Achtung Baby

Yeah, nah. Fuck U2.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!!!

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"

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).

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.

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

MY FAV

Perfect

Can't get much better than that!

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

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…

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

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?

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

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 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

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

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

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.

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 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

. 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.

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!

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The one with "The Fly". The one with "Mysterious Ways". The one with "Even Better Than The Real Thing". The one with "Until The End Of The World". And finally, yes, the one with "ONE". To be a little more specific, it's the one album where U2 realized they could go for somewhat more abrasive moods and off-kilter, borderline "industrial" flourishes at times, along with a sly, more cynical outlook with postmodernist overtones, instead of their usual wide-eyed elatedness. Given that you also have a fair share of ballads and heartfelt feelings in the record (such as the emotions found in "One"), the whole is quite well-balanced, allowing the Irish band to enter the nineties without looking too much at odds with the quick sonic evolution of those pivotal years, and therefore prolonging their relevance for a little while (as sales figures proved). The times they were a-changing *again* and heading to Berlin right after the fall of the wall, along with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois as producers to catch the mood of those years, was probably the right move. Up to that point, Bono, The Edge and co. had always been sly foxes, both artistically and business-wise, and *Achtung Baby* didn't disappoint on that front. But what really matters is that the music still had the distinctive U2 touch in spite of the recent change of mood. *Achtung Baby* was not exactly the same sort of work of the band had accomplished before. And yet they managed to stay as relevant as they were for pop culture at large. Some walls have fallen sooner because of erosion or unpredictable revolutions, after all. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 437 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 258 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 319

Little overrated but still a huge album and very good

Some of my closest friends HATE U2 with a passion, I mean REALLY hate them. Some U2 'douchebaggery' is warranted. Bono can be an outspoken twat. Adam Clayton can't play bass and often looks like a complete dick (ironic as his dick appeared in a photograph on the back of the vinyl edition of this album). Even I didn't want 'Songs of Innocence' the free album they 'gave' everyone in 2014 that apple helped us to remove from our accounts by having to introduce a new 'remove' option. I'm also against bands with multiple entries in this 1001 challenge unless their sound or musical approach has changed. I'm gonna let this one pass as a multiple entry as it marks a departure from their previous sound and a cool collaboration with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (a pair of awesome dudes). It's also a very nostalgic album, 1991 was a big year for 19 year old me! Most of my peers were fans of the classic U2 sound (Joshua tree, war etc) but this album had flavors of alt rock, industrial and even dance and hit a sweet spot for me. The sounds that the EDGE generates with his guitar/effects/processors is next level. My fav tracks are: Ultraviolet (the Killers do an amazing cover) Love is blindness (Jack Black does an amazing cover) Mysterious Ways and obviously One! (there is an awesome version, not cover, of this song by Chris Cornell, https://youtu.be/MG9nqWoLjns?si=mDm4dTqMAM5iIusZ It seems an embarrassing thing to say these days, but this is my favorite U2 album, and I do like this band. There, I said it.

Stunning album and an instant favourite from its release, and still one of my ‘go to’ albums to this day. It was a complete change from the 1980s U2. I didn’t think they’d make a better album than the Joshua Tree, but this comes very close. The introduction of the distortion to the guitars mixed with a very dancey foundation to a lot of tracks was new for them. Even Better Than The Real Thing is perfection. No bad songs on here, just happy memories of a very care free time. I also love the album cover, and all of the artwork surrounding its release and the visuals for their tour and their videos from this era too. Happy happy days.

Haven't listened to this in a long time, but i always love listening to 'Mysterious Ways' when it hear it on the radio. It's their finest song by a long way. Gone is the flag waving, and the later over indulgences of Joshua and Rattle, thank God. It made me despise this band and then they reinvented themselves in the best possible way. The Edge's guitar sound takes on a whole new life, the songs have an edgier feel to them (sorry), like the opener 'Zoo Station' which sets the scene for what comes next. 'One' is probably the nearest you get to old U2, but it still sounds refreshing. You can even dance to 'The Fly', or just stumble around to it if you are like me. 5 stars.

Essential album in rock history. You can feel the Brian Eno's contribution all over the place (I may have a soft spot for this one because I absolutely love Bowie's Berlin period). U2 were top of the game and weren't afraid of reinventing themselves. Also, considering some of my prior reviews, I must admit than the historical reputation of this album is actually matched by its delivery.

