Achtung Baby

Before they became completely irrelevant U2 did this. And we all saw that it was good. And on the 7th Day Bono rested and decided to become a cunt. 4/5

Remember when itunes gave us all that free U2 album no one wanted... Too bad it wasn't this one

First listen: This is good, I just have no strong feelings about U2 either way. Second listen, high: Is this the best album ever? Y/Y? 3.5

u 2 again

Production sounds great, songs sound like they were written for arenas but not strong enough to warrant 5 stars.

-Totally cool bassline and jam in "Until The End Of The World" -"Zoo Station," "Even Better Than The Real Thing," "Until The End Of The World," and "The Fly" are nice heavier, hard-rock, kinda-Muse-esque songs -"Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" is the first song that was a bit boring. Just a little slow and not as intense as the others

A U2 album I don't actually hate. While I didn't mind a few singles this was never a band I got I to as a teenager, they were just never as interesting as they wanted to be. Maybe that was part of their appeal and what hated then and still to this day. This album grew on me. It took hearing One as a single to finally hook me. I had avoided it at first, not by choice but it being late `91 as music lover I was spoilt for choice. Achtung Baby and it's follow up Zooropa we're a welcome relief after Rattle and Hum and Joshua Tree. This was Bono and the gang at their most adventurous and most fun. All the posturing of the previous albums was replaced with... Well more posturing, but of a different kind Give me MacPhisto any day over a low-rent Southern Preacher wannabe. And the music is good. It is a really nice distillation of alternative music at the time. I can hear Young Goods, Pixies, MBV and many others buried in the sound of this album. While Achtung Baby never converted me to a fan it is still 30 years on an enjoyable listen

Great!

Pretty good. I had gone off U2 but this album reminded me of why I liked them before.

Is it OK to like the music of U2 if you don't like U2? I hate that this is so slick and well produced and genuinely good...

Great album!

Great tracks on this album

Good stuff.

You know, it'll be really good to give The Joshua Tree this treatment. Oh, Zooropa is better. Don't care what anyone says. But this is good

first time listening to a u2 album front to back. probably wouldn't have done it unprompted. no rough edges here. clean as hell. i love the incorporation of electronic music. powerful and funky. i learned to appreciate u2 today.

Liked this more than I expected. A bit rougher than I thought from only knowing One - still not at the over-polished soulless place they'd reached by the end of the 90s. Fav new track: Mysterious Ways

Toda una revolución de un gran grupo. Guitarras con mucha melodía y una gran voz. Algunas canciones, realmente buenas.

Bello mi è piaciuto fes

It’s easy to forget how good U2 actually were at one point

A pretty good album. 2 RS

I don't like Bono. Anyway, having said that, this is a pretty good album. As much as I hate to admit it, this is one of U2's better offerings. I thoroughly enjoy most of the songs but this is not at 5-star status.

There’s a lot to this album and I definitely need to listen to it again. Some of the lyrics are a bit on the nose, but the music itself is very interesting. It is darker and more filled out than U2’s previous work.

great album great songs, overal amazing u2 sound

I can't stand U2 normally. Stadium rock posturing. However... this album definitely has something about it that I kind of like. Best Tracks: Zoo Station; Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses; The Fly

This is brilliant. It loses a star for being made by U2.

Surprised me how much I liked this. Brilliantly produced, with some classics

The best U2 album by some distance. It contains elements of all the band's eras from their guitar effects-driven sound of the 80s, through to arty electronic and industrial influence of 90s, and 00s anthemic stadium rock. The main focus, however, is their emerging 90s style (Actung Baby to Pop), which is my favourite U2 era. A fair few stone cold classics on here: One, Even Better, End of the World, Wild Horses, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Ultra Violet. 4/5.

Didnt think I'd like as much ...after not listening for a while. Some top tracks ...obviously 'one's.. light my way..zoo station..the fly ...mysterious..wild horses ..and more

easily a 4. Actually gets better after one. and the middle section is underrated genius. Big part of growing up too.

I know U2 get meme'd a little bit, but this album is unironically great. Cohesive sound and great writing. I also love the cover. I can see how this is a highlight for them.

