Wednesday, October 08, 2008

702. U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

















Track Listing

1. Zoo Station
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. One
4. Until The End Of The World
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. So Cruel
7. The Fly
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
11. Acrobat

Review

This is probably the U2 album with the biggest number of hits... if not it is pretty close to the top. Unfortunately it still isn't very good. One thing has to be said about it, though, it is a triumph of production, and we can thank Brian Eno for that.

That being said musically it is still inhabiting some place between Mariah Carey and Radiohead, mixing power ballads with effect heavy rock but never committing to any of them. This lack of committal also means that it appeals to the widest number of people.

Sometimes it even appeals to me, it is strange to sometimes catch yourself singing along to something you don't really like when you stop to think about it. That is the great power of U2, their lush production and catchy tunes can make the bad infectious, and for that they have my applause... but I won;t be sticking it in my iPod.

Track Highlights

1. One
2. Until The End Of The World
3. Even Better Than The Real Thing
4. Mysterious Ways

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The album's new sound was a source of conflict in the band because The Edge and Bono favored the new sounds they were coming up with while recording their sessions in Berlin, while drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton were partial to the band's traditional sound. The conflict amongst the members of U2 very nearly led to the band breaking up, but the fighting subdued after The Edge, struggling with two bridge sections for the song "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" was encouraged to combine them by the band and producers Eno and Lanois. The band rallied around the riff and was inspired to write the song "One". It changed the band's outlook on the album, helping bring them back from the brink during recording sessions. "One" was responsible for a renewed sense of optimism towards the material they had already recorded. Leaving Berlin on a high note, the band was able to complete the rest of the album in Dublin.

One:


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