Achtung Baby

shes goodbut nothingreally went out of its way to ticklemy fancy

Great songwriting, some of the production choices seem a little Time stamped, however always great melody and songwriting.

Everyone loves to shit on U2 because Bono is insufferable. I like "old" U2, so in my mind, this is the very last U2 album. Boy (1980) to Achtung Baby (1991). That's all they put out in my world and it's a pretty good run. Achtung Baby is fairly uneven. Some really good songs; some really weak songs. 3.5, rounded up for nostalgia's sake.

2.5

good album not best that joshua tree but has some good songs on it,specially one

Tråkig platta.

Nej tack baby

Mer Berlin, mer Eno. Radiomusik! Svag trea, det är för lättlyssnat. Blir inte lack

Låter som ett långt sample track från musikprogram. Tänk vad mycket tid The Edge lade på sitt gitarrljud bara för att få det att låta skit. Kan tycka u2 är rätt hyfsade ibland men detta. Och alla låtar bara lunkar på? Basmannen är väl den enda som kommer undan med hedern i behåll. "Few bands as far into their career as U2 have recorded an album as adventurous or fulfilled their ambitions quite as successfully as they do on Achtung Baby, and the result is arguably their best album." säger TiVo-texten på Qobuz. Smaken är som baken –shajt

Alternative Rock/Pop Rock Favorite Songs: One, Until the End of the World, Mysterious Ways Least Favorite Song: Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World While maybe not the best album, it’s regarded as one of the great albums by the band. That being said, there’s this sound of theirs that I can’t really get into with this album. Maybe this is due to them going for a more poppy sound, idk. There’s some good songs on the album, let’s not forget that, but idk if I wanna take all of the songs of the album. It’s just…alright. 7/10

One of the 2 truely great U2 albums. Also rediscovered the amazing track “So Cruel” on this journey. Great album one of my all time favourites.

U2 pivots from the american inspired sounds to a more european electronic approach. Some of the ballands arent up to the new sounds but One is the highlight of the album.

Absolutely awesome actually. Multiple great songs.

i forget who it was, but someone said that u2 are a tiring band bc they're good, but to have been as big as they were they should've been a bit better. i agree! me personally i find bono's voice grating so that lowers them a bit.

I thought this was a little better than "War" personally, but still not my cup of tea. I found this album generally boring.

I think U2 is just fine. I do believe if i was in my mid-fifties i would rock out hard to this but alas i am not so i dont. My moms friend used to follow around U2 and I think shes been to upwards of 50 concerts and she is above 55 so there you go. His lyrics are pretty good tho and i did save two songs: love is blindness and One (on the second listen bc other reviewers liked it a lot).

The fly was my favorite! Interesting dad rock vibes from this album.

Idk

скам в названии

Not bad, live is blindness is beautiful

Fine

The worst offense of this album is how boring it is. The hypersexualized lyrics are gratuitous and lazy. The flow is repetitive. And the music is just uninteresting.

There are some real beauties on here, but it is a bit inconsistent. Their WAR album is my favorite ever so I know they can hit a home from start to finish. This one isn’t quite that.

Meh

You know. It is what it is

I liked this more than I thought I would. It started a little slow, and then from Mysterious Ways through the end was really good (well not really Love is Blindness). But there is a very solid 4-song stretch there.

U2 was my first favourite band when I was a kid. This came out when I was 14 and I had mixed feelings about it since they changed their sound so much. I bought the CD and got into it but it was never my favourite. 4 stars out of nostalgia

I hate to break it to you, but this is neither the greatest album ever nor a crime against humanity. It’s fine. It’s not that interesting and it’s not that deep but it is a solid album.

Très surpris de U2. C’est plus le cliché américain. Ils ont réinventé complètement leur style et on devine de l’indie, plus d’électronique, du rock alternatif. Probablement mon album préféré d’eux

One

Loved this on cassette in '91. Sorta still holds up.

I’m not the biggest U2 fan, but I definitely can’t say that they’re bad either

Não é ruim, mas sinceramente, não me fez sentir nada. Absolutamente nada. Não sei se foi um longo dia que talvez tenha me deixado entorpecido, ou se são os vocais estéreis. De qualquer forma, todos sabemos que a indiferença é uma das piores coisas que sentimos a respeito de qualquer obra artística. Interminável, além disso. Há algumas partes instrumentais boas. Lembra um pouco Radiohead. Mas os vocais atrapalham demais, são bem chatos mesmo, com letras banais ainda por cima. 2.5/5

Prima album, blijft niet hangen echter

Doesn't hit as hard the Joshua tree, still an enjoyable listen I could see myself coming back to

Even Better Than The Real Thing

Tämä levy on löytynyt jo julkaisustaan saakka omasta levyhyllystä. Erinomainen teos ja oma suosikkini omista versiosta on Super Deluxe, mistä löytyy biisien 'Kinderkarten'-demot. 6/5.

nice but nothing groundbreaking imo

This album is a masterpiece. Every song all the way through is fantastic and sonically innovative. Bono can be a bit of a dingus at times, but they really outdid themselves with Achtunh Baby. Absolutely fantastic record.

I guess besides the hits, I'm not really a big U2 fan. Nothing really bad about them or their style, but not a whole lot that I connect with in their music either.

How can an album be both this expansive and this claustrophobic? Favourite tracks: Zoo Station, The Fly, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Until The End Of The World, Ultraviolet, Love Is Blindness (might be my favourite guitar solo ever)

90s U2 is peak U2. Or maybe I'm just giving my age away. 5 stars either way

I was surprised how much I enjoyed

A classic one by now

Curiously lumpen, despite some massive mega hits. I find the whole aesthetic pretentious and overblown. But it's still a pretty impressive collection overall.

Não faz muito meu estilo. Uma ou outra música legalzinha, mas nada que chame atenção. Meio genérico e brega. Não escutaria de novo.

An okay listen. It’s not as great as I remember

i liked the instrumentals in every song. kept me hooked, and was fun to listen too. i think this would make a great study album! its calm and exciting at the same time. Reminded me of a 2000’s high school movie

Dad rock

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❌️

Absolute trainwreck of a record. This marked U2's transition from a band with great songs and a recognizable style to a cringe and trend-chasing mainstream monster that only normies listened to.

U2 being one of the "biggest bands in the world" feels like some kind of government psyop. their songs feel so by the book that it comes across as completely manufactured and devoid of emotion. It's exactly what rockstars "should" sound like, and for some reason, that is deeply off-putting. That being said, One is a great song.

This album is easy to love. Great songs. Great production. And the rare instance where mid tempo rock is really interesting and free. Bono and the boys made a classic.

Funny enough, the album I reviewed before this was Black Flag's Damaged. Henry Rollins HATES U2, but I gotta say that as much as Black Flag kicks ass, I'll take U2 any-day over a lot of other bands, them included. Achtung Baby might be their best record - or at least that has resonated with me the most. They transitioned from this black and white serious image to this fun, colorful one very well. The music makes such an impact even with Bono moaning in my ear - a trait that would be shot down if not for the songs being good. It's a record that gives me more to say than their other album I reviewed - War - which was just post-punk and nothing else. There was a lot of political messaging that overshadowed the music on that one, but on this, I can only think of "One" having that sort of message. The other singles "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "Mysterious Ways" and the promo "Until The End Of The World" are all ridiculously catchy. I guess that's the whole thesis for this album - U2 becomes something I can dance to...and I can still feel great emotions. This should've gotten on my radar earlier. I disagree, Henry (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

Largely boring and uninspired.

Such a classic takes me right back to its release & listening to it blare from the blue bus speakers in way to football game for LTS, and or skiing at holiday valley.

It’s just so aggressively mid

Not a bad one but U2 just doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Great album, hear it again remains me why I boutght it.

