Reviews (page 4 of 13)
Great guitar tones. Great bass playing. Some great hooks on here too. It can be a bit monotone and maybe Bono is not the greatest vocalist ever, but it is what it is. I prefer U2's post-punk era, but this is still very good.
Good but Joshua Tree is the better album
Another album that was inescapable at the time. And now as then I have a largely casual relationship with U2. The great songs- One, The Fly, Mysterious ways are truly great and still have power. However, the rest of the album is fine but not of the same high quality. Lovely burst of nostalgia though
Very far from real achtung
What a way to open your album. “Zoo Station” is bold and slightly aggressive. Then comes a great pop song: “Even Better…” is catchy, modern (for the time, anyway) and completely new for U2. However, a promising start is quickly undone by one of the corniest cringefests in modern music. “One” is saccharine sweet drivel. There aren’t many positives which follow. “Acrobat” isn’t bad. “Arms Around The World”, “”Love Is Blindness” and “Wild Horses” are dull and pretentious. Faux-epic is the word which comes to mind. “Ultra Violet” is acceptable. Worth listening to the first two tracks, but “Achtung Baby” falls off a cliff after that.
This ended up being far more entertaining than I remembered. Maybe I do enjoy U2 outside of Joshua Tree after all... 7/10
Meh
Album 1072 of 1089 Achtung Baby - U2 (1991) Rating : 4 / 5 U2 is one of those bands where you pretty much know what you're going to get going in. Over the years their sound has evolved a little here and there, but the core of what they do tends to stay fairly recognizable. Listening to this album, it still feels very much like U2 doing what U2 does. One thing that stands out here is the production. The album sounds big and polished, with layers of guitars and textures that give it a fuller sound than some of their earlier work. Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois helped shape that atmosphere, and it shows throughout the record. As usual, there are several of those big, anthemic-style songs U2 is known for. Sometimes those land really well, sometimes they feel like they’re reaching for that same stadium-sized moment they’ve hit before. A few of the tracks definitely stand out more than others. Songs like One and Mysterious Ways are probably the best examples of the band hitting that balance between strong songwriting and big production. Overall, it’s a solid album. It doesn’t necessarily reinvent the band’s sound for me, but it delivers the kind of polished, dramatic rock music that U2 has built their reputation on. Sometimes the interesting part isn’t discovering something totally new, but hearing how a band continues refining the sound they’re known for. This one fits comfortably into that category.
2000-luvun alku, Helsinki, Neitsyt-orkesteri, Kivihaka. Niin, albumihan on vuosimallia 1991. Toki nimi U2 oli tuttu mutta en ollut antanut bändille mahdollisuutta päästä mun levylautaselle. 2000-luvun alussa käytiin karaokessa. Paljon. Siihen aikaan erittäin hyvä ystäväni Juho Kulkas lauloi aina One -biisiä tältä albumilta. Usein istuttiin iltaa joko mun kämpillä Kivihaassa tai Juholla Pikku-Huopalahdessa. Ja koska Juho oli bändimme basisti, oli keskustelut usein musapainottteisia. Juho tutustutti minut U2-maailmaan erityisesti tämän albumin kautta, jota kuuntelin ja diggailin noihin aikoihin paljon. Jostain syystä albumi on unohtunut. Nyt kun sitä kuuntelee, niin albumi on kerrassaan upea. Tämä on ainakin itselleni vielä vahvasti ALBUMI eli biisit pitää kuunnella siinä järjestyksessä, kuin artisti on ne levylle pistänyt. Rikos kuunnella shufflella. Hittejäkin tarjolla, kovia sellaisia, mutta itselleni nousee ykköshetkeksi albumin lopusta biisikaksikko Ultra violet (light my way) ja Acrobat (mielenkiintoista kompittelua jälkimmäisessä). Helppo 5/5.
Muito bom
A classic from my high school days.
It was not a good U2 album. Only one or two decent songs. This might be the low point in their catalog
Monotonous
Terriblemente mediocre, tiene alguna textura interesante, pero nada que no estuvieran haciendo otros mil grupos mejor por la época. Bono es un vocalista flojísimo, es entrar él y me dan ganas de echarme la siesta. Encima largo, me ha costado terminarlo.
Another good U2 album. Nothing big noteworthy hear. Good, but not great
I think bono channeled John Lennon to make the song One. U2 occasionally has kind of an ethereal vibe that's isn't that common in rock these days, so thats kinda fun. Maybe that's a Brian Eno thing?
I know most of U2's hits, and I like most of them, but never listened to an album before. Nothing here stuck with me that I hadn't heard before. Won't be rushing to listen to it again.
This album has that one song
5/10 Will need to give a re-listen at some point because I'm behind right now. The one quick listen I gave it was alright but not too memorable.
This was my first time listening to this album, but the only impression I got was that the songs were long. This was compounded by the fact that I didn't like the soundscape.
Ah, the forefathers of Coldplay. Just so stale, superficial, arbitrary. You can keep this one.
Real dad music
nostalgia for an elder millenial, but doesn't stand up on (immediate) repeat
I was surprised to learn, with my first foray into U2 album listening, that I was kind of a fan. And now, with a second album, I'm surprised to learn I'm not a fan. This is competently made elevator music. It's smooth brained soft-ish rock. I can recognize they're talented musicians, but the music they're making here is like mush. No amount of clean production and twinkly guitars and bono's overwrought crooning is gonna make it not mushy.
I think, after listening to a couple of U2 albums as part of this project, that I have to admit that U2 isn't all that bad after all.
Miðlungs
Ágætt, en ekkert frábært. Að sjálfsögðu góð lög þarna inn á milli en ekkert sem heillaði mig mikið eða kom á óvart.
