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reuse refs - I contacted you twice on your talk page to no avail, so what would you expect me to do? the band's interest in other writers/singers isn't relevant to their rift! put it elsewhere
that'll do for now - real life's increasing demands beckon
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The band saw "domesticity as the enemy of rock 'n' roll" and that to work on the album, they needed to remove themselves from their normal family-oriented routines. With a "[[New Europe]]" emerging following the [[Cold War]], they chose Berlin, a city at the heart of the reuniting continent, as a source of inspiration to move towards a more European aesthetic.<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="g43" /><ref name="Flanagan 1995, p. 7">Flanagan (1995), p. 7</ref> They recorded at [[Hansa Studios]] in [[West Berlin]], near the recently opened [[Berlin Wall]]. Several acclaimed records were made at Hansa in the 1970s, including two records from [[David Bowie]] and Eno's "[[Berlin Trilogy]]", and Bowie and [[Iggy Pop]]'s collaboration, ''[[The Idiot (album)|The Idiot]]''.<ref name="m216" /> U2 arrived on 3 October 1990 on the last flight into [[East Berlin]] on the eve of [[German reunification]].<ref name="m216" /> Expecting to be inspired, they instead found the mood in Berlin to be "depressing", "dark and gloomy".<ref name="m221">McCormick (2006), p. 221</ref> The collapse of the Berlin Wall resulted in a state of malaise in Germany. The dilapidated condition of Hansa and the band's hotel in East Berlin added to the "bad vibe", as did the location of Hansa's Studio 2 in a former [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] ballroom.<ref name="m221" /><ref name="prop-berlin">{{cite magazine | title = The Berlin Sessions | magazine = Propaganda | issue = 14 | date = 1991-06-01}}</ref>
The band saw "domesticity as the enemy of rock 'n' roll" and that to work on the album, they needed to remove themselves from their normal family-oriented routines. With a "[[New Europe]]" emerging following the [[Cold War]], they chose Berlin, a city at the heart of the reuniting continent, as a source of inspiration to move towards a more European aesthetic.<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="g43" /><ref name="Flanagan 1995, p. 7">Flanagan (1995), p. 7</ref> They recorded at [[Hansa Studios]] in [[West Berlin]], near the recently opened [[Berlin Wall]]. Several acclaimed records were made at Hansa in the 1970s, including two records from [[David Bowie]] and Eno's "[[Berlin Trilogy]]", and Bowie and [[Iggy Pop]]'s collaboration, ''[[The Idiot (album)|The Idiot]]''.<ref name="m216" /> U2 arrived on 3 October 1990 on the last flight into [[East Berlin]] on the eve of [[German reunification]].<ref name="m216" /> Expecting to be inspired, they instead found the mood in Berlin to be "depressing", "dark and gloomy".<ref name="m221">McCormick (2006), p. 221</ref> The collapse of the Berlin Wall resulted in a state of malaise in Germany. The dilapidated condition of Hansa and the band's hotel in East Berlin added to the "bad vibe", as did the location of Hansa's Studio 2 in a former [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] ballroom.<ref name="m221" /><ref name="prop-berlin">{{cite magazine | title = The Berlin Sessions | magazine = Propaganda | issue = 14 | date = 1991-06-01}}</ref>


Morale worsened once the sessions commenced, as the band worked long days, yet could not agree on how to proceed with the album.<ref name="prop-berlin" /> Thematically, The Edge advocated more personal lyric writing, and the band were interested in works by [[Roy Orbison]], [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]], and [[Jacques Brel]].<ref name="Stokes 108" /><ref name="hotpress" /><ref>{{cite news | last = O'Hagan | first = Sean | title = Saint Bono Defrocked | magazine = [[The Face (magazine)|The Face]] | date = 1992-04-01}}</ref> Musically, the group disagreed on what direction to take. The Edge had been listening to alternative rock and electronic dance music, and to [[industrial music|industrial]] bands like [[Nine Inch Nails]], the [[Young Gods]], and [[KMFDM]]. He and Bono advocated new musical directions along these lines. In contrast, Mullen was listening to [[classic rock]] acts [[Blind Faith]], [[Cream (band)|Cream]], and [[Jimi Hendrix]].<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="m215" /> He and Clayton were more comfortable with a sound similar to U2's previous work and did not understand the proposed new direction.<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="m221" /> The Edge's interest in dance club mixes and [[drum machine]]s made Mullen feel that his contributions as a drummer were being diminished.<ref name="m221" /> Lanois was expecting the "textural, emotional, and cinematic" U2 of the ''The Unforgettable Fire'' and ''The Joshua Tree'', and he did not understand the "throwaway and trashy things" that Bono and The Edge were working on.<ref name="fricke" /> Compounding the divisions between the two camps, which they called the "haircuts" and the "hats",<ref name="Flanagan 1995, p. 7"/> was a change in the band's long-standing songwriting relationship. Bono and The Edge were working more closely together writing material at the exclusion of the rest of the group.<ref name="m215" /><ref>Graham (1996), p. 28</ref>