This was pretty good. This has been my second U2 record on the list. Ultimately I think I preferred War a bit more. This was still decent though. Was able to appreciate the Edge a bit more on this one. That being said there are more skips for me on this one. Feeling a 3/5

so my final U2 Album here. I liked it. Still can't see why they are SO hated by some.

Vibed with the first 3 tracks. Until the end of the world and wild horses both kind of blow. Mysterious ways is a cool song. The rest kind of blended into the background. I guess I was expecting a little bit more from an album with this much critical acclaim. It’s a good sounding record. The songwriting is pretty inconsistent. Musicianship is solid, but I’m not left with a “wow” effect from any part of it. I think it’s just a 3/5 for me. Expectations were higher than what was delivered.

Self important claptrap.

I liked U2 as a snot-nosed teen, but I grew out of them a good 15-20 years ago. Wonder what I will think in 2026? There's an undeniable level of polish about U2's albums. They do play things pretty safe but is that necessarily a bad thing? The music is clearly built for radio play. The extreme sentimentality is a bit on the nose. It doesn't quite come across as genuine. It's still a pretty good album though, easy to listen to. I think my pick is The Fly. Album also has some awful filler such as Love is Blindness and Acrobat. Combine with Ultraviolet for a weak ending..

It is truly a 3.5, because I felt like 3 wasn’t do enough justice and 4 was too much. This album was great at first but got worse as it progressed. My favorite songs were One, and Mysterious Ways!

It's giving wine mom at a concert. It's giving disney channel original movie soundtrack. It's giving bride and grooms special song. It's giving V-neck and chelsea boots. It's giving 2/5.

Honestly the first half of this album is bad, everything has been done better by the stones, areosmith, and sonic youth. Track 8 and beyond is actually good and listenable but personally still not good enough to want to listen any more than once

I tried to keep an open mind, but this album is just not enjoyable. It feels like the same song 12 times. Bono's got a great voice, but the songwriting does not do him justice. It's certainly not awful, just uninspiring and bland. I did enjoy Mysterious Ways and Love Is Blindness more than the rest of the album, but probably not enough to come back to them. Also the album cover is pretty cool, so solid 2.5 stars rounded down.

U2 is an alright band, so alright that they have to partner with Apple to force their music into things you never wanted them to be.

One of my favorite albums of all time. For me, this is the definitive version of U2: daring and innovative.

One is an all time great song. The rest of the album is really good too. Many solid songs but not much that really stands out to me as great.

100 u2 albums to hear before i die

Surprisingly I recognize every song here. I didn’t think I’d really listened to this much but guess I was wrong. Enjoyed it more than I remember.

5/5. Their masterpiece. The Joshua Tree was a very good album but it doesn’t stand the test of time as well as this. If U2 had carried on as they were in the 80s, they would have disappeared up their own arses, much as Coldplay did after A Rush of Blood to the Head. U2 are at their best when Bono reins in the preaching, which he mostly does here, and the result is magnificent. Also a great album to run to. This will get a lot of 1/5s purely because people hate Bono. They’re wrong about Bono (although he does need to stop preaching) and they’re wrong about this album.

Solid, but I like their War album so much better.

The reinvention record — U2 disappearing into Berlin after the Wall came down and emerging with something that deliberately dismantled everything that made The Joshua Tree a five. Where that record was wide open and emotionally transparent, Achtung Baby operates behind glass, Bono adopting personas and ironic distance rather than earnest confession, The Edge's guitar buried in effects and texture rather than ringing out across open American landscapes. The artistic risk is real and it paid off completely. The songs make the case without needing the narrative. "One" is the centerpiece and one of the great U2 performances — deceptively simple, emotionally devastating, doing more with less than almost anything else in their catalog. "Mysterious Ways" and "Even Better Than the Real Thing" give the front half a propulsive energy that the more experimental production never obscures. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" shows the emotional range the record is capable of when it drops the ironic armor for a moment. What keeps it at four rather than five is exactly what makes it fascinating — the distance is real. Moved and impressed is the honest verdict, which is a genuine achievement and a half step short of the place Joshua Tree reached. That record had nothing to hide and hid nothing. This one is more sophisticated and slightly less irreplaceable for exactly that reason. A strong four that earns the reinvention narrative completely. The artistic risk paid off; the emotional ceiling is the trade-off.

3.5

Yeah very just okay

tbh i'm not a fan of them, there are some areas of their sound that i like, but i wouldn't save any of the album to my personal playlists.

Some people think of "Achtung Baby" as U2's "Dark Side of the Moon". I see it as just another overrated album that was once revolutionary. You see, I'm not a U2 fan, so I might be biased. "Achtung Baby" is still a nice album to listen to if you're bored. My favourite song from it is "The Fly" with its falsettos. 3 stars for "Achtung Baby".

People talk a lot about dad rock but very rarely label things mom rock. Probably because moms don’t listen to a lot of rock. Moms mostly listen to pop, but on occasion moms listen to rock, and when they do, they listen to mom rock. U2 is mom rock. Dad rock is for drinking light beer and thinking about how cool you used to be in high school and regretting your life choices. Mom rock is for worrying and sending your kid newspaper articles about brain eating amoebas and drinking coffee and getting your nails done and picking up kids from activities in your minivan. I fuck with dad rock but mom rock doesn’t do much for me. Achtung Baby has some decent songs on it but the good ones I’ve heard too many times for them to really penetrate at this point and there are a fair number of not that good ones too. This album, being a mom rock classic and all, just doesn’t do much for me. I know a lot of people like it but I’m not one of them.

Don't like Boner.

it's my 3rd favorite u2 album but 3 stars felt too low

I know this is during their most influenctial time, but also, fuck em

U2's stocks have certainly tanked ever since that album Apple forced onto every phone. Personally, I still think they're a fairly good band but most of that defense is centered on their classic 80s albums. Their 90s albums on the other hand, well, they're fine but I can't go to bat for them anywhere near as hard as I can for something like The Joshua Tree. I just find the bit hits off this one (Mysterious Ways, One) pretty boring but when things get more energetic with tracks like Even Better than the Real Thing or Until the World Ends, you can almost glimpse the great high-octane album this could have been.

I don't think I'm a fan of how Bono sings, honestly. I liked the music on it's own, but it was made worse by his vocals for me.

U2 is a band that sounds great, but somehow bores me at the same time. I don’t care enough to analyze why.

Poor Bono. The absence of a big famine nowadays is making him irrelevant.

Great album, love U2. Mysterious ways was already one of my favourite U2 songs but Ultra Violet blew me away. 7.44 overall as, some of the songs were very weak in my opinion.

4 star cause of U2, its U2. It just is. Would be a 5 but it has some meeh songs

No le di mucha bola la verdad, estaba escuchando el nuevo de The Strokes. Lo poco que escuché estuvo bien.

In my opinion, this was U2’s last great album. It broke so much new ground that it was understandably hard to follow-up. And their decision to throw over their political-leaning sound for something more pop-oriented didn’t help. But just the same, this album is a joy to listen to.

Polished - which is both a compliment and a complaint. Beautiful sound that never builds.

I hate to say it but I kind of like this album.

Buen album, sin lugar a dudas tiene algo auténtico y distintivo en su sonido. Aún así no me parece una genialidad de álbum, pero sí contiene algunas canciones icónicas que son imprescindibles. Me gusta la voz de Bono.

Brilliant album! I only knew the singles before and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rest of the album was just as high quality.

