Reviews (page 9 of 12)
Hlustaði vandræðalega mikið á þetta á sínum tíma. Eldist ekki vel. Finnst fyrstu plöturnar þeirra miklu betri núna. Meira real.
Wikipedia says this has been "acclaimed by writers and music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time." I'm neither a writer nor a critic, but meh. It's fine, with a few good songs and more boring ones.
U2 sounds good, but nothing special except "One" for my taste.
I have a knee-jerk cynicism about U2; I don't want to like them. I know a lot of their biggest hits, and like several of them, but I think this was only the 4th album I've listened to in full (the others being The Joshua Tree, All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb). Listening to One, possibly the only song here I'd heard before, I thought of John Lennon asking Paul McCartney whether he was supposed to laugh during the solo of Let It Be. The thing is, I like Let It Be. I like One, too. Zoo Station was a case of cool textures not adding up to a great song, and perhaps there are a couple too many slow songs, but I enjoyed this much more than I expected and I'm sure I'll listen to it again.
Some good tracks - wouldn't listen to much!
The songs “one” and “mysterious ways” are decent rock songs otherwise the rest of the album is ok. I’m not a huge u2 fan and this didn’t really change my opinion.
i listened to it i did
Decent U2 album, although like the (few) other ones I've heard, I remember about 3 of the songs & forget the rest.
There is "One" good song on this album.
Schön, mal wieder zu hören...
Favorite Tracks: Mysterious Ways Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
To be clear, I like U2. I'm not a fan of U2...more of a "love the hits" kind of fan. I've never listened to an entire U2 album. I've read about the greatness of this album so it was good to get a chance to listen to it. For me...it's just okay. I love certain songs, but the majority of the album didn't click for me. Parts of it were just boring to me. However, I've always loved Mysterious Ways (pretty much since the first time I heard it). Favorite tracks: Zoo Station, One, So Cruel, Mysterious Ways, Love is Blindness.
U2 just doesn't do much for me
Another hit and miss U2 album - not as good as War, better than the dreadful All That You Can’t Leave Behind. There are some really good songs on here, most notably One but Acrobat was a great deeper cut as well - there were also some less good songs like the dreary closer and the god awful Tryin To Throw Your Arms Around the World, and then just a lot of stuff in the middle. Apparently this is the last of four U2 albums on this list so I’m mainly just glad I don’t really have to listen to them again
So I've always had a prejudice against U2, or maybe to be more fair against Bono. Sure, he's done good things, but he's one of those people that needs to give up his ego and self-importance and just be a decent person because it's the right thing to do rather than for personal gain. And I don't know how but his arrogance seems to carry through to his vocals. Bono aside, this album has some good high points. One, of course, but I also really enjoy Until The End Of The World, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, and Acrobat. They build songs really well and I love The Edge as a guitar player, stupid name aside. Apart from their early albums which may be considered some kind of punk-lite, they layer instruments and arrange the music really well and always have a super full sound. I guess I've always just kind of written most of U2 off because Bono is not my favorite person. They have written some songs that I really like, Joshua Tree is a fantastic album, maybe I should try to get over Bono and appreciate them for their music. Giving this one a solid 3.5 stars but rounding down because...Bono.
Decent. Kinda was putting me to sleep the end lol
I like it but I remember when they forced everyone to download their album
Me gusto mas que War, corrige o cambian cosas respecto a lo que comenté de War. Es mas dinámico y One es una gran canción.
Solid album.
This was a very interesting album- at first I wasn't expecting much of it, but I noticed a couple of references that went almost completely over my head- Achtung is German for Attention! Also, this album is what inspired the JJBA character Shizuka Joestar! Very cool lil references right there. Overall it wasn't bad. I'd add a few to my playlist :)
I like some U2, but not blown away by this album as a whole
Couple good songs overall mid
Rating: 6/10 Decent album overall. Enjoyed the experimental nature of it, U2 changed their sound on this album while still sounding like themselves. A lot of the songs sound very similar but the highlights are really great, it at times sounds uncannily like Radiohead. Favorite songs: Zoo Station, Even Better Than The Real Thing, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Love Is Blindness. Worst song: So Cruel.
Even Better Than the Real Thing One Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses Mysterious Ways
It's not bad. Nothing really stood out to me. Just kind of faded into the background.
U2's never been a favorite of mine, but it's hard to dislike an album with "Even Better Than the Real Thing," "One," and "Mysterious Ways" on it. I'm not sure what my favorite U2 song is, but the latter is definitely in the conversation. The rest of the album's decent enough, so let's call this 3.5 stars.
Pretty good U2 album.
U2 seems like the Nickleback of the 80s/90s
Pretty lame but some nice tunes, prefer earlier albums
Prefer the old style of U2 but respect the reinvention
I was quite surprised how much i liked this album, despite thinking it was very 'safe' music while i heard it, or maybe not safe, but at least not-dangerous. I found the music somewhat generic, and i have never been a huge fan of Bonos voice, but i didnt really mind listening to this one.
I'm not a big fan of U2 and I don't really love their sound. It is just so dull for me. That said, this isn't horrible. I like the guitar with the vocal tone to get this sorta spaced out vibe. The 'Even Better Than the Real Thing' song is pretty good. 'One' I've heard a million times and didn't even realize it was U2. A bit over played but that is because it is a banger.
Fav: One L/F: The Fly Yeah idk, it's U2 doing U2. 5
Walmart of alternative rock. So inoffensive it makes me upset.
I think everybody understands this isn't Joshua Tree
One love and all its covers are forever in my playlist. The rest of the album are not so memorable. Anyway, it was quite pleasant.
One is one of the best songs ever written. The rest is pretty good too
It was alright. A couple of songs were recognizable. Nothing ground moving.