I've gone around saying "The one U2 album I still like is 'Achtung Baby' - I even saw them on this tour. So let's see if I'm just making that up, since to be honest it's been 30 years since the last time I listened to it. Yeah, I still like it. "Zoo Station" opens with interesting electronic stuff, and "Until the End of the World" is a favorite since of course I loved that movie and saw it several times. And "Wild Horses" and "Acrobat" are bringing back some memories from the early 90s, hoo boy. So yeah that listen was memorable - there are some songs on here that are important to me. However, I was also reminded that I've always been annoyed by a couple of them, like "Even Better than the Real Thing." And Bono's voice gets tiresome by the end. But anyway, while I probably won't go back to listening to this a lot like i did in the early 90s, I'm glad I got to revisit it today.
A decent U2 album, I understand after doing a little reading this was the start of their new sound post Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum. It's got some grit to it, and some fun parts, I definitely enjoyed this listen but wouldn't say its my favorite from the band. There's some gems, 'One' is certainly an all time great song. I have never loved U2, but Joshua Tree will always be the one for me. This falls well short of that.
Almost perfect
Patchy, as I find all of their stuff. But yeah the fly, wild horses, zoo station, mysterious ways all very good.
U2’s finest & pure quality
Taas näitä nuoruuden levyjä. Vaan itselleni tärkein U2:n levy, suurin osa kappaleista mainioita, ainoastaan Tryin’ to throw your arms.. ei jaksa kiinnostaa.
#286/1001. This was the last u2 album I listened to. At the time I thought it was ok, but it never grew on me like e.g. War or Joshua Tree. Coming back to it about 35 years later doesn't reveal too much new, the band had become synonymous with stadium rock, and experiments with e.g guitar sounds did little to change that. Some classic songs here and many which I had forgotten for 35 years and forgot again after 2 days.
Ihana!! Rakastin ja klassikoita mukana
only good song is one and that’s bc i already knew it prior to bloody listening to this shit
If I'd had to listen to this man asking me to light his damn way a single more time I don't know what would have come of it to be honest with you
Not quiteee my music taste. Faves in album order: So Cruel Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around Me Ultra Violet Love Is Blindness
37 albums and only two female artists. 😤😩
One
I'm sure this is a "great U2 album", but all U2 sounds pretty much the same to me.
A classic. There seems to be a trend on hating U2, but they've remained themselves so many times and have made so many top albums. They went "commercial" and people act like they took a shit on your doorstep. Iconic songs on this album, and sonically so different from their previous albums at the time.
Not a huge fan of U2. Nothing inherently wrong with this album, just didn’t stand out for me with anything besides the couple of hits.
Sounded like a bunch of sound bites throw together to make the songs. There didn’t feel like any cohesion throughout. I know U2 has some good songs, but there wasn’t any on this one. Happy that one is behind me.
The production is very well done, I can appreciate the craft, but the song writing falls flat for me. It doesn’t feel like we are going anywhere. The drone vibe of U2 that they do so well just doesn’t speak to me.
One of the most masterful reinventions in the history of rock, featuring a triptych of the best producers of the last 50 years - Eno, Lanois and Flood (the latter serving as engineer). Though the bombast and self-importance they’ve been criticized for is not quite as toned down as perhaps the band intended, the radically new sounds and clear-eyed experimentation on Achtung Baby successfully create a jagged edge for Bono's romanticism to push up against. 'Zoo Station' is a perfect example of the balance U2 achieves: one feels at once like a stranger in a strange land and at home in the familiar euphoria that U2 uniquely provides. Much credit must go to the Edge, who largely abandons his signature chiming guitars in favor of a series of the hookiest buzzsaws you've ever heard, and, again, the production team for an impeccably adventurous (Eno), vibey (Lanois) and sonically decadent (Flood) album. And sure, Bono is always a little over the top and cringey, but if that's the price of too much heart, I'll take it.
No es muy bueno, pero si tiene dos que tres rolas chidas
One is amazing, the rest is a little too calm for my taste. It isnt annoying though. And the music is pretty alright.
Never followed U2 but surprising too myself I can name a handful of albums, that I've never listened to, this being one of them. Nothing particularly stood out about this album. Bono's voice is kind of unique, and mysterious ways is decent, but nothing really stood out for me (or explained why I would know this album by name)
Top tier vibes, bad roofie-ing reference
Didn’t enjoy this much, prefer War
Almost every song is a good one
A pretty solid album “Even better than the real thing” is quite good
Good vibe, enjoyed listening to the whole album but wouldn’t repeat a lot
Meh
Me gusto el disco. El sonido distintivo de U2 de siempre. Muy único e inconfundible. Me gustó porque le mete cosas nuevas que nunca había escuchado de U2 (la primera vez que lo escuche). Escucharlo de nuevo me hizo analizar cosas nuevas, escucho un sonido más arriesgado y más filoso. En general un buen disco. Me gustaría destacar el trabajo increíble de The Edge, el trabajo instrumental que hizo en este disco fue muy bueno, se nota un sonido más seguro y maduro. Canciones que más disfrute sin sorpresa alguna One y Mysterious Ways. Las joyas del disco.
The last U2 album I paid any attention to tbh and it's their best to that point IMO. Of course, 'One' is the track everyone talks about on this album but my favourite is 'Acrobat'. A good easily accessible rock album with some good sing-along tracks with decent lyrics but after this album, I couldn't get past Bono's persona.
I never liked U2 back in the day, and relistening to it all these years later has not changed that opinion. Really not to my tastes.
Good
7/10
One my all time faboalbums saw this tour as well
An amazing album for U2 that changed music and them. And they never reached that high level again. It feels like the culmination of decades of rock and alternative and underground music finding the forefeet balance with each other and pop accessibility. To me it feels like it encapsulates what is possible with music.