I imagine it’s difficult being U2. When you have an album as masterful as The Joshua Tree under your belt and your career has skyrocketed using basically the same sonic toolbox since your inception, how is every album you make afterwards measure up? In short, they don’t. They never can because even the most cynical of individuals who listen to music will have to recognize that after a brilliant album and tour that followed, that the next record is going to be carefully scrutinized and will inevitably fall short. The album immediately following The Joshua Tree, Rattke and Hum, was also a spectacularly solid record. It was not quite as good, but it was a complete record with only a couple of skips ( for me the All Along The Watchtower was a skip). Achtung Baby is the beginning of the decline for me. Sure, there are several songs that are stellar and one deep cut that is compelling (Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World). The problem children on this record are this trio: Acrobat, So Cruel and Love is Blindness which are all just boring. So, if you are following along at home, all of this can be summarized as U2 is always going to sound like U2 - Bono’s vocals and Edge’s guitar work is always going to be consistent and identifiable. So, it’s always going to be an evaluation of where a particular song fits in the levels of U2’s own songbook. One, Who’s Going To Ride Your Wild Horses and, perhaps Mysterious Ways are all A Level tracks. Lowest ones for me on this record are C - they are just average and they comprise 1/4 of the record. So, better than middling but not a stunner. 3.5/5

The hits are so great, the other ones just okay.

One of the two great U2 albums with 'The Joshua Tree', it reprenents a change of pace with the inclusion or electronic sounds and influences under the guidance of Brian Eno. The highlights are super recognisable amd iconic but lacks some polish to round out the record. 9/10 [KEEP]

And so I complete ‘4 U2 Albums You Must Listen to Before You Die’

I almost feel bad that my reaction to U2 is that they're just blandly pleasant. I don't mind hearing it, and they even have a few great songs, but Bono takes things so seriously and I just don't really care.

one of the uncomfortable realities of this album list has been realizing I actually like U2, and not just a few singles I recognize from the radio. thankfully I am not as into this one as the other albums we've had so far. a little order is restored to the world. if more of the album sounded like mysterious ways I would give this a shameful four.

Didn't move me. 3/5

I like that their hits were spaced out and there were a couple of songs that I hadn't heard that were good but it did sort of fade into the background for me.

Interesting!

Zoo Station Even Better Than the Real Thing One Until the End of the World Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses The Fly Mysterious Ways Love Is Blindness

cmt j'ai pas ecoute ca avant

2.5

It grew on me and hopefully will continue on the second listen, although not many stand out songs in my mind

For a long time I didn't really like U2, but I've come around. It's good. Maybe still a little bit overhyped by the millenials, but good nonetheless.

Could see myself getting into this if i liked rock more

U2 went big in my house growing up. I loved the edges guitar tone as a kid (before I learned he called himself the edge and lost respect for him and before I listened to other post punk stuff). Some real bangers here!

10/5 soundtrack to my youth.

I have never understood U2. Some of their singles are a bit catchy but it doesn't match their status in my opinion. They are the corniest most self indulgent band to ver receive universal acclaim. Also Bono is clearly a narcissist and I don't know why he doesn't give the whole planet the collective ick.

Again, here's another artist that I can't say that I loved, but then I realized that I love them because of this album. Obviously this is not vintage. This is classic U2. This album aged incredibly well you could listen to it now and wouldn't realize that it's 35 years old. It has one of the most iconic tracks of all time in one it has radio hits that stood the test of time and has some hidden gems that if you've never listened to you have done yourself a disservice... Acrobat probably being the biggest one. If you're doing this whole list, I'm positive that you're not mad at this one.

A very rare successful revinvention

bono is tough to take for me. Guitar stuff is good, well recorded drums but yeah.

4.5- who’s gonna ride your wild horses is on of my fav U2 songs.

I used to hate U2. Then I married a man who loves U2. For the sake of my marriage, I have it then an honest go. And I realized I had only hated them because that's what people who had never listened to them in earnest did.

Achtung Baby has a great vibe. Folks that reflexively freak out about U2 make me laugh because they're rarely clever. "Musical terrorists", lol. I said this before in my Joshua Tree review that they don't really make em like this anymore. Big, confident swings by a superstar band that are fun to listen to are hard to come by these days, few and far between.

I am going to round up on this one. Not a lot of weak songs on this album.

Sorry, not my jam

Love the guitar work by The Edge, and Mysterious Ways is a great song. 3.5 rounded down.

I listened long enough to decide it was a 2 and not a 1 and then quit.

Some good tracks for sure. This band is obviously mocked for how self righteous it can be, and this album definitely has those moments that make you roll your eyes. Overall though, a better album than “War.”

I honestly expected to like this more but it was just okay.

Monotonous

I just don't like U2 as a band ir people

Some really good songs mixed with some very forgettable ones. Love the vocals and the spacey sound of the guitar but not quite worthy of four stars.

Really boring. Far too much U2 here. RYM: N Saved a song: N

Meget karakteristisk U2-lyd og nogle gode numre imellem.

ya just don't really like this Will I listen to again: 1%

I mean I love u2 and I love bono. But his obviously is a big drop off from Joshua tree. One is an all timer tho, and mysterious ways is also good. The fly goes hard.

Not the best U2 output. The hit songs were ok but the album tracks were all filler. I appreciated their diversity with this though. Less pop/ballads and more rock.

Not really a U2 guy but I respect them, like Bono's voice. This was an interesting album and an interesting inflection point for them; they always seem to have like 2-3 great songs per album, with a lot of filler and/or corny material in between. This one, at least they are trying something different with the electronic/club/drum loop influence. I'd go 3.5 with a round down because it got a little long.

