Achtung Baby - U2 > Reviews > Anatomy of Achtung Baby

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Magnificent album
Disadvantages:	Choice of singles

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

After U2 announced at the end of the Lovetown Tour in 1989 that they were going to have to go away and dream it all up again a lot of people believed this was the end of the worlds biggest band.

What actually happened was the band took a few years to re-invent themselves and return with a fresh new sound. There are not many bands around that could do this and there are even less that would be willing to take the gamble, especially given U2's position. This makes it all the more admirable in my eyes.

U2's heaviest album, which has the most throwaway title. This was apparently intentional, as it would mislead people who read too much into titles. So getting to the music itself was it worth the wait?

Zoo Station (4:36)
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The album opens with this track. It is an excellent opener. This was more evident when it was the opening track at the ZOO TV tour. The track starts off with heavy use of guitars. Bono's voice is almost unrecognisable and on first hearing you could be forgiven for thinking he has been over indulging on the whiskey and fags. The sound is fresh and original and when you listen to the track now you sometimes don't even notice the difference. This is an excellent track. (9/10)

Even Better Than The Real Thing (3.41)
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This is a very upbeat song and is a good choice to be the second track. A lot of people think that this is a great song but I am not as keen on it as others appear to be. It was the fourth single of the album and I suppose it was an easy choice to make as a single. The remix of it was released separately and charted higher which I think says a far amount. (7/10)

One (4.36)
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Probably the song that people relate to most from U2’s recent work. It is a magnificent ballad with though provoking lyrics and a great tune. Depending what mood I am in this can be my favourite ever U2 song it is that good. I am sure most people will have heard it by now but if you haven’t try and lay your hands on a copy (10/10)

Until The End Of The World (4.39)
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This is a song which has grown through time. It appears on every live set and was one of the 3 songs U2 played when collecting the lifetime achievement award at the Brits. It tells the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and has a many great sing along parts. It was not released as a single which is surprising, as it appears to be a favourite with the band now. Although on the first few listens to the album it didn’t jump out and as I said it is one that has grown through time. (8/10)

Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (5.16)
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I found this track to be a little bland with not too much happening in its favour. I was amazed when it was chosen as the fifth (excluding the real thing remix) and final single release. It is not a bad song it just isn’t up to the usual standards and it is one track that doesn’t add much to the album. (6/10)

So Cruel (5.49)
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I love this track. I think it is one that you will enjoy if you like Bono’s voice. It is another that is a ballad but it doesn’t really get above a slow pace at any point. It is seen by many as an album filler but it is a personal favourite. (9/10)

The Fly (4.29)
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This was a brave choice as the opening single. In the past U2 would probably have played it safe and released “One” as a safe bet. However, after re-inventing themselves it was a wise choice and was rewarded by going to Number 1 in the UK charts. Although the absence of a U2 release in the period before this track meant that any song had a good shout of doing very well in the charts.

The song is a bombardment of messages and Bono described it as the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree which is probably a better way than I could ever think of describing it. (8/10)

Mysterious Ways (4.04)
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This is a great track. The opening chords are excellent and draw you in straight away. It is another that is great to sing along with and sounds magnificent accompanied by the belly dancer in the live shows. The video is also interesting and it was a good choice as the second single release. (9/10)

Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around The World (3.53)
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This is a slow meandering track which doesn’t really go anywhere. It is at a good place in the album as it slows the album back down after the heavy guitars on the previous 2 tracks. It is just an album track and as such it is OK. (7/10)

Ultra Violet (Light My Way) (5.31)
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This track starts of slowly and builds up into a quicker paced track. The chorus is catchy as hell and it is another highlight on the album. Played live the crowd do most of the singing, it has that much of a sing along feel. I would have been interested to see how this would have done in the charts, as it certainly deserves a wider audience. (10/10)

Acrobat (4.30)
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The theme of this track as the chorus says is “Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down”. It is another good track and keeps the album going. Again there is a good use of guitars and drums and it is a track similar to Ultra Violet but without the catchy chorus. (9/10)

Love Is Blindness (4.23)
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U2 always close their albums perfectly and this is no different. A slow ballad which also closed most of the tour nights finishes the album. In honesty it is not a track I was totally convinced by until I heard it live but it is now one I listen to regularly. (8/10).

General

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The placement of the tracks is very important on this CD. There is a definite way it plays and it is just not the same when played on Random mode. This is hard to explain but I hope others can relate to what I am trying to say.

As I have said above I would maybe have chosen different tracks for the single releases.

I would definitely put this in the top 5 albums of the 90’s but as a massive U2 fan I have a biased outlook and I would be interested to hear how others think of this album.