Reviews (page 10 of 13)
Tulipahan tämakin kuunneltua nyt kokonaan. Ihan ok levy, mutta tän bändin maailmaasyleilevyys ei oikein enää jaksa innostaa 3/5
Biiseissä on potentiaalia mut Bonon revittelylle on kyl lämpene yhtään
Heti, kun ekassa biisissä alko laulujan ääntelyt, muistin taas mikä U2:ssa olikaan vikana. So Cruelin kohdalla oon todella kyllästynyt tähän levyyn. 2/5
✅ love is blindness is a good song¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I don't mind this album, I just think that it is forgettable outside of a few tracks. Not as good as The Joshua Tree. Favorite track: "So Cruel."
Kaksi biisiä joista aidosti nautti ja loput OK taustamusaa.
Timanttisia biisejä.
It's cool to compare this to The Joshua Tree. This seems a lot more carefree, wild, and filled with humour. The Baby takes itself less seriously than the Tree, and I can respect that. This difference is similar to the difference between Radiohead's OK Computer and In Rainbows. Alas, the album isn't perfect. For some reason, Bono's voice is a lot less friendly to my ear than it was on the previous album. It's less melodic, less lilting, less powerful, and more... sporadic? Could just be the choices of melody, which are on the whole less catchy and memorable than in The Joshua Tree. And judging by Spotify listens, it seems most modern-day listeners agree with me. The instrumentation is pretty darn powerful, though. The anthemic guitars and percussion make their triumphant return, while also showcasing a lighter, more upbeat texture that begins to display signs of 90s music. Key tracks: Even Better Than The Real Thing, One, Mysterious Ways
Grew up with these era of U2, but I found this album pretty forgettable. Still decent, though.
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.
Still resent U2 for that stupid album that I couldn’t get rid of from my iTunes for ages. This album is fine. 4/10.
That time U2 stopped being po-faced and were all the better for it. Really can't be doing with 75% of U2 but I always really liked this one, it's a load of tongue in cheek, loud and catchy pop and rock fun. Lots of variety from the hazy pop of 'She moves in mysterious ways' to the deadly serious but tender 'One'. Album tacks are pretty good too. Current pop historians will tell you it was all grunge in the early 90s but this was massively succesful then too and deservedly.
Listenable but mid as hell
Apple Music says that this is “ U2’s most transformative album—the one that would re-jigger the band’s sound, re-energise its members and win over even the band’s fiercest critics” If this is the case then the others must be complete trash as this album was just trash.
"Achtung Baby" is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. Mostly alternative rock, this album plays with distortion, electric and industrial sounds. This album is regarded as one of the band's better works with hits including "One," "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," and "Mysterious Ways."
I guess this is a good album. I’ve heard most of the songs hundreds and thousands of times. U2 just always comes across as pretentious, so I can’t fully enjoy it.
Even the more enjoyable songs annoy me
Fuck U2 I’ll never forget when they auto uploaded their shitty new album onto everyone’s iTunes, then released a douchey non-apology apology video when everyone got mad at them. Like they’re the custodians of music. This album feels very generic.
Just as mid as I remember it (2.5/5)
U2: 2. Almost a second act of sorts for the 80’s band. A major inflection point for their style. This is their best album. Full stop.
I'm admittedly not the biggest U2 fan, but do enjoy this one. Mysterious Ways gets a star all on its own.
This was better than the last U2 album I listened to on this list (The Joshua Tree), but still not enough to really grip me.
I feel towards U2 the way a lot of people feel about Coldplay. They’re so middle of the road inoffensive pop rock. Nothing here to get excited or passionate about, but nothing to really dislike either. Which I kind of dislike
Pretty mellow, easy to listen to. Few songs that stand out.
I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but U2 always have something pretentious about them that makes them unappealing to me. It is as if they are actually a band of aliens that didn't make it on their home planet and said to themselves: "Fuck it, we'll move to planet earth and play human music!"
I hate to sound like a broken record (hah) but I am not the world's largest U2 fan. Thinking back on it, back when they were the biggest band in the world I wasn't into them, I was more into blues and R&B, and the stuff I had to learn. I had a few U2 albums along the way. My trial partner in law school was into them and tried to get me more interested, and one album he made me listen to was "Joshua Tree" which had just been released and remained and remains my personal favorite of theirs. I think I was later turned off with Bono and his egomaniac self designation as the Messiah or something. Some people were acting like Edge was some guitar phenom back then, which led me to laughter. All that said, I rather like this album. I'm pretty sure I've got it on cd around here somewhere unless it got donated to the library or borrowed by the kids. It keeps popping up with familiar tunes from back in the day, and I'm enjoying it. I'm going to give it 4 stars since I understand it's significance and it's status as an international monster.
Definitely had some songs I liked here
As someone who generally favors the 80s U2 albums, I actually really enjoyed this listen. Pretty impressive that they undertook such a shift from their previous sound and still managed to produce some absolute classics like "One" and "Mysterious Ways".
One, So Cruel, Who's gonna ride.
Very very good
Classic U2.
💖 mysterious ways 🗣️ 6️⃣
Typisch U2, bassreich, aber auch ideenreich, Melodien. Zum nebenherhören sehr gut geeignet
This was average for me. I feel like I like U2 songs selectively and this album sort of confirmed that. Some tracks I was nodding along to, then others I was just zoning out and waiting for it to end. Musically it’s good, maybe I’m just not as into Bono’s voice.
First though was, I think Eno is trying to make a "Bowie" sounding album, but it falls completely flat with U2. This was a slog to get through, this album is just boring from start to finish. When I read the wiki it said it was a darker sound, I disagree, this album is definitely more poppy than any of their previous albums, but, if you want to listen to a "darker" U2 sound, listen to the War album.
Always a good classic, never was totally my thing...
7.5/10
Definitely one of U2’s better albums. Not my favorite of theirs, but it’s not bad. “So Cruel,” “The Fly,” and “Ultra Violet (Light My Way)” are probably my favorite songs aside from their two major hits from this. Solid 4.
Lynn? Are those your mums cataract glasses? 2.0
It's a good album with drawbacks. Feels self-absorbed (Bono's at times overly-breathy singing is annoying) but getting past that it's well-produced and an enjoyable listen. Standout is "Mysterious Ways".