yawnnnnnnnnnnn, bland

4/10 Cards on the table, I don’t like U2. I think The Edge is a mediocre guitarist at best, with one trick, which is to slap on as much delay and reverb onto his sound as possible. Bono is also a performative, smug man with a far higher opinion of his own limited talent than he has any right to have. His vocal delivery largely makes me think of a robot who’s never experienced emotions trying to mimic the emotive strains of a very good singer, but failing to succeed in connecting that performance to what he’s actually singing. It’s weird. Now U2 are not a terrible band. There’s some reasonable stuff on here. But I have literally no idea how they’ve become as massive as they have. The strongest part of this record is, hands down, the rhythm section. Larry Mullen Jr lays down some really excellent grooves across the record, with a reasonably broad range of patterns and emphases. And Adam Clayton really isn’t that far behind, when he gets away with doing more than playing the root note of The Edge’s delay cloud. Between them, there are some excellent moments, from Zoo Station to Until The End Of The World and Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, the work is solid. But unfortunately, it feels like the two are then unable to deliver much in the way of development or invention beyond that point. It’s kind of like they come up with grooves, Bono and The Edge click their fingers and say “we’ve got it from here, lads” and they then get stuck playing that same groove for 5 minutes every time while their two more famous colleagues widdle away in their effects laden, faux-emotive style until the producer decides that it’s probably long enough and asks them to stop. So often, I found that much of the momentum built by that rhythm section just drifted into inertia over the course of the track. The shapeless clouds of guitar effectery and the vocals that prioritise faux emotion over melody just put a drain on things and, while there are moments when things come together really nicely, it’s all very much within a very limited musical range, with tracks that are overlong and underdeveloped. With this on in the background, I did tap my foot along to some of the rhythms and even hum along to the occasional melody, but as soon as I started to focus more closely to what was going on, the mirage shattered and I began to find it dull, samey and uninspiring. And maybe that’s it. Maybe some people like music that, on the surface sounds like a good band, doing something moderately interesting, but on closer inspection does nothing to challenge or enthral. It just exists. Zoo Station - The groove to this isn’t bad, and I quite like the driven bass against the beat. Bono’s effect shrouded vocal is quite good too. But then it just… doesn’t go anywhere. The chorus breaks a tiny bit out of the more interesting tone that they’ve built during the verse by throwing a more typical U2 sound with the Edge and his permanently engaged delay pedal, but underneath that, the groove just goes on and on. If they’d have developed this a bit further, it would have been much better, and there’s promise in this, but it’s just a bit uninteresting after a while. Even Better Than The Real Thing - As with the opener, the groove isn’t bad, but it gets fairly repetitive after a while. Melodically, this is incredibly bland, though. The use of effects and production to create big washes of sound, set against that persistent groove and Bono’s nothing vocals just doesn’t really gel together and feels tonally quite muddled to my ears. It sounds like someone trying to be cool, rather than naturally being cool. One - The swung groove they use here is pretty cool and Bono’s finally stumbled on some decent melodic hooks. There’s something about it that doesn’t quite connect for me, though. Bono’s vocal feels quite insincere, with performative rather than natural vocal fry. I’m not entirely sure the sound palette gels with the songwriting either, feeling quite dramatic and self important, particularly the use of strings. It’s quite boring too. On the surface, it’s not bad, but on deeper listening, it’s a bit of a shell. Until The End Of The World - Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton do their thing again. Solid groove, and then, bosh, in comes the delay-soaked guitar work of The Edge and self-important vocals of Bono. This is bland as all hell, but it’s underpinned by a solid, shuffling groove and bass line. That rhythmic base is a good start, but gets boring, because they don’t get much opportunity for development when their two more famous band mates spend the song just wanking over the top of them. Meh. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - This just feels so aimless. But then it’s also largely Bono and The Edge creating an uninspiring cloud of sound to a stripped back beat for the first minute and a half. The chorus actually isn’t that bad, but the expansive tonal makeup of the mix just feels large for the sake of it, rather than having any purpose, and it’s hard to hear musicianship among the thick wall of sound. Not that there’s anything wrong with that in the right context, but here it just feels overproduced, musically thin and quite bland. So Cruel - Nice drum groove, bland and repetitive piano part, uninspiring vocals. The chorus isn’t bad, to be fair, and it builds up reasonably well, but there’s no development beyond the slow build. There are sections where things sound oddly thin and I’m just not buying Bono’s vocal delivery, as usual. This is just quite boring. The Fly - There are actually some decent riffs here and some more interesting sound design that goes beyond the usual cloud of delayed guitar, with the use of a bit of flanging, and a more balanced range between the effects work and the more stripped back verses. Great work from the rhythm section again. The Edge’s guitar solo is pretty crap and only sounds as big as it does due to the effects. Just listen to the notes. It’s boring. But as a whole, I’d say this is probably the most interesting and engaging track on the record thus far. Mysterious Ways - Cool groove again, and quite a solid riff from the guitar to kick things off. This a bit of swagger and a nice, shuffling pulse to this one. Bono’s vocals seem so performative like he’s a robot trying to sound emotional. The chorus here is probably the weakest part of the track and it does start to drag on after a while. I think they have some decent ideas in places across this record, but they don’t get developed into anything completely satisfying, and then we have to deal with Bono’s vocal ramblings over the top. Which is a shame. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World - There’s a subtle hip-hop/trip-hop groove to the beat here, which is pretty cool. It’s more of a stripped back production and I can actually buy this kind of stripped back ambience more than much of the album. Bono’s vocal feels a bit more restrained for the most part, although the high falsetto stuff doesn’t entirely connect. This one doesn’t drag too much, either, which is definitely an improvement. Not bad. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) - The synth part here is rubbish. I guess I just don’t buy the U2 sound of over-reliance on reverb and delay and false-sincerity of Bono’s vocal delivery. This is just a wash of tuned noise with nothing in the way of a coherent melody from the vocal. Acrobat - A common theme across this album: I quite like the drum groove, but on top of that, we get more over-effected guitar work and more “I’m being sincere, honest” vocals from the lord of smugness.It’s just quite melodically limited and has little musical development. It’s just bland and uninteresting. Love Is Blindness - The atmosphere to this is quite nice, and if I hadn’t been assaulted by delay and reverb for the last 50 minutes, I might have got more out of this. The Edge has some truly awful lead guitar moments in this track, where it sounds like he’s just trying to work out if his amp is turned on or not. Again, it’s just all a bit of nothing.

Not particularly compelling, very bland and generic and almost 0 variety through the album. Also I can't stand bono's voice

they called it U2 because "U" had to get "2" ribs removed to suck your own dick to be a member. they do get some brownie points from me for having a vaguely homoerotic song about judas (until the end of the world). mysterious ways is a pretty good car commercial song. quite like the guitars on acrobat. love is blindness is genuinely great. songs i didn't skip before they ended: zoo station until the end of the world the fly mysterious ways acrobat love is blindness

I hate U2. I am not listening to this album. I'm sorry to everyone who loves U2.

The masters of toe-tapping anthem rock. Sure, it’s a bit overwrought and the slow stuff is a little saccharine but it is all bright and engaging and a good listen. Critics could call it generic but that’s only in hindsight since U2 initiated this style and launched a million mediocre bands after them that diluted the pool. Of course this isn’t their best album, but still pretty good.

now at first glance i'd call this okay. but it's just so close to being okay it actually ends up triggering a profound sense of uncanny valley. nothing but soul-annihilating sound slop on here. fuck this album. fuck u2. fuck 1001 for subjecting me to an hour of this. also im drunk

You failed me, Dimery. All you had to do was make me like U2 but none of the albums on the list contain my favorite U2 song: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. Shame. The fact that Nirvana's Nevermind came out a few weeks before this is cuckoo bananas to me & that I was 11. I didn't care about either. Funny, how time changes things. Talented musicians I just don't care for. They have a few songs: One & Mysterious Ways. The rest: I can take or leave. 3

Had another U2 album suggested a couple of months ago and I wrote something like it was OK but would never convert me to being a U2 superfan. I could just have copy/pasted that but it's not really in the spirit. I will say I approached it with an open mind and liked it a lot more than I was expecting, especially 'One' which is a brilliant song. That makes the playlist but while I genuinely liked most of the rest, I didn't like it enough to return to often (ever?)

The only U2 album I’ve listened to before this was Joshua Tree. Achtung Baby was much better. The melodies are pleasant, the lyrics aren’t repetitive and some of it is singable.

I mean, it's U2. I don't rate them at the best of times, but I didn't hate this album. Aside from the big hitters, this one passed me by.

Bono has to be stopped in the past before his future can be written like this

i have avoided listening to u2 for 32 years and resent that i finally have listened to a whole album. oh fun a date rape song. overall this is very mid shey la la i forgot that bono makes me irrationally angry just for existing

The Joshua Tree is a good album. This isn't The Joshua Tree. The whiplash of going from One Love to the "I spiked your drink" song will haunt me. One Love brings this up from 1 star.

Like I mentioned in my review of ‘The Joshua Tree’, during the time after that album and before this one, I parted ways with U2 (let’s keep it simple and blame the Rattle and Hum movie). Though I maintained a soft spot for them, I was discovering far too many types of musics at that time to have considered spending any of my meagre funds on ‘Achtung Baby’. As it turns out, U2 were listening to and being influenced by much of the new more innovative sounds that I was now focused on, and the irony is that what they did on this album could have been exactly what was needed to draw me back in. I was way too far gone though and it was years later when vinyl was at it’s deepest nadir (prior to its renaissance) that I came across a copy so cheap I didn’t think twice about my then current feelings on the band. Of course I was already familiar with ‘Achtung Baby’ by then; I’d need to have been living under a rock to have avoided it or the rest of their 90s output that it spawned. My steadfast determination to stay away was challenged right from the start because lead single “The Fly”, for most the first inkling of their new sound, was the biggest impact decision they could have made. It’s a bit of a trick though because while the whole album is a leap, the rest has trailing roots linking to the past more than “The Fly” but it was then and remains a major banger. So it’s perhaps less of the brave new world that ‘Zooropa’ would have been had it come first, but regardless of the presentation, the songs at the core of this album are relentlessly impressive. It genuinely is an “album”. What I find interesting is while the music is more dayglo than before, Bono’s delivery is regularly rather reserved. We tend to think back on this era with the singer in his larger-than-life Mephisto character and assume everything is over the top, but outside of some powerful choruses and regular soaring vocal hooks, he uses a quiet authority delivering his message.

good album, really really enjoyed "one"

+One +Until The End Of The World

esqueci de salvar oq eu escrevi mas achei daorinha ate

There's a bit of fun noise on here - nothing to write home about.