I liked this album. Every song is at least decent, with One being one of my favorite (U2?) songs, but I don't feel like any of them stand out aside from a couple. It's a bit too world weary and earnest, like it's trying to hard to be poetic and poignant. When it hits the mark, it's amazing, but a lot of the time it seems a bit overperformed and almost laughably melodramatic. Not sure how many times I need to hear this one aside from a few notable tracks (5, 7-10), but I didn't hate listening to it at any point. 3.25/5
U2 just irritates me. I don’t have entirely rational reasons for it. Their sound is too big, too pompous and self-important, too devoid of humor. It is clearly very good and I could even rate it a low 4 for great songs like One, ‘Til the End of the World and Arms Around the World. But these singles and others have been so fucking ubiquitous, and I’ve heard them so many times over the last 35 years, that my grudging low four is pulled down to a high three.
We are truly blessed that in between curing famine in Africa and before he ended the conflict in the Balkans, Bono (vox) descended from his pedestal to deliver yet more turgid ‘post-modernist come lately’ dogshit. I fucking hate everything about U2 and especially Bono (vox) who once sent Tony Blair a picture of the student Blair with his guitar with a note saying something along the lines of ‘I think we should have swapped careers’. What a supreme cunt, and don’t get me started on Bono (vox) 1/5
3 stars
I’m not a U2 fan. Some of their stuff is ok, but for the most part it’s just not my thing. I do enjoy Mysterious Ways, and there were a few others that caught my attention briefly, but overall it was just ok. I don’t think that any of them are particularly great musicians, they do know how to write a successful radio hit (which really is the name of the game in that business) but that’s not enough to impress me.
They had the magic from the beginning if you ask me. I love U2, I'm shameless about that, this is a great record. Nuff said!
Most of the songs sound the same and the ones that sound different you’ve heard a million times on the radio.
Snoozefest.
It was a struggle to get through, feels bit of a let's try anything and see what sticks.
Not a favourite
Det tok sin tid å orke å høre ferdig? Ikke at æ tror æ mislike U2, men æ e tydeligvis ikke så begeistra om man ser bort fra de åpenbare sangan? Jaja, greit nok e det jo uansett.
I absolutely let out a huge sign when I saw it was an album by U2. But it's not too bad of an album. Just thought it was a bit longer than it needed to be. The music kind of reminds me of Echo & The Bunnymen, with songs that could qualify as the last song ever played, because of how powerful and emotional they are. Highlight Song/s: "Until The End of the World"
woah aren't these the guys from the big orb 3 stars
This was an ok album, nothing really amazing to me
Like bedre dei tidligare albumene
oh, like i need to listen to this to rate it. hands down their best, and those final 3 songs are the perfect album-enders. i was happy to listen to this yet again
Ich mag U2, verstehe aber kein Stück, warum das hier als ihr bestes Album gilt.
Aw crud, u2, the less good Coldplay. The most pop-rock I've every heard, no real meaning, just somewhat basic music. The opening riff of the album not lasting more than twenty seconds ticked me off. That was the best part of this whole experience.
I really enjoyed this rock band, they are also doing modern albums too :)
hm. nie en mega U2 guy gsi. kenn bis etz nur one vo dene songs. s tönt easy interessant (aha brian emo). aso von production her. sehr troche 90er. one isch en guete song, aber scho huere pathetisch. until the end of the world isch no cool, ich gseh jetz aber nooonig wie ich das nomel los. ich han afoch s gfühl ich gspür am bono sis ego 35 johr spöter und bis do ane immerno. ok wenn de bass inechunt bi so cruel isch no cool. song selber isch mer chli pathetisch, aber sie hed anschinend mega wölle weg vom alte sound und da sinds. aso s tönt immerno bitz wie U2 aber chli weniger. ich gseh sehr fest d alternative iflüss, gad mysterious ways tönt huere cool. s isch glaub ide production vorallem de danny lanois. ok mysterious ways isch reecht geil. de tryin to throw song ha i chli nervig gfunde.
soo jz chumi mal wieder dezue uii also isch bis jz nüt für mich one isch na easy aber weiss au nöd wild horses isch ja ultraaa cute!! bzw. de refrain findi sehr schön, de rest isch wieder chliii wenig okeee ich glaub ich han mich ad gradlinigkeit chli gwöhnt? uf jede fall findis jz eig na cool de titel "eis vode beste albe aller ziite" lüchtet mier aber immernanig ih wnl bin froh wenns denn fertig isch me muess aber sege, dass ich amigs d musig recht villschichtig find, wemmer genauer lost ghörtmer vill verschiedeni sache wo passieret...es ischmer hslt eifach chli zu seicht? ohh love is blindness isch megaa cool???? AHH funny da isch salomé druff
Pretty good
To preface this, I don't like U2, so I'm coming in a bit biased. I haven't heard this album before though. Christ that was fucking boring. Unsurprisingly, that was a another hard listen from U2.
2/13/26 made for easy listening. 6.5/10
Ni idea, no escuché porque u2 no me interesa
A few great songs like one and even better than the real thing. But nothing else grabbed me. I did like the album but it didn’t blow me away
U2, le Coldplay des 80’s
U2 - bit marmite aren’t they….anything after Joshua Tree is a no for me. After that Bono disappeared up his own backside. 1
It's a great album, solid throughout, great production and has a couple of my favorite U2 songs on it. However, for some reason I find it a little difficult to love.
One of my favorite records of the 90’s. There’s just so much going on in here that I love. Favorite track is Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.
i liked it alot more than i thought i would
Ikke stor U2 fan men klart deres bedste album
it was kinda good but I’m bias against u2
Day766 - out of the four u2 albums i’ve had so far this has been my second favorite.. really good songs but who’s gonna ride your wild horses stands out
Mysterious Ways has always been one of my top five favourite U2 songs. I used to LOVE U2. I saw them in concert twice around the Vertigo time period. Then I got sick of them and the only thing I could think of was people being mad that they automatically added their album to iTunes. This album introduced me to some songs I have never heard. I especially liked So Cruel.