Tras su primera crisis de identidad U2 se reinventan en este disco de 1991 cambiando sonido y estilo, algo que ya se puede apreciar desde las guitarras distorsionadas del primer tema "Zoo Station". De alguna forma dejan a un lado la admiración por los sonidos americanos de Rattle and Hum y apuestan por una música más europea y posmoderna, con influencias desde el Bowie berlinés hasta las rave neopsicodélicas de los 90. Ritmos de baile y guitarras muy producidas dan grandes canciones como "Even Better Than The Real Thing". Los contenidos son más íntimos y personales, como en la explendida "One", uno de mis temas favoritos de los irlandeses. Todo el álbum es extraordinario, pero destacaría también "Until the End od the World", la extraña "The Fly", la psicodélica "Mysterious Ways" y el último e intimista tema "Love Is Blindness".
Achtung kurwo! I was very surprised rating 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' by U2 three stars. I was wondering that maybe all the time I'm too harsh to them. But no, this album is garbage to me. For entire record I thought that band is playing in one room and Bono is a fucking mile away from them, music and singing don't match. And I had to write it again, their music is so bland like a sheet of paper without writing. Painful listen.
Didn't grab my attention and somewhat cringey lyrics.
This album is weird for me because it has never been my absolute favorite U2 album, but I've always loved certain tracks of this album, only those tracks keep changing as I mature and age through life. Having tracks that appeal to me at different stages of life has been a fairly rare in my extensive listening experience. It was and always has been a personally challenging record to listen to in the best of ways. Hard to overstate level of post Cold War optimism that this album was recorded under in 1990-1991. This is also one of those albums that coaxed me into entering the catalogs of whole scenes and bands that I'd never considered before. It was also one of the first albums that I really paid attention to who engineered and produced the album, which has made finding albums I might enjoy much easier over the years. I learned a ton about Krautrock, the Berlin dance scene, industrial music, etc. which led to a deep dive in the Wax Trax! Records dive on the American side of the pond as well. This album also made it clear to me how and why a band might want to change their sound, and what that might mean, which was also a revelation as a musician. This is part of a run of truly remarkable records that Flood produced in a 7 year period that might be hard for any producer to challenge short of Sir George Martin with The Beatles. A run that would include U2's The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Nine Inch Nails' - Pretty Hate Machine, Broken EP, and The Downward Spiral, and Depeche Mode's Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion. Perhaps 8 of the greatest albums ever recorded that defined the sound of late eighties and all of the nineties.
I love U2 but this record sounds like they forgot the fire. That One can give me instant chills does not make up for the rest of the album. It's a two-star record riding their own coattails and coasting into pop experimentation that just sounds like a wild swing at relevance. Shame I like their early work so much I've rounded up to 3 out of pity.
Unlistenable.
Good overall. Favourites- one, even better than the real thing, mysterious ways, ultra violet, acrobat
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.
Every song a banger. Their best work
This whole time, I thought I didn’t like U2. This was really something else
Nawet, nawet ballady ale giną w tle 3/5
My favorite U2 album.
Mjög mikið meh. One er fallegt lag. BONO!
Hlustaði vandræðalega mikið á þetta á sínum tíma. Eldist ekki vel. Finnst fyrstu plöturnar þeirra miklu betri núna. Meira real.
This is exactly where U2 became boring beyond all compare. Bono is not insufferable, only because I managed to suffer this.
Something about the production bothers me. It's muffled, or the instruments aren't as distinct as I'd like. The weird pseudo industrial sound they're going for sounds dated. The bigger problem is I just don't like most of the songs. One is sappy, and the rest are largely unmemorable to bad. Favourite track: Acrobat. First U2 album on the list, I hope it gets a lot better than this.
A favorite album of mine! I Live U2!!
Wikipedia says this has been "acclaimed by writers and music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time." I'm neither a writer nor a critic, but meh. It's fine, with a few good songs and more boring ones.
U2 sounds good, but nothing special except "One" for my taste.
I have a knee-jerk cynicism about U2; I don't want to like them. I know a lot of their biggest hits, and like several of them, but I think this was only the 4th album I've listened to in full (the others being The Joshua Tree, All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb). Listening to One, possibly the only song here I'd heard before, I thought of John Lennon asking Paul McCartney whether he was supposed to laugh during the solo of Let It Be. The thing is, I like Let It Be. I like One, too. Zoo Station was a case of cool textures not adding up to a great song, and perhaps there are a couple too many slow songs, but I enjoyed this much more than I expected and I'm sure I'll listen to it again.
4.2/5 Best Track: Mysterious Ways
I really like this a lot more than I feel like I should. It’s good. Actually good. That surprised me for some reason. I’m not a big U2 fan, but I’d listen to one of these bad boys if the mood struck. Nicely done boyos. 4/5
I think U2 it's one of the best bands i've listen and also Bono's voice is really iconic and unique. I like that this album was different from the sound they used in the 80's, the energy of pop but still having the essence of rock, a great start for 90's rock. Even tho is a bit experimental (i think) is really cool, i like it pretty much.
An okay album, the only song that stood out was Even Better Than The Real Thing.
I was not impressed
I’m ready for the laughing gas. What a great album. This one brings back memories too and it’s been a while since I listened. Easy 5 stars for me
Some good tracks - wouldn't listen to much!
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?
Its u2
A few bangers and the rest is pretty good. 3.6
Nothing will ever beat 'The Joshua Tree' but this one is a nice effort.
Not my favorite U2 album, but it is undeniably great music… The quality of musicianship, vocals and lyrics are Impossible To deny.
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…
One, So Cruel, Who's gonna ride.
Meh. Very forgettable
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.
I’m still pissed at them for forcing that album on us a few years ago (you couldn’t even delete it and it wasted space on my iPhone). This one has a few hits though.
- Love U2!!!
It's really too bad U2 committed social suicide, because they're not a bad band.
Eh
As an old U2 fan, I didn’t love this album when it came out, but I typically think higher of albums as time goes on. Takes me a bit to adjust
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
The songs “one” and “mysterious ways” are decent rock songs otherwise the rest of the album is ok. I’m not a huge u2 fan and this didn’t really change my opinion.
