Achtung Baby

im not the biggest fan but i have some favorite songs on here so 3/5

This album was on every walkman/discman and radio in the early 90's and I hadn't heard it since. Some of the tracks are great and better than I remember, but the production and drum tracks are so steeped in the era that the whole album feels stuck in 1991.

Polished, listenable, but mostly bland.

Big nostalgia vibes from my teenage years with this record, and big hits with songs like ‘One’, ‘…Wild Horses’ and ‘Mysterious Ways’ still getting regular radio air play today. Less preachy then some of their earlier albums, but with a harder guitar sound and more adventurous sonic palette (by their standards), ‘Achtung Baby’ is probably U2’s most consistent album.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with U2, and this album is no exception.

Better then i expected. Still not a U2 person, but it was ok.

I guess I'm just not a fan of U2, either. It's alright, nothing to write home about, though. Some of the guitar sounds are pretty interesting, but overall this is just not something I'm going to go back and listen to.

It was fine. Didn't have my favorite U2 songs on it but definitely didn't mind it.

meh, u2

There is a range of goodness on this album. One and Mysterious Ways are well known for good reason. There are one or two other tracks I like almost as much. There are 4-5 decent tracks and 2-4 clunkers I’d skip right over.

I generally like U2, no doubt they are talented, but this album was kinda boring aside from Love is Blindness

"durr Bono is the world's biggest shit durrr". Yeah ok edgelords, get it out of your systems. U2 is overrated but this is probably their best album. The radio hits are genuinely good songs, esp. mysterious ways. The rest is decent enough, just a bit too long. If they'd trimmed about 15min off this I'd have given it a four. 3/5.

A few years ago, I would have had a similar response to U2 that I did with my Coldplay “review” yesterday. But I have warmed up to them a little bit. They’re strong, distinctive musicians, and Bono has pipes for days. I still don’t really love U2, though, but I can respect how this was a necessary change in sound for them, and proved that they don’t always have to be so self-serious. That’s cool, and Brian Eno’s production is still rightfully massive. Still, I don’t have a whole lot of use for the tempoless dredge that a lot of this offers. I much prefer Mysterious Ways to One, basically. C-? Idk

U2 by and large doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but this is a pretty fucking decent rock album. The Edge has style for days and the rhythm section does a lot of heavy lifting and regularly nailing it. The songwriting is really smart and they do have some solid hooks. Sure, Bono is annoying but I can tolerate it. “The Fly” was a real surprise to me, I don’t recall this band having any bite in their repertoire but this is cool. I’ll never forgive them for putting an album on my phone, but for this, I’ll put a lil shine on their name. A pleasantly surprising 3.

5/10 I’m not a big fan of U2, this wasn’t bad but it sounded very monotonous to me

It's fine. I don't particularly care for U2 but it's cool to hear what they used to sound like.

This is a weird one. I feel like I have never really given U2 proper shrift because they were already so big by the time I learned of them that I didn’t really care, I just assumed they were good. They’re not - at least not this album. Maybe the music really is bland and generic but what I think really happened is U2 was so massively influential that so much music after them bore a resemblance. So looking back now it’s an artificial blandness, which gets a solid 3/5. “Meh.” - Nellie

Always enjoy U2, Love ‘One’ but not my favourite album of theirs

Not bad you two

Not a big fan of U2, but if I had to listen to a U2 album this would be the one. Critically acclaimed and loved by fans, it contains many of their best known hits, I didn't feel a need to turn it off.

I don't hold this album in the same regard as I do The Joshua Tree, but it's a good listen. I'm not a U2 hater, but I'm not obsessed with them either. They've just got some good jams and they make my ears happy sometimes.

Not as bad as I remember

Didn’t really enjoy it all that much, with the exception of “One” which, with the benefit of not having heard it in ages, I found beautiful.

