Even Better Then The Real Thing 3/5 One 5/5 Until The End Of The World 4/5 Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses 4/5 So Cruel 3/5 The Fly 3/5 Mysterious Ways 4/5 Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World 4/5 Ultra Violet 3/5 Acrobat 4/5 Love Is Blindness 3/5 Average: 3,58 Really cool listen. Some highlights and no song I really disliked.

. It has become fashionable lately to bash Bono and U2. Based on their music, this is entirely unjustified. Their back catalogue consists of beautiful, classic songs - Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For are songs which join the canon of 20th century standards, alongside the best works of Cole Porter, Smokey Robinson and Lennon & McCartney - and Achtung Baby continues to showcase Bono and The Edge’s skill in creating brilliantly written pop rock. Who’s Going To Ride Your Wild Horses, The Fly, Even Better Than The Real Thing and Mysterious Ways are full of catchy hooks, big sounds and swelling, emotional moments. The stand out track - to rank alongside their very best - is One, a moving track about the end? the start? of a love affair, told simply - not a moment is wasted, no instrumentation too much - pitch perfect. Perhaps the album as a whole doesn’t hold up as a complete, satisfying listening experience but the quality remains high and if you have been bashing Bono give this a fresh listen and a fair hearing.

A few well known songs and an all around solid album from start to finish. Despite its age doesn't feel dated or even necessarily a product of its time, just good music.

fun album, better than joshua tree but not as good as zooropa. consistently good but no stand out tracks. i need to listen more to get a full opinion but for now its a 7/10

Don't know if I've ever listened to a U2 album before. It was pretty good.

A very good, but not the best, album by U2. Quite a few really great songs but also some - in my opinion - poorer ones. But overall an album you can put on anytime.

I never know how to feel about this band. I'm old enough to remember nearly all of their releases...I tried hard for Unforgettable Fire (1984), then again with Rattle n Hum/Achtung Baby (1989-1991)...and one last gasp for All That You Can't Leave Behind (2002)... Is it possible to both acknowledge that an album is probably excellent but that you just don't like it? I remember buying this upon release and maybe just *believing* I liked it based on so many hits... to be fair, the music is definitely a "new" sound for U2 compared to much of their previous work...those clean delayed guitars, space/reverb which were all so prevalent. I guess I do appreciate if not like that aspect of change. On this disc right away we hear elements of techno, distorted guitars, loops... and as a result many of these songs are quickly catchy...but at the same time boring. Notably I'll point out "One" which can probably safely be called a classic song, if not their best then in the conversation and builds to an inspiring climax. Why is this never among my favourite albums or bands? I don't fully know - on Achtung Baby the drums sound like hitting wet paper, that's definitely a turn-off. I'm not enveloped in the sound of this album, despite it having a richness of content. If there's one thing alone though - it's the vocals. I think I'm not a fan of vocalist Bono, and more specifically from roughly this album forward. Allowing for the obvious that albums are recorded as multitrack and layered over and over.... it still always sounds too obvious with U2 and Bono, like the music is a distant accompaniment and Bono is in a small room crooning way way too close to the microphone. He never feels a part of the action - there's nothing inherently bad about it...it's just distracting to me on almost every song. This is a terrible review, I just don't know how to put it - U2: a band I want to like, I like some songs, bits of a few albums, but I've never said "hey i'm in the mood for U2". Listen to this album to get a very accurate slice of the early 90s in the rock world. I'll give big points for creativity especially in the guitar category but it's not my thing. 6/10 3 stars.

A high 3. Wasn’t that impressed.

This would be a 4 but I really don't like Bono's voice. I actually liked Zoo Station. I also get annoyed how U2's songs are so similar.

I hate hate hate Mysterious Ways. Boomer dudes will play this song at vow renewals for women who move in decidedly predictable ways.

Alright I'm saying it, if this is music I don't like music. This album is lame and the title blows. The fake depth of this is almost hurtful. Mysterious Ways may be the best track, I don't know, I don't care.

Best leaning on a shovel getting paid for not a whole lot gig in pop music? Bass player for U2. And wait there's more, you get song writing royalties to go with it. What a boring band, seriously boring. They are so boring it was actually interesting to listen across this entire record just to see the boring depths to which they could plunge. Here they are so self consciously trying to uncouple themselves from being U2 they do a U2 and produce an album that sounds like U2 trying not to be U2. I love how the guitarist is constantly fighting to not play his signature one and only style of playing, but then about a minute and half in he rips it out regardless. This is the pop music equivalent of wallpaper. If there was a Pop Music Hall of Boring not only would they be one of the first inductees, they'd be the first Immortals.

