From naïve, mullet bearing young men in drainpipes to worldly wise, all knowing rock superstars in a dashing decade. That was the story of the four broth boyos from across the Irish Sea, as they progressed with assured giant steps from 11 O’Clock Tick Tock to the seedy, claustrophobic masterpiece that was the uncompromising The Fly, possibly the pick of the bunch from 1991’s Achtung Baby album and a huge No 1 single.
They were fresh faced, wide eyed young things with acne and attitude when they started, but by the time that the dark vistas of that single swamped everything else on Top of the Pops that week, that month, that year, this band had conquered America, conquered our hearts, conquered their nerves and became the epitome of COOL.
While partly recorded in Dublin, much of the album emerged from a spell in Berlin, and they also boasted the super chic credentials of Brian Eno among their production team, and you could tell, you could feel the contribution, just as the similar Eno in Berlin combination had helped shape the breakthrough sound of Bowie’s Low and Heroes albums way back in the late 70’s.
All those credentials could have led to the Irish rockers being accused of hype and playing to the myth of greatness, but by now there was little objectivity left where U2 were concerned and it just added to the aura that permeated everything about U2, their wraparound shades, predilection for hats and lurid reinvention of the imagery of glam rock. Even the little boy lost drummer Larry was lost in this slick little marketing ploy and content to daub the make up across his pretty boy visage, while Adam was revelling in the global rock star style. Those two, however, were always the peripheral part of the U2 set up, with the real heart of the matter down to the twin pillars, the sensitive guitar excellence of The Edge, and the soaring, joyous vocals and enthusiasm of Bono (pronounced Bonno rather than the Bony-O he always abhorred), although by Achtung Baby the joy had partly given way to dramatics, dynamics and twisted bitterness as Bono developed from a snot nosed kid to a sleazy, cynical adult, rarely seen without his wraparound shades and affected sneer, a sort of Elvis for the 90’s but having traded the hamburgers in for a line of coke and film star cool.
Bono was always the leader, the angel, the brain, but it was The Edge who was the spirit, the heart, the root of the band, punctuating the world with his shimmering and electric barbs of sound, taking the soaring modern day hymns wherever he chose, laying down the fantasy world framework in which the voice of Bono could fashion the stories and legends. U2 by 1991 were the perfect global rock monsters, massive sellers but retaining enormous chunks of the credibility they had earned during the
80’s as one of the giants of the post-punk era.
Achtung Baby was the perfect album by this perfect band, showcasing their extraordinary talent, and making the Trabant the epitome of modern day cool – this was a quite astonishing rock and roll band and an equally astonishing album, as credible as it was popular.
There are very few rock albums, even fewer these days when everything is manufactured and pre-programmed, which have the depth, width, and artistic credibility of Achtung Baby, and Bono and The Edge knew exactly how beyond reproach and standard measures their little brainchild had come by the time of its release. U2 transcended the normal parameters which contained and limited rock bands, they defined their own boundaries and rules, smashing enormous fissures in the received wisdom of what was acceptable and what was beyond the pale.
U2 were judge and jury, victim and killer, witness and actor, leader and led, the FIRST, the LAST, our EVERYTHING and Achtung Baby was their triumph.
Zoo Station ************************ The album kicks off in classic, nagging style with the insistent fuzzed guitar riff of The Edge buzzing us while Larry and Adam drop into a rolling, loping rhythm and Bono's treated vocals set the atmospherics before the guitar starts to define the melody. This is a quite stunning opener and U2 click straight into awesome form, snapping away at our heels, urging us on, nagging away at our intentions and pinning their flag firmly to the mast. Quite breathtaking stuff which you'd find exceptionally hard to resist. The U2 formula is so bloody simple and yet so devastating, set the scene, let the guitar define the landscape, slap on a bit of high tech whimsy and we're away.
Even Better Than The Real Thing ************************ If anything, this is even better than the opener, an expansive, yearning love song, again punctuated by simply magical guitar lines. Bono moves on from the breathy, muttered vocals of Zoo Station to sing in as exhilarating a fashion as only he can manage, while those same insistent rhythms sort out the lower register. And everywhere that scintillating, shimmering, beautiful, unstoppable guitar melody insinuates itself all around us, wrapping its metallic sheen all round us, enveloping our entire being. This is classic 80's/90's rock, as impressive as it gets.
One ************************ After such a relentless opening, One sees this supreme rock band drop down the pace and the dynamics with a pretty, strummed acoustic opening while Bono comes over like an over earnest folk rock singer, before the moody and light as air hi hat and percussion add in the colours and move us on. This song has a delightful lift and build as it starts to soar, with totally fitting strings weaving their way into the mix. This is classic, classic U2, beautiful, restrained, passionate and totally thrilling. Bono cannot resist the standard quasi-religious overtones and metaphors, though: "Have you come here for forgiveness, have you come to raise the dead, have you come here to play Jesus, to the lepers in your head." He's one of the few singers who could get away with such imagery, but then he's always been a committed Messianic figure, and this song is just marvellous.