It's a solid album. I feel like it might be just a bit better if a song or two were dropped. That said, even beyond the major songs of note here (One and Mysterious Ways), other songs like Zoo Station and Even Better Than the Real Thing still make this a good listen
No amount of dizzying effects pedals and reverb can disguise Bono's voice and how much I hate it. If you like this kind of shoegazing music, you're definitely better off listening to The Cure or just nothing at all, as some of the songs were actually painful for me to listen to. This is the kind of shit your "cool" gen x liberal uncle puts on in hopes that you'll like it but you don't have the heart to tell him you think it sounds like shit. It doesn't sound like the U2 had any musical direction for these songs other than "let's play some disorienting nonsense with lyrics that vaguely reference peace and love", but ironically it just filled me with rage and hatred for this album. Mysterious Ways is my favorite from the album and truthfully the only track on here that even resembles a real "song". I can't tell if it's actually that good though or if my ears are just grateful for something that isn't garbage. That being said, my personal code is that I don't give an album a 1 unless I hated it all the way through, so it barely escapes with a 2 from me.
As a firm non-fan of ballad-y rock music, I was surprisingly not turned off by the beginning songs of this album. Likely because the weather is nice today so I'm more amenable. Good thing I'm not a professional music critic. The slow, characteristically 90s love songs were vibey(although they are something I typically do not enjoy listening). I think I was mostly drawn to the weird instrumentals that diversified my listening experience. I could not begin to pick apart all the tools they used(i know exactly nothing about music production), but I actually went back and relistened to some of the songs because my brain really, really liked how everything harmonized. (Esp acrobat) The first half of the album was slower to get into, but I was bopping along to the second half.
I’m not a big fan of U2, so I was a little pessimistic going into this. Honestly, I think my pessimism was well-deserved. The only merits I can give it is that the sound was cohesive. I just didn’t like the sound.
U2 did some good stuff early in their career. This was later.
me too
I wasn't around to experience this as a "reinvention" of U2, but it sounds like everything else from this era and I've no real way of knowing who did it first. The Fly was good but otherwise pretty meh. 2 - a good album but not my thing
I shoplifted this cassette tape from a chain drugstore in 1992. I then got a copy of it on CD for a penny from Columbia Record Club. Then a few years later, I downloaded it on Napster. And now, U2 is getting a fraction of a penny per song for me to listen to it on Spotify. I feel like I should mail Bono a $50 bill. Anyone have his address?
It's fine.
Suffers from over-the-top lyricism (from… Bono??) but I actually really enjoyed this. Removed from the whole concept of U2 as a "capital I" Important band, it's well-produced and fully realized alternative record. Probably the only example of lush production working in the band's favor. "One" is moving and "Mysterious Ways" is a total bop that, uh... also moves. In ways. Edit: I read the reviews and holy shit, people hate this. Shout out to the madlad comparing U2 to the IRA.
even brian eno could not save this
Not for me. I don't know U2 a whole lot and after listening to this, I don't regret it. Some good songs. Mostly uninviting stuff.
Bland and harmless
Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I don’t know any songs from this album except one and that’s because Jack White covered it How do I feel about this artist? I’m pretty neutral about U2. I wouldn’t call myself a fan but when their hits come on the radio I do find myself singing along. Favorite song(s)? So Cruel, Acrobat Overall Thoughts: This is the first album I’ve gotten so far where I didn’t really know any of the songs. Most of the U2 I know is from Joshua tree, and I know this album is a departure from that sound, but I still found it to be as generic as any other U2 album. Overall it was fine background music but I probably won’t be adding any songs to my personal library (sorry Bono but I like Jack White’s Love is blindness better)
Such a great album, I don’t think that I gave it enough credit in the past because I would always compare it to my favorite U2 album, Joshua tree
I recognized Mysterious Way. U2 is okay. I don't love it, I don't hate it. Very meh for me. There are some real bangers they have done- very talented group. I might be biased by U2 putting their album on every iPhone. I didn't ask for that and every time it played, I was disappointed.
Fantastisch! toegankelijk maar ze doen ook wel wat avontuurlijke dingen, en zoveel emotie. Een van mn favoriete albums allertijden. Highlights: Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Ultra Violet, Acrobat, Love is Blindness
u2 is just not for me.
U2 is Adam Watt’s favourite band
4.0 I dont think I ever listened to the full album before, although there were alot of singles on the radio back in the day. Takeaways -> Zoo station, Adam Claytons bass tone ( I thought the production on a whole has awesome, guess thats why you pay the big bucks) and the more I listen to the Edge, the more I like his playing, he mustve got into some freaky deaky stuff in Berlin
Didn’t love this as much as critics do. Never been huge on U2 Recognised a lot of the songs and can appreciate the impact it made for their career and legacy. But, meh
Perfectly passable but ultimately uninteresting songs
I've never been a huge U2 fan but this is fine. I can't ignore the fact that One is a pretty good song but Mysterious Ways makes me want to shut down.
acho U2 meio sem graça
I see the influence they had on a lot of modern artists. Not my personal cup of tea though.
I like U2, but this is not the most interesting album ever. Certainly is a great example of U2's sound sonically, but it feels less angry and spiritual than previous records. It also has the infamous line about a fish riding a bicycle, so that's not great either. Highlights are One and Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.
Heard of U2 of course, but never really got into their stuff... until now. Favorites: Even Better Than the Real Thing, One, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, The Fly, Ultra Violet (Light My Way) Thoughts: I actually really liked this album as I listened to it. I don't now why I never liked U2 before. Probably because Apple shoved them down my throat once and I decided U2 = bad. DEF WORTH A LISTEN!!