I respect the risk of reinventing their sound here, even if a lot of the time it didn't pay off. It is unfortunate that "experimental" for U2 ends up just sounding like a retread of what other groups have done a little better. Still, it isn't bad; in fact it is really, really good in some parts. It just really underperforms in a lot of other parts, unfortunately, and it is definitely overhyped. I mean, best album of all time? The song One being massively overrated? it doesn't help the pretentious image they have lol.

Solid but not spectacular. Has some good songs but certainly not the best U2 album. The famous songs like One and Mysterious Ways clearly the best. 3/5

just not my favorite U2. think this album is over-rated.

Joa, eher mittelmäßig, auch wenn zum Teil sehr gute Momente dabei sind.

Man hört in jeder Faser das Stadion heraus, das hiermit zu füllen ist. Ich höre aber durchaus viel zu viele einfache und recht langweilige Rock-Songs, so vielversprechend sich vieles im Anfang gibt. 2.9

Not my type of music, but it still had some great parts. Favorite Songs: The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Acrobat

Haven't listened to this record before but of course I've heard some of the big singles (who hasn't?). I've always been kinda meh on U2. I recall buying "All That You Can't Leave Behind" back in the day and I think I've made various attempts to listen to some of their earlier work but they have never really clicked with me - more of the same on this record. This band has always seemed to be trying way too hard to be relevant and the attempts at including electronic sounds to this record feels that way too. And for some reason I find the production this record to be almost unlistenable. Everything sounds a bit muffled. Having said that, on occasion I did enjoy some of the guitar tones and obviously a few of the songs do stand out since they are just so well known. Most of the not well known ones are pretty forgettable though. Kinda on the edge (no pun intended) between 2 and 3 stars for me.

Solid album. Not super memorable for me, but I of course like the song One. The whole vibe is very 90s so ya know I love that part!

meinlaust, ekki þeirra besta verk

7/10

Great playing, but not my genre

boring

everything felt like it belonged in a movie to me, dont know if for that reason or not, but it resonated with me less on a personal level. i enjoyed the clean sounds and how perfectly complete everything sounded, but it wasnt exactly music my soul would think about tomorrow

Vanilla as fuck!

// Favs: – Score: Decent 3

This might be the first album on the list that gets a nostalgia anti-bump from me! My first serious girlfriend used to like U2 - it must be over 2 decades since I've listened to a full album by them... It was fine, I guess. The high points for me are when it started to sound similar to the Passengers side project they did with Brian Eno, which I much prefer to straight U2.... Fave track - "Mysterious Ways" maybe? idk

1991. One, Until The End Of The World

Las cuatro o cinco primeras canciones de este CD le dan cierto rollazo

Interest sound and textures. Not a fan of the lyrics - or the voice idk. Cool guitar riffs!! Like it 👍🏼 Favourite tracks: The Fly, Mysterious Ways

Some brilliant songs but also some filler

2.75

3/5 didn't make the cut

🤷‍♂️

Right on the fence here

Very middle of the road rock

Just cannot dig U2. Gave up after three tracks. I know people love them, but I just…don’t.

Some good tracks, and I understand U2's following and why people like it, but I just can't stand the lyrics. The music is amazing and the tones used are some of the best in the industry, but the lyrics are so off-putting and pretentious. I'm not U2 hater, I like their hits decently enough, but it's not for me. 2.5/5, round up to 3/5 for the music.

I appreciated how different this album was from the rest of U2’s discography. It was much more alternative and heavy that their other more pop-sounding music. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either. Fav songs: mysterious ways, even better than the real thing

U2 has lately become a band I respect more than like. It started with this album. I liked the earlier stuff better.

Kind of a weird experience listening to this. I haven't listened to this album in a long time and I was expecting it to be really good. Instead even the songs I like weren't as good as I remembered them.

Not bad but a bit same-ish

of course I am going to love U2 but it is not their best work/album it was a little rusty at times and not their best work but I do love U2

Superó mis expectativas.

good vocals, sometimes good instrumentals. idk didnt listen to the lyrics

I didn't really listen to it in depth. It was alright.