Some great work by U2.
I find this album very scattered. Some great songs, some really shit - zoo station I have always skipped.
I liked some songs like one or misterious ways but for the most part is aight
i have no love for U2 but this is a decent early 90s pop rock album
I guess this album was less boring than what I expected. Definitely makes sense to include it as a foundational record for alternative rock with "One" and "Mysterious Ways", bla bla bla. These guys would have also smashed back in the 70s through, making ballads like "Love is Blindness". You can hear the influences of preceding genres in other tracks as well.
Hah...this is the first time I ever listened to Achtung Baby, hard to believe. Some good songs nothing transcendent. 3 stars
Got it. It's U2. It's ok. When do I get to listen to The Joshua Tree?
Vintage Bono. Well played
U2 have some good tracks but I can't listen to them for more than a couple of tracks in a row
I just dont think u2 are for me, got really bored listening to this and felt his voice agitating. Prolly southpark and Bill Bailey ruined this for me
Heard before for this entry, but forgot to write any notes. But now that I listen to it again, it's hard to do that... I know that U2 seems to be in the same spot as Coldplay and Imagine Dragons. I mean, it's okay to listen to, but I don't quite emotionally react to it. But it's still chill. My driving instructor used to play U2 in his car, so I tend to think about that. + One Love + Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses + So Cruel + Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
Good songwriting and U2 definitely has an iconic sound but their music just doesn't excite me - just left me a bit bored, but it's not bad music!
Bij het album 'War' noemde ik U2 een Knorr wereldgerecht en eigenlijk is dat bij dit album niet anders. De hele familie kan het vreten en misschien is er één familielid die het echt geweldig vindt omdat die de hongerwinter nog heeft meegemaakt en vergeleken met ongezouten bloembollen lijkt het nog heel wat. Sky Radio muziek. Gaandeweg ga ik me ietsjes ergeren merk ik. Die eeuwige kerkgalm, die half jankende stem van Bono (met af en toe een soort Hazesesque snik), de kopstemstukjes, de overgeproduceerde drums waar alle dynamiek en emotie is uitgefilterd en dan ook nog een gitarist die zichzelf 'the Edge' noemt maar ondertussen wel echt slaapverwekkend gitaarspel op de mat legt. Tussen de 2 en 3 voor mij.
That wasn't unpleasant. But I do not understand why this band took off.
Not really a U2 fan, but always think of this as their best period. And it does have some good songs, but mainly the singles, with The Fly a properly good song. Also, ...Wild Horses and Mysterious Ways But some of the songs are dull and overlong. Could have lopped off 15 minutes and had a really good 40 minute record.
Actually not a bad album, good background noise.
I remember that everyone freaked out when The Fly dropped as the first single from this record because "U2 had totally changed their sound". When I listen to this several years on though, it still sounds like a U2 record - it's not mashing the Americana buttons that the Joshua Tree did, but it's still instantly recognizable as a U2 album, especially in the context of everything that came after it. I recognize that U2 has different eras, but everything they do sounds like U2, that is a good rock band that is rarely exceptional. This is less of a groundbreaking album than it was hyped to be on its release.
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
taas yksi ultra valtavirta bändi jota en ole hallunnut kuunnella koska pari kuuluisinta biisiä on on kuin HERNEROKKA ILMAN SIANSORKKIA!!! ja albumin biisit ovat kyllä parempia parempilaatuisia, luovempityyppisiä kappaleita mutta ei kyllä säväyttänyt (ei kelpo vitonen) yksitellen ehkö hassun hauska kuunnella mutta kokonaisuudessaan albumi kuulostaa ääniseinältä ja ei piru, piru vien, piru vien vaan kiinnosta mörsän virtaa... until the end of the world
More enjoyable than the other U2 album (Joshua Tree) but not as good as it’s made out to be. I’m starting to think U2 isn’t as good as they say
всё уайт нойз кроме уан. потом немного расслушала остальные (осознала что мистириос уэйз тоже знаю). потом даже погуглила источники выражений донт лет зе бастардз грайнд ю даун и ин дримз бегин респонсибилитиз. в общем альбом не впечатлил но википедия даа
I remember liking this album quite a bit when it came out. It sounded cool. I expected to enjoy listening again and have all kinds of nostalgic feelings. Yes to the latter, for sure, but the music itself isn't as special as I remember. One is still a great song and I do like Mysterious Ways. This is still a good album, but that extra je ne sais quoi has worn off in the intervening decades, which I guess is fair enough. I do think U2 belongs on this list, which probably means this album also belongs on this list. But I imagine it will be a while before I visit Achtung Baby again.
Vocal harmonies on “zoo station” are really cool, it also has a nice driving bass line. Vocal “ahhh” harmonies give this a nostalgic, feel good sound, it’s cool they keep coming back to that. Sonically this holds up very well in general. “One” toes the line between “change the radio station immediately” corny and “get drunk and sing along with the boys” corny. Really the whole thing is corny, but a lot of it feels pretty good to listen to. Cover art: 4/10
Sounds exactly like what you’d expect from U2. Kinda cheesy but well made. Guitars sound cool af and fill up the space really well. The delay on all off the riffs and solos make all of the sounds sound huge. Makes up for some of Bono’s Bono-ness on songs like the fly where the guitar solo saves the song. The bass tone and bass lines also are solid throughout the album. Definitely easy to hate on U2 but I think it’s objectively well made with some catchy songs and is a decent 3 that I could understand people really liking.
