U2, Achtung Baby Review

Good Points
Shows U2's ability to re-invent their sound for a new decade, plus some of the most famous songs of the early nineties.

Bad Points
One or two songs sound too "dark" and don't sit comfortably with the others.

General Comments
Following less than endearing reviews of "Rattle And Hum" by music critics, the expectation was that Dublin's favourite sons would need to up their game with their next album.

In the days that East Berlin was reaching the end of its brief existence, U2 were working with Daniel Lanois and the legendary Brian Eno on their first album of the 1990's. Initial splits (with Bono and Edge on one side, and Adam and Larry on the other) over what the nature of the album should be threatened to kill the album before it achieved life.

Edge was going through a divorce at the time, and, although this also cast a cloud over the quartet, it helped spawn one of their best known hits, "One," as well as perhaps some of the more tense and dark material ("So Cruel" and "Acrobat" being two examples). Also, the opening track "Zoo Station," which opens with a beat mimicking a train, is an obvious reference to the famous train station.

Despite this, tracks such as "Even Better Than The Real Thing" first saw life here, and has become an anthem, featuring in many advertising campaigns worldwide.



However, this album is one of my treasured ones. This album marks the start of a reinvented and reinvigorated U2, with a fresh new sound which, although trying to keep in step with their exceptional earlier work, shows a new direction for their sound. And, it has become one of the greatest albums in rock history, as well as U2's discography.