3/5 - Some standouts, but it felt... too uniform?

Too long of an album (26 songs - 2hrs) Not quite my cup of tea music-wise Some good classics though (mysterious ways and even better than the real thing for example)

Some good songs but hard to listen to the rest.

Singles are great, the rest not so much

Better than I remember. Still prefer their early stuff more, but this is pretty good.

bon c'est u2 quoi, ça dépasse pas mes attentes ça reste cool mais sans plus la voix de bono saôule un peu au bout d'un moment 7/10 ? Fav : one forcément. Oh et Acrobat, une bonne surprise on sent bien l'influence sur arcade fire par exemple (ex: so cruel)

Um álbum que me surpreendeu pela positiva, tinha uma ideia muito negativa sobre os U2 mas este álbum mostrou que a minha ideia preconcebida não estava totalmente correta. Nota :6/10

One of the best bands of all time. Bono is a top geezer and The Edge wears a lovely little hat.

Nothing stand out super strongly, it would be okay if it came on shuffle some how for most tracks as a change of pace but wouldnt seek it out nor would want it coming up too often

3/5

I stopped following these guys in ’80 when they moved to more of a soft rock style with songs like “I still haven't found what I'm looking for”. Many of the tracks on Achtung have promising opening guitar riffs and I like the Edge’s playing throughout but songs like “One” and “Mysterious Ways” sound formula to me.

Always thought there were a few good tunes on this but less so than i remember

u2 doesn't do it

I liked this one better than I thought I would given what U2 I've heard previously, but I'm not coming back to it to listen to again and again. It's well polished and it sounds good, but there was nothing here that really hooked me.

Not the best U2 album, but has one of my fave songs on it, "One". Lots of cool guitar effects from The Edge, and some good energy to the rest of the songs. Highlights: -One -Mysterious Ways

Nunca había escuchado este disco completo, y aunque sí me gusto escucharlo completo, creo que no me perdí de demasiado. Las canciones que me gustan del disco (y de hecho me gustan mucho) son One y Misterious Ways. Me sorprendió leer que este fue su séptimodisco, no hubiera imaginado que para ese momento tuvieran tantos. Además del cambio en la dirección de su carrera musical, creo que el disco también refleja un cambio de década. La calidad y el tipo de música son claramente diferentes de lo que había en los 80's.

Fav Song: Salome

I am not a U2 fan boy. I will admit that some of there songs are catchy. I have always liked mysterious ways. That being said some of these songs blend together with the "U2 sound".

bof u2... listenable, but really nothing more.

as expected, really meh

Lost my Achtung Baby review, but the album is just okay

So, while listening to this album, I was interested in reading WHY U2 were so hated other than the (imo) overdramatic reaction to their album showing up in everyone's iTunes and Bono being Bono. What I learned: they started as a post-punk band, and this album seems to be around the turning point from when U2 went from darlings to hated. this album didn't seem all that great to me, but it has made me more interested in going back and listening to War/Joshua Tree. Honestly, it was fine, but I probably won't go back and listen to it. I think at this point, the mythos around U2 is larger than even the band itself (which is saying something). Some people also argued that U2 helped invent this 'generic rock' sound, which, much like Citizen Kane, makes going back and listening to (or watching) it less impressive. Lots to think about here. I also was kind of over the album about halfway through.

Starting to think U2 is ass cause this and the last album I got have been some mid... Who is the fan base?? Standout Tracks: Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Acrobat

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

esqueci de salvar oq eu escrevi mas achei daorinha ate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reasonable effort from U2

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

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

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

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

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

Det er nok U2 nå!

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

Fatter ikke at dette bandet var så stort. Kjedelig!

Favorite tracks : One ; The Fly

Mag die nicht +1 für brian eno

Meh

Offensively bland

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This album is just okay. Not great.

I have a strong distain for U2, but I'll give this the old college try. This sounds very 1991. I've this playing for ever, and it's so boring...