Couldn’t get through it. Makes me want to hit something whilst listening
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.
Est-ce que si ça passe à la radio je change de radio ? Non. Est-ce que j'irai l'écouter sur Spotify ? Non plus...
i listened to it i did
U2 was never my fave but I loved 2 albums. This was 1. I am struck by Bono’s voice in this album. Pure emotion that touches my heart every time.
This is probably the most I'll like U2.4.
"Why isn't everyone trying to sound like U2? It's not a very cool thing to do Why would you want to sound like U2? Just press record and play it straight through"
A high 3. Wasn’t that impressed.
Decent U2 album, although like the (few) other ones I've heard, I remember about 3 of the songs & forget the rest.
One of my favorites in San Francisco in 1991
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.
Great album.
This album holds a special place for me. Had the cassette and it was on replay, only U2 got my angst and drama. Perfect!
Loved this album when it came out!
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 one of the very lucky few who got to see this album played in full as part of the introduction to the engineering marvel, the Las Vegas Sphere, and I’m eternally grateful for that experience. But that also makes it very difficult for me to rate this album on its own. First off, this album serves as a great departure from U2’s previous entries that brought them to mainstream audiences. It’s toned down while still managing to be anthemic in almost every track. The opening run from Zoo Station to Until The End of The World is among the band’s best series of songs. You’ve also got Edge doing probably his best guitar work across the entire discography here, paired with sharp commentary in the lyrics, which at this point is nothing new for the group. There are some moments where the album feels a little one-note with repetitive tracks that don’t pay off the way you’d hope. I’d drop 10 minutes somewhere to streamline it just a bit.
Well, folks, here it is: my favorite album of all time.
I get why some people like them but I personally don’t. Far too slow for me.
2 U2 albums in a row and I’m tired of it already. Bono is an excellent singer and the edge is a creative player. But this stuff is boring.
I thought they were a generic and shitty band. Turns out I was correct.
There is "One" good song on this album.
My initial reaction to being served up Achtung Baby (my first U2 album as part of this listening project) was "oh...yeah, I guess I'll need to start getting U2 albums out of the way." Lucky for me, my time with this album was mostly enjoyable to me. I do not dislike most reverb-drenched guitar work, so even though I'm not the biggest fan of U2 I actually enjoyed quite a bit of Achtung Baby as it represents a darker tone and side of the group. Aside from the monster hits like One and Mysterious Ways, songs like Until the End of the World caught my ear and held my attention for being a "harder" U2 sound than many (most?) of their later 00s era-and-on poppy records. "The Fly" has a driving, sexy beat and a fantastic wah-wah guitar hook that The Edge delivers perfectly. I was also reminded how much I love this lyric and Bono's delivery in Mysterious Ways: "If you wanna kiss the sky, you better learn how to kneel. On your knees, boy!" Interesting Wikipedia Factoids: *Achtung Baby spawned five singles: The Fly, Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than the Real Thing, and Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. *As is often the case on U2 albums, Bono is credited as the sole lyricist. In contrast to U2's previous records, whose lyrics were politically and socially charged, Achtung Baby is more personal and introspective, examining love, sexuality, spirituality, faith, and betrayal. The lyrics are darker in tone, describing troubled personal relationships and exuding feelings of confusion, loneliness, and inadequacy. *Of the album's personal nature, Bono said that there were a lot of "blood and guts" in it. His lyrics to the ballad "One" were inspired by the band members' interpersonal struggles and the German reunification. *Several photographs were considered as candidates for a single cover image, including shots of: a cow on an Irish farm in County Kildare; the nude (bassist, Adam) Clayton; and the band driving a Trabant. Ultimately, a multiple image scheme was used, as U2, Corbijn, Averill, and the producers thought that "the sense of flux expressed by both the music and the band's playing with alter egos was best articulated by the lack of a single viewpoint." *Whereas the group were known for their earnest live act in the 1980s, their Zoo TV performances were intentionally ironic and self-deprecating; on stage, Bono portrayed several characters he conceived, including "The Fly", "Mirror Ball Man", and "MacPhisto". The majority of the album's songs were played at each show, and the set lists began with up to eight consecutive Achtung Baby songs as a further sign that they were no longer the U2 of the 1980s. *During the writing of "The Fly," Bono created a persona based on an oversized pair of black sunglasses that he wore to lighten the mood in the studio. The character, which he also named "The Fly," evolved into a leather-clad egomaniac meant to parody rock stardom. Bono assumed this alter ego for the band's subsequent public appearances and live performances on the Zoo TV Tour. *From September 2023 to March 2024, U2 inaugurated the Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley with a 40-concert residency called U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. The shows were focused on Achtung Baby and leveraged the venue's immersive video and sound capabilities. (Drummer Larry) Mullen, however, did not participate in the concerts due to a planned surgery and period of recuperation, marking the first time since 1978 that U2 performed without him; Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg from the band Krezip filled in. Standouts: Even Better Than the Real Thing, One, Until the End of the World, Mysterious Ways, Acrobat
Not my favourite U2 album but still good. Mysterious Ways - great song.
Schön, mal wieder zu hören...
Favorite Tracks: Mysterious Ways Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
It all sounded a but generic and samey to me.
To be clear, I like U2. I'm not a fan of U2...more of a "love the hits" kind of fan. I've never listened to an entire U2 album. I've read about the greatness of this album so it was good to get a chance to listen to it. For me...it's just okay. I love certain songs, but the majority of the album didn't click for me. Parts of it were just boring to me. However, I've always loved Mysterious Ways (pretty much since the first time I heard it). Favorite tracks: Zoo Station, One, So Cruel, Mysterious Ways, Love is Blindness.
Some classic U2 songs on here.
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
Absolutely one of the best ever
Achtung Baby is my 3rd favorite U2 album and a great departure from their previous work.
U2 just doesn't do much for me
•Not owned: Streaming •Recorded at a time when rock music was undergoing major changes, U2 pulled from numerous genres—electronica, hip hop, funk—employed them in subtle ways, and found their own sound. The result is Achtung Baby, a bright album of a dozen well-executed tracks, rich with textures. •4/5
Banged
Excellent
Full of beautiful masterpieces - they spent the time in my hometown which was awesome in Berlin in the early 90s
Idk how this band is so fucking popular
Less preachy worth some great hooks.
