Achtung Baby [Island; 1991]
When U2 set out to reinvent themselves, they weren’t kidding around. Achtung Baby was released in 1991, three years after the lukewarmly received and bloated Rattle and Hum, to huge critical and fan appraisal. U2 used the dance and electronic music that was growing in popularity as their muse, creating something more ethereal, danceable, denser and, ironically, more rock & roll than ever. The wizards behind the studio are mega producers Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Steve Lillywhite; Eno, who most famously produced Talking Head’s most rewarding albums, is key, for the man knows how to mix a key riff and beat, and so is Lillywhite, the man who has been there since the band’s debut. But what does this all mean? It means that everything that needs to be brought to the forefront absolutely is, exactly when it should be, constantly thrilling the listener.
It’s hard to listen to Achtung Baby without anticipating the hits, and the album is filled with them. “One,” “Mysterious Ways,” “Until The End Of The World,” “Ultraviolet” – I can keep going on and on. Truth is, you’ve heard most of these tracks somewhere, from movies to commercials to radio – they are inescapable. For some, the album resonates slightly less so, for they know exactly what’s coming, but if you haven’t heard these songs before, or at least in a long, long while, then Achtung Baby will feel as exciting as it is. For everyone who's tired of the songs, try approaching it from a first listen point of view. It’s what I did, and the album does amaze – there are sounds and soundscapes that radio just isn’t fit for replicating. The album is simply worth it, and this is the only U2 album I can say that about without thinking twice.
There are some weak tracks here, namely the last two songs "Acrobat" and "Love is Blindness," mostly because they don’t resonate the same way that everything prior does. Fortunately, they are trumped by treasures like “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and U2’s absolutely coolest track, “The Fly.”
My verdict is: listen to it, again and again. If you have already done that, listen to it one more time. The album only gets better when you can anticipate it. U2 have only sounded this genuine and powerful in The Joshua Tree. As the years go by, and as long as U2 keep releasing derivative, alt-rock yawn fests like they have this entire decade, and as long as The Joshua Tree remains the most overplayed U2 album of all time, Achtung Baby will continue to impress. It deserves all the praise it gets.
9.7/10