It was fine I just don’t need another U2 album on this list.

People who said old U2 is good are liars. Bono is so fucking corny. Some of the guitar work is ok but the songs are so fucking boring.

By the time “Achtung Baby” came out in 1991, I had already turned my back on U2. While I loved “The Unforgettable Fire” and “The Joshua Tree,” “Rattle & Hum” had deeply disappointed me. And “Achtung Baby!” would turn my fondness for the band into antipathy. The hype surrounding the album was unbelievable. At the time, it was truly considered the most “avant-garde” thing you could sell in the mainstream. Listening to the album again 35 years later, you find neither anything particularly avant-garde in it (aside from a few studio gimmicks by Lanois and Eno), nor anything hateful. Since “The Unforgettable Fire,” U2 had been shifting more and more toward a very ‘American’ expansive sound, which was fully realized here for the first time. In short: this is mainstream at its broadest, featuring a few good tracks (“Mysterious Ways,” “The Fly,” ‘Acrobat’), many mediocre ones, and a few bad ones (“Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”—hey hey sha la la, hey hey, sha la la). Back then, U2 were the biggest rock band on the planet, and that fame certainly went to the band’s heads; above all, though, it makes it so difficult to properly categorize their music. Without all the media hype surrounding the band and the album, “Achtung Baby” (what a stupid album title that no English speaker can pronounce correctly) is just a rock album with the sound of its time, with some highs and lows but mostly “more of the same,” which has acquired a lot of patina over the years. The album wasn’t even “groundbreaking” for the band itself, whose hubris would spiral out of control after this album and culminate in gigantic tours.

these dudes make slow clown music for clowns. im sorry. one of the most overhyped goofball bands of the century. not my thing. bland repetitive chord work. bland songs. achtbooooo baby.

Ben niet zo van u2

Какая же это ебаная скукотища Вот я знаю что такое группа u2 - это именно этот альбом Есть хит, не переслушаю

Anyone who thinks U2 is a crime against humanity would probably fall for all the propaganda they've spoken against. This album sucks but it's just "shrug and move on" bad.

Album was fine but U2 has never done it for me. One was the highlight of the album but there were other songs that I feel I’ve heard before but other than that I wasn’t blown away

It's U2

Pretty much like U2 as a whole for me where I didn't mind listening to it but also not anything I'd seek out

Dull as dish water and the one song I actually enjoyed (One) is much better done by Johnny Cash.

was a big fan of this album when first released and I really remember being desperate to see the live tour with the flying trabents. Listening to it again now it feels like the dictionary definition of bland. It just washes over me with the exception of "One" which I still have a soft spot for.

Just dont like them do was extremely difficult to listen to

Unfortunately I could only find the deluxe version on Spotify, and it comes in at a whopping 1 hr and 57 mins. The remixes are a slog and honestly very bad, mysterious ways (perfecto remix) is an assault on my ears. I think that this album has really some high highs and the rest is either really bad or just mediocre. i personally, love Zoo Station, especially the intro and as introduction to the rest of the album, it's the only song that really stuck out to me. This album has a really cool concept production wise, because the fusion of electronic dance and rock was very new at that time and has soo much potential. However, the execution was mid at best: for example, the production on Even Better is kind of a nothing burger sonically, even though, again, it has so much potential. It lacks anything to write home about other than the fusion itself and relying on how good an idea is doesn't make the song itself good. All of that being said I dont think the album is necessarily trash, I definitely think there is something here, and to be honest I think that part of that is the influence it had on U2's later career and the rock genre as a whole. If we're gonna talk about rock fusions Gorillaz's Electronic rock or Wednesdays's country rock are much better examples of a practice in fusing rock and im honestly kind of reminded of how it's actually possible to fuse genres in a sonically appealing way when I listen to this album. It leaves me really disappointed if im being honest. 2/5

I don't know what to say really. This band are among the legends of pop music (deservedly so) and simultaneously insufferable. I understand why their fans love them so much and I cannot fathom why anyone would want to listen to them more than once. And this is one of their landmark albums. At least it's over

This album doesn’t give in to the excess that makes me generally dislike most U2. For the most part, Bono is downright subdued, and it’s less overwrought. Still, don’t really like it that much.