This was a good album. It all kind of bled together for me, but I understand the cultural significance of them recreating their sound and stuff.
Good but long. Not my favori to e u2
Better than some of the past options for sure.
BONNNOOOO!! Emphasis on the NO. Couple songs I know on here but not enough to make up for number 2.
Lots of hits, Bono is still a big turd. Fly somewhere else in your private planes and lecture me about environmentalism some more9
They all sound the same.
Look I might still be traumatized by that time a U2 album just appeared in my (and everyone's) iTunes library. They didn't ask or anything, it just showed up for free. Nice thought, I suppose, but I didn't like it.
There's some classics on here. It's a solid album overall. Orchestral at times.
I've given one of the U2 albums so far a Five star and the other a One star rating and I'm ambivalent about this one. I like the music but not convinced by their integrity by this point in their career. I think the music wins- the music on this is anthemic and because of Brian and Daniel (Eno and Lanois) it's good to listen to.
I've listened to this album many times, it's got some great songs and a cool vibe but some of the songs are slow and bring the good energy down.
Best Song: Mysterious Ways. Something about the groove, the lyrics, and the weird singalong quality of this song makes it feel like white gospel music. Worst Song: Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World. A perfect encapsulation of U2's penchant for coming off as preachy, desperate, and whiny. "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle". Bono you make me sick. Overall: Music made for melancholy moments in sitcoms. Fake emotions melodramaticized. Meh.
Hate to be that guy but my god I just don't understand the success behind U2. I'm actually very open to hearing more records to better understand what makes this one of the largest bands of all time. It mostly has to be a case of them being super popular and Europe and not fully transitioning as strongly over here in Canada. Similar to our version of Tragically Hip. Like take the song "One" off this album for example. It has 500m streams on Spotify, 10x higher than any other song on this album, and their THIRD mostly played of all. I was ready to hear a banger I already knew and just didn't know the name of. Nope. I honestly do not recognize this song. Which is odd because I'm for sure more familiar with lesser streamed songs, "Beautiful Day", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and "Where the Streets Have No Name" to name a few. Update: As I'm writing this review, the song "Mysterious Ways" comes on from this record, and I immediately know it, and it "only" has 80 million listens. Now I REALLY don't know what's going on. I'm sure I've heard "One" at some point in my life, but that's my point - so much of this stuff is utterly forgettable that it made no impression on me. I don't know. I can't tell if my tastes leaning towards favoring rock music over other styles of music are helping or hurting my enjoyment of U2. Like this isn't an 80s hip hop album or some World Music record where I don't really share a perspective on. It's a genre of music I should subjectively like but I can't for the life of me find one redeeming aspect to it. Plainly put - boring. Maybe one day...
Objectively this sounds like good music but when I listen to it... It just doesn't do anything for me. Like drinking water. High 2.
some songs and pretty much all of the singing sound like very generic alternative rock. overall the album seems to have no desire to create anything either fun or just interesting to listen to. if Mysterious Ways wasn't decent this would probably deserve a 1/5
Another hit and miss U2 album - not as good as War, better than the dreadful All That You Can’t Leave Behind. There are some really good songs on here, most notably One but Acrobat was a great deeper cut as well - there were also some less good songs like the dreary closer and the god awful Tryin To Throw Your Arms Around the World, and then just a lot of stuff in the middle. Apparently this is the last of four U2 albums on this list so I’m mainly just glad I don’t really have to listen to them again
So I've always had a prejudice against U2, or maybe to be more fair against Bono. Sure, he's done good things, but he's one of those people that needs to give up his ego and self-importance and just be a decent person because it's the right thing to do rather than for personal gain. And I don't know how but his arrogance seems to carry through to his vocals. Bono aside, this album has some good high points. One, of course, but I also really enjoy Until The End Of The World, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, and Acrobat. They build songs really well and I love The Edge as a guitar player, stupid name aside. Apart from their early albums which may be considered some kind of punk-lite, they layer instruments and arrange the music really well and always have a super full sound. I guess I've always just kind of written most of U2 off because Bono is not my favorite person. They have written some songs that I really like, Joshua Tree is a fantastic album, maybe I should try to get over Bono and appreciate them for their music. Giving this one a solid 3.5 stars but rounding down because...Bono.
Decent. Kinda was putting me to sleep the end lol
listened 3x 3.7/5
Two U2 albums back to back, and, coming 8 years later, this one is much better. The product is significantly smoother and the vocals ride it perfectly.
I like it but I remember when they forced everyone to download their album
U2s sound is always evolving and this is one of the U2 albums I remember hearing growing up before I had an appreciation of their music. The album is full of great songs and shows that U2 have changed with the times, gonna knock a star off for the whole iTunes album tho
4/5
Me gusto mas que War, corrige o cambian cosas respecto a lo que comenté de War. Es mas dinámico y One es una gran canción.
4.4 + U2's descent from relevance has been cataclysmic so it's easy to forget their amazing output in the late-80s and early-90s. While I still prefer "Where the Streets Have No Name", this record is full of spectacular moments that explore new sonic realms. "The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways" are two of the strongest back-to-back middle tracks of any album. The gnarly vocal effects on "Zoo Station" still sound as grimy now as they did when I first heard it as a kid. And I hadn't listened to "Love is Blindness" in years - what an amazing song! I love the pulsing bass combined with the Edge quietly hammering on reverb-heavy guitar. My only critique is with the sad-sap melodrama on "So Cruel" and "Acrobat."
boring
epic reinvention
Paaaaain. Mysterious Ways is the only song that showed my ears grace. Everything else was insufferable. Sorry, not sorry.
This was another tough album to get through. I liked the song “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “One” was familiar in a good one. Nothing remarkable about the album though and couldn’t finish.
Other than the hits, I’m not a traditional U2 listener. Nothing against them, but I stopped ‘following’ bands years ago. So I’d never heard most of these songs. Really enjoyed them. This is the first album that’s been sent my way I’d listen to more than once.