Just a shame Bono is the way he is

Pretty together.

Good solid album with some standout hits

really good album. already heard. 4.5 because it isn't new but definitely worth revisiting every once in a while

Mostly enjoyable to be honest. Standout tracks being one and ultraviolet

What more can be said about U2. Its a good album.

I liked this album. U2 is a great group.

I've had an odd interested-not interested connection with U2 since I first heard them in the early 80s. I'm back to appreciating them again, especially the Edge's innovative guitar work that does not get the respect he deserves. He's an incredible musician who knows how to pull in one's ears. This is a solid album.

Great stuff!

After the WAR LP I lost interest in U2 so was one of the few who had no time for Joshua Tree. I thought they had started to simply repeat previous formulas. Actung Baby is a welcome step away from their past. And the hits are quite good. eg the rhythm guitar on One is mind blowing. 

Es un buen disco de la banda con unos cuantos hits. Han envejecido mal, pero la banda tiene muy buenos discos

Quite good, some songs I knew already

a little long but still good

I have an aversion to HUGE stadium rock groups that take themselves too seriously and songs that are overplayed so I have to check my bias when rating this album and pretend that I'm listening to it for the first time instead of the kazillionth. So on that basis I must acknowledge that there a quite a few good songs on this album. The Edge's guitar on Zoo Station and Until the end of the world are notable and I grudgingly acknowledge that One is a pretty good song.

my favorite U2 album, after this one all went downhill

My #3 favorite U2 album

It goes from great to annoying and back again.

I like a lot of it, I like a lot of the instrumentals, there’s some really sick guitar parts from The Edge, but Idk I just feel like it’s missing something. The vocals are good but I feel like some of the passion from their earlier stuff isn’t always there

A really great mid-afternoon nap.

Inoffensive but not for me

Змішані враження від альбому. Він трохи хіт енд міс, але попадання не те щоб сильно вражають, як і промахи не особливо провальні. Можна зайти з твердження, що тут U2 шукають виходу зі старого звуку і дійсно тут відчувається зміна направлення, порівняно з альбомами 80х. І мабуть дійсно звук та продакшн тут найбільш цікава штука на альбомі, адже пісні знову ж таки просто непогані. І гітарна робота в окремих піснях з одним довгим акордом типу бреееееееееень через ефекти і потім паузи - не зовсім моя. Мабуть треба відчувати. Повертаючись до початку, альбом - норм. Я поставив 3.5.

matig en verouderd

shes goodbut nothingreally went out of its way to ticklemy fancy

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

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.

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

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

Prima album, blijft niet hangen echter

nice but nothing groundbreaking imo

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.

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

It’s just so aggressively mid

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

2.5

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

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!

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

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

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.

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.

Meget karakteristisk U2-lyd og nogle gode numre imellem.

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.

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

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

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.

+One +Until The End Of The World

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

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

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.

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

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

Just ok

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

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.

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

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.

Νice pop wannabe rock but nice

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.

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.

7 / 10

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

#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.

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

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

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.

U2 nunca decepciona. Me gustó mucho

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

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

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

Масштабный мейнстрим из альтернативного рока.

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.

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.

From the first track I felt like this album would be better without vocals, but when i really paid attention to the instrumentals they sounded like customer service line hold music. it's just not my thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

kinda meh, nunca he sido fan de U2 (U2.5 que subo a 3)

Гей рок

Not a U2 fan, this is fine.

Every time it threatens to get interesting, it reverts back to generic pop rock. It's a shame, really.

Putting aside all the U2 drama aside, Achtung Baby is a solid album of rock anthems -- extremely well-produced and ambitious.

Good soundtrack. Lyrics are a bit droney esk. Sounds a bit like if muse and the killers had a baby, and then that baby travelled back in time.

It took me 4 attempts to finally sit down and listen to this album in full. Listening to this and Nevermind back-to-back really makes you realize how Nirvana came in and ate bands like U2 for lunch. One is my favourite song on the album but even then I like the Mary J. Blige version better.

I’m going to rate this 3 for now but I’m keeping it in my listening playlist because I did like it but it was mostly just playing in the background and I didn’t get a chance to really listen to it. What I heard I liked though.