Man some of these songs are catchy i can’t lie. Typa shit you don’t wanna like but just do. I’m like that Jay z gif quietly bobbing my head. I’d never be outspoken about this album but i really didnt mind it. Lyrics can be kinda cringe but Bonk has a style of singing that I kinda like for some reason Heard before: mysterious ways Top tracks: who’s gonna ride, mysterious ways, ultra violet
For some, U2 can walk on water. However, for me, it just doesn't do anything. While I can appreciate the album for what it is and the change in music styles, I just don't think I'll seek to purchase on vinyl.
Extemely listenable. While doesn't reach the heights of Joshua Tree, it's instantly apparent why this was one of the biggest albums of the '90s. 3/5
Another album where I’ve heard the singles a million and one times, but never had a strong urge to check the album. Not horrible, but not anything special either. First half of the album is stronger, towards the end my finger is was inching towards the track skip button. I liked maybe a handful of U2 songs before this. Listening to this album added one to the list. Success, I guess. Standouts: Until The End of the World 2.75
Not that big of a U2 fan, and found this a little weak. Mysterious Ways is the only real banger on it, End of the World also pretty good. The rest is as always competent rock, diminished by a little too much self-seriousness.
It’s alright.
A couple good songs on here, but overall lackluster.
It was good background music. I can totally see why people would really like this, but its not quite my style. If someone put it on in the car though, I would listen to it again
Not as offensive as so many U2 haters seem to lead you to believe. Besides Mysterious Ways it's pretty unremarkable, though. It got a little boring and repetitive by the end of the album.
Would have definitely preferred if this U2 album was automatically downloaded onto my iPhone. A couple boring songs, but a solid listen for sure.
I hate U2. They're all smug, self-important, pretentious assholes. I also am irritated by the standard U2 sound, with Bono doing improvised high up wailing vocals over Edge's jingling high pitched droney guitar nonsense on a bed of boring bass and drums. All that being said, this album was better than I expected. It is certainly plagued by a boring back end, where the drummer comes up with a single rhythm and just plays it with few fills for the entire song. And that rhythm is often the same across multiple songs to the point where the drums need to be there but are forgettable and can be mostly ignored. The bassist was good for coming up with at most one good riff per song, which is rarely improvised over. That riff is usually pretty good, but come on show some creativity. It is especially egregious in the transition from Mysterious Ways to Tryin to Throw, where the similarity of the single riff highlights the lack of creativity. Note that the bass is quite well mixed on this album however and stands out exactly when it should. Thankfully the guitar on this album is pretty good. Edge stays away from his high jingly garbage for the most part and lays down some pretty nice tracks. Guitar highlight for me is the extremely tasteful two-guitar opening to One. Bono is at his worst when he does the high wailing stuff, but mercifully that's absent from a number of these tracks. I would say overall that this album is mostly decent up to Mysterious Ways, then after that it is garbage other than the last track which I thought was a pretty decent closer. Mysterious Ways itself is more of a classic U2 sounds but man do I like that song. That bass groove is so nice, even if it never changes. The outro section kind of devolves into U2 garbage but I can forgive it. Another big highlight for me is the false rhythm opening to Until the End of the World, really like that. Anyways, impressed by some of this album but unlikely to go listening to much more U2.
Great production. The tones all sound great. Very pleasant to listen to sonically. But it's boring. And monotonous. Okay second half and coffee. It's got some variety and soul. I wanna dislike it for bono but it's got some good tunes. First take highlights: so cruel. Love is blindness.
Listened to this one a bit when I was younger. Good album but not their best.
A completely forgettable experience!! I know One and LIB. That being said, I didn't realise Love Is Blindness is a Bono original. You learn something new everyday! Saved tracks: Zoo Station, So Cruel, Acrobat, Love Is Blindness
This is not bad per say, I recognize the quality of the production and of many songs here, but I found it really boring as a whole. Not a lot of hooks and Bono's delivery is not that good. 5,5/10
This is a decent album. U2 gets a lot of hate for their attempts at being way too deep and how they portray themselves but overall their music is pretty good. They’ve been around for 4 decades and have made hits. This album is a bit more relaxed and the instrumentals are more upbeat. There are a couple songs that are replayable and have some worth. The song writing isn’t as depressing and this album is pretty solid. 6.7/10
Much better than I expected. Sometimes a bit overly dramatic
I liked really early U2 - the Boy era, when they were a bit more raw and hard. They still know how to write a catchy tune though. Happy to sing along to Mysterious Ways and my favourite on this album, – ‘Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’. Apparently they’ve never been able to play that song live because they can’t recapture that emotion. I guess that’s why I like it then.
I was on the U2 train earlier than most. A high school buddy was a big fan and introduced me to Boy and October before War and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" started to break the band. He even had these bootlegs (on cassette) of the band's earliest demos, which were terrible. Like, still figuring out how to tune a guitar terrible. So I felt a personal connection — I watched these guys grow into a real band. I saw them on the Unforgettable Fire tour, and it was one of the more spiritual concert experiences of my life. The crowd was fully invested, the band was in peak form, Lone Justice opened. Good night. Then Live Aid happened and the bubble burst. Funny that many discovered them at that time, but it was like the veil was lifted and I saw the band, and Bono, more specifically, for all its ambition. The honesty was gone. I think they really started buying into the hype and I was outta there. So, for a decade or more, I couldn't listen to the band. It was all schlock to me. This album falls right in the middle of that era. Three of the four U2 albums on the 1001 list do (groan). I seriously shed all of this, or at least acknowledged it, and gave this as objective a listen as I could. Nope. I don't buy any of it. Every plaintive groan, every strained whispery word, every gravelly note, every lyric. It all sounds so terribly self-aware. It's all show. It's like the band is watching itself under its own microscope. I get that my personal bias clouds my judgment on this one. But I just don't enjoy listening to this era of this band. "Mysterious Ways" is a legitimately good tune, even Bono's melodrama doesn't destroy that, though they follow it up with one of the worst songs in their catalog for good measure. I expect this album is probably better than my take on it, so I've raised my rating to a 3 to compensate. I bet you guys can't wait to hear more from dre's personal diary when Joshua Tree gets served up.