This was decent. I see why it's on this list, I bet U2 was probably somewhat influential and there's more thought going on here in the composition and lyricism than a lot of other groups. But, still mid. Fave tracks: - Zoo Station - Even Better Than The Real Thing - Until The End Of The World - The Fly - Mysterious Ways

Meh

A good opportunity to learn a bit about U2, I guess. Their sound was a bit more laid-back and ethereal than I was expecting, but that was about the extent of my surprise. Many times I found myself liking the initial groove presented, only to be let down by it being corny or uninteresting when the song reveals its full hand. Being able to make a catchy groove is more than some of these other albums can say, but I don't think it's enough for me to give this album at three. There were a lot of interesting sounds and good instrumentation, but very few of the songs really grabbed me. Their whole often was not greater than the sum of its parts. The vocals didn't interest me much either

boring this might be thee most boring, white people music I can think of I would expect to hear this in an orthodontist's office or some commercial

There’s no reason this record needs to be on this list. Unless the point is to show what it sounds like when a band totally sells out. Then, yes, this is a perfect example of a good band evolving into absolute mediocrity. 2/5

Only listened to half of the album. Not a very big U2 fan. Find their music very bland and boring. But understand why people enjoy them. Not for me. 2/5

the background music to high school? the radio rock i learned to ignore? too heavy a dose of bono? less good than the other U2 albums on this list I've already rated at 3?

Whatevs

Mild and uninspiring 2

They try a bunch of different stuff on this album, but it all ends up being mid. I'm not surprised Brian Eno worked on this.

Not really my type of music, or even of rock... might need a few relistens, but I'm just not feeling it right now. it's alright

Solid

mehtung.

I listened to Achtung Baby by U2 with an open mind, but ultimately it didn’t resonate with me on a personal level. I can appreciate its significance and the band’s shift in sound—leaning into a more experimental, electronic-influenced style—but it’s not the direction I usually gravitate toward. The album has a polished, atmospheric quality that makes it suitable as background listening, yet it rarely fully engages me. While there are undeniably iconic tracks, they don’t align with what I typically enjoy from the band. I tend to prefer the more direct and anthemic style of songs like new years day, which feel more immediate and emotionally impactful. From a critical standpoint, Achtung Baby is clearly a bold and influential record, but in terms of personal taste, it falls short of being compelling. Rating: 2/5 giulitas ⭐️

3 for music - 1 for lyrics= 2. That’s all I can seem to muster to write about this album.

Best Track - "Mysterious Ways"

Once more an album from the most overrated band in the world. And as usual, it would be wrong to say it is bad. Well, «Love» and «… Wild Horses» are even decent songs. The entire album is however truly boring, and I don’t ever feel like listening to it again.

Achtung Baby 1. i don’t like the ooooohh ohhhhh and i don’t like the robotic voice or the singing 2. did not like bu hao 3. This song is nice I like it 4. i think i just didn’t like it that much 5. it’s oka i don’t like it though 6. i likely it’s good it’s emotional 7. lowkey guys let’s just say i didn’t like the rest of this because i didn’t

1/3. Boring. Nothing really caught my attention; the Edge’s guitar is cool but predictable, and this lacks any of the already limited cool that the band has on an album like Joshua Tree

voy 3 canciones. por ahora no es algo que volvería a escuchar. medio bajón como canta y la música. las ultimas 4-5 ponele me gustaron un poco mas, ya no las escuchaba con la sensación de uy q termine.

It was Ok, not a huge fan of U2

So not quite as bad as I remembered, but still not very remarkable.