How do you classify this? Pop rock? Soft rock? Safe rock? I understand U2's appeal, but I found this mostly boring. It's inoffensive in the most mundane way. 3/5

One of the more generic-sounding albums on this list to date. Some decent stuff on here, a very inoffensive album but overall a bit forgettable. 2.5/5.

i have no idea how many u2 albums ive gotten so far, but i know its been a lot. is just every single u2 album ever released on this list? like, at what point is this getting ridiculous? id understand if every single u2 album was a masterpiece, but like… theyre just not. they're very, very average. for the most part.

my mom keeps trying to convince me this album isn't that bad but...

I definitely knew I was listening to U2.

I feel indifferent.

La mitad de los temas están buenos o interesantes pero la otra mitad es un embole, one es una poronga. Sape mas o menos.

i mean its fine i guess

A unique sound that felt messy at times but in a nice way, had some songs that got me amped up

good music to get roofied to on 4th of July after you just hit your friends dabpen at the bar but you like getting roofied. whatever that means

It's a good album, but I may be the ONLY person in this world who is just okay with U2.

One of the the more enjoyable U2 albums imo

Просто колдблей

Some great tunes, some less great. But I love how they create a mood and how it sustains through a song.

It was alright

yeah it was okay, didnt know this was what U2 sounded like. definitely got boring but the first two songs were cool

What is it’s with auto tune in the 90s - it was so ubiquitous that you can hear it in the guitar on this album . Seriously a great album ruined by auto tune , not sure why bono even felt the need. Admittedly it is subtle and less obvious as the album goes on - or am I just getting used to it . Then ultraviolet comes on and proves me wrong

Okayy

I had heard the two big singles from this record, but that was about all. It's an interesting shift from Joshua Tree, which some how manages to sound expensive because of the ornateness of its production and seems to be dead set on sounding like the most important band in the world. This feels a lot looser. The group is picking up on the synthesis of rock and dance music that was percolating up during the late 1980's and early 1990's, and you hear it here with the post-punk influenced base and guitar with dance oriented drums. The Edge's guitar is louder and the guitar sound is rawer for most of the record, with a couple breaks for ballads. I'm probably not going to rush out to buy, but its honestly a pretty good record.

Never a big U2 fan but it’s not bad

Very fun punk rock album, but I would have to say I might not have given it a fair listen. It didn't really captivate my attention and I didn't even realise when the album ended. I like who's gonna ride your wild horses, one, and better than the real thing like a 2.5

Average

only the first 2 were good

It's not bad. It's not full on lame U2 that subsequently happens, but it does have some pretty crap lyrics with Bono's attempts at rhyming similies. Some good tunes, some bad ones. Pans out to be a proper average 3.

I’ve been a U2 apologist because I listened to a lot of their stuff growing up. This album was never really one of my favorites, and I think was a sign of things to come (in a bad way).

Give it a try, solid 3

Still don't really get the hype, what makes it special

Rattle and Hum is the line where U2 stopped being a maintained concern for me. The album is fine, set the template for a lot 90s alt-rock bombast for which they will have to answer when they meet their god. "One" is still a great song, maybe one of their best. "Real Thing:" and Mysterious Ways" are affable songs that don't know when to end. The techno-ish ones like "The Fly" have me reaching for the swatter.

I lost interest in U2 after War, but this was the record where they went from college rock to arena rock. No thanks. At least the song "One" gave us the brilliant Ben Stiller Show parody "Lucky Clovers" (seriously, go watch that).

Not the best U2 album in my opinion. Some great jams on here but doesn't ascend the heights of Joshua Tree

So far I'd say that One is awesome but the rest is kind of whatever so far.

Pretty much encapsulates how I feel about U2. Almost utter indifference.

Every time someone/something pushes me back to this album, I think to myself “this is it… im going to get IT this time”. Just like the last 15 times, I still dont understand why U2 fans like this album so much. Its out of the top 5 for me. War, Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree are much better. Then theres Rattle and Hum (a live album) which is incredible IMO and U2 fans somehow HATE it. 2.5 stars and rounding up

Surprisingly good album, despite all the hate that U2 gets.