At the time this came out, I wasn't a fan. I preferred their earlier style to their reinvented one, as much as I knew that every band needs to evolve (and apparently, they really felt it - nearly split up). However, on a closer listen - and getting beyond the "hey we're different now" announcement of the opening track - there's a lot to like. Sure it's a bit overdone in places, but for the most part these are good songs with good arrangements. Not sure i'd reach for it in preference to other U2 albums, but definitely 3.5 stars.
3.8 very cool
I mean, it’s alright. It doesn’t suck, but I never liked U2 all that much and, while this is an enjoyable listen, it’s not super great. Also, did they just have too many album cover ideas and cram them onto one instead of picking one?
C'est une bonne idée de la part de U2 de vouloir viser le public germanophone, mais le propos est loin d'être assez agressif pour que ce projet soit réussi. Je les invite à prendre exemple sur Laibach et leur album Opus Dei.
Pretty Good
Fine.
This barely squeaks out a 3 for me. I’ve never been a U2 fan and this album is no different. I speak of uncanny valleys a lot, but I think U2 is uniquely uncannily between rock and pop.
I honestly can’t say I’m a fan of U2, mainly because Bono just seems super annoying. I remember years ago I read about him getting a private jet to fly his hat from Ireland to USA. This is the guy shouting about climate change. He must have really needed that hat. Songs I already knew: Even Better Than The Real Thing, One, Mysterious Ways Favourites: Even Better Than The Real Thing I was expecting this album to be bad and annoying just because I don’t like Bono. His voice was as whiny and annoying as expected, but the music itself was actually ok. It wasn’t anything amazing, but it was fine. Fairly uninspiring, but fine as pop music. Typical radio music, but nothing I’d ever go seeking out. Overall, it was better than expected but still pretty mid.
Roadblock..
I never used to like U2, mainly because of The Fly video, but suprised myself and liked a lot of this album
Notes - U2’s 5th album - Were aiming for something more “dark” and personal - I have some issues with the mixing and production of this album - The drums have no life to them - Surprising since Brian Eno is involved - The songs are okay, there’s a couple of classics but the rest are mostly forgettable - The songs are definitely creative, U2 using their usual formula but leaving room for experimentation and unconventional stuff Fav - Mysterious ways - Love the extra percussion and guitar sound on here Least fav - So cruel - Bit of a snooze, goes on for a while 3/5
Niet zo fan, maar ook niet per se slecht.
U2bad this one is their best album because it is not u2good
Honestly, I made a mental groan when U2 popped up today. I had this annoying acquaintance back in the day who LOVED LOVED U2 and have had a strange aversion to them ever since. Time seems to be on my side on that. BUT, Achtung Baby is better than I gave them credit for. There are a couple of good songs on this album and I always appreciate a coherent whole album, which this does, even though each song may sound a little too similar to the last at times. And then Bono's voice still gets tiresome about halfway through.
A few singles on here that I already knew. They remind me a lot of the 90s, when I was a youngster. Never been a huge fan of U2 but this album is alright. The singles stand out the most the other album tracks kinda passed me by…
Inoffensive and forgettable, but thankfully nowhere near as pretentious and insufferable as The Joshua Tree.
Decent rock album. Not too much else to say.
Less synths, more rock. That's a good decision, U2.
This album is a bloody mess. Apologies to the fanboys but what even is going on here? There are two good songs and the rest are just wandering, ho-hum pop songs. The driving rock band who made "The Joshua Tree" seems to have gone on vacation and put cardboard stand-ins on stage instead. The songs are simple, the production is over-mixed, and the performances are flat. It only earns 3 stars because "One" and "Mysterious Ways" are so good. Too bad the rest of the album doesn't even come close to the level of those two songs.
I liked this one, not a huge U2 fan
занудьненько like usually .....
Industrial influences Processed vocals + guitars, mechanical drums, synthesizers Produced by BRIAN ENO!!!!! Which is why it sounds good for a U2 album If people think NIN is gateway industrial, this is the gateway to gateway industrial. The general atmosphere of some of the songs makes it difficult to get the point of the lyrics across sometimes. The instrumentation in Who's Gonna... is way too upbeat for what Bono sings about. A lot of these songs feel a little dragged out, especially when most of them have no big changes over the course of the song. This is the case with So Cruel, where the song is 5 minutes long but has no big evolutions or changes. The Fly resolves almost every problem I've had with the album so far. Mysterious Ways is one of my favourites so far. It's not overly complicated, doesn't overstay its welcome and contains some great guitar work from The Edge. This album is very hit or miss, with the misses still being listenable and the hits "pretty good" at the best. Overall, its an ok album but would take a lot of effort to listen to the whole thing at once, as it is very draggy. Sounds like Muse but good.
I can see how U2 were the biggest band in the world for a bit. This is some impressive song writing and polished sound engineering. If they didn't push their tripe onto every IPhone in the world that one time, and Bono was a bit less Bono, I'm sure I'd like them a bit more. I might just go and quietly listen to The Joshua Tree.
Well that's my quota of U2 for the year. 'One' is a legitimately great song. The rest, meh.
Never forget when U2 hacked everyones iTunes. There are a couple bangers on this album but not my vibe. I’ll be generous with a 2.8 even though my head was still hurting during this album
Okay I guess.