This is one of their best albums by far. Consistent in vision throughout certainly top two in their post-big break era. There’s a reason why it spawned a few massive hits. But the rest of the album holds up just as well.
Solid album.
Familiar album to me. I always enjoy it.
This was a very interesting album- at first I wasn't expecting much of it, but I noticed a couple of references that went almost completely over my head- Achtung is German for Attention! Also, this album is what inspired the JJBA character Shizuka Joestar! Very cool lil references right there. Overall it wasn't bad. I'd add a few to my playlist :)
I like some U2, but not blown away by this album as a whole
I prefer their earlier work, which is more edgy, this is a pop album and quite a good one.
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.
Super klasse
no songs stood out for me but it was a very good listen overall
Classic
Some great songs, and some mediocre ones too.
Most of their stuff is great. This is no exception. I'd listen to this one again.
Stellar album, there's not a weak song in the whole list. Though tracks like One and Mysterious Ways are popular hits, slight darker vibe tracks like Acrobat and Love is Blindness are even better. The music is engaging, the Edge's guitar work is impressive in the different types of emotions it can evoke; while Bono still is one of the most convincing vocalist in translation emotion into his delivery.
There a sway to Achtung Baby - almost an arrogant sway. But it's not full on U2 in cock rock action. But yeah, there is a bounce that carries the album from start to finish. It sounds like a jigsaw was tossed in the air for different sources and inspiration. It always was - and still remains - highly unfashionable. That's why I like it. One shows some great songwriting. The riffs on The Fly and Mysterious Ways are meaty. U2 at their best.
U2 weird band. Zooropa and Achtung Baby are brilliant and what the made after is so boring that you hoped they stopped after Zooropa to lay on the beach for the rest of their lives. Even the sickening music of later Coldplay is better than that! Achtung baby is an amziang trip The Grunchy Zoo Station , the beautiful One and So Cruel, the poppy the Fly and Mysterious Ways and their best song ever, Love is Blindness with the Edge on steroids. 5 stars.
Forgettable
Couple good songs overall mid
One of my favorites, and my first real concert. "One" is still a beautiful classic.
I was never a particular fan of U2, but I could see the attraction alright. Even better than the real thing - captures that pure unique U2 sound. Overall a 4, but I can understand others giving it a 5
Excellentalbumn
Hey alright I liked this, and mostly didn't know the songs before. I might have been done a disservice with the order I heard the U2 entries in. Apparently this one was pitched as a major reinvention of their sound, which might have made "All That You Can't Leave Behind" make more sense if I'd listened that one after this? maybe unlikely, and I'm definitely not going to listen to that one a second time to find out
Rating: 6/10 Decent album overall. Enjoyed the experimental nature of it, U2 changed their sound on this album while still sounding like themselves. A lot of the songs sound very similar but the highlights are really great, it at times sounds uncannily like Radiohead. Favorite songs: Zoo Station, Even Better Than The Real Thing, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Love Is Blindness. Worst song: So Cruel.
I liked most songs very much, some were just ok.
Boring
1991. I love Bono’s vocals. This is a great album. The songs all sound like they belong together. Similar rhythms and style. Mysterious Ways, One, …Wild Horses. All good
Until the end of the world is good Like piano in so cruel Like mysterious way Overall nothing is amazing or terrible really
Even Better Than the Real Thing One Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses Mysterious Ways
It's not bad. Nothing really stood out to me. Just kind of faded into the background.
Nice guitars! I think my favourites were Zoo Station and Love is Blindness. The Mysterious Ways Tabla Motown remix was pretty good too imo! You might catch me coming back to this album again
Standouts: Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than The Real Thing, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Until the End of the World, Fly, So Cruel, Others: Ultra Violet, Zoo Station, Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World, Acrobat, Love is Blindness. 4.5
U2's never been a favorite of mine, but it's hard to dislike an album with "Even Better Than the Real Thing," "One," and "Mysterious Ways" on it. I'm not sure what my favorite U2 song is, but the latter is definitely in the conversation. The rest of the album's decent enough, so let's call this 3.5 stars.
U2 was part of my top three favorite bands in high school & at the beginning of college. I still have this worn out CD & revist it every now and then. What a rock pop trip down memory lane. 5 stars.
Probably the last U2 album I ever listened to. Lots of great songs on here. Was great to revisit.
This is bizarre because I just dreamt last night that the generator gave me this album. So weird! In my dream, it sounded nothing like U2. I listened to this a couple times through since I always need time to absorb U2. I like this and while there are some outstanding tracks here, there are some duds for me too. I think a 4 is fair.
The lyrics and singing style sound so phoney, like a massive ego pretending it has a good connection to reality.
Helloooo hellooooooo At times, a bit dull/bland rock, but some genuine shining moments of creative intensity and approach
Si este es el álbum que "redefinió" el rock, entonces preferiría que el estatus del rock nunca hubiera sido cuestionado. El disco de la banda de Bono y U2 es sumamente flojo y poco innovador, perdiendo todo el poco filo que tenían en sus primeros discos para construir un LP tan olvidable que podría ponerse como música de fondo de un Mall.
Everyone hates Bono yet this is a fantastic album. Every track is great. This is U2 at their absolute best.
Meh
It’s an unpopular opinion but I feel like this album sounded like a high school kid ate too many weed gummies and decided to recite poetry with a white noise machine in the background. Occasionally profound but mostly forgettable
Achtung! Diese Band ist furchtbar, Baby!
4.5
Pretty good U2 album.
I listened to the hell out of this album when it came out, but after a while I stopped listening to U2. It sounds great to me now, better than I expected. Until The End of the World still gives me chills. I still love this album.
Pretty okay 4/10
Wow, tout aussi médiocre que les deux autres avant
Æji, þetta er 90% uppfyllingarefni.
In my heart forever, sorry not sorry. Mysterious Ways will remain one of my favourite songs of the 90s.
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.
It was a bit meh when it first came out, and it’s still the same now, couple of good tracks, the rest is just filler
a classic. love me some U2
Listening to Bono makes me want to punch a wall
Boooooring. Sauf /One/ mais du coup on voit pourquoi ils en ont fait le single de l'album, c'est au dessus du reste assez soupesque.
