Achtung Baby

by

U2

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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 rhythm from Clayton and Mullen. The great thing about this album is its accessibility: it literally has it all. Techno/hip-hop/rockers like "Mysterious Ways" and "Even Better Than the Real Thing", and the arena-friendly chorus of "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" will bring a smile to the face of mainstream (and hardcore) U2 fans, while deeper, more experimental fare such as the industrial-tinged "Zoo Station" and the indescribable guitar orgasm of "The Fly" will challenge the listener on their inaugural spins but eventually yield rich rewards. The heart and soul of the album, however, lies in three songs..."One", "Acrobat", and "Love is Blindness". Listening to these in this order under the right circumstances could change a life, rekindle a forgotten passion, or simply reduce the listener to a sobbing heap. They are THAT powerful.

The range of feeling captured in Bono's wailing vocals on "One" is absolutely incredible, especially in the surreal crys that end the song. "Acrobat" dabbles in electronic influences and uses thick sonic brushstrokes to paint a cavernous musical environment that is completely encompassing (and this is before Bono even utters a syllable). The album ends with one of the most bittersweetly-beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard in "Love is Blindness". From the almost gothically-eerie organ intro to the penetrating echoes of Adam Clayton's bassline, the song literally stabs at your soul. And the lyrics are poetic - for example: "Love is clockworks, and cold steel, fingers too numb too feel...squeeze the handle, blow out the candle, love is blindness." Words simply can't describe how perfectly this song captures the agony of loss. You have to hear it for yourself...and that goes for this entire album. Easily U2's best, if not the best of the entire 1990's.

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 the selection of the extra tracks for the standard 2 disc set. The previous cd's in the U2 catalog got a great package of a small hardback book in a slipcase. Great liner notes, lyrics to not only the album, but also some of the bonus content, extra photos from the era...etc. This time it's just a standard fold over case, and the booklet inside is almost no different from the old one.

Now I understand that the amount of material from the sessions would have made it impossible to get everything that I would have loved to have on a 2 cd set, but it seems like all they really did with this set was compile the b-sides. With the exception of Blow Your House Down, all the material on disc 2 is pretty easy to get. They should have used the BSides and Other Stuff disc from the Super Deluxe Box set, there would have still been enough room to add a couple of live cuts...

So, great album, the reissue fall a little short for me in the package and extra tracks. I'd love to have the Super Deluxe Box, but I can't see spending the cash for another copy of Zooropa until it has all it's extras, I already have the DVD of the concert that's included, and I wouldn't watch them that much anyway...The sad thing is, I still hope that they give this reissue treatment it really deserves.