Familiar and some good stuff on there.
que capa feia meu jesus FAVS (top 3): so cruel, the fly, mysterious ways mençoes honrosas: even better than the real thing, until the end of the world, whos gonna ride your wild horses, tryin to throw your arms around the world. ultra violet, acrobat gente a capa me deixou meio de pe atras, a primeira metade confirmou minha suspeita mas a segunda metade É BOA! eu curti!! nota final: 3.5/5
Really great album. Different from their previous albums
Shockingly undercooked cheese. I gave U2 too much credit.
Excellent!!!
love it of course. one of their best. beginning to end
3.20
Не мій стиль. Не зачепило🥲
One of the last incredible U2 albums. Experimental, but accessible. Huge tour with this one. Nearly essential
אלבום מדהים
לא מצליח להבין מה כולם כל כך אוהבים בהם
I enjoyed 1 song, rest was meh. 2.7
I’m not a crazy U2 fan. This album is ok but I get tired of hearing Bono’s voice. “One” is one of their best songs. It's a 3.5 for me, but not good enough for a 4.
Blah
hits zijn top rest is meh
it was okay, but i find U2 completely inspirational to listen to and that is the problem
Career high, by a country mile
My disdain for U2 has softened. This album Is better than I remember, but still a far cry from their early stuff that was so good.
Stone cold classic.
Catchy album with a well-executed theme of bad love, great basslines, and riffs. Love Is Blindness is definitely underrated. While it’s a solid record, it can feel a bit monotonous at times, though I’m aware of the era it came from.
This rules. Will listen again and again
Album 90. Achtung Baby (https://open.spotify.com/album/3hErePSImi79vYHrSmypGw?si=o3xKyia-R4qXl8qaWsOPag) — U2 (1991) I read that this album was a reinvention of U2. Well, maybe, but it's quite a bland reinvention. I forgot almost the whole album 30 minutes after listening. I enjoyed it, but the album is not memorable for me. 3/5 —————————————— Liked: — One
Hårda ord om album bland andra recensioner, men alltså ganska bra. trevlig musik, inget som sticker ut men lätt att lyssna med till!
Liked it more than i imagined I would. Did get a bit fed up of Bono after a while
like rem u2 peaked just before they became superstars, still this has some solid tracks and wild horses is a stone classic
I forgot how much I love the songs "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" and "Until the End of the World"
- je connaissais juste la musique de U2 via l’album que tout le monde avait de téléchargé automatiquement sur apple music en 2017 donc c’est cool de plonger dans leur univers - some good punk rock mixed with some rock ballads qui blend bien - je comprends pas le gros hate mais je comprends pas totalement le hype non plus - meilleure chanson: one
U2 gets a max of 2 stars and this is bad even by their standards. Boring, bland, and bono. Everyone says that Harambe getting shot (RIP, DOFH) in 2016 caused a split in the timeline and that’s why things are decidedly not great right now. But I honestly think it happened 2 years earlier in 2014 when U2 put that album on everyone’s phone.
3.8
Heard this top to bottom at the sphere. Definitely a core memory.
It was a fine album. Didn't know U2 made Mysterious Ways! That was cool. I think that was the only song I knew from this one. No takeaways and not something I'd come back to.
I was a big fan of U2's sound up until Achtung Baby. Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree are 4 of my fave albums of all time, and I really liked Under a Blood Red Sky EP and Rattle & Hum too. Mysterious Ways was a big change in their sound, and not one I liked - a bit tinny, is the only way I can describe it. Since this album, there's only been a handful of songs that have really hit that elite level from their 1980's albums. That being said, after another listen, it's a very good album overall with quite a few hits, and still better than most. 4/5. Best Song: One
Ganske kjedelig.
Heilt OK
Det varierer for mye mellom rock og pop. Bono har en fet stemme, soundet er tidvis fett. Men totalt sett treffer det ikke meg.
Never got into U2, so this was my first listen thru. I can see why they were huge
8/10
Pretty cool nostalgic didn’t save any
Meh
I can see why people don’t love Bono
Понравилось.
Hmm U2. A band I've actively tried to develop an interest in, due to their reputation as one of the 'big ones'. I've even bought albums, but it just hasn't stuck. Three of the tracks on Achtung Baby are recognisable hits. I skipped over the radio regular 'One', but enjoyed being reminded of 'Mysterious Ways'. Generally my feeling when listening is that U2 write more interesting tracks than I remember, but I don't experience any 'oh goodie! this one is great!' excitement. Just a bit... meh. Opening of 'The Fly' with darker tones is more like the kind of thing that floats my boat, but it is the 12/8 rhythms of 'Acrobat' that I'll pin my 'best track of the album' on. Total no. tracks 12 Fave track #11 Acrobat Others? The Fly. Zoo Station (both for their openers).
Wow, a U2 album on this list that doesn't suck complete ass? Looking at you, All That You Can't Leave Behind Yeah Bono is a dick, but putting that aside - this album was an enjoyable listen, mainly because (unlike U2's later material) it actually felt like it had something to say. The dark & introspective themes present throughout gave the album a level of grit that feels completely missing from the band's later (bland, tasteless) offerings.
" That shark needs jumping" Bono, prolly
How dare you make me listen to U2. This album feels very long, but it is wild to think how badly U2 destroyed their legacy with that stupid automatic download Apple Music album. Rip bono, the edge, ect. You are not missed by me
Fuck this and fuck Bono. Cunt.
Hmm. Quite a Nothingburger
ci sta, nulla di speciale
havent quite finished this yet but brilliant! recognised so many songs, really enjoy
It seems like pretty generic pop rock, but may have been important in leading in 1991? Fairly listenable, but fairly unaffected by it.