Classic rock is classic (ack!). This is likely my 3rd favourite U2, behind War and The Joshua Tree. It’s good and the bangers really bang. The fillers detract. While most described this as a new direction for the band, it just seems like U2 in retrospect, like they were inventing their own genre or something. Still, it’s worth inclusion in this list and likely the top 100 albums of this list at that.
IIt used to be you could go to someone's place for the first time and go through their music collection - CDs or Records on shelves. There were some people who had a penchant for collecting the less interesting work of interesting bands. This collection is starting to feel that way. From Boy through Unforgettable Fire this band was producing some of the most urgent, intimate, moving, emotional music in the world. But then it appears that CEO Bono got a taste of the big time. Joshua Tree and especially this album always sounded to me like whoever was making decisions regarding the bands "direction" had decided that being the biggest selling band in the world was all that mattered. Reminds me of the Rolling Stones' albums from the 80s and 90s. The Edge's work is amazing - in everything. But the urgency and intimacy are gone; replaced by...the Manchester Sound?? U2 chasing the Manchester sound reminds me of Coke abandoning its original formula to chase the Pepsi flavor profile. And all in service of pumping out silly radio/stadium friendly anthems. Bores me; and to tears when I think of how Sunday Bloody Sunday makes me feel.
You cant deny it has some tunes on it. Their most accesible
4.5 even if Bono is a narcissist.
U2 seems like the Nickleback of the 80s/90s
This album slaps until bono starts singing
Listened to this while playing Imperium: Classics. I haaaaaate Bono. There is something about him that just makes me want to punch him...and I am totally nonviolent. That being said...I enjoyed this much more than I was honestly expecting to. Some pretty great jams, and I was able to forget that Bono is Bono for quite a while.
Non proprio il mio genere, troppo cantilenante e voce distorta. Alcune canzoni piacevoli
U2 changed direction a bit after rattle and hum. Some very nice tracks on this album. What I remember most about the release is all the media interaction rubbish that went with it.
Context gets lost when an album has been out for 30 years. For those who weren’t around it’s hard to overstate what an incredible achievement Achtung Baby is. 4 years earlier U2 created a phenomenal album that made them the biggest band in the world and then completely reinvented themselves. For the most part everything that made U2 U2 is gone on Achtung Baby. The delayed guitar and soaring stadium rock anthems are gone replaced with gritty, industrial beats, distortion and noise. Gone are the overwrought lyrics (mostly) replaced with darker more personal songs. Hearing the The Fly in 1991 when it was released to promote the album was shocking. It was like Bono was singing with another band. The Edge is the clear MVP on Achtung Baby. His guitar doesn’t sound anything like previous work but you can still instantly tell it’s him. Achtung Baby is start to finish U2’s baby album 9.3/10
Better than The Joshua Tree. I just can't vibe with their music for some reason. Not bad, though. Fav tracks: Love Is Blindness, Until The End Of The World, Acrobat
One and Wild Horses good but drowned by utter shite.
U2 <3 <3 <3 This is an album where I need those Genelecs or Perlistens
I really don't like the smugness in bonos voice. The music behind it was ok
Never been a fan of U2, and this didn't change my mind in the slightest.
"Achtung Baby" is the seventh album by Irish rock band U2. After criticism of their previous album and film "Rattle and Hum," U2 sought influences of alternative rock, industrial and electronic music for their new album. They employed producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno and started recording in East Berlin after the Germany reunification. They struggled with personnel conflict during that time and ended up finishing the recording in Dublin. The lyrics were darker and more introspective than their previous more anthemic work. Commercially, the album hit #1 in the US and #2 in the UK. It did received mostly favorably reviews and even moreso respectively. Bells, tinny electronic drum beats and a distorted guitar open up "Zoo Station." Is this U2? The music kicks in with layered Bono vocals. We get even more layered Bono vocals in "Even Better Than The Real Thing." A whirly Edge guitar which goes into a more typical Edge guitar. People looking for instant gratification. The song that reinspired the band during their recording "One" starts slower. Layered guitars. One of Bono's best and emotional vocals. And, one of their best songs. No pun intended. Two people going through their struggles. And in the next song, "Until the End of the World," Bono goes the opposite way and gives an almost deadpan and emotionless delivery which is perfect. An echoing guitar and darker rhythm section. Maybe, my favorite song on the album. The first song I heard from this album was "The Fly." It was so different than the previous U2. An echoing guitar. Layering of an industrial drumbeat and percussion. Bono whispering and portraying a character calling from hell. They go a bit funky in "Mysterious Ways." Great, great bassline. More layered percussion. Bono elevating and idolizing a female. Another great deep cut is "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)." An orchestral into which transitions into an echoing guitar and more standard rhythm. Catchy music and chorus. The intesity builds throughout the song with Bono's vocals. The album closes with Love Is Blindness." A darker, slower and emotional song. A church-like organ intro. A prominent bass. An industrial, interesting time signature percussion. The guitar gets more chaotic throughout the song. About a failed relationship/ marriage which the music captures just right. An unorthodox ending to a U2 album. This is U2's best album. They take risks with the dance, dark and industrial beats. And it works. From song to song, Edge's guitar is different and unpredictable. Bono's lyrics are interpersonal and not at all pretentious. Every song is worth a listen...I had trouble not mentiong all the songs. I also really liked their next, to some extent under appreciated, "Zooropa" and half of the following "Pop." And then. Well, yeah, and then. I thought this might sound dated today but it didn't at all. An album defintely worth going back to.
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
I have an irrational hate for this band. This shit is just the most generic and boring music ever made. I'd send it down to the depths with ACDC and Aerosmith (God do I want to) but at least they have variation and some experimentation even if it does bore me into anxiety.
Really not in the mood for it at the moment
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.
This album sounds like the soundtrack to a 90s romcom. Not necessarily a bad thing, but to my 90s-baby sensibility it sounds super dated and cliché. Bono's style of singing got exhausting by track 5, which is unfortunate because all the track thereafter were on the longer side. I think I would've liked this album if the songs were solely instrumental. Tracks that stood out upon 1st listen: 4 - Until the end of the World; Would I revisit this album: No
Pretty lame but some nice tunes, prefer earlier albums
This is a good album -- I liked what I heard. To me, I don't think this one is going to be memorable overall, but I definitely did not have an unpleasant experience listening to it and would be pleased to hear it again if someone turned it on. It's easy listening music, pleasant, nothing exceptional. I'm happy to have experienced it though.