Solid album. Top songs: Zoo Station, One, So Cruel, Acrobat.

first half i found pretty boring but there's a lot of texture and cool sound design in the second half. ultimately i just really dislike Bono's voice and lyricism, though, and this was a bit of a chore. The Fly is pretty good at least. i give it 2 stars because that's what their name is telling me to. deserves to be one of the 1001? i think yes, it does signify a reinvention and is distinctively 90s. if nothing else U2 deserve credit for sticking the landing as the 80s disappeared from under them

Great

I am more familiar with One when featuring Mary J Blige, and this was a pleasant surprise! Great album, I'm going to have to go back through U2's history and listen to some more of their stuff.

Harder-edged U2 but still big and heartfelt. I enjoyed it a lot!

Some really famous songs on here

Masterpiece!

This music makes me feel nothing, but at least it was recorded and produced to a competent standard.

One of my favourite albums from the 90s (yep, there was a time when U2 were great). This is, in close competition with "The Joshua Tree" my favourite U2 album. So, I actually don't need to listen (again) this album to give 5 stars. By the way, I really like Daniel Lanois (the albums he produced for Dylan are also among my favourites). I'd say I (almost) enjoy each and every song. Here're some personal favourites: "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World", "Until The End Of The World", "Misterious Ways", "The Fly", or "Acrobat". And yes, I know that Bono may have become increasingly insufferable...(but that has nothing to do with the quality of this album).

The beginning of U2's Stadium Rock era. Some great songs - some middling. Pitchfork: 9.5 [2011 retrospective review - 6 cd set + 4 DVDs] Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #124 Best Songs One Until The End Of The World So Cruel The Fly Mysterious Ways Tyrin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World

aight

Good album with some really good songs. Great sounding guitar and brilliant voice. Interesting to listen to this album as an inhaler fan - their voices sound very similar at times and you can definitely hear the inspirations for inhalers albums. Overall a great listen, but didn’t stand out too much so I can’t rate any more than a 3. It cery much sounds like old school indie music. My favourite song was probably ‘Who’s gonna ride your wild horses’.

I was never a big U2 fan in the 80’s/90’s when they were huge, but nostalgia has a way of casting a positive light on old music. I enjoyed the listen.

My favourite U2 LP and an album where every virtually every song could be a single. Great stuff.

writing sucked so bad. not a bad listen i guess but god i had to tune out the vocalist

The first album that I could not get through. Generic, boring and lacks identity not a fan. Saved zero.

Just don't really enjoy Bono as a vocalist. Instrumental tacks would be good backing for a driving montage, maybe. Acrobat a slight standout for me.

its just so boring 3 songs in and i'm very tired of bono's voice couldnt for the life of me actually finish it

This is the second U2 album I've had (the other being Joshua Tree). I think JT is better than this one, but both suffer from feeling pretentious in my opinion, and I get a bit sick of how the songs sound. There's a couple I didn't mind so much, "Until The End of the World" and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" but overall there's something that just doesn't click with me. There's just no edge (pardon the pun).

Solid album.

3.5, need to listen to again and will probs go to 4. Love acrobat tho

It’s a decent album but I wouldn’t say it’s anything special. A couple of good songs

Še en U2! (Mislim, da 2 komada poznam?) Kuuul začetek ("Zoo Station" - je mišljen Berlin? Lol, na tej točki se spomnim naslova albuma - duh!)! "Even Better Than the Real Thing" mi je isto všeč. O, ja, "One" je ta komad, k sm mislila. "So Cruel" pa "The Fly" sta mi bla oba huda. "Mysterious Ways" je tud ta, k se ga spomnim. "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" mi je kr kul. Sam mal manj "baby, baby, baby" bi loh blo. Fino!

The Joshua Tree was a good album. That's was both the beginning and end of my relationship with U2. Two stars because I caught myself tapping my foot twice.

I enjoyed this album in its hey day…but that was it

Meh

Good.

Ik heb me geamuseerd!

Just ok

Sorry but no… very bored by this. Wish I DIED in the 90s !!!

not that this is relevant to this album at all but I really wish I was alive and sentient in the 90s. I really think i woulda thrived. I also know that this is like at this point 10% of my reviews but I woulda been reallllllllly good at being alive in the 90s. just sayin

“El muro de U2 cae como glitch” Dios juega a los dados con vaso prestado, de la misma forma que Bono juega a presentarse como un mesías, pero como la ambigüedad de “One”, a veces termina cayendo como Judas. Esto no es Joshua Tree, esto es Achtung Baby. El muro de Berlín cae y la banda que se sostenía como los salvadores del rock serio hubiesen deseado que les hicieran un “Good Bye Lenin” para no tener que pasar por la misma transformación que paso Europa. U2 llega a Berlín en el mismo estado de ruinas cuando Occidente ya estaba en la euforia de la reunificación. El Hansa Studios ya había podido con las voces de Bowie en Heroes, sobrevivió a los chuchos de frío de Iggy Pop y si se hacía silencio todavía se escuchaban los sintes de Depeche Mode. Los noventas no querían héroes, querían contradicciones. Por eso a la muchachada se le suman Brian Eno y Daniel Lanois para producir el vía crucis autogestionado de Bono. El mesías tenía que caer para recauchutarlo con chicles usados. La caja de Toplines tenía sabores a The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays y a My Bloody Valentine para cambiar el sabor de las típicas guitarras abiertas de Joshua Tree por capas de guitarras procesadas, distorsiones industriales, loops y texturas. El disco se siente como la misma Berlin pasando por un momento íntimo pero enorme. El 7°álbum de U2 hace que el muro se caiga como glitch. Los chicles también sirvieron para entretenerles la boca a la muchachada que no paraba de pegarse en las sesiones de estudio. En medio del choque y la desorientación más cerca de la separación que la salvación aparece el riff de lo que será “One”. Una balada tan comodín que sirvió tanto para campañas contra el VIH como para funerales, matrimonios, bar mitzvahs y reconciliaciones políticas. En “Even Better Than the Real Thing” empieza el regusto del consumo capitalista preguntando si la copia podía resultar mejor que la original. Walter Benjamin ya había teorizado sobre la originalidad y la copia trayendo el concepto de aura. La banda que no venía con la biblio obligatoria al día se basaron en la fe de las escrituras para componer Until The End of the World y The Fly. Una es una conversación entre Jesús y Judas pero donde Jesús por estar con un chicle en la boca deja que el traidor hable. La otra es Bono crucificando a él mismo y resurgiendo como un rockstar exagerado, vestido con una camperita de cuero y unos oportunisimos para la trama lentes de sol. No había tal consenso social como para considerarlo mesías por eso el solito es el organizador y community manager de su propio vía crucis. La herida invisible y el alto costo de reunificación nos dejó la expansión y el contraste por un lado de “Mysterious Ways” con groove, funk, rock y dance y el nuevo sonido se consolida como el capitalismo pero con dependencia emocional porque sigue “Ultraviolet”. “Acrobat” y “Love is Blindness” es un chicle estirándose; oscuridad, tensión hasta que se desgarra tanto que dudas si sigue siendo U2 o de que sabor era esto. Los “uh, ¿me das uno?” que los dejaron sin chicles fueron Radiohead en el periodo de OK computer y Kid A, Coldplay, The killers, a los niños de Muse, Arcade Fire y Kings of Leon se les recomendó no tragárselo ni dormir con el chicle puesto, porque se pega en el pelo, que era la recomendación de la época para quienes incorporan música industrial y dance al rock de estadios. El álbum termina con el solo más intenso de The Edge y derrumbando el mito de que si te tragas un chicle te crece un árbol de caucho en el estómago. No hay tal fin en la historia sino más bien la crisis cíclicas de especulación; ¿me están ofreciendo un chicle por amabilidad o por mal aliento?¿El rock necesita mesías o mártires?¿Qué la sobreproducción de U2 esté en un paraíso fiscal significa que es la tierra prometida? Achtung Baby! No aceptes chicles de extraños. no confundas menta con mentol and good luck for U2!