The least bad of all of the U2 offerings so far. I gave up on this one because I was bored, not because it felt like listening to fingers scraping down a blackboard. And I lasted more songs before giving up. Surely we're done with U2 albums now on this list, but if not: Who knows, maybe the next U2 album will creep up to a second star?

Couldn’t get through it. Makes me want to hit something whilst listening

Great album! Minus 4 for the tax evasion

It opened quite promisingly, 'Zoo Station' had a good drum sound and interesting processed vocal and 'Even Better Than The Real Thing' sounded fairly psychedelic with it's wash of guitars and keyboards. I've never really been a fan of 'One' (it's just too corny) and the record never really regained my interest after this. There were some euphoric sounds but the lyrics are just trite and the music tries hard to be exciting but ends up sounding fatigued. By 'So Cruel' I'd had enough of Bono's voice and off it went. So there we go, I tried to endure a whole U2 album but failed. I won't lose any sleep over it. x

Starts with trash recorded in a tin trash can. One- "Did I disappoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?" The answer is yeah, ya did. I stand by my assessment that Bono is not an interesting singer. Smacked myself in the face to help me get through this. This Sucks. Something about the mixing is annoying or just his voice. Positive note, there are a few guitar riffs that aren't bad.

I just straight up don't like this music. It's a chore to listen to. Bono's voice is not good and hits the same 2-3 notes throughout each song. I can never actually hear the music behind his voice because it just sounds like noise mashed together, which I suppose is a production issue. It's always shocked me how popular U2 is because the songs just don't do it for me, I got through 5 songs hoping for something and called it quits. First album in the generator I didn't finish

7 Based on this scale: 1 - 0 to 19 2 - 20 to 39 3 - 40 to 59 4 - 60 to 79 5 - 80 to 100 For some reason, I'm not surprised that this list would include at least one atrocity committed by the world's most notorious musical terrorists, U2. As much as I'd want to give everything U2 ever made a score of 0, at the very most, there were a handful moments during the album that had me tapping my foot. Granted, these moments were actually the brief pauses between songs, but still. The silent bits were great, is what I'm trying to say. If U2 had only recorded the silent bits, their contributions to the world would have been significantly less harmful. Anyway, shame on anyone who thinks that people need to hear this before they die. What has humanity done to you, anyway? Here's a tip from me: if you've managed to get through life without ever having heard a U2 monstrosity, then don't change that. Just skip this torture, along with whatever other abominations by U2 this sadistic list may recommend.

Remember when U2 uploaded their album to Apple and when we updated we got their album against everyone’s will? This is just like that.

Bland music. I can't understand how this band is so popular. There is almost no melody and normally I am willing to exchange the melody for something interesting in the rhythm and the harmony, but with U2 everything is basic and generic.

Vanilla dad rock

Never liked U2, but also never really bothered, so I was quite pleased this popped up to give them a proper go. An album produced by Brian Eno influenced by a post cold-war Berlin couldnt be more up my street. Or at least I thought so. This is shit. I think it’s the lyrics. Theyre cheesey and predictable at best. But even then, musically nothing jumps out. Just middle of the road fodder. Beige. The equivalant of a Rich Tea biscuit. Which is a bit disrespectful of a rich tea, at least they have a place in life (after the Hobnobs have been eaten). Actually the more I listen to this the more annoyed I get. Whats Eno doing going near this? I’ve been sold a lie and I demand 55mins and 26seconds of my life back, which I’ll use to buy decent biscuits so I don’t have to contemplate a rich tea.

Each U2 album an atmosphere and set of anthems we know like a multiplication table. With this new sound, they go it right again. Even if you see it as a product like Madonna, this was on very Heavy Rotation on cassette my car. So good to listen to it in order. My brain still knows it this way. Resolution: listen more to the favourite albums of youth. They press the buttons so well. Enjoyed that.

