Achtung Baby
by
U2
Edit

Release type:What's this?
studio album
First released:
Nov 18 1991

Overview Edit

Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, it was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their previous album, Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 shifted their musical direction and incorporated alternative rock, industrial, and electronic dance music influences into their sound. Thematically, the album was darker, more introspective, and at times more flippant than the band's previous work. The album and the subsequent multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour were central to the group's 1990s reinvention, as U2 replaced their earnest public image with a more lighthearted and self-deprecating one.

Seeking inspiration on the eve of German reunification, U2 began recording Achtung Baby in Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990. Conflict arose over their musical direction and the quality of their material. After weeks of tension, arguments, and slow progress, the group made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "One". They returned to Dublin in 1991, where the majority of recordings were completed. The album title and colourful multi-image sleeve were chosen to confound expectations of the album and the group.

Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful albums. It earned favourable reviews and produced the hit singles "One", "Mysterious Ways", and "The Fly". The album has sold 18 million copies worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. One of the most acclaimed albums of the 1990s, Achtung Baby is regularly featured on lists of the greatest albums of all-time.

The Overview appearing in this section is attributed to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achtung_Baby. Portions of this Overview may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, version 3.0 or any later version, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Additional terms may apply. See Wikipedia Terms of Use for details.

This particular version Edit

Record label:
Catalog number:
510347
Release dates:
  • Nov 18 1991 in Japan
  • Nov 19 1991 in United States

Genres

Rock, Alternative, Alternative Rock, Arena Rock, Post-punk, Album-Oriented Rock (AOR), Classic Rock. Vote on Genres

What do Amazon.com customers think?

5 stars U2's magnum opus
In a word: staggering. I don't know if I've ever heard an album which can even come close to capturing the kaleidoscope of sheer emotion that floods from these twelve songs. Just as Alice in Chains dragged us to the pitch black depths of heroin-addiction with "Dirt", U2 does the same, only with lost love and heartbreak as the backdrop.

Amidst the gloomy themes of the album, rays of hope still shine through in the form of The Edge's signature effect-soaked licks and some serious head-bobbing rhyt…
Written by "dj_jazzyjoe"
3 stars Great album, good reissue....BUT...
The title of the review sums it up. Achtung Baby is one of my top 5 favorite albums. And, although I'm glad that I bought this reissue, it could have been better. First and foremost, the sound is great. Although I have to say that I really don't detect a ton of difference between this and the original pressing. If you're the odd person that doesn't already own Achtung Baby, it's a no brainer, go out and get it.

However I also have to say that I'm a little disappointed in both the package and th…
Written by J. Brian Barker

Track listing Edit

Credits Edit

  1. arranger

    1. Brian Eno [string arrangements, Synthesizer Arrangements]
  2. composer

    1. John Fogerty [Deluxe Editions]
    2. U2
  3. design

    1. Anton Corbijn [photography]
    2. Ritchie Smith [photography]
  4. engineer

    1. Arnie Acosta [mastering]
    2. Flood [mix]
  1. performer

    1. Adam Clayton [instrument]
    2. Bono [vocals and instrument]
    3. Brian Eno [Synthesizer, Keyboards, Sounds, Harmonium, Vocals (Background), Loops, Strings, Piano]
    4. Larry Mullen, Jr. [instrument]
    5. The Edge [vocals and instrument]
  2. producer

    1. Brian Eno [mixing, associate producer, original recording producer]

Other versions Edit

Achtung Baby 12 tracks format: 1 x CD
record label: Island Records
catalog number: 510347
release dates: Nov 19 1991 in United Kingdom
view details
Achtung Baby 12 tracks format: 1 x CD
catalog number: 510347
release dates: Nov 19 1991
view details
Achtung Baby 26 tracks Deluxe Edition
format: 2 x CD
record label: Island Records
catalog number: 6 3 02778826
release dates: Nov 1 2011
view details
Achtung Baby 117 tracks Uber Deluxe
format: 10 x CD
record label: Island Records
release dates: Nov 1 2011
view details
Tell us about another version?

Trivia Edit

  • We don't know any trivia about this release. Add some?

Websites Edit

SoundUnwound is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Top editors for Achtung Baby