Seriously milquetoast. The last two songs kind of save it. I do not understand the massive appeal of this band.

Thought this was quite bland tbf. I saved one song and that was all on the first listen. I guess there were some good guitars at points. Second listen I enjoyed a lil more, but still a 2.5/5 for me (rounded down for here)

Para muitos um grande e importante álbum, para mim um álbum aborrecido e pouco interessante. Escrito numa época de transição, marca a mudança dos U2 para pior. Não voltarei a ouvir *Possível revisão futura*

Not my fave hate one

seems kinda boring? like Pablo Honey Radiohead. it is easy listening though 2

se intento pero no gusto

Does not sound great. I like a couple of songs, but still pretty bad. Fav: One The Fly Ultra Violet 2/5

Who will ride your wild horses

boring ahh album

i’m just not a u2 guy

El 'meh' más 'meh' del universo. No es lo mío definitivamente, me emboló para el tema 2. Tiene temas recognizable and all pero estaba turbo embolada, no lo volvería a escuchar.

Not really my kind of music.

Eh

Mysterious Ways I really like, the rest is pretty forgettable.

Meh

Muito bom

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

Didn’t enjoy this much, prefer War

Meh

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.

It was a struggle to get through, feels bit of a let's try anything and see what sticks.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

u2 is just not for me.

U2 is Adam Watt’s favourite band

Perfectly passable but ultimately uninteresting songs

Shockingly undercooked cheese. I gave U2 too much credit.

hits zijn top rest is meh

it was okay, but i find U2 completely inspirational to listen to and that is the problem

Ganske kjedelig.

Det varierer for mye mellom rock og pop. Bono har en fet stemme, soundet er tidvis fett. Men totalt sett treffer det ikke meg.

" 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

Hmm. Quite a Nothingburger

ci sta, nulla di speciale

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

U2 are shite

I only listened to this because I had to. I have never, and will never understand the appeal of U2.

I hate U2, but enjoyed the album.

Casi todas las rolas suenan igual ajjaj, empezó bien pero en la tercera ya fue zzz

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

meeh

Achtung Bono....

hard listen but i get the idea

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.

Not a big U2 fan

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.

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.

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.

pas trop mon style je réécouterai pas

“Mysterious Ways” is so good just because that bass line is so fucking mint. Outside of that, it’s a pretty uninspiring album.

Its alright

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!

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

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.

awful album and turn for the band but 'One' was a banger

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

Wikipedia tells me this is an album filled with innovation and creativity. It didn’t capture me much. Seemed like it was more derivative than transformative.

Fine.

As someone who never really listened to U2 prior to this project I was interested in hearing what is considered one of their best after having a terrible experience with All That You Can’t Leave Behind. However now that I’ve also heard Achtung Baby I’m not so sure that I’m going to connect with U2. This was a better experience but still not one I really enjoyed.

Really neat textural work with the instrumentation just rejones by the utterly lame lyricism.

I was listening to this and everything was going ok. Sure, this was a change from the U2 of previous towards their Omnishite music of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t particularly engaging or exciting either. This all changed when One Love came on and I instantly recalled that fucking awful moment in 2020 when thousands of people were dying every day from Covid and a bunch of self-important thespians though that singing this together over the internet would make everyone feel better. Changed the game after that. Fucking Hollywood!

Meni njihov najbolji

I despise U2, but this is their best album

Minu jaoks kohutavalt igav ja Bono vokaal ei istu mulle üldse.

When I saw I got a U2 album, I got pretty exciting. However this one was a big disappointment. It really falls flat, with little excitement along the way. 2/5

Incredibly generic but has a couple of hits that pull this up to a 2.

Definitely an unnecessary inclusion alongside the other U2 here.

Lots of singles. Lame singles.

I’ve never gotten the appeal of U2. The most mid of rock bands, nothing on here really stands out. Nothing on here was offensive to the ears either, just sounds like generic background music to me. 4/10

not bad, not great

Fucking Bono man, I don't need this on a Monday morning. This is just the most empty noise of a band I've had on this list so far. Every album is just like this one too. Nothing unique to say, nothing innovative to try. Waste of time.