Love early U2 but not sure I really enjoyed anything from this album forward that much, usually would skip the channel. Songs are done well but I dont feel it.

Honnêtement c'est un peu un résumé des trucs que j'aime pas dans le rock alternatif. Le genre se trouve de manière générale à la frontière entre le mielleux et le génial qui est extrêmement fine, ici on est quasi complètement dans le corny dans la grosse majorité des sons. L'effet de réverbe sur la voix est honnêtement un peu insupportable et ce côté "grandiose" ça me touche pas du tout. L'album a quand même des bons côté, j'apprécie le fait que le groupe a su rester dans l'aire du temps en adaptant leur style au contexte des années 90 mais ça rend pas l'album en lui même meilleur... mais je comprend que ça plaise c'est juste pas fait pour moi du tout.

IT STINKS

Сара 4 Марко 4-------

A couple of good songs on here that I've heard before and while they're ok, I've never understood the fascination with U2.

Só me apetecia furar os ouvidos por ter de gramar este album outra vez.

I'm honestly not entirely sure why U2 is so popular, at least based on this album. Everything feels... safe. Like they weren't trying to do anything cool or groundbreaking or even emotional. It's just basic, blasé pop rock. Totally middle of the road. I could listen to it again. I could also shelve it and never play it again. My life would not be any different with any choice. It's just meh.

I would have expected more out of U2 to be honest. It was ok but I wouldn't listen to it again

I’d been wanting to listen to this. Cracking record with greta singles

Probably like a 3.5. Not the worst U2. Its creative and self indulgent in good ways, I just prefer the earlier stuff more.

++: Even Better Than the Real Thing, Until the End of the World, Mysterious Ways +: Zoo Station, One, The Fly, Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Acrobat, Love Is Blindness +-: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, So Cruel 5,4/10

An absolute classic with no weak tracks. A band at the peak of their powers.

So many hits - such a shift from Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum. 4/5

This was fine, but I didn't like it as much as Bloody Sunday

Meh. Me gusta U2 pero en vdd este como que ni fu ni fa. Siento que tienen mejores temas y como que me daría lo mismo escucharlo o no escucharlo de nuevo. De hecho no lo terminé de escuchar xq me aburrí.

- Just say no to liberal Zios (this, in addition to Bono being insufferable). - I used to listen to this album a ton as a young teen, and I loved it. It takes me back to that time, and apparently, I still know it by heart because we really listened to albums over and over back then until they burned in and became part of us. - I still think it's really great - the songwriting is tight and the melodies are singable and memorable. - I also like the effects, throughout. - I also like Bono's voice (sorry!) and The Edge's guitar licks. - It's a great album from my past, but I won't listen to U2 anymore.

Νice pop wannabe rock but nice

I’m so neutral, if anything a little bored. As bono said, “it’s alright”

Saai

Man I've gotten a string of boring, mid albums lately and U2 isn't doing anything to fix that. I've never been much of a U2 guy. Mostly ignored them. I outright hated the album they gave to Apple users for free. They have a few songs I like alright, none of which are on this album. I was hoping for better since I'd heard of the album title, but it's just there. Fine but uninteresting pop rock music.

I don't get warm with U2. Listening to them for more than 3 minutes makes me want to turn on the news to get some negativity and balance out the extreme positivity I get from U2's songs. What remains after listening to the album is a monotonous blend of feel-good maskerade and the joy of having reached the end. I bet I'm missing a lot of details from their lyrics, and maybe they're indeed more critical about things, but I don't feel it when listening to them.

Achtung Baby is the one where U2 went to Berlin and tried to become a different band. They got the leather. They got the irony. They got the industrial textures. Bono is still Bono. You cannot Berlin your way out of being Bono. The Edge plays guitar the same way on every song and has done for forty years: delay, shimmer, echo, arpeggio. Strip the effects and apparently there's just nervous plinking underneath — there is footage. A forty-year stadium career built on one pedal. His name comes from Bonavox, a hearing aid shop in Dublin. Bono Vox. Latin for "good voice." He has been Bono ever since. I think about this. 1/5.

Similar to Coldplay, and equally hard to listen to. Somehow even more infuriating because they sometimes put out good moments like a passable guitar riff or atmospheric verse, only to destroy any spark by detouring into totally forgettable choruses or cringeworthy parts. No thanks. 1/5 - very weak

This is such a weird one for me, I really actually like the guitar playing and production, but it’s almost like they are playing Muzak with ego.

It’s okay. Listened to maybe half - partly just a busy day, partly I couldn’t make myself listen. There were a couple that were good, but the music didn’t make me feel anything.

Not a massive fan of U2, but there’s some decent tracks here. Favourite track: Love is Blindness

Reasonable effort from U2

Great U2 album

7 / 10

Bit of a meh one tbh kinda like the point U2 turned lame I guess, feels like it just never gets going

Lots of hate in the reviews. Can't say I'm surprised. Hating on U2 is almost as much of a meme as hating Nickleback. I don't hate U2. I don't find them particularly interesting either. It's music. Dull music with entirely meh lyrics about the same cliche stuff as everyone else. "Staring at the Sun" is about the only thing they've ever done that I like much. They're all competent, though.

I find a lot of this just really underwhelming. It’s accomplished enough I guess, but it’s just so uninspiring. It feels like some of these songs are supposed to be quite rousing, but they're *just* not. Whenever it starts to build towards something, you're expecting some kind of impactful moment, but it just never comes. It just meanders along instead in a kind of generally boring way. This one isn’t for me, clearly. 2.5 rounded down.

I love this album. First time I ever heard it I was blown away from the start. To me, this is their best album, better than Joshua Tree. The singles are all great, the deep cuts are just as good.

Dy YY

Лучший альбом U2 по моему мнению. но вряд ли 5 звед. Да, конечно здесь есть великолепная One и неплохая Mysterious Ways. В остальном альбом чуть выше среднего.

Yeah I recognized more of these from the radio than I thought. This is solid stuff although the singles are overrated.

Big turning point for these guys. In a run of phenomenal masterpieces from 1983 to 1993 this is maybe the most realized of them all, even if it isn't my favorite (Zooropa ain't in this book, though).

U2 are... pretty bland for my taste. I think I can confirm it with this album, so popish, but in a bad sense. There are very insipid and uninteresting songs in here. And it's not that I disliked the album, sure, but would I listen to this whole thing again? Probably not. It's not given me the excitement of listening to something nor interesting nor enjoyable. So, I thought I would like them more but, honestly, the more I listen to U2, the more I'm convinced of them just being more of a band pleased because of their activism rather than the quality of their music. And if it's about musical terms... well, I can't find the excitement, at least with this album.