U2 c'est un peu mon côté bipolaire, d'un côté, j'adore le groupe pour ses nombreux morceaux emblématiques et de l'autre, je le déteste pour ce qu'il est devenu. En 1991, quand U2 sort "Achtung Baby", nous n'attendons plus plus grand chose d'eux à part un air de déjà vu. Mais quelle erreur car "Achtung Baby" apporte un changement significatif à la ligne créatrice du groupe avec ses influences électroniques et industrielles. Dès le 1er titre de l'album, le ton est donné et avec sa guitare déformée et ses voix abrasives, l'album se veut comme un pont entre les années 80 et la décennie à venir. Enregistré à Berlin, "Achtung Baby" est une réelle prise de risque. Album froid, théâtral, industriel et accouché difficilement et dans le doute, il est aussi l'album le plus courageux de la discographie du groupe. Une note de 5/5 pour le meilleur album du groupe ou (selon moi) le meilleur ex aequo avec "The Joshua Tree". Petit bémol tout de même, l'album manque cruellement d'énergie. Seul "Acrobat" sur ce point sort du lot en offrant une rythmique digne de ce nom.

Gritty and glimmering, this album pulls you in with its mix of dark and bright sounds. It’s a bit like Bowie’s Berlin phase but cranked up. Synths resonate alongside edgy guitars, creating a vibe that’s both moody and catchy. There’s tension and release, a back-and-forth that feels just right.

Pretty great

Looove

Albumi #103, 08.11.2024 Achtung Baby oli omana yläasteaikanani yksi päräyttävimmistä musiikkikokemuksista. Levyn soundi oli Joshua Treehen verrattuna jotain todella erilaista ja bändin habitus loikkasi aimo harppauksen kiinnostavampaan suuntaan. Yksi merkittävimpiä albumikokonaisuuksia oman matkani varrella.

This album got worn out by playing so often back in ‘91. Actually it was a CD. A great example of a band reinventing its sound. Not a bad song on the album, I mean CD.

Piece of art. Love it

Wonderful album

What can I say other than Achtung Baby is one of the best albums of the ‘90s? https://richcain.substack.com/p/project-1001-achtung-baby-by-u2?r=4ztyq

I liked it. U2 just gives such a positive 90s vibe

U2 has reinvented themselves a few times in their career. Of all the first albums in each reinvention process, Achtung Baby is my favorite. I'm well aware that U2 is absolutely not for everyone, I understand. But for me I like them a lot and this album ranks high on the list of my favorite albums by them. Achtung Baby is worthy of being on this list. It's well produced and has a great order to the songs. The album is a departure of what they had been doing. In no way did this album break a musical mold, but it did break a U2 mold and opened them up for the electronic period they embraced soon after.

I'm unironically angry at how good this album is. I want to continue to think of U2 as being pretentious, generic leftover 80's pop-rock.

Back when I really enjoyed U2, and at the height of the MTV era.

01) Zoo Station - 10,0 02) Even Better Than The Real Thing - 10,0 03) One - 10,0 04) Until The End Of The World - 10,0 05) Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - 10,0 06) So Cruel - 10,0 07) The Fly - 10,0 08) Mysterious Ways - 10,0 09) Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World - 10,0 10) Ultra Violet (Light My Way) - 10,0 11) Acrobat - 10,0 12) Love Is Blindness - 10,0 TOTAL: 10,0 (100/100) Current ranking: 5/341 I took my 1991 "Achtung Baby" cassette tape off the shelf, who knows if it would still play? I think it's so worn out from listening, at school it was borrowed all over the class. The covers are worn from being turned around in my hands... I loved this album and I still love it now, 33 years after. For me, this is the best U2 album and one of my favorite albums in general. Favorite song? They changed over the years. It used to be "One" and "So Cruel" and currently it's "Zoo Station" because I visited Berlin just last week so the memories are still fresh :-)