This was the first time hearing a U2 album all the way through. The band has a solid groove. The Edge's guitars are distinct which I appreciate during certain songs. Bassist Adam Clayton truly held these songs together for me. I like drum pads and dance music, but I do think drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. was underutilized to add more texture. I do not like Bono's voice and the more I heard it the less I wanted to hear. He is not a good storyteller; he feels "it" but he doesn't bring the audience with him. It got hard not to get grumpy while listening through this album because of his voice. I will say they know how to make an enticing intro to all their songs.

sounds so flat it actively annoys me

How could it all go so wrong?

This is so generic. Good lord. It sounds like the music they play in superdrug because they don't want to pay for the real stuff. I have never forgiven U2 for the un-deletable "free album" that appeared in my meticulously curated iTunes against my will, spoiling the vibe and not going away. The assumption that we would be grateful for this because it's so amazing?! The reason it was so egregious is because it was so mid!!! Anyway, this is like that.

Only two tunes on here that I really care about, "Even Better Than the Real Thing", and "Mysterious Ways". Not a fave of mine.

2.5 Even as someone who never got into U2, their albums are easy to listen to. Nothing about their music sticks out and makes me want to come back to it, but it’s easy to throw on in the background when I’m doing something or entertaining guests. I did enjoy this more than their previous album I reviewed (Joshua Tree), but still pretty bland for my taste.

Sterile music for the masses.

It's ok. Nothing really interesting but nothing offensive either. Best song: Mysterious Ways

There’s just something about U2 that I cannot stand

More like U2

A long, long time ago. In a small town not that far away. A younger version of myself had an iPod. Imagine…. It was a time before smartphones and music subscriptions. It’s romantic to think of a time without constant notifications and updates. At the time you primarily learned about music from the radio, friends or family. Then one day a deal made through U2 and Apple forces a download of their newest album onto every single iPod in existence. No consent was given at all. It was like a virus that found its way into your iPod the moment it was plugged in to your computer. You at first think cool a free album… But then you listen to it and realize that you don’t really care for U2. Then if you shuffle your music it ends up embedded in your life whether you like it or not. So you think whatever I’ll just delete it. Then you find out you can delete are your own personal music but not U2. This violation of user choice made apple release a tool to remove the album and forced an apology from U2. I was not a fan of U2 then and continue to not really be into their music. But I cannot deny that I sang along to many of the tunes on this album either way.

Not U2's best representation. For me its a 2.5 but rounding down feels more right than rounding up

2.3 Third U2 album on here, so I've now had late stage, early stage, and finally mid stage. Maybe it caught me on the wrong day but this was the worst of the lot. War was actually alright, the later one was generic shite, but this was the most disappointing of the lot. I was trying to put my finger on why it's so bad and the closest I can get to it is it sounds like the selection of songs David Brent puts together in that episode of the office. Just fake, cringy stadium rock. I think it's saying something that for all the albums they sold, I've never met a single U2 fan. You'll meet people both from that era or born way after that wax lyrical about the smiths, the police etc, but who actually likes them today. It's as though everyone of that era was put under a spell that's been broken. As it's shite.

Classics

Their seventh album. Rock. I've tried and tried and tried again over the years with U2. They just don't do anything for me. Like this album, it isn't bad but it doesn't do anything for me at all. It's bland and I was bored.

More like ECCH-tung 🤢

Unrelentingly bland and boring. The guitar "solo" at 2:15 of "Love is Blindness" does a good job of encapsulating the talent and ambition on display in another hour of U2's music, formulated to never stray too far from optimal mass-appeal.

Found it boring more than anything else. Some ok songs but I see no reason to listen to it again.