It's crazy that U2 made such a great album with Joshua Tree - and yet almost everything else they've done afterwards is unbearably boring.
Prefer the old style of U2 but respect the reinvention
After you get past the first two songs, the rest of the album is pure vibes. Stand-out: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
I was quite surprised how much i liked this album, despite thinking it was very 'safe' music while i heard it, or maybe not safe, but at least not-dangerous. I found the music somewhat generic, and i have never been a huge fan of Bonos voice, but i didnt really mind listening to this one.
I'm not a big fan of U2 and I don't really love their sound. It is just so dull for me. That said, this isn't horrible. I like the guitar with the vocal tone to get this sorta spaced out vibe. The 'Even Better Than the Real Thing' song is pretty good. 'One' I've heard a million times and didn't even realize it was U2. A bit over played but that is because it is a banger.
Fav: One L/F: The Fly Yeah idk, it's U2 doing U2. 5
Anytime I hear Better Than the Real Thing, I think Garth from Wayne's World at the VMAs
Vanilla dad rock
Walmart of alternative rock. So inoffensive it makes me upset.
I have heard it before. Love it.
It was only 91 when U2 showed everyone what the 90s were going to sound like (outside of grunge, which is kind of a large caveat, but still...). Achtung is no Zooropa, but it is the U2isest U2 has ever achieved. Not a lemon in the bunch (get it?).
I think everybody understands this isn't Joshua Tree
I was a massive fan of early U2 but slowly drifted away as the sound became more bombastic. So curiously it's the first time I've ever listened to this album in full. It is a really good, but not a really great album. Some songs that really endure and I might give it a bit more space now I'm older and not hardline in my tastes in music.
4. It is quite a beautiful album. The way they have experimented from their last album was the right move
I like some U2 records, but this one not so much. I think this is their take on the Madchester sound that had been around for a couple of years already. It's neither groundbreaking nor very good IMHO. Favorite song: Ultra Violet.
Good album
One love and all its covers are forever in my playlist. The rest of the album are not so memorable. Anyway, it was quite pleasant.
plictisitor, nu l-am terminat
One is one of the best songs ever written. The rest is pretty good too
i dont really know what to put here but i just kinda liked it a lot i cant think of specific things i just really enjoyed it
It was alright. A couple of songs were recognizable. Nothing ground moving.
Some great work by U2.
I find this album very scattered. Some great songs, some really shit - zoo station I have always skipped.
this somehow has seeped into my DNA, i knew every word of every song even though i havent listened to the album for 20 years was a big u2 fan like most back in the 90's
I liked some songs like one or misterious ways but for the most part is aight
Well, as I already have mentioned when reviewing Joshua's Tree, I'm not a fan of U2 and I find them overrated. Achtung Baby is even worse. There is song One, which is quite okay, but the rest of the album is just incredibly boring. On the positive note, this record was perfect for an afternoon nap - with such an uneventful music I slept like a baby. I don't think 1/5 would be fair, but it has to be lower note than I gave to their first album, which was 3/5. So the final rating is pretty clear.
i have no love for U2 but this is a decent early 90s pop rock album
It's only say there are a couple sings that are great but the album is so strong it's a 4/5
I hate hate hate Mysterious Ways. Boomer dudes will play this song at vow renewals for women who move in decidedly predictable ways.
One, So Cruel, Who's gonna ride
I guess this album was less boring than what I expected. Definitely makes sense to include it as a foundational record for alternative rock with "One" and "Mysterious Ways", bla bla bla. These guys would have also smashed back in the 70s through, making ballads like "Love is Blindness". You can hear the influences of preceding genres in other tracks as well.
A brilliant album that took a few listens to love, but it's still in my rotation 30 years later.
i know my dad is gonna throw hands with me in heaven over this but girl i do not get U2. love is blindness is a great song but the white stripes cover is better. one and wild horses are okay. they used to play mysterious ways at work all the time so that song makes me physically nauseous to hear
Pretty Good.
I think U2 popularity is due to them being very 'unabrassive' or different. Kind of a lowest common denominator thing. Sounds like something a white middle-class Dad would listen to to make himself feel 'hip' and 'with it'.
HL: “Zoo Station”, “One”, “Until the End of the World”, “So Cruel”, “Mysterious Ways”, “Love is Blindness” the first U2 album I properly listened to, but the final one on this list Every U2 I’ve had on this generator, I’m surprised how much it holds up for me. And I’m already a fan! As their premier 90s album, it contains some clearly of-its-time elements like the dance rhythms in “The Fly” and “Mysterious Ways”, but there’s still echoes of their 80s sound, like in “Wild Horses” & “Acrobat”. I remember not being crazy about the odd industrial buzzes and loops like in “Zoo Station” and “Until…” when I first found this CD (and often they have no bearing on the actual song’s content), but call them byproducts of a band willing to push themselves & experiment (before settling right down with All You Can’t Leave Behind) August 17, 2023
Hah...this is the first time I ever listened to Achtung Baby, hard to believe. Some good songs nothing transcendent. 3 stars
One for my youth.
I don’t think I had quite recovered from the whole U2 forcing their album onto everyone’s i-devices back in the 2010s so I was a little hesitant to listen. However I was blown away. Can absolutely see why they became so successful. Now pay your taxes, you naughty boys.
Got it. It's U2. It's ok. When do I get to listen to The Joshua Tree?
Faux-originality; the Tracey Emin of the music world.
Vintage Bono. Well played
ngl - easily one of my favourite albums ever. As soon as I saw this was the album, it was time to crank up the volume and let Larry's heavy boot reverberate around my skull. Yes, they became bloated pompous stadium rockers, but this album was an absolute masterclass. "Waves of regret, waves of joy. I reached out for the one I tried to destroy". Indeed.