Aldrig riktigt lyssnat på U2. Detta är överlag bra, hitsen One och Mysterious Ways är bäst. Sköna gitarrljud. En stabil 3:a och U2 kanske växer med tiden. Ser fram emot Joshua Tree.

Not for me

"The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways" are pretty good, but the de-accentuation of The Edge makes the record ultimately very blah to me

Absolutely fine actually. Maybe quite good? Wish the drummer would use the ride cymbal even like once.

Good stuff, not a band in my rotation but enjoyable album

I haven't given U2 much attention before besides their hits, but this was a pretty good listen. It definitely got repetitive in a few places but not bad at all. 3/5

Don't love U2 but this is their best album. I do enjoy a few of the songs.

Competent and inoffensive -- but kind of forgettable? I liked U2 more on their first 2 or 3 albums, in the early 80s; a bit more passion and excitement, maybe? I saw U2 twice, early in their career: opening up for the J. Geils Band in 1981 or 1982 in Tallahassee, and then headlining (The Alarm opened) at a mid-sized theater in downtown Jacksonville in 1982 or 1983. By the time this 1991 album came out (sooner, probably) I'd grown somewhat tired of them. Not entirely their fault: they were played on the radio so much, they were sort of overexposed. But I do also think that the songs on this album (like most of their music starting in the later 80s) are just not super interesting? Better as background music, than as music to seek out for its own sake? I don't know, maybe I'm being too hard on them. It's not like I think it's bad. I'll for sure give this 3 stars, but don't think I can go up to 4. 3 feels about right.

Lowkey rokkia. MUSE pienillä kirjaimilla.

U2 are a band that feels like they haven't stood the test of time seeing how big they were in the 90's. I remember us having this album when I was a kid and listened to it a fair bit but it never really clicked. That's still the case now, good but kind of bland.

Mysterious Ways really carries

liked it!

2.5

3.0

Okay

Repeating this again here: I got a U2 and a Coldplay album this week. They’re the same band, but for different generations. Some jams in here, but growing up in the era of constant radio play, I’ve just heard all this too much when I was too young to appreciate it or care.

Better than I thought it would be. I'm really not a fan of Bono or his singing but quite enjoyed this.

U2 gets so much hate here. This is perfectly passable, some nice songs, but Bono's voice is sometimes obnoxious. 3* Highlights: one, mysterious ways

It’s got some hits, but I’ve never been a fan of The Edge and his atmospheric sound.

I don't know whether this is or isn't what I expected out of U2. It was fine, sure, but for a group the people seem to have very strong opinions on I couldn't see a difference either way.

Es U2, son buenos, pero no llega al 4

A band that I have just never got the love for, and who I have never found an entire album I like. Each album has at least a couple of really standout moments, meaning their Best Of collections are often amazing, but the albums themselves often just seem average. This particular one is no different for me - a few amazing tracks dotted among a fairly average collection.

This is my second U2 album in the past two weeks, and my third overall. As I've said in my other reviews, this is fine. Nothing wrong with this musically. I'm learning though that I don't mind if U2 comes on the radio or if I'm out and about, but I'm not going to go out of my way to put U2 on to listen.

U2 is music for people that don't like music. It's hard for me to divorce my feelings about their actual music and Bono...who I think is just a sanctimonious nutsack. I will give him credit when credit is due, he's got a great voice. He's a great singer. He probably puts on a great show, but I'll be damned if I ever give him any of my money to find out. So...what to do with this album? It's fine. Mysterious Ways absolutely slaps, it's the one song here that I'd actually want to listen to on my own...the one song where I'd turn it up if it came on the radio. The Edge's guitar on this whole album is awesome...distinct, purposeful. But it's still Bono. It's still music for people who don't like music.

Good song writing if a bit melodramatic, really enjoyed the final track, love is blindness

Better than I remember it being. It was an alright background listen.

К сожалению, альбом, и ты тоже немедленно вылетел из моей памяти Песни вытворяют с моей памятью какой-то ахтунг

Как же меня бесит Боно, u2 и эта музыка с поминок. One в версии гли каста была в миллиард раз лучше оригинала. Поставлю 3 только за двух классных детей Боно. Хоть где-то он сделал что-то качественное.