This was my first listen through of any U2 album ever, and let’s just say I was less than impressed. Pretty bland music for some supposed “generational rock band”, this was closer to like Coldplay or Imagine Dragons than anything good or important. ‘Mysterious Ways’ was the only song I sort of liked, and apparently that was the big hit on this album, so I can see why. I thought this was mostly bad, really thought I would like them more. 2/5
Need an additional listen
Hammer!!!! : )))
Pretty solid album. 3/12 songs saved. 1 on personal playlist. I liked
I just can't stand U2. I don't like Bono, not because he's a douche, but because his vocals don't do anything for me. The Edge is a boring, overrated guitarist. Larry is not a great drummer either. The last album I reviewed I didn't even listen to (primarily because I knew it would be shit, they just got worse in the 00s), I thought I'd at least try this one and regretted my decision immediately. I barely jumped through some of the tracks. I know a lot of the tracks on this album anyway because my uncle was a fan. "One" is crap and I'm sorry, but "Mysterious Ways" is worse. There's nothing for me here.
Like most U2 albums. Some good stuff in there and some weird stuff.
The biggest champions of vibe-based rock all the way until the release of Parachutes, this album doesn't quite hit the same vibe-based highs as the Joshua Tree for me It has its moments
#833. More like "Dogshit, Baby," amirite? This is a worse reinvention that Metallica's self titled album 1/5: just fucking stop
Unsurprisingly not very satisfying and a bit same same.
Insipid. 0.5/5
Achtung means "warning/attention" in German. Just a glimpse into how Deutsch and twisted my mind has become. Fave track: Mysterious Ways
Orright. 3/5
Absolutely brilliant! U2 reinvented their sound in this one. Heaps of classic tracks. Every song is sonically interesting.
lots of classic singles from my childhood
I'm not the most educated person in the world when it comes to U2, but I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt since they influenced a lot of the CCM artists I grew up listening to and I've generally enjoyed the music I have actually heard from them. That said, I went into Achtung Baby basically only knowing "Mysterious Ways" (I often sing the line "it's alright, it's alright, it's alright" to my baby when he's fussing), but anticipating a solid album nonetheless! It's no Joshua Tree, but certainly isn't a bad listen by any means. I was honestly contemplating giving the album two stars for a bit, but it does pick up significantly in the back half. I can hear the Coldplay parallels, but I personally enjoy Coldplay, so I didn't really have a problem with that. Highlights: One, Until the End of the World, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Acrobat
Actually a pleasant listen, not a huge fan of U2 but have heard their songs in the past so it was familiar but new at the same time
U2 are shite
boo2
The greatest reinvention from one album to the next in rock n' roll history.
Achtung Baby was the turning point album where U2 avoided becoming an 80s nostalgia band to enter into the rock pantheon with immortal bands like the Stones and Beatles. "Mysterious Ways" was also a turning point in my music appreciation. I went from loving bands from the past (Beatles, Led Zeppelin) to witnessing great music appear in my own young life.
Great stuff from the lads. I will say the different tracks did start to bleed into one another for me; I'd be hard pressed to identify any of them afterwards, but I enjoyed listening to it.
I was familiar with the song One because of Shinedown's cover and I had heard mysterious ways as well before. I liked Acrobat.
I went into Achtung Baby knowing it’s supposed to be that U2 album. You know, the bold reinvention, the artistic leap, the one critics keep bringing up like it personally changed their lives. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the end. Not because it’s bad, nothing here is offensively awful, but because it’s painfully, relentlessly uniform. Track after track blends into a grey musical smoothie. The songs just… exist. They pass by politely, shake your hand, and leave absolutely no memory behind. The obvious exception is “One”, which is genuinely great and fully deserves its legendary status. It’s emotional, well-written, and actually feels alive. Sadly, once that song ends, the album goes right back to sounding like Bono is singing from inside a fog machine. Production-wise, the whole thing has a very lo-fi, murky feel that becomes tiring fast. It’s not raw in a cool way, it’s more like listening through a slightly broken speaker. I listened to the original 1991 CD (314-510 347-2), and the master itself is fine but completely unremarkable; because the sound is already so lo-fi, it barely feels any different from today’s ultra-compressed streaming or modern CD versions. I wouldn’t even put this on as background music while studying, because I’d either get bored or slowly fall asleep on my notes. So yeah, I can’t fail it. There’s nothing terrible here, no musical crimes committed. But there’s also nothing that makes me want to come back, either. Competent, historic, and deeply unexciting. 5/10 Not bad enough to hate. Not good enough to finish.
Songs I don't recall hearing before but recognisably U2 (the voice, the guitar technique, simple but reasonably effective chord structures). Rich production (keyboards, overdubs, textures) - clearly a studio album. Lyrics seem a bit "oh I need to write some lyrics, they should be a bit catchy and a bit mysterious". It's Not Bad, 4/10.
Not a U2 fan but I like some of the singles
It was ok, few great songs.
I only listened to this because I had to. I have never, and will never understand the appeal of U2.
I like the frontman’s voice I grew up on alot of u2
Top 5 best Irish records, easily. Probably Top 3, if we're being honest.
I hate U2, but enjoyed the album.
polarizing back in the day, this has aged pretty well. Set the blueprint for shoegaze and radiohead.
Very strong album. Best from U2. Loved it at the time. One is the absolute standout, but so many others are great. Superb energy, fantastic musicianship and wonderfully creative.
I generally like U2, I enjoyed this album, but it wasn't great. I think they were experimenting themselves, following the latest craze.