Some nice lyrics, not mind blowing but bono deserves at least 4
This is a fine album, only suffering from not being The Joshua Tree. I am not quite as attached to these songs, wonderful as they are. As I never did really listen to this album as such (knowing just the four singles) I think I need to spend more time with it.
There is something soothing about the sound of U2 for me. As for this album, it's not one that I have listened to all that often, but I enjoyed it today.
OK. I love U2. And I get why this album is here as it marks a shift in content and process for the band. But I find most of the songs on this album very very meh. I do love Mysterious Ways, though. On your knees, boy!
I went through a strong U2 phase in college when they released The Joshua Tree. Recently I had the opportunity to revisit that album during a trip to that national park. But today I realize that is the only U2 album I can remember listening to in its entirety. I’m not sure why that was the case. I didn’t realize what a shift Achtung Baby was a scant 4 years after The Joshua Tree. Remarkable how they were able to make such different albums that both sound so great. Listening to this today I was surprised to discover that I actually prefer this album to The Joshua Tree.
Perhaps the most important album of my life. Christmas Day, 2009. I just got my first iPad Touch and my mind was racing with the possibilities. What should I buy from the iTunes store? What will my tastes lead me to and become? Alas... having become familiar with U2 at some point of my life, now was the time to dig deeper and this album's cover grabbed me from first sight. Little did I know it was the start of a love affair that's lasted to this day. I believe that, if it weren't for Achtung Baby, I wouldn't be the music fan that I am today. It has opened me up to so many sounds, so many bands, so many possibilities and it is all because of this album. The fact that it was willing to dare, put on a mask and make merry with a masquerade, all the while wielding many emotions so vast that the heart could only wonder when it'll break and become overwhelmed. It speaks to the power that this album has and I've been bowled over many times over the years to know. U2 had become one with the darkness and, not only weaponized it, it taught them how to move, how to converse with irony, how to be insincere and, most importantly, how to be at peace with being rock and roll stars. To shed one's skin and move along with another is an act of bravery and, with Achtung Baby, U2 showed that they were more than what people thought they were and brought on intrigue and excitement for a new decade. Achtung, yall!
Easily the greatest U2 album, should not be dismissed just because they spent the best part of 3 decades treading water later. I frequently try to dismiss them but every time I have occasion to stick this on, I am pulled back in and reminded just how good they were, briefly. I love the start, that industrial guitar effect, and the factory-esque clang of the drums as they crash in. Always sounds great. And Zoo Station as a song is a great kick off. Brian Eno is all over this. Yes he also did Coldplay, he's not infallible but this is superb. It's still got big, crowd pleasing ballads like Joshua Tree, but hell, they were good at it at this point, and there is still unsettling distortion around the glistening pop of ..Horses. It's also got a crazy lead single in The Fly which it's not an exaggeration to say sounds not unlike Nine Inch Nails for a whole minute before the chorus comes in to smooth things over. Lead single. For U2. This time crucially, and unlike Joshua Tree they don't run out of songs when you flip the record over. The singles are great, sure, but the real strength of this one for me lies in the album tracks. My least favourite songs here are Mysterious Ways and ...the Real Thing and they are by no means bad. Until the end of the world is brooding, Ultra Violet is epic and uplifting, So Cruel is gorgeous. Acrobat is one of my favourite U2 songs of any album, it fucking rocks. I wish they'd made even one other record of as consistently high quality as this one. But they didn't. I still frequently get goosebumps listening.
Another one from U2 that lacks anything resembling a heart or soul. I’ll admit I’m negatively biased towards “One” and “Mysterious Ways” due to death by radio play, but every other track on here is just as guilty of feeling like it was crafted by a focus group for #1 straight line status. The Edge tries to inject some cool and creative guitar tones into the mix, but any kind of creative energy is completely annihilated by Bono and his genetically-modified corporate radio voice that somehow embodies the concept of smarm in sound waves.
U2 have some good tracks but I can't listen to them for more than a couple of tracks in a row
I just dont think u2 are for me, got really bored listening to this and felt his voice agitating. Prolly southpark and Bill Bailey ruined this for me
Superb
Heard before for this entry, but forgot to write any notes. But now that I listen to it again, it's hard to do that... I know that U2 seems to be in the same spot as Coldplay and Imagine Dragons. I mean, it's okay to listen to, but I don't quite emotionally react to it. But it's still chill. My driving instructor used to play U2 in his car, so I tend to think about that. + One Love + Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses + So Cruel + Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
Going to see U2 play this album during their Vegas residency so this was pretty timely. It's a top-to-bottom solid album that fits neatly in their transition to being a fully euro-pop megaband. The Brian Eno production is really strongly felt here, and the electronic/ambient bent to many of the tunes feels like a mild departure from Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum. You could see Zooropa on the horizon.
Shit is fucking ass. Also it’s very difficult to hear. Only liked 2 songs
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.
Do not get the popularity of U2 at all. Guess they have a broad appeal, no bold choices, but as this album went on I got more and more frustrated. Do something interesting! Sure I heard bono say he spiked someone's drink in until the end of the world too.
As expected, found this a hard listen. So dreary, mopey, lame.
I like the odd U2 song, but not a single one of those was on this album. This was a really awful album. I think my feelings are best summed up by the face on the album cover.
Never listened to a U2 album before I don't think. This just all sounds so generic and safe. Yawn. Really didn't do much for me Forgettable. Won't be going back I guess one and mysterious ways are quite good tracks but still wouldn't choose to listen to them
This is what happens when you fuck around with the reverb knob too much.
W Album 9/10
Bloody boring. I give it a point because "One" is a masterpiece. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" was decent too. Otherwise this is the definition of milquetoast to me.
Good songwriting and U2 definitely has an iconic sound but their music just doesn't excite me - just left me a bit bored, but it's not bad music!
I don't enjoy U2. The vocals, while iconic just don't sound good to me.
I have a strong disdain for Bono. He’s got this airy tone to his voice that irks me, and short of a couple songs on this where I like the song instrumentally and lyrically, U2 can go away.
There's some great pop songs here and the production is oh-so-glossy and polished, but U2 just leave me a bit cold. I think I used to own this album back in the day and it was just one of those albums I wouldn't ever think to listen to, as it's just lacking something special. Also, it really tapers off in quality for the last three or four tracks.