I can finally give U2 a 5. We’ve gotten two different U2 albums before this – 1983’s “War”, and 2000’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”, so this falls pretty much right in the middle of those two albums. Those averaged out to a 3.5, and I could never really give either album a 5 because I just didn’t think it hit on a consistent level of quality and thematics throughout the listening experience. This album does that in spades and more – this is a fully coherent album from front to back, with not a single solitary miss (ok, maybe “Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World” is a little too hokey, but shh). The band is on fire, Bono’s vocals have genuinely never sounded better to me, and ultimately, this is just a joy to listen to and a kind of triumph for 1991. I noted it several times while listening, but a lot of this sound felt like a more refined version of “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” to me – that’s a lot of praise, I think. This sort of soundscape is what traditional rock returned to in the late 90s after its collective grunge era brought on by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, so to hear it in 1991 just tells me that U2 were a bit ahead of the curve. That’s not to say the influence of grunge and industrial rock isn’t felt all over this album, it just doesn’t dominate the entire thing, and for my ears, after the amount of 90s grunge we’ve gotten, is deeply refreshing. There is a middle ground somewhere in there, and I’d say this album strikes that middle ground perfectly. I could keep going, and try to break down individual tracks, but I feel like whatever words I write couldn’t do them justice (although huge shoutout to “One”, that’s my first time hearing it and it was incredible to me). This is absolutely worth the listen, and beyond deserving to be on the list. Just a stellar album, and an easy 5.

Increíble. El mejor disco de U2. Esto justifica hasta las últimas cosas que sacaron que están bastante feas.

This is very close to a 5 for me - I decided I have too much nostalgia about this one to be properly objective and rated it a 4 to be more realistic. I spent a LOT of time with this record when I was a kid. It was the first CD I ever bought and for a while it was the only CD I had! I know this record inside-and-out and there's so much I love about it. I love the diverging guitar/bass parts in some of these tracks. The Fly is doing it for me right now but it’s a thing they were into in this era. The Edge has som really really rad guitar stuff on this record. I would love a remaster that pulls the vocals back and lets the guitar through a bit better. Of course that’s part of The Edge’s charm also that he’s ‘way back there’ in the mix so much I forgot the fantastic guitar solo in the last track Love Is Blindness. It’s a good perf from Bono but that is like an Edge/Lanois opus - really fantastic guitar stuff I always kind of wish One wasn’t on this record - it’s got a different rep from being mega overplayed on every radio station and early-2000s TV drama I was a huge fan of Wild Horses when I was a kid and it lived up to my memory. I think that might actually be my favourite track. Mysterious Ways is obviously the big kicker on this one and I feel like it's aged really well. It sounds like it's from 1990-ish but it doesn't feel old. Oh screw it 5 stars.

yes

U2 at their best.

I loved this tour

Man I loved this album when it dropped. Still do but don’t revisit that often. Had been a U2 fan since War, but Rattle and Hum left me cheesed out. When I heard first bars of Zoo Station kick off I was back in. Perfect marriage of lyrics, song, performance and production. And it hit me at a time in my young adult life where a lot of it felt personal, and that lives long. Several sections still bring me close to tears. I should probably see a doctor for that.

Great album songs plus some of the best of the classic. Such a great album. I really like it! What is that? U2?

One of my favorite albums of all time. First time I listened to it I actually hated it. But then I spent some time with it and now love it. Their best by far.

Great bass lines, melodious and duschirdant at the same time- catchy!

One of their best and one of the best of all time

Strong album. I listened a couple times because it grew on me the more I relaxed into its sound and the more familiar it became. I really like some of the deeper cuts too. The 1 star reviews by some on this site seem completely unserious and childish. Just had to say that.

It's hard for me to judge U2 objectively, because they were such a huge part of my youth. But, it has been a long time since I listened to this album the whole way through, so it sounds quite fresh. This really was a big departure from U2's earlier work, and their experiments really paid off. It's arguably their last great album - and definitely their creative peak. There are some really interesting sounds on this; right from the start with the industrial intro to Zoo Station, the jagged electronic sounding guitar on Mysterious Ways, and the growling bass and vocals on The Fly. I thought I would have found One hard to listen to, since it was so overplayed, but I was actually quite moved listening to it again yesterday. The production is fantastic as well, Brian Eno doing his usual excellent work. I forgot just how dark the lyrics on this are, and I think I most of the allusions to the German reunification and the Bible went over my head listening to this as a young teenager. So I enjoyed having a read of the meanings of the lyrics on the deeper cuts like Until the End of The World, Acrobat, and Love is Blindness.

This is the first of many comeback LPs that U2 would release. They reinvented themselves for the 1990s, and it's an effective move. The album still holds up.