Casi todas las rolas suenan igual ajjaj, empezó bien pero en la tercera ya fue zzz
Overall good (duh it's U2) Nothing really stood out to me but cool
I've listened to a U2 album before, The Joshua Tree, but I don't really remember the record. I don't remember it being quite as annoying as this effort, though. It's just so blatantly commercial, which I think was the idea, get to as many people as possible... The production here isn't bad at all, it's just painfully dull for me. 2/5
masterpiece though I have listened to this many times as a teenager and so it emotionally resonates with me super hard so I can't be objective about it but I love it so much
Shockingly good. Perhaps their best? Almost every song a banger, but my favorites: "One" "Love is Blindness" "Mysterious Ways" "Until the End of the World" "So Cruel" ' Favorite Lyric: If you wanna Kiss the Sky, Better Learn How to Kneel (On your Knees Boy)
meeh
Pretty good. Reminds me of Radiohead and Oasis at points, but maybe I'm just casting a wide net with that statement.
Achtung Bono....
Honestly just a bit boring. There's a few intros where there's some experimental stuff going on and it briefly gets my attention but then it just ends up being another samey pop-rock track with some very average vocals. Actually got to the point of minor irritation listening to Bono repeatedly sing "baby baby baby" in "Ultra Violet". This is definitely making me think U2 are seriously overrated. Highlights: - "The Fly" - still nothing particularly exciting, but the heavier feel was an improvement, just because it was less dull. Low 3. Not good, not offensive. I'd go for a 2 on the basis I'm just so bored, but I think that might be slightly unfair on the basis that I haven't hated any individual song, but a whole album is painful.
rly good gives 80s and shoe gaze
Lacking in standouts but overall actually a bit cool. 7/10
Talvez se eu tivesse 50 anos e fosse meio preconceituoso seria melhor. Mas até que é bem interessante
nice alt rock
I love U2, but it’s not my fav album
Comfortably the best of the latter-day U2, maybe their most creative and varied album.
I've never been a big fan of U2. That said, I don't think this album was bad. It wasn't that spectacular either. Pretty generic, if you ask me. "One" is a nice standout track, but that's about it. 6 / 10
Not bad! Enjoyed it, but only one or two songs really stood out to me.
Oh a german band? Oh no there are Irish So far I really enjoy it actually also the Berlin vibes there is something about the writing as well
hard listen but i get the idea
I never really understand why folks liked U2. Then I listened to this album.
A few thoughts will listening to this album: Do you think The Edge makes his friends call him Edge? Same question, but with Bono I'm surprised the band has had the same line-up for 50 years. Also, 50 years of U2? Wow. That said, I really don't like U2, I really don't like their hits, and their non-singles tracks aren't great either
This is a version of U2 I don’t really care for. I feel like Bono is sensually whispering in my ear, and I’m not particularly a fan of that. I enjoy hearing the drummer from U2 because I think he’s extremely underrated. He never plays just simple hi-hat snare patterns. He’s always doing something that totally works in the context of the song.
While they are a solid band I’ve never much liked U2. Revisiting this album I’d say it’s definitely on the softer side, almost reminding me of the easy listening vibes of the era. While I’m sure that contributed to its success it made it less enjoyable for me. While not a ds. In general I prefer when they are a little edgier and experimental ala Zooropa.
Here is a bit off of Ultra violet “There is a silence that comes to a house Where no-one can sleep. I guess it's the price of love; I know it's not cheap.“ Really putting the 2 in u2
I thought this would be great but it did not meet expectations. I don't normally pay that much attention to lyrics but I found that half the ones I was hearing were so... I'm giving this a 3 not in a neutral way but in a completely torn way. That said I think I will come to a conclusive strong opinion on this when I give it a relisten. So the rating is definitely subject to change
Sadly I was unenthused by this album - it's not bad - I just didn't enjoy it. Maybe I'm just not U2's target demographic or maybe I don't like their alternative side of rock but this just felt plainly uninteresting to me.
I’ve been listening to a lot of U2 so this was great!! Not as good as the Joshua tree in my opinion but still a great album!! I particularly liked who’s going to ride your wild horses but all of the songs slapped. Bono can’t be topped
I preferred this to 'The Joshua Tree' from U2 because it was a lot more engaging. Really like the baseline of the first track but i am not as keen on the effects on the singing. I enjoyed the music in ‘One’. Enjoy the instrumentals on ‘until the end of the world’, the guitar especially, I really like the melody. Really liked Mysterious ways too. Overall, this album was enjoyable, but there were a few songs which were a struggle not to yawn at. I will rate it a weak three, as I feel i should be a bit harsher on my ratings. There were a few songs which I did really enjoy, but overall this album is not deserving of anything more.
U2 is a mid band and this is a mid album. Mysterious ways is a certified banger though
Decent album a few good hits but nothing outstanding like some others
Not a big U2 fan
Great album, every song is good, most are bangers. Can basically play tracks 1-10 with no real drops. The last two songs are good, but have a slightly different feel. One and Mysterious Ways are huge hits, but absolutely don’t sleep on the other tracks - they are all great production.
coffee shop background music. nothing about this was good, but nothing about this was insultingly grating to my ear. it was just happening for 55 minutes. i actively forgot every track as i listened to it.
U2 is like my generations version of Gen Xers with Disco. It is so cool to hate them. So much so I had never actually listened to any of this album despite how iconic it is pretty much due to that cringe-complex. So it turns out its like, a completely alright 90s alt-rock album with basically nothing interesting going for it in either a good or bad way. This is the kind of highly palatable album that it's almost aggressive in how merely okay it is. I know the litany of reasons people hate Bono or U2 on personal grudges (Remember that time they just forced themselves onto everyones itunes account? That sure was a time), but honestly I could not imagine having a strong opinion about this album at all.
Coldplay left me well, cold
Achtung! Under two.
Time seemed to slow down while listening to this, longest hour of my life since listening to REM
Not really my taste. Most interesting track for me was The Fly, but then Bono's vocals comes in and kinda ruins it for me. I actually like One as a song, but I'm more used to the Mary J Blige version, which I remember being overplayed on Swedish radio when I was younger (to the point that I felt like something was missing from this). Overall, the album isn't really bad, but I felt like I was zoning out during parts of it.