1. zoo - 1 2. real - 1 3. one - 2 4. uuorld - 1 5. horzez - 1 6. cruel - 1 7. fly - 2 8. uuayz - 1 9. throuu - 1 10. violet - 1 11. acrobat - 1 12. love - 2

I never got into this Album, it`s not bad, but one of the weaker albums by U2, imo. Fav: The Fly

this is a melting pot of other, much better bands who i would much rather be listening to

Eh. U2 isn't a band I'm overly fond of to begin with. And while this album has two really good songs (One, and Mysterious Ways), it overall bounced off me. I think 3 stars is perfectly valid.

bono please stfu

wow this was a pretty good album. idk u2s sound so i didnt get the shocking experience the fans got when it dropped. i aslo wasnt alive in 1991 so. it was very good !! i loved zoo station, even better than the real thing, one, so cruel and Fly. however, after Ultra Violet it kinda stopped being good. like the songs after UV were okay but they sounded more like movie songs, not songs id lsiten to. i think Fly is my fav in the album, i really liked the songs I really liked So Cruels bassline Also I feel like the album was so energetic at the start and near the end it dropped in its energy, it got slower and quieter Also i liked acrobat but it was very much movie music, if it was in a movie id LOVE it but in my liked songs? no thanks

An enjoyable album but not as good as a number of their earlier ones. It does however have one of my favourite U2 tracks on - Until The End of The World, originally written for the Wim Wenders movie or the same name.

I remember this coming out and it seemed like a big deal - a complete change of image and sound. Listening to it now, it's hard to get that feeling again. I still love The Fly though.

I feel I should like this more

Lots of familiar songs. My sister listened to this album when we were younger so it brought back memories. There were a couple really good songs and even the rest were easy to listen to.

A light 4. Bono and Spector are both artists who could have been told “no” more, and there are a lot of ideas here that just didn’t quite seem worth fleshing out. That being said a lot of these songs really grew on me the more I spent time with them.

So much worse than the real thing; a dumpster fire of meaningless, overproduced fecal matter.

I'm sorry about this rating, its for all the wrong reasons.

A strong 3…. Some really nice moments here, enjoyed the more shoegazey guitars but some filler too

I’m of the opinion that The Joshua Tree is the only true masterpiece from U2. This is a fine album with some amazing production. I just like it not love it for some reason.

Isn't U2 a boy band. Idk man. Let's hear this. Sounds mid as hell tbh. Lotsa noise. Yeah idk I don't like this. We're taking a break from British white guy 70s rock to branch out and explore Irish white guy 90s rock. How groundbreaking. Like I just don't like the way it sounds I'm sure it was the shit but it's not all that. This bono individual is not a good singer. This kinda sucks. Favourite: Ultraviolet Least favourite: Zoo Station

Achtung Baby is a solid album but it is weaker than the other 2 U2 albums I've looked at. In my eyes, this is one of those albums that shined the brightest during the back half because it was those songs that really showed off the best parts of U2. The first half is fine but just lacks any real stand out tracks as they all just blended together. The back half though was quite special as the songs there had plenty of great musical ideas and even some of the lyrics are really good (especially in The Fly). I still think The Joshua Tree and especially War had more stand outs in their front and back halves but i still thought that this was no doubt a solid record by these guys. Best Song: The Fly Worst Song: Zoo Station

another *technically* first listen for this project. ive heard Even Better Than the Real Thing, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, One, Until the End of the World, and Mysterious Ways before, but not the rest. anyway, im generally disappointed by this. not because i think its bad, but theres a couple songs on here that if they were removed or better then itd be a pretty solid album. as it stands, i have to give this a lower score than i normally would because of them. i dont know why this is one of their big albums. i dont get it. they have better releases than this, by a long shot, even without the few songs that i dont care for on the album. but whatever. favorite tracks: One, Mysterious Ways

This wasn’t bad, but later U2 for me is far less exciting than some of their earlier work. This is glossy and perfectly produced and does exactly what it should, but didn’t hold my attention. Musically it’s fine, but did nothing to make me want to listen again.

Det er nok U2 nå!

Hvorfor?? Skiller seg på ingen måte ut fra de andre U2 platene på lista.

Meh.. Hadde faktisk trua på at dette var bra.

Fatter ikke at dette bandet var så stort. Kjedelig!

What to say about this album that hasn't already been said a thousand times before? This is U2's first (and greatest) foray into the postmodern, the greatest left turn in rock history to that point, and the sign of what was to come in the decade ahead. Released in an absolutely pivotal year for popular music (Nirvana says hi about a month after this comes out,) U2 got ahead of the great 80s rock mass extinction event by reinventing themselves as ironic has-been rockers capitalizing on modern trends for their last 15 minutes in the spotlight. This wasn't actually too far from the truth, as their image had taken a hit from all the sepia-toned desert photoshoots, and internal tensions nearly forced the band to break up. By the dawn of the new decade, it seemed only a drastic reinvention like this could ever have a chance of keeping U2 together. I liken this album's release to the moment the world turns to Technicolour in the Wizard of Oz; U2 at last step out of the modern world and into the realm of the ironic and the surreal. With all that out of the way, I'll finally yap about the album itself for a bit. This, to me, is a sound that was often imitated but never quite replicated. Nothing else has ever sounded quite so contemporary and so futuristic; this is the soundtrack of a trip through a subway system covered in thousands upon thousands of lights, each flashing a different colour and direction. The slower songs turn those proverbial lights to 1) ensure the album has a hit and 2) remind you exactly which band you were listening to and that the band didn't forget to write hooks. There's plenty of them on this album regardless, but there's just as many instrumental hooks as there are lyrical ones. Bono largely abandoned the full-blast belting style he had developed in the 80s in favour of a more dynamic and colourful persona, exemplified by the various characters he sang as, ranging from the delusional fading rock star "The Fly" to the devious lounge lizard "Mr. MacPhisto," the latter of whom appeared on the iconic Zoo TV tour that accompanied this album and its even weirder and more confessional little brother, Zooropa. While U2 would ultimately return to the safe Joshua-Tree era image as they entered the 21st century, this album still serves as an essential reminder that few bands with this level of fame and success ever take a gamble this wild. Even fewer come out of it for the better when it's all said and done. Key Tracks: Zoo Station, Even Better than the Real Thing, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, The Fly

Great album. Five stars. Great production by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Excellent songs: Zoo Station, One, waiting til the end of the world, the Fly. Bono hard to take sometimes but singing is great on the album. Cool cover. Good songwriting.

Favorite tracks : One ; The Fly

Poco que decir de un básico de cualquier aficionado a la música. Simplemente que lo disfruten. Debemos recordar que venían de un disco como Rattle and Hum, un disco mas complejo y y mejor delo que algunos piensan, que fue un paso más hacia América pero no fue tan bien recibido como su joya anterior Josua Tree. Habían perdido el paso y apostaron por una reinvención sorprendente y genial. Algo tuvieron que ver grupos como Jesús Jones o Pixies,a quienes Bono seguía en sus conciertos. Estudios Hansa, Europa en vez de América y en la mente el Bowie de los 70 así como el auge de la música alternativa y madchester. También Nine inch nails o música electrónica dura como los Young Gods. Salomé nos había puesto sobre aviso pero con The fly vino una revolución. Bono cantando en falsete. Embutido en cuero, sonidos electrónicos y distorsión. El video con sus iconicas gafas no hizo otra cosa que aumentar la explosión. Algo habían avanzado con su versión del Night and Day para Red Hot and Blue, aunque allí fue Neneh Cherry la que mejor aportación hizo. Además de esa carta de presentación y la portada ahora ya histórica contenía uno tras otro absolutas obras maestras. No sobra una sola nota en todo el disco. One, whos gonna ride your wild horses, zoo station, even better, until the end of the world, misterious ways y mi favorita ultraviolet. Me cuesta elegir entre Josua tree y achtung, según el día. La racha les duro hasta el siguiente y soberbio Zooropa y aún más hasta Passengers. Luego se pasaron de rosca con Pop y nunca les volví a ver igual. Me reconcilie con ellos pero ya no fue lo mismo. La gira Zoo TV tour fue una de las mejores a las que pude asistir, sobre todo la de exteriores que paso por Oviedo. Además de Salomé grabada en Berlín y filtrada tras dejarse la cinta olvidada en un hotel, conviene escuchar también Lady with the spinning head, esta grabada en Dublin donde el disco tomo cuerpo realmente. Un proceso de grabación y composición duro y a veces frustrante en el que Eno tuvo muy buena aportación para un resultado como el que lograr. Imprescindible.