Until The End Of The World ************************ Brilliant, laid back opening with a lovely drum base giving splendid space for that distinctive, individualistic guitar sound of The Edge to come washing over it all, alternatively blocking and soaring, while Bono's clipped, urgent vocals tell a romantic and image laden story, richness itself. It's at moments like this that you really believe that there has never been another band like U2. Way back then, these boys were simply peerless, with their golden tones and lyrical, dipping guitar. At times, their almost bland faceless rhythms drew criticism and contempt, but really their undemonstrative solidity is just perfect backing for THE GUITAR and THE VOICE. This is a marriage genuinely made in Heaven, a phenomenon which makes its own laws and rules.
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses ************************ Ominous, treated guitar chords open this massive, epic number, setting a chilling atmosphere, with the echo laden lines particularly reminiscent of Echo And The Bunnymen at their peak. Every song on here is a genuine classic, a rare treat, and they could have released virtually anything as a single and seen it soaring to the top of the pile. The whole mood is so Bunnymen it's not true, and even Bono, with his romantic, expressive singing, comes over as owing a fair debt to Ian McCulloch here, but really U2 were always as responsible for the development of such swelling melodic guitar showcases as their Liverpool predecessors. Splendid, splendid stuff, which you could seriously listen to all night long.
So Cruel ************************ Big echoey piano chords and swooping, glorious strings fill out the U2 sound this time, with Bono cast in the guise of a torch singer a la Scott Walker and No Regrets. The sound is big, roomy and enormous, filling the cavern of the singer's ache. It boasts all the classic U2 build and fill, with mesmerising, muted guitar riffing increasing the pace and exploiting the dynamics of the song. Bono's vocals here are wonderful, stretching and expanding, soaked in emotion and pathos, and some memorable imagery.
The Fly ************************ Let's get one thing straight right away - I simply adore the almost disease ridden mood and atmosphere created in this song, with its sleazy, nagging guitar, grimy, gritted teeth vocals, and skill at seesawing between claustrophobic little sections and the huge open spaces of other parts, where The Edge goes off wandering with extravagant, almost heavy metal lead lines. If this song was an animal, it would be a filthy, twitching, dying half breed. As a song, it was a true classic of the early 90's, promoted by a film noir, uncomfortable video which had Bono as some almost mythical half man, half beast, breathlessly warning against not taking things seriously enough. That grinding, grungy guitar chord at the start, mutating into a wild, insistent dance riff as Bono's clipped, almost whispered words usher us into the conspiracy of his world, hinting at pain and pleasures undreamed of. The masterful guitar sound here recalls the bizarre, fidgety scrapings and wired up playing of Andy Gill of the Gang of Four. It was a shame they never stepped up from their wonderful openings, but The Edge was a masterful exploiter of the guitar as atmosphere creator rather than musical instrument, and he's never been better than on this bizarre creation. Oh by the way, in case you didn't realise, I'm quite positive about this song...
Mysterious Ways ************************ And so the triumph goes on. There ain't no let up after the restricted, crippled shuffle of The Fly, as Bono and The Edge opt for more orthodox rock and prove how effortlessly they can switch between these styles. Mysterious Ways is classic, adult rock, punctuated by that tremendous guitar sound, and classic vocal performance. An anthemic, uplifting number which was another bona fide smash in the making. How on earth did they manage such a consistent array of magic pieces? And does anyone really care as long as they did?
Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World ************************ Brian Eno contributes synths and Daniel Lanois additional guitar on another anthemic, romantic epic, which contains the lovely lyric "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle". Brilliant stuff, and this song shows that U2 aren't worried by doing slow songs, simplistic love songs, or even orthodox structures. It's gloriously laid back and restrained, perfectly formed and shaped for your enjoyment, even if it never gets out of first gear.
Ultra Violet (Light My Way) ************************ An honest to goodness love song, which starts with almost unaccompanied, pleading vocals before the jangling riffing of The Edge comes wading in, picking up the entire mood and rendering it joyously uptempo and optimistic. In truth there ain't much to commend this song above some of the other miraculous stuff on show here, but when you're setting the sort of standard that U2 manage throughout then some songs are almost bound to be less than perfect. Judged against other bands, this would be a pretty wonderful song, but here it has just the touch of being a bit of an uneventful filler. It's also one of the longest songs on here at 5:31, with only So Cruel outlasting it, so its ordinariness is emphasised.
Acrobat ************************ After the orthodox comes a return to form with more classic Western gun slinger rock, as practiced so expertly on The Joshua Tree. The Edge takes centre stage here with his huge, undulating, romantic guitar lines stretching out, like Mark Knopfler with blood in his veins instead of cold tea. The words aren't really much to write home about, but are mere punctuation marks to open the way for the guitar to take the lead.
Love Is Blindness ************************ Brilliant, moody backing allow Bono to perform a wonderful set of words all about the magic and majesty of love. The romantic in the singer is given full vent and room for expression while the muted, clipped atmospheric playing captivates us. This is one of the best songs on the entire album and a fitting way to conclude one of the true rock classics. How U2 can take such empty, hollow vistas and ensnare you so fully and completely is one of the great mysteries. Now concentrate, children, there are geniuses at work here...
And there you have it, in all its naked, raw beauty, an album and a band which actually merits the hype and the praise. U2 (in my humble opinion) have never been as excellent as they were on Achtung Baby, and you'd be well advised to check this one out.
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revue, with a bit of post-Wall Berlin thrown in for luck, distance now shows thatAchtung Babyis in fact a suite of extraordinarily perceptive and tender songs on the...
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