This is, hands down, U2s best album (with Rattle & Hum being a close, but somehow different second). Produced by Brian Eno and engineered by Flood, U2 completely reinvented themselves, after having achieved everything possible with the sound of their first five studio albums, culminating in the Joshua Tree. There is relly not a single bad song on the album; The Fly, One, Mysterious Ways, and many more show what the band could achieve when they didn't take themselves too seriously and when Bono got rid of his messiah complex. 5/5

Too much of my real life is wrapped up in this one. I was 16-17. At my most objective I have to say, as U2 albums go, this is pretty solid all the way through. You can quibble over melodramatic lyrics or what have you, but at the end of the day, that's the DNA of U2. And this is probably the last time it really worked.

while u2 was already a critically acclaimed band at this point, achtung baby was where the band reinvented their sound and image to a more electronic dance/alternative influenced one. this was a gamble that paid off tremendously in that it launched the band into the stratosphere commercially. i am admittedly mostly a casual fan of the band, but this is my favourite u2 album. it is brilliant from start to finish and one of the best albums of the 90’s, a decade full of great music. highlights: “even better than the real thing” “one” “mysterious ways” “love is blindness”

I love this album. It's sad what U2 has become at this point. One is a great song, absolutely beautiful. So Cruel wasn't a single, but it's a great song as well. Mysterious Way is another great U2 song. I think this is an undoubtedly better album than The Joshua Tree. Better hits (One beat With or Without You for greatest U2 song) and much better album cuts. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World is another great album cut. I like relationship U2 better than political U2.

Un gran disco de U2, con canciones que me encantan como Even Better Than The Real Thing, One, Until The End Of The World y Mysterious Ways.

Pop Perfection.

Classic

I wore this CD out in 1991. A truly great band finds a way to peak again after an incredible and career-making album like The Joshua Tree. Their early albums were also killer, but it was TJT that took them to another level. On this album Bono came up with his alter ego, MacPhisto. U2 reinvented themselves for this album and tour. Great rock album from beginning to end. My song rankings…. 12. Love Is Blindness - The least memorable song on the album. 11. Acrobat - Don’t let the bastards get you down. Nuf said. 10. Until The End Of The World - Solid track. 9. The Fly - cool song. 8. Zoo Station - Sweet Guitar 7. So Cruel - A song full of yearning. 6. Even Better Than The Real Thing - Honestly, this could be higher. Hard to choose from this point forward - except for number 1. 5. Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World - “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”. Fits this song perfectly. 4. Mysterious Ways - Killer guitar and lyrics. 3. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) - Bono does great lead and harmonizing vocals on this one. 2. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - Love the pace and tempo of this song. 1. One - Who would have thought a song about breaking up with your band would be so earnest and emotional? Love, Love, Love U2 and this album.

I believe this is one of their best albums.

At the risk of becoming the U2 Defender in this project, Achtung Baby is a hell of an album. Coming out of the 80s, where their search for something real and true ended with the most earnest disaster of all time - Rattle and Hum - U2 took the longest break of their career. When they reemerged with Achtung Baby, they looked, sounded, acted like a different band. The beating (and bleeding) heart is still there at the core, but they found a way to both accept and skewer the notion of their own megastardom. For most of the 90s, they existed in a sort of Max Headroom-surreality, until another high profile disaster - 1997's Pop - set them back on their more earnest, "normal" track (where they've stayed since). But the two good albums from this period of reinvention, Achtung Baby and Zooropa, are weird and fun and exciting and might just be their two best albums. I'd give this 4.5 if I had the option, but absent that, I'm gonna round up and say this, more than anything, is The Essential U2 album.

It's a near perfect album for me. High enough at least to be rounded to five where there's no 4.5 (though it's closer to 5 than 4.5). A band redefining themselves in the face of changing culture brings forth some amazing rock songs and some equally touching music. There is force, momentum and heart all through this album and to me is likely their best.

Timanttisia biisejä.

Great

I was just watching a show about U2 and the Zoo TV era. This is a really great album. It holds up and I like it more than the other albums they made around this time. It’s probably my age that says that since my wife is way more into Joshua Tree. I call it peak earnest Bono.

One, So Cruel, Who's gonna ride.

Pretty damn great! Zoo Station, Even Better Than the Real Thing, One, Until the End of the world, wild Horses, So Cruel, the Fly, Mysterious Ways, 4.5

Look, I get hating U2. I was there for years, having come up when they were the lamest, most overblown, self important thing on Earth. That's where they stand today. But they had a run of pretty solid albums. Eno and Lanois bring out the best in them. Sure, they're basically Coldplay but a huge hit is that for a reason. This album holds up better than it should, even though it runs it's course as all of their albums do. There's not really a skippable song though.