This is my favourite U2 album. I (generally) find them a bit bombastic and earnest, a bit too polished and almost completely devoid of swing. But this is the record where they discovered noise, irony and even a modicum of funk. I love industrial music, so the noisy, industrial production style really appeals to me. And, despite the deliberately trashy presentation, there are some really strong songs here, including One, which I would argue is the best song they ever wrote. I saw U2 once in the early 2000s, and I was surprised at how closely Bono stuck to the vocal arrangements from the records, occasionally throwing in snippets of other songs (with mixed results) to try and keep things fresh, but I really got the impression that, despite his great pipes, he doesn't think on his feet particularly quickly in a musical sense. I suspect in the studio he works really hard until he finds the best performance, and that is generally locked in forever. But when he sang One, I felt that this was a song he deeply understood, musically, and it was not just a replaying of the record. His performance was much more fluid and in the moment. While not nearly as hard-edged as a lot of the records I was listening to when this came out (Einsturzende Neubauten, Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, etc etc), this had the advantage of having really great songs at the core (which you would certainly not accuse Skinny Puppy of. The only late 80s, early 90s industrial band with really good songwriting was Nine Inch Nails). I listened to this album a lot when it first came out, and is still probably the first U2 album I would pull off the shelf (a close tie with Joshua Tree). I listened to this record a lot, and each track still stands up for me. The songs are less ambitious, global, worthy and important, and much more human and morally ambiguous. There is a quite a bit informed by the Edge's divorce, and the band's own near-divorce. It was a bold swing at a real change, and one that paid off for them, extending their career that had perhaps run out of obvious places to go. Bono is still annoyingly full of himself, but the more self-reflective approach on this album tones that down just enough to be palatable. Interestingly, having heard some of the demos, I think a LOT of the greatness of this album comes down to the production and mixing team of Eno, Daniel Lanois, Flood and Steve Lillywhite, who took some pretty half baked ideas and crafted them into an amazing record. Lanois can record, Eno can edit, Lillywhite can mix, but for my money, the real secret sauce is Flood. This is Flood starting to move into the big time, from the alternative bands he had worked with previously. The band threw everything and the kitchen sink on tape, but it is the editing and mixing that really lifts this into something special (and I think Flood's distinctive work can be clearly heard here). I am noticing how often Flood's name turns up on records from the late 80s and 90s on this list. He gets my Most Valuable Player award.

It’s pretty good.

High school for me. Been a while that I listened to the album in full play through. Forgot how much of a giant it is, still really good after all this time too. Every single song hits me with massive memories. Some good some bad, but still a ride I’m glad to take.

An absolute classic. Love this record.

Amazing album. This band is always putting out great, powerful, relevant, creative music. Much like Radiohead, they are constantly reinventing themselves. One of the most creative guitar/vocal combos in popular music, and the bass and drums are always flawless both live and in the studio.

I was unfairly cynical about this album when it first came, but over time the singles and Zooropa wore me down and then seeing the magnificent spectacle of the Zoo TV tour near its end won me over completely. Maybe a couple of the tracks are better as their single mixes (get at least the 2CD version if you can), but it's a five star classic for me.

A personal favorite

Okay this rules

I actually never heard much from U2. I just know the well known songs and otherwise can only remember the iTunes incident. Beginning slaps hard actually. I really like it. It gets a little meandering from the middle though. But I enjoy the 90's Donnie Darko vibe from it. All in all, pretty good but it got some lengths. Way better than expected though.

An extremely enjoyable album

Classic.

Loved this album when it came out, haven't listened to it for a while, good to hear it again.

the other best U2 album. start to finish hits

Their best album, beats Joshua Tree by a hair.

I'm ready for the laughing gas

One of the greatest records of all time, if not the greatest. This album paved the way for so many bands, as well as creating a new sound for the 90s alternative scene to hear. This album is perfect. 1,000/5.

I'm surprised this is the first U2 on this list! Unless I'm mistaken? I think U2 are great. I think some of their hits are some of the rest rock songs of all time. This album has all of the elements that make U2 great- good groove riffs, super tight performances, heartfelt vocals, outside-the-box guitar playing, and hooks. "One Love" is a great song that anyone who is a fan of any genre can listen to and say "hey yea I know that chorus!" "Mysterious Ways" is a song that I am tormented with that is genuinely stuck in my head on repeat when I hear it for like a year after hearing it so I'm cursed now until 2024. Overall I think it's a high 4/5. It's close to being a 5 but it's just shy of that "legendary" mark that I've been reserving for the 5's.

As obnoxious as U2 can be and has been. They have created some amazing music and this album is proof. Frank Sinatra said the song One is the greatest love song ever written, and its my second favorite song on this album. Favorite Track: Until the end of the World Who is this music for? People who like good music. When do you play it? When you're getting it on. Or not getting it on.

My favorite U2 album. It’s packed with great songs. There are plenty of the dramatic and cinematic songs U2 is best known for, along with songs that lean more toward alt-rock and even a dash of funk. “Mysterious Ways” is my fav U2 song too. Excellent album cover - captures the energy of the music.

This is good stuff. Such an easy and enjoyable listen. Had never heard some of these but can’t pick out a bad one

A fantastic album. U2 dreamed it all up again and have another album on par with the Joshua Tree

Great album I haven't heard in a while. Listening to Bono's book so now was a good time to revisit this one.

Own on Vinyl

Perfect!!!!!

Timeless classic - perhaps not as good as The Yoshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire -but probably shared number 3 with Boy and War in the top 5 of Best U2 albums.