72/100: U2 sounds a lot more like Coldplay than I remember them sounding. U2's clearly a great band, but this wasn't their best stuff. I admittedly don't know much about U2's discography and don't listen to them regularly, but I really hope this isn't considered one of their better albums, because it's very mediocre. Like I said, sounds like Coldplay. Generic pop rock.
Back then I wanted to like this album, but just could not get into it. Today I am still struggling to enjoy it. Yes, there is some good guitar work from The Edge (the main riff on Mysterious Ways, and also Acrobat springs to mind), but the majority of the songs themselves are not compelling enough for me, and at times Bono's vocal delivery even starts to irritate me a little.
I’ve never really been a fan of U2, but this wasn’t terrible. I’d probably listen to it again.
Solidno. Bilo je par pjesama koje su bile puno bolje od ostalog ali necu se vracat na ovo. Ostaje dad music
Okej je i ima dobrih dijelova, ali neću se sad baš nešta posebno vraćat na ovaj album, a pogotovo na u2.
1 This sucks 2 Ok its not that bad 3
2.5/5. This is fine. Not the best I've heard from them, and kind of bland and boring as a whole.
I don't have much experience with U2. I like a few of their songs, but I've made no effort to seek out more U2. This was okay. Some songs did nothing for me, but there were a few songs I enjoyed. I wonder if I'll end up liking Joshua Tree more or less than this. My favourite songs were probably So Cruel and Mysterious Ways.
I guess I don’t hate U2
U2 had long jumped the shark by this record. They revel in the indulgences of hedonistic arena rock, but they wear their own caricature well on the whole. It’s definitely less remarkable than either of their first two records, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear the emotional punches land as well as they do. They haven’t gone full 90s wah-wah rock just yet. The overall sonic impression is a bit confused as the group found itself in a bit of an identity crisis at the turn of the decade, but they came out rather favourably even as they sacrificed some of the vitality that made their early records so important to me. The songs are longer, the production even more polished than ever. I don’t rate the singles at all, they lack any sort of appeal to me. But whereas they maybe lost their creative edge, the Edge himself remains one of the most evocative guitarists in popular music. You either love him or you hate him, but his ear for a melody is undeniable and he executes his sound better than anybody else. He is the epitome of a guitarist who always serves the song. It’s a marked turn in U2’s discography, and while I’m not a great fan of their banal stadium-fillers, they were still capable of a stellar album (this one is still TOOO FUCKING LONG though!! Nearly two hours!!?!? Unbecoming of a great album, and I am sick to death of these marathon records! Keep it to 35 minutes lads).
It’s U2!
Veel gedraaid en nog altijd een van mijn favoriete U2 albums
i’m realizing i’m very particular about vocals. i don’t mind the instrumentals but not a huge fan of the vocals.
Could have gone without the vocals and lyrics. The guitar and instrumentals were pretty good.
Svårt, kluven, gillar inte Bono
det var dåligt producerat??
An okay album, it almost made me like them again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5x9WEqGvM 3.5/5
started out strong but I got bored by the end
Top 3 Songs: 1 - The Fly (7) 2 - Mysterious Ways (8) 3 - One (3)
This one's a two star
Only a couple of songs here I can really appreciate (Mysterious Ways, One), the others don’t do anything for me really.
Eh
kinda basic, good background music
So freaking average I can't bother to give this muzak anything other than three stars. Boring af
Back before U2 sucked
Really bouncing between styles and moods. I like U2, but this album as a whole isn’t for me.
Some good tunes. A lot of sounding the same.
Good singles, ok album
Il faut arrêter l'évasion fiscale monsieur Bono
fais attention baby cet album risque de ne laisser aucune trace dans ta mémoire
Not sure what to think about this album. I like they took a harsher direction after the Joshua Tree. I like the more "indie" tracks (Fly, Zoo Station) "One" is brilliant. There are also some fillers. It's a solid 3.5!
Whilst U2 is not my favourite band, I can see why they have a lasting effect on those Gen Xers that absolutely swear by them. One of the truly big stadium rock bands, with mass appeal. Achtung Baby is a fresher take on the alternative rock they have curated previously, with more of an industrial rock/electronic influence throughout. Best: One Worst: Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
In the 90s, they tried too hard to be a relevant and innovative part of music history, in the way they may have been in the 80s, and it came off very irritating with some really bad songwriting. One is a great songs and there are better moments, but the result is overall a very forgettable album.
All in all just a bit disappointing from such a big and hyped band. Besides One, no song stands out, they all sound kinda the same, too little focus on the guitar and overall just too long
It's not just U2 now. It's me2.
There are enough hits here that one knows from just being on the same block as anyone with a radio that the album almost auto gets three stars. But it is like a Coca Cola, good at commercials, you crave every so often, and it is bad for you if you constantly go for it.
Decent but not amazing
Generally liked this album. Represented a bit of a change in U2's sound, moving from melodics to more distorted rocky vibes. "One" is obviously a gem, "Until the end" is fab too. Giving this a three, it would probs be a 3.5 but I want to leave headroom for the albums I love love haha
ok
still not forgiven scorsese
Didn't really get going for me until the later half. The Fly was the first great song. It's alright overall, though I'm sure it would hit harder if I was more familiar with U2's discography.
Need to investigate more.
This was pretty good
This is the seventh album from Irish rock band U2. It is one of their most successful and award winning albums. The band toyed around with blending alternative rock, EDM, and industrial sound effects together with their normal style of music to create something interesting, dark, and new sounding for the band. This album was the unofficial anthem of 1991, appearing on almost all of the "Best of" lists. It was certified double platinum in the US only a month after release, and is currently 8 times platinum. U2 has reflected on the album and gone on record stating that if they hadn't tried something new with this album, then they may have disbanded entirely, letting each member move on to do their own thing. I loved the danceability of this album, but also appreciated that it still had the alternative rock style that made U2 famous in the first place. This is a very good U2 album and I'm glad I had the chance to listen to it.