It's fine! Just an album of a very specific vibe with inoffensive lyrics. Very pop music for background noise which filled my cooking hour just fine.
To misquote Stewart Lee: An album so blandly anonymous that it sounds like the burial music for a king of an ancient civilization which valued above all bland anonymity.
I'm not even a professional U2 hater like a lot of the folks you'll see in the review section on this site, but this was just bland and basic. Bono's vocals on his record are so one-note, and it sounds like he can barely even manage to maintain that note at times. There's nothing particularly interesting going on with the music itself either. I won't be coming back to this one.
ça fonctionne bien
Meh
J'aime beaucoup aussi, c'est très classique mais ça marche bien même écouté en shuffle sans faire exprès
Meh
Top songs: Until the End of the World Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Had some nice songs. Not the biggest fan of the vocals throughout the album.
Super gas, high emotional peaks love the instrumentals and vocals
3.75 - once again great music but not necessarily my taste
Have never been a U2 fan and that album didn’t change that.
Did not realize how many songs I would recognize from this album. It was good - while not something I’d typically listen to I did like a few songs that could also find ways into my regular rotation.
Still quality
bof
need to listen closer but enjoyed what i heard, good sound and my first time (outside of the forced download for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) I listened to U2
pas trop mon style je réécouterai pas
Big, fun, and catchy.
A good album all together but no songs stuck out to me.
I C O N I C
Bland
basic rock album
เฉยๆ ฟังเรื่อยๆ ที่เตะหูมีแค่ Who’s gonna ride your wild horses (im not a fan of 90s song tbh)
“Mysterious Ways” is so good just because that bass line is so fucking mint. Outside of that, it’s a pretty uninspiring album.
Hate it
Honestly really good, you go Bono
Its alright
The poppy side of U2 is just not my thing.
Very nostalgic and romantic. I’d deliberately avoided Sinatra because I’d written him off as music of the time with no substances. Like some sort of 90s Eurostar but in the 50s. I was wrong. I can’t help but dance.
Following Rattle and Hum was always to be difficult but this album is almost a different band. Thoroughly enjoyed this classic
3/5
A real slog for me Zoo Station is a good opener but nothing afterwards grabs me at all, by So Cruel I was checking to see how long was left
I have to say I'm disappointed. Except for "Even Better..." and "Mysterious Ways", it's a really boring and monotone record. "One" is a great song, OK, but still... Yawn!
i really enjoyed this, might be my favourite U2 record
'One' alone makes this a three star album, the rest of the tracks have enough to bring it up to a four.
Since it's U2 I knew every song from this album. I do like some of the songs but overall U2 is just kind of boring sometimes. This album definitely does have some of their best songs though
It's a decent album, kinda bland in comparison to others in the genre these days but enjoyable enough! Picked up near the end Best = Love is blindness Skip = Mysterious ways
It’s kinda meh
Ugh, no this wasn't good Too whiny and the songs all blended into one long sound 2 ⭐️
Hadn't heard this one in probably a decade, I thought it held up really well. Very easy to listen to, and brought back a lot of memories. I saw the Zoo TV tour a couple of times and that was a pretty transformative experience. I read a little bit about the backlash to Rattle and Hum - I really enjoyed that one back in my teens but had no idea about all the critical hubub. Interesting to see the pivot, confirmation I guess that U2 are great image marketers.
Didn’t think I was a U2 fan but this was pretty good
not my style
its not great lmao nothing special
Pure magic!
Sanctimonious supreme with, I suspect, far more plagiarism than they’ve ever been noted for. The lyrics would be shite even for a sixth former. They can have a 2 only for echoes of shit they’ve stolen.
Love the start tracking intro. It’s a really good and complete album. It has lots of recognisable hits and I really enjoyed it. However, I feel like I couldn’t listen to it whenever I want, but instead, when I’m in a specific mood.
it’s good , adequate reminds me of thrifting as a kid some funky bad boys in the mix okay
It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alllllriiiight
awful album and turn for the band but 'One' was a banger
This must have been quite a departure from the stadium anthems of The Joshua Tree. A brave change in creative direction and showed they could do more than big singalongs. Which is an ironic thing to say about an album that contains One! I didn't find this super accessible in general.. maybe that's why the retrospective critics reviews are stronger than the contemporary ones. I liked it but maybe a few listens are needed to really get it
Thoughts before listening: I have never been a U2 fan. I mean they have been ubiquitous throughout my life with multiple songs I enjoy, and I had a really fun time seeing them do Joshua Tree at Bonnaroo. However, overall they just don't quite do it for me. Achtung Baby came out when I was 10 so this is the first U2 that I was exposed to. In my mind its the band trying to add elements of the 90s alternative and dance scenes to their typical stadium rock approach. I am sure that I will recognize most of this album. Review: So I basically nailed the description of this album (although AllMusic calls it a marriage of 70s Bowie and the UK Madchester scene), with this definitely being a harsher, more distorted version of U2. I like some of this although I found myself getting bored eventually. "One" and "Even Better That the Real Thing" are very good hit singles. "Mysterious Ways" is an annoying song however. I am enjoying some of the deep cuts on this like "Until the End of the World", "Acrobat", and "Love is Blindness". That being said, I just don't think I'm a U2 guy even though I did give Joshua Tree 5-stars. I wanted to give this album 3-stars, but I have actually added 6 of the 12 tracks to my playlist which means I must enjoy this more than my cynical anti-U2 sentiment would lead me to believe. I'll give this 4-stars putting it right behind Joshua Tree and tied with War.
Zoo Station -- 6/10 Cool Intro, nothing special
J’ai l’impression que chaque son sonne comme U2, et pas forcément dans le bon sens.. 2-3 sons bon 2.5-/5
Not too many thoughts on this one, it just came and went without really doing too much.
Meh