I have never liked U2, I have never understood it. This was a slog for me. Bono is so uninteresting, the edge may be a guitar revolutionary but that doesn't stop them from making songs that are infinitely less interesting than REM. I don't love the joshua tree but why did they need a reinvention from that sound? Even my boy Brian Eno can't save this. Mysterious ways is fine I guess. I feel like I’m being punked, so many people I know list this as a best album of all time and I truly can’t see it. It must have been a right place right time situation because I’ve never met anyone under thirty who gives a shit about this band.

I don't know why we needed this middle tier U2 album. For the most part it's fine, sometimes even good, but too many sha la las and baby lyrics. Feeling a decent 2/5

Joshua Tree proves they're capable of greatness. This just feels like a watered down version of something that could be good. Bland & flavorless.

Aspects of the sound were enjoyable. This ends up being pretty same-y by the end of the record and wears thin for me. There isn't a clear movement to the album - it stays pinned at a similar level of intensity and emotional weight throughout with little deviation. Just not really for me.

Kan inte förmå mig att bry mig om detta. Ni är jätteduktiga, men ni är också jättetråkiga.

Megh

A bit repetitive. One is a good song though

It's ok. Never enjoyed U2. Repetitive sounds, guitar and christian rock type vibes.

bono is a douchebag

Better than expected. I'm giving double the amount of stars I thought I would - two. After the malaise of the Unforgettale Joshua Tree Fire years U2 stumbled into the 90s and into a career high by trying to sound like Jesus Jones. The gutars are fantastic it could almost be Andy Gill and the electronic atmospherics are cool. But Bono is far too high in the mix. He can't let an instrumental passage go by without vocalising unneccessarily. Even in the verses and choruses he's too damn loud and delivers every bloody line with ernest passion forcing you to pay attention to lyrics, which are gibberish. A clique is still a clique and nonesense is still nonesense if you sound like you mean it man. But the guitar sound is marvelous and that's earned an extra star. Pity you can't hear them!

Not a fan unfortunately, never really have been 🤷

Wasn’t the worst thing ever but also was.

a walk down memory lane

feeling pretty meh about U2 as a whole. mysterious ways was nice, One was fine, and everything else just kinda sounds the same in my opinion. every song is a quasi-balled that never amounts to distinction.

Fine - not really doing much for me.

Boooooooooooooriiing

This was the beginning of the downturn for me with U2. Maybe a couple of good songs, with “One” being the best, but overall this album is not breaking any new ground, and it lacks the passion of U2’s earlier music. Almost feels like they are going through the motions… & beginning the shmaltzy cheesy phase. Nothing really terribly bad about it, just not great.

This is not my favorite U2 album but it has one of their best songs "One." The rest of the album is ok and I would listen to it again.

After listening, I can confirm that this is indeed an album made by the band U2.

Despite being ubiquitous throughout my childhood and teens age years, the only U2 album I’ve ever listened to all the way through was Rattle and Hum. But this album? Aside from the singles (well, some of them anyway), it’s straight trash.

Not my genre. Outside of One and The Fly I don’t think I’d delisted to any track.

Huge whiplash hitting this one right after Slayer

eh

This album serves no purpose to me other than to reaffirm what I’ve always known. U2 are almost certainly one of the most overrated bands of all time. They make my fucking teeth grind with how shit they are.

Mid.

Tiene alguna cancion curiosa pero me parecio un poco flojo

I think there are good arguments on both sides as to whether you should be able to separate art from the artist, and I'm not sure which side I come down on. What I do know, however, is that it's much easier to separate the art from the artist when the art in question is actually any good, not dull, plodding, stadium rock shite. Realistically, Bono is no bigger bell end than Morrissey, but the big difference between the two is that the Smith's made some great music. I'm going to resist the urge to add a Hat Twat Tax and give this album a two rather than a one. Either way though, I'd be happy to never hear this again.

With or without youuuuuuuuuuu, with or without youuuu

Ok

mid 2 ive often wondered, whats the deal with U2? today i learned the deal. theyre eh