I’m not a U2 fan, but some of this was pretty good
I think that culturally, we're all a bit tired of U2 - well, mostly Bono, and probably because of that iPod thing, ramming some album down everyone's throats. That aside, with Achtung Baby, it's a mix of killer and filler. The standout tracks are great: "Even Better Than the Real Thing", "One", "The Fly", and "Mysterious Ways" - they're all very well produced. The rest of tracks feel boring in comparison.
3.5/5 sounds like Oasis did a summer abroad in the Outback, but a little more buttoned up.
Meh, was expecting better.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Barmy
bleh
Not my favorite U2, but obviously has some great songs.
On voit la tendance qui se dessine de pousser plus loin l’exploration en studio. C’est encore très rock comme album, comparativement à Zooropa qui suit.
Ah, cet album là du groupe me parle plus. La production est vraiment superbe. Je trouve qu'il y a plus d'exploration sonore. J'aime beaucoup. Mysterious Ways est probablement dans les premières, sinon la première chanson du groupe que j'ai aimé alors qu'elle jouait beaucoup à la radio. J'aimais ce son de guitare. Cet album, je vais y revenir.
ZOO STATION - Öppning för detta album med U2. Vad är det där för effekt på rösten? Jag vet inte men jag tycker om groovet. Måste ha texten framme för att höra vad Bono sjunger om. Refrängen är bra med alla swells. Det är inte riktigt så mycket som händer i låten. Det duger väl. EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING - The Edge har här ett ganska gött riff. Bono är ju bara en av de bästa på att skriva bra melodier. En oktav stämma som är okej antar jag. ONE - En av U2's mest kända låtar. Ett vackert budskap tillsammans med kraftfull musik som för alla oss samman som ett. Refrängen är min favorit med låten. One love, one life. Men jag måste utforska mer av denna platta nu. UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD - Djungeltrummor... Tarzan is that you? Edge har en riktigt nice gitarr tone. Overdrive med mycket delay/reverb. Jag vet inte. Inte den bästa. WHO'S GONNA RIDE YOUR WILD HORSES - Denna låter som ett anthem i de första sekunderna. Hoppas jag har rätt. Jepp, I was right. Den här är mixad som att de är på en arena inför 50 000 åskådare. Mycket delay och reverb. Nice stick, byter ackord till mycket moll så det bryter av. Gött. SO CRUEL - Groovy. Tycker det är lite tråkigt pianospel med bara några få toner. Synthen används mycket att ha en spirituell påverkan. Att få det att låta större. Helt okej låt. THE FLY - Konstiga ljud, helt okej riff. Jag vet inte om jag diggar detta. Nej, jag tror inte det. MYSTERIOUS WAYS - Groovy, det är alla deras låtar. Wah wah på guran låter bra. Djungel george vill veta din position. TRYIN' TO THROW YOUR ARMS AROUND THE WORLD - BALLAD DAGS! Vad jag har väntat. Rätt msyig ändå. I like. ULTRA VIOLET (LIGHT MY WAY) - Låter som en riktig sommarlåt fast detta album släpptes i hösten 1991. Sommar behövs varje årstid haha. Pretty good. ACROBAT - Näst sista låten nu. Fan vad det går fort. Vad är detta för låt, det låter legit bra. Edge med sköna gitarrslingor. Damn. Hoppas det slutar tillräckligt bra. LOVE IS BLINDNESS - Dags för avslutningen. Orgel? Hmm. En lugn låt. Ville ju ha en pampig avslutning. Aja. Okej den blir lite pampig i slutet men inte tillräckligt. Helt okej album. 3 av 5
Pretty good, I think not U2's best though.
Good U2 album
My favorite song on the album also perfectly sums up my feelings on the album. It's alright, it's alright, U2 moves in mysterious ways. Some of the other songs were good but I've never been a big U2 fan. This album didn't change my mind but enjoyed the tunes.
Totally forgot about the existence of U2, I guess it was a matter of time until they showed up on here. I've always enjoyed their hits, not sure if I've listened to any albums as a whole (especially not the cursed iTunes freebie one). There are a couple classics on here, but overall it wasn't anything too special. I'm sure they've got better projects. Favorite tracks: Mysterious Ways, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, One. Album art: A pretty disengaging collage. I say disengaging because, as was the case for Exile on Main St. I don't find myself interested enough to really look at these pictures. A collage like this feels lazy. 3/5
3.5. "One" is fantastic but it's kind of eh overall. 100% downhill after Joshua Tree.
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
Who actually likes U2? Who cares about them? I've never met a fan or heard them discussed by music fans. These songs are all very dull and I don't recognise any of them, none are really big hits that get radio or club airplay. If I have heard One or The Fly before, I didn't register it at the time. There's the big echoey guitar sound, which is all effects, as Bill Bailey says, but I don't hear any of the supposed alternative, industrial or electronic dance music influences on this album that Wikipedia notes. If you like this, if you like U2 it makes me think you have been spoonfed your music your whole life and you have never taken a single step off the beaten track. Congratulations to the reviewer who said that the entire band sound like session musicians fulfilling their contracts, that's exactly the experience, this album sounds that flat.
Not as frustratingly boring as the last U2 album? I guess 2?
Zoo station is good the rest is quite boring in comparison.