One неплохая песня, все остальное пресное.

Боно борется за свободу народа Бирмы Народ Бирмы не ебет, кто такой Боно

3 out of 5. Not a bad effort.

It's alright. 3/5. Has some nice moments where the musicianship really shines through, and I can see how this paved the way for some rock records today, but it's not thaaat special in my opinion. Don't have that much to say on this, maybe it's not entirely for me either.

very good music. Not particularly memorable but nonetheless a good album with very few flaws just whish more stood out.

Favorite: Ultra Violet

This is pretty classic U2- great big sweeping melodies and great vocals. The only version of this album I could find was a deluxe anniversary edition, and it had all these self indulgent extra tracks. Maybe I would have liked the original better? But I ended up feeling a bit annoyed by it.

Some fun nostalgic tunes played at every middle school and high school dance (cough one), honestly thought it was just ok coming back to it though.

Me gusta su estilo característico pero no es de mis favoritos

Very of the era. Still confused why this website chooses certain artists albums over others. I’d think the Joshua Tree should be what U2 album is a must

no es una banda de mi agrado u2

Apparently this is U2s best album .... It is very consistently what it is.

fav songs: one tryin’ to throw your arms around the world polished, restrained, uneven 50/100

The mean-spirited jokes against the poor, suffering U2 haters are starting to wear thin. Perhaps that this is a vaguely annoying album even to me is one of the reasons why. I’m also surprisingly familiar with it, and So Cruel is one of my favourite tracks by them. Anything else to say about this one? Not really.

Not as bad as other reviews make it out to be. Not as good as other reviews make it out to be. Such is the plight of U2.

para ser u2 un poco ñe

It was fine, nothing really wowed me.

This is the album with One on it, immediate 2 stars alone, the rest is hit or miss

Just typical u2. Not really thing.

The voice and urgency are compelling. But, not much here that really sticks with me.

Was never a fan, but the album is ok. Nice compositions and decent lyrics. Moaning Bono is very off-putting though

I do see why this is on the list

It was okay! I feel like it could have been better. Something about U2 songs has always bothered me because the vocals somehow feel distant from the instrumental. It's a distracting and kind of dulling effect on me.

It gets a 3 for having One on it. Otherwise it's pretty forgettable for me.

a little corny, a little samey. pleasant listening though. all the hits sound pretty good with fresh ears. im sure if i heard One in concert in a glossy pre 9/11 world i'd think i was witnessing the second coming, and that peace and love had finally conquered all. favorite song is Ultra Violet (Light My Way)

Rating: 7/10 Perfectly pleasant enough, the era of the U2 that starts to go almost full pop rock is upon us. The first song I really enjoy is One, and then it moves along fine until the great back to back The Fly and Mysterious Ways, really like those ones. Tracks 9-12 don't have highlights that reach those levels to me. All around it's pretty good.

Shaw's playlist except it's in my ears and not on a grocery store speaker. This album was a mild vibe but still overshadowed by being mellow U2core. It does its job well in a "king of the mid" kind of way, and the closing song was nice too 6.5/10

Pretty generic but this wasn't forced onto my ipod

It was alright. I mean it's u2 there's a couple good songs and a lot of filler

U2 takes a lot of crap, and, in some cases, deservedly so. Strictly musically speaking, this album is pretty good. The hits are amazing, but are slightly out of balance with the non-hits.

it's 3.5

Favourite Songs: So Cruel The Fly

50/50

kinda boring

Mostly kinda boring

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.

Another good U2 album. Nothing big noteworthy hear. Good, but not great

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 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.

Real dad music

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.

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.

#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.

I'm sure this is a "great U2 album", but all U2 sounds pretty much the same to me.

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.

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.

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)

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

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.

Good

7/10

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.

3 stars

Most of the songs sound the same and the ones that sound different you’ve heard a million times on the radio.

Not a favourite

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

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

2/13/26 made for easy listening. 6.5/10

U2, le Coldplay des 80’s

Ikke stor U2 fan men klart deres bedste album

it was kinda good but I’m bias against u2

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.

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)

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.

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