What can I say, it makes me nostalgic.

Mag die nicht +1 für brian eno

Seitdem mich Bono in einem der Songs (die btw. alle gleich klingen) als "accident" bezeichnet hat, weiß ich: Bono mag mich genauso wenig wie ich ihn... War aber nicht so schlimm wie andere U2 Alben - dennoch blieb ich emotionslos

How this band got so popular will forever be a mystery to me. Nails on a chalkboard

Probably the most important album for setting the sound of the 90s, so much popular music was using this blueprint

#28 U2 is a band that I have never been able to get into, and while this album was not terrible, it reaffirmed that I still don't understand the hype. One and Wild Horses are good, and the rest are just ok. Overall it feels inoffensive and generic, while also coming across as try-hard and self-important.

Probably their last great album before they became a shadow of thier former selves and that lead singer…..oh dear..!!! However this is a solid 5.

me gustó. Nunca en la vida habia escuchado un disco entero de U2. Tiene cosas muy interesantes. Tipos de canciones que me encantan. Tiene esa vibra. No me llegó a enloquecer igual

Meh

Very mid album, especially for 1991. Really sounds just like a Bruce Springsteen album to me with a little extra.

The Fly and Mysterious Ways remind me of the time when I spent my time at my grandparents house in the summer vacation. Both tracks were singles in Belgium back in those days. I recorded the BRT (now VRT) Top 30 every week on cassette. Those 2 tracks are the only decent ones on this shit album. All the other tracks are boring as hell. Especially One. That's one of the most crappy songs I ever heard in my life. 1/5

Bono you are just so whiny.

It's just all so earnest. I'm not enjoying the U2 we're getting on this list at all.

me encanto

Not a huge U2 fan, but I'm aware of a lot of their stuff. This was fine, some pretty good songs, but nothing mind blowing. It's just on the verge of being exciting but then falls a bit flat. Its got kind of a darker tone to it, mixed with some brooding guitars and effects, so I appreciated that. Standouts for me on this one are "One" "So Cruel" "Mysterious Ways" and "Acrobat." I don't have much to say on this one. A fine listen but doesn't tip the scale much outside of the average range. 3.5/5

I've like a few of the U2 albums I've gotten on this project, while others don't really do much for me - this falls into the latter category. Nothing wrong with it, there are some solid and interesting moments, but nothing really grips me to bring me back for repeated listens.

I used to listen to a lot of U2 growing up (it was my older brother's favorite band). I thought I'd like this more, if not for nostalgic reasons. But it's only slightly above average.

wtf are these lyrics

Offensively bland

This album was a shift not only for U2, but also for guitar rock in general. Magnificent. 4.5/5

U2 nunca decepciona. Me gustó mucho

My friend Dan and I argue about this album. I argue that U2 was good through this album. Dan says they were good until this album.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

One is such a beautiful song, but the album itself gets a little bit boring by the end.

I thought one or two songs were the decent rest I of it was questionable

6/10 Yup, sounds like U2. If someone liked Joshua Tree, he will like this. For me its nice but I won't comeback

Enjoyable

Not really a fan of this one, didn't tickle my pickle that much. 5.5/10 ?

“We wanted the album to be very extreme,” said the Edge, regarding Achtung Baby. “We didn’t want it to sound in any way safe.” OK, I guess it's all too easy to poke fun at U2's delusions and self-satisfaction (enjoyable, too!), but seriously: if this counts as 'very extreme' to Mr. Edge, then I fear that little hat might have been restricting bloodflow to his brain. In fairness, though, while this might not be the most experimental record of 1991, and while Bono's presence was perhaps at its most irksome on some of these songs, I didn't find myself wanting to turn it off too often. Faint praise, perhaps, but more than I expected.

This was released around the time of German reunification and almost 15 years into U2's career as their 7th studio album. Bono drew ideas from 2 failed marriages of friends, including that of bandmate, the Edge. The album name and colorful, multi-picture sleeve was chosen to confuse the public as the material was certainly darker, with themes of broken love, loneliness, and tragedy. Rich arrangements and Bowie's influence come through to intensify deeply introspective and personal themes. A phenomenal album benchmarking a high point in one incredible band's career.

Масштабный мейнстрим из альтернативного рока.

I do NOT care about U2. 1 extra point because it got One in it.

Still not my favorite album by U2 but it's close. 4/5

I'm sure when this came out it was probably quite revolutionary for this band. Nowadays it feels like the start of everything that went wrong with u2.

A classic, one of my favorite albums.

I know this album was huge. I know a few songs from it. I don’t know this opening track and I love it. Ok. Three tracks in. I wish I would have gone to see this tour. The opening of track five is amazing. I started this album thinking I would skip the hits. But I haven’t. This album is a masterpiece.

Loved listening to it again. Great non-singles, not listen ti the full album in ages

A bit of reasonable pop rock blighted by the 🐳 himself. From what I gather it’s from this album onwards that Bono fully embraced his twattery and left any remaining grit at the door. Thanks but no thanks.

Another U2 album, yeaaaah!!! First song, what's worse than Bono incessantly wailing? It's him groaning from a synthesiser pedestal with the echo turned up to max. Like one of those annoying voice changing megaphones I had as a child that I used to scream into in my sister's direction. The band just seem to be there to provide background filler to frame the 'shal-la-la-las' of Bonehead. By the sounds of it, the backing band are as bored as me, adding no dimension whatsoever other than to stroke Bono's arena anthems (bar a few minor exceptions). At least this album has somewhat of a gear change at times where his preachy darkness attempts to be unlocked, but even a rockier track like 'The Fly' gets ruined by the megaphone being jacked up even more. At least it's not quite as much looped-up shite as the other songs, I guess. I will forgive the band for 'Mysterious Ways' as well. Another bonus: this album allowed me to use a well-trodden and amusing quote from Monty Python -> 'He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!' (A reference to 'Until the End of the World', though it probably works without my intended context). Will give it an extra point for that.

The music is pretty decent, if middle-of-the-road dad rock. The songs are fine, some are pretty cringe, some are pretty good. The front man is an insufferable cunt and sounds like it when he sings. Bono sings like a loud fart, plenty of gusto, plenty of volume, no substance and annoying at parties.

Loved this in college

I don’t like early U2, I don’t like mid-career U2, I don’t like late period U2, and I don’t trust anyone that does. Non-descript, boring, forgettable pap.

Fun album. It's got some bangers on it, including the singles like One and Mysterious Ways (which is probably my favorite track). The rest is decent-to-good. It's not my top U2 album, but I did enjoy it.

Not a U2 fan but I do like this album, I think the album cover is more nostalgic for me, seeing it at warehouse or best buy walking around

Good not great.

A couple catchy songs but otherwise generic arena rock. Still much better than the forced iTunes trash album

Pretty good above average U2 album. Solid 4.

Actually not that bad, but me and Bono have beef

Ok