Heard it before. I genuinely do think this is a good and interesting direction for U2 and I appreciate the fact they took it. That said I still enjoy it about the same as any other U2 album sooo... 2/5
Har hört sämre men svag tvåa
Якщо ю2 80х мені в принципі подобається, то ю2 90х і далі - не дуже. Дуже унилий альбом, з якого я не запам'ятав жодної пісні окрім звісно one, яку чув до того (і не сказати що вона мені сильно подобається). Ну хіба що ще можу виділити Acrobat, яка має такий собі трохи кьюрівський вайб. Але в цілому - нудота.
Notable Textzeile: We crossed the line Who pushed who over? It doesn't matter to you It matters to me „So cruel“ ist finde ich stellvertretend für dieses Album und die Band. Bono jault über irgendwas, das Klavier macht di-da-dum, das Schlagzeug klingt okay aber ist völlig uninspiriert und niemand hört, dass das angeblich eine Gitarrenband ist mit besonderem Gitarristen. Es gibt wirklich nur sehr wenig von U2 das ich besonders finde. Und hier ist bis auf One nix drauf. Und das ist auch besser wenn es andere spielen und singen. Weil es natürlich kompetent gespielt und produziert ist keine 1.
Ist das lowkey boring? Ja. Sind da belanglose Cover wie Fortunate Son und Paint it Black drauf? Ja. Was soll das? Bezeichnend dass genau die Albumversion von "One" die schlechteste ist die ich von U2 gehört habe. Funktioniert live vermeintlich viel besser. Das schläfert mich alles ein.
Tråkig platta.
Nej tack baby
i forget who it was, but someone said that u2 are a tiring band bc they're good, but to have been as big as they were they should've been a bit better. i agree! me personally i find bono's voice grating so that lowers them a bit.
I thought this was a little better than "War" personally, but still not my cup of tea. I found this album generally boring.
Meh
You know. It is what it is
Não é ruim, mas sinceramente, não me fez sentir nada. Absolutamente nada. Não sei se foi um longo dia que talvez tenha me deixado entorpecido, ou se são os vocais estéreis. De qualquer forma, todos sabemos que a indiferença é uma das piores coisas que sentimos a respeito de qualquer obra artística. Interminável, além disso. Há algumas partes instrumentais boas. Lembra um pouco Radiohead. Mas os vocais atrapalham demais, são bem chatos mesmo, com letras banais ainda por cima. 2.5/5
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Não faz muito meu estilo. Uma ou outra música legalzinha, mas nada que chame atenção. Meio genérico e brega. Não escutaria de novo.
An okay listen. It’s not as great as I remember
Dad rock
Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❌️
U2 being one of the "biggest bands in the world" feels like some kind of government psyop. their songs feel so by the book that it comes across as completely manufactured and devoid of emotion. It's exactly what rockstars "should" sound like, and for some reason, that is deeply off-putting. That being said, One is a great song.
Largely boring and uninspired.
It's giving wine mom at a concert. It's giving disney channel original movie soundtrack. It's giving bride and grooms special song. It's giving V-neck and chelsea boots. It's giving 2/5.
Honestly the first half of this album is bad, everything has been done better by the stones, areosmith, and sonic youth. Track 8 and beyond is actually good and listenable but personally still not good enough to want to listen any more than once
I tried to keep an open mind, but this album is just not enjoyable. It feels like the same song 12 times. Bono's got a great voice, but the songwriting does not do him justice. It's certainly not awful, just uninspiring and bland. I did enjoy Mysterious Ways and Love Is Blindness more than the rest of the album, but probably not enough to come back to them. Also the album cover is pretty cool, so solid 2.5 stars rounded down.
U2 is an alright band, so alright that they have to partner with Apple to force their music into things you never wanted them to be.
Yeah very just okay
I know this is during their most influenctial time, but also, fuck em
I have never understood U2. Some of their singles are a bit catchy but it doesn't match their status in my opinion. They are the corniest most self indulgent band to ver receive universal acclaim. Also Bono is clearly a narcissist and I don't know why he doesn't give the whole planet the collective ick.
Sorry, not my jam
I listened long enough to decide it was a 2 and not a 1 and then quit.
Monotonous
I just don't like U2 as a band ir people
Really boring. Far too much U2 here. RYM: N Saved a song: N
ya just don't really like this Will I listen to again: 1%
yawnnnnnnnnnnn, bland
4/10 Cards on the table, I don’t like U2. I think The Edge is a mediocre guitarist at best, with one trick, which is to slap on as much delay and reverb onto his sound as possible. Bono is also a performative, smug man with a far higher opinion of his own limited talent than he has any right to have. His vocal delivery largely makes me think of a robot who’s never experienced emotions trying to mimic the emotive strains of a very good singer, but failing to succeed in connecting that performance to what he’s actually singing. It’s weird. Now U2 are not a terrible band. There’s some reasonable stuff on here. But I have literally no idea how they’ve become as massive as they have. The strongest part of this record is, hands down, the rhythm section. Larry Mullen Jr lays down some really excellent grooves across the record, with a reasonably broad range of patterns and emphases. And Adam Clayton really isn’t that far behind, when he gets away with doing more than playing the root note of The Edge’s delay cloud. Between them, there are some excellent moments, from Zoo Station to Until The End Of The World and Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, the work is solid. But unfortunately, it feels like the two are then unable to deliver much in the way of development or invention beyond that point. It’s kind of like they come up with grooves, Bono and The Edge click their fingers and say “we’ve got it from here, lads” and they then get stuck playing that same groove for 5 minutes every time while their two more famous colleagues widdle away in their effects laden, faux-emotive style until the producer decides that it’s probably long enough and asks them to stop. So often, I found that much of the momentum built by that rhythm section just drifted into inertia over the course of the track. The shapeless clouds of guitar effectery and the vocals that prioritise faux emotion over melody just put a drain on things and, while there are moments when things come together really nicely, it’s all very much within a very limited musical range, with tracks that are overlong and underdeveloped. With this on in the background, I did tap my foot along to some of the rhythms and even hum along