Classic

amazing album with a ton of great standalone tracks and defined the tone of the early 90s singlehandedly. Absolutely one of the best albums of all time. 5/5

the bomb

One, So Cruel, Who's gonna ride

Love this album - brings back good memories.

Welk een toeval. Dit weekend draaide ik dit album en zei tegen Arjan: hoe kan het dat we deze nog niet zijn tegengekomen in de 1001 albums? En, als ie voorbijkomt, krijgt ie vijf sterren. En daar was ie ineens! Wat een strakke plaat is dit toch.

A considerar primero, que no hay una canción de este disco que no me guste. Quizá The Fly es la que menos, y creo que tiene más que ver con el personaje que Bono creo para cantarla. Luego también, este cumple 30 años y sin embargo casi todo suena como algo que podría estarse oyendo hoy, bastante alejado a las otras cosas que nos ha tocado oír de finales de los 80 o principios de los 90. También el detalle de ser el séptimo disco de una banda (que por cierto ahora llegan a 14 discos) que ya tenía para ese entonces un sonido reconocible y una legión de seguidores, y sin embargo, este disco se distingue muchísimo en todos sentidos de los anteriores: el sonido de la guitarra característico the The Edge casi no está presente; las letras de Bono dejan de ser políticas y socialosas y ahora finalmente habla de cosas personales; hay sonidos industriales, electrónicos, disonancias, gritos, efectos y muchas cosas que el U2 de antes no tenía en absoluto. Y con todo ese cambio, es de hecho un sonido que terminaron también por apropiarse y se sigue oyendo en los siguientes discos. Finalmente, tiene al menos dos de mis canciones favoritas de la banda: Ultra Violet y One, que además creo que podría ser mi balada favorita de la vida (descontando las de The Beatles que se cuentan aparte). Ya como nota, hace 10 años, que el disco cumplió 20, le hicieron un tributo con coves muy buenos incluyendo a NIN, Garbage, The Killers, Jack White, etc. Muy recomendable, se llama Ăhk-to͝ong Ba͞y-bi

banging

I enjoyed listening to this one. Same feelings as when I listened to Joshua Tree. Maybe I like U2 after all.

Geweldig. U2 die zichzelf opnieuw uitvond en met deze plaat kwam. Staat geen slecht nummer op. Alles klopt.

Ok, so I’ll admit that U2 has some issues. Bono can come off a bit arrogant and cringey, and U2 sometimes act like they think they are more important than they are… But man, they put out some great albums. Achtung Baby is maybe my 3rd or 4th favorite album of theirs (behind Joshua Tree and War at least), and it’s still incredible and easily a 5 star album for me. The song writing is phenomenal and the album has such an awesome feel to it. Love it.

“Music of drama, depth, intensity and, believe it, funkiness.”

Legends

In my opinion, one of the greatest's U2 albums. I love it since the first song until the last one. "The fly" is my favorite. The sound of Achtung Baby is the opening of the 90´s for U2, leaving behind their 80's style.

Yeah sorry I'm not listening to this one. I can't. I FUCKING CAN'T. NO.

In 2005(?) I saw Pearl Jam in Toronto. The whole night Eddie Vedder was making jokes thanking U2 for opening for them, as they had done concerts the previous 2 nights. At the end of the concert, they started playing Keep On Rocking in the Free World and a guy in a cowboy hat came out on stage and was dancing along. We at first thought it was Neil Young (we were sitting at the farthest seat at ACC, now Scotiabank Arena). Neil Young though had just had brain surgery so no doctor would have cleared him. We then realized it was Bono. To my recollection, Eddie sang the first verse and corus alongside Bono, then Eddie passed the mic to Bono to sing the next verse. I don’t think Bono knew the lyrics to the song because he just started rambling sort of in time to the music? Then continued dancing. Great night overall. This album is amazing. Not their best but an amazing and worthy follow up to one of the greatest records of all time.

Classic

When Achtung Baby came out, I was impressed by how different this album sounded from the previous work from U2. I had listened to tracks from each of U2's albums prior to Achtung Baby, and at least 4 out of the 6 prior albums in their entirety. This album made me excited to see what U2 was going to do next. I like each track on this album. My favorites are "Mysterious Ways", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "One" and "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World". I think I may need to round up to a full 5 stars.

True Masterpiece. And superb production.

I loved this album when it came out and I still love it. It was the next chapter for U2 after The Joshua Tree. Great songs.

Wow, this still holds up!

Sounded like nothing else when it came out, holds up very well, with tiptop production

Good gravy I love this album. I expect a 5 star. I haven't listened to it straight through in a decade, though... so we'll see. But I'm stoked.

An album that changed music for me as a youth. It’s good to hear it again.

Just an incredible album.