to the occasional melody, but as soon as I started to focus more closely to what was going on, the mirage shattered and I began to find it dull, samey and uninspiring. And maybe that’s it. Maybe some people like music that, on the surface sounds like a good band, doing something moderately interesting, but on closer inspection does nothing to challenge or enthral. It just exists. Zoo Station - The groove to this isn’t bad, and I quite like the driven bass against the beat. Bono’s effect shrouded vocal is quite good too. But then it just… doesn’t go anywhere. The chorus breaks a tiny bit out of the more interesting tone that they’ve built during the verse by throwing a more typical U2 sound with the Edge and his permanently engaged delay pedal, but underneath that, the groove just goes on and on. If they’d have developed this a bit further, it would have been much better, and there’s promise in this, but it’s just a bit uninteresting after a while. Even Better Than The Real Thing - As with the opener, the groove isn’t bad, but it gets fairly repetitive after a while. Melodically, this is incredibly bland, though. The use of effects and production to create big washes of sound, set against that persistent groove and Bono’s nothing vocals just doesn’t really gel together and feels tonally quite muddled to my ears. It sounds like someone trying to be cool, rather than naturally being cool. One - The swung groove they use here is pretty cool and Bono’s finally stumbled on some decent melodic hooks. There’s something about it that doesn’t quite connect for me, though. Bono’s vocal feels quite insincere, with performative rather than natural vocal fry. I’m not entirely sure the sound palette gels with the songwriting either, feeling quite dramatic and self important, particularly the use of strings. It’s quite boring too. On the surface, it’s not bad, but on deeper listening, it’s a bit of a shell. Until The End Of The World - Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton do their thing again. Solid groove, and then, bosh, in comes the delay-soaked guitar work of The Edge and self-important vocals of Bono. This is bland as all hell, but it’s underpinned by a solid, shuffling groove and bass line. That rhythmic base is a good start, but gets boring, because they don’t get much opportunity for development when their two more famous band mates spend the song just wanking over the top of them. Meh. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - This just feels so aimless. But then it’s also largely Bono and The Edge creating an uninspiring cloud of sound to a stripped back beat for the first minute and a half. The chorus actually isn’t that bad, but the expansive tonal makeup of the mix just feels large for the sake of it, rather than having any purpose, and it’s hard to hear musicianship among the thick wall of sound. Not that there’s anything wrong with that in the right context, but here it just feels overproduced, musically thin and quite bland. So Cruel - Nice drum groove, bland and repetitive piano part, uninspiring vocals. The chorus isn’t bad, to be fair, and it builds up reasonably well, but there’s no development beyond the slow build. There are sections where things sound oddly thin and I’m just not buying Bono’s vocal delivery, as usual. This is just quite boring. The Fly - There are actually some decent riffs here and some more interesting sound design that goes beyond the usual cloud of delayed guitar, with the use of a bit of flanging, and a more balanced range between the effects work and the more stripped back verses. Great work from the rhythm section again. The Edge’s guitar solo is pretty crap and only sounds as big as it does due to the effects. Just listen to the notes. It’s boring. But as a whole, I’d say this is probably the most interesting and engaging track on the record thus far. Mysterious Ways - Cool groove again, and quite a solid riff from the guitar to kick things off. This a bit of swagger and a nice, shuffling pulse to this one. Bono’s vocals seem so performative like he’s a robot trying to sound emotional. The chorus here is probably the weakest part of the track and it does start to drag on after a while. I think they have some decent ideas in places across this record, but they don’t get developed into anything completely satisfying, and then we have to deal with Bono’s vocal ramblings over the top. Which is a shame. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World - There’s a subtle hip-hop/trip-hop groove to the beat here, which is pretty cool. It’s more of a stripped back production and I can actually buy this kind of stripped back ambience more than much of the album. Bono’s vocal feels a bit more restrained for the most part, although the high falsetto stuff doesn’t entirely connect. This one doesn’t drag too much, either, which is definitely an improvement. Not bad. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) - The synth part here is rubbish. I guess I just don’t buy the U2 sound of over-reliance on reverb and delay and false-sincerity of Bono’s vocal delivery. This is just a wash of tuned noise with nothing in the way of a coherent melody from the vocal. Acrobat - A common theme across this album: I quite like the drum groove, but on top of that, we get more over-effected guitar work and more “I’m being sincere, honest” vocals from the lord of smugness.It’s just quite melodically limited and has little musical development. It’s just bland and uninteresting. Love Is Blindness - The atmosphere to this is quite nice, and if I hadn’t been assaulted by delay and reverb for the last 50 minutes, I might have got more out of this. The Edge has some truly awful lead guitar moments in this track, where it sounds like he’s just trying to work out if his amp is turned on or not. Again, it’s just all a bit of nothing.
they called it U2 because "U" had to get "2" ribs removed to suck your own dick to be a member. they do get some brownie points from me for having a vaguely homoerotic song about judas (until the end of the world). mysterious ways is a pretty good car commercial song. quite like the guitars on acrobat. love is blindness is genuinely great. songs i didn't skip before they ended: zoo station until the end of the world the fly mysterious ways acrobat love is blindness
i have avoided listening to u2 for 32 years and resent that i finally have listened to a whole album. oh fun a date rape song. overall this is very mid shey la la i forgot that bono makes me irrationally angry just for existing
The Joshua Tree is a good album. This isn't The Joshua Tree. The whiplash of going from One Love to the "I spiked your drink" song will haunt me. One Love brings this up from 1 star.
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.
IT STINKS
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.