Morale worsened once the sessions commenced, as the band worked long days, yet could not agree on what direction to take musically.<ref name="prop-berlin" /> The Edge had been listening to alternative rock and electronic dance music, and to [[industrial music|industrial]] bands like [[Nine Inch Nails]], the [[Young Gods]], and [[KMFDM]]. He and Bono advocated new musical directions along these lines. In contrast, Mullen was listening to [[classic rock]] acts [[Blind Faith]], [[Cream (band)|Cream]], and [[Jimi Hendrix]].<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="m215" /> He and Clayton were more comfortable with a sound similar to U2's previous work and did not understand the proposed new direction.<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="m221" /> The Edge's interest in dance club mixes and [[drum machine]]s made Mullen feel that his contributions as a drummer were being diminished.<ref name="m221" /> Lanois was expecting the "textural, emotional, and cinematic" U2 of the ''The Unforgettable Fire'' and ''The Joshua Tree'', and he did not understand the "throwaway and trashy things" that Bono and The Edge were working on.<ref name="fricke" /> Compounding the divisions between the two camps, which they called the "haircuts" and the "hats",<ref name="Flanagan 1995, p. 7"/> was a change in the band's long-standing songwriting relationship. Bono and The Edge were working more closely together writing material at the exclusion of the rest of the group.<ref name="m215" /><ref>Graham (1996), p. 28</ref>


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To describe their musical departure on ''Achtung Baby'', U2 referred to the record as the sound of "four men chopping down [[The Joshua Tree]]".<ref name="chop-joshua">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/u2/reviews/10793 | title = U2 - The Joshua Tree Re-Mastered (R1987) | magazine = [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] | first = Andrew | last = Mueller | accessdate = 2009-12-31}}</ref><ref name="ach-stations" /> While Bono's vocals were centre-stage in melody and mix on past songs, critics described his vocals on ''Achtung Baby'' as being more elusive, dynamic, and lower in the mix.<ref name="hotpress">{{cite magazine | title = Review: Achtung Baby | work = [[Hot Press]] | first = Niall | last = Stokes | date = 1991-11-13}}</ref><ref name="nyt" /> His voice is often in a lower register or treated with [[Audio signal processing|processing]],<ref name="orlsent">{{cite news | title = Achtung Baby | work = [[Orlando Sentinel]] | first = Patty | last = Gettelman | date = 1991-11-06}}</ref><ref name="globe" /> and on many tracks, he sings as a character.<ref name="g44">Graham (2004), p. 44</ref> The Edge's guitar playing on the record is a departure from the chiming, echo-heavy sound that became his trademark in the 1980s; on ''Achtung Baby'', his style demonstrates industrial influences and utilises a variety of guitar effects, particularly [[distortion (music)|distortion]].<ref name="orlsent" /><ref name="rs">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/u2/albums/album/116432/review/5941852/achtung_baby | title= U2: Achtung Baby: Music Reviews | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | first = Elysa | last = Gardner | date = 1992-01-09 | accessdate = 2009-03-06}}</ref> Various critics referred to his style as "metallic",<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="globe" /> while Elysa Gardner of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said his playing created "harder textures".<ref name="rs" /> The rhythm section was given a more prominent role in the mix,<ref name="g44"/> and [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]-inspired dance beats appear on several of the album's tracks. Gardner compared the record's melding of guitar tracks and dance beats to songs by British bands [[Happy Mondays]] and [[Jesus Jones]].<ref name="rs" /> The work of singer-songwriter [[Gavin Friday]], Bono's friend since childhood, was cited as an influence on the "new U2".<ref>Graham (2004), p. 54</ref>
To describe their musical departure on ''Achtung Baby'', U2 referred to the record as the sound of "four men chopping down [[The Joshua Tree]]".<ref name="chop-joshua">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/u2/reviews/10793 | title = U2 - The Joshua Tree Re-Mastered (R1987) | magazine = [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] | first = Andrew | last = Mueller | accessdate = 2009-12-31}}</ref><ref name="ach-stations" /> While Bono's vocals were centre-stage in melody and mix on past songs, critics described his vocals on ''Achtung Baby'' as being more elusive, dynamic, and lower in the mix.<ref name="hotpress">{{cite magazine | title = Review: Achtung Baby | work = [[Hot Press]] | first = Niall | last = Stokes | date = 1991-11-13}}</ref><ref name="nyt" /> His voice is often in a lower register or treated with [[Audio signal processing|processing]],<ref name="orlsent">{{cite news | title = Achtung Baby | work = [[Orlando Sentinel]] | first = Patty | last = Gettelman | date = 1991-11-06}}</ref><ref name="globe" /> and on many tracks, he sings as a character.<ref name="g44">Graham (2004), p. 44</ref> The Edge's guitar playing on the record is a departure from the chiming, echo-heavy sound that became his trademark in the 1980s; on ''Achtung Baby'', his style demonstrates industrial influences and utilises a variety of guitar effects, particularly [[distortion (music)|distortion]].<ref name="orlsent" /><ref name="rs">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/u2/albums/album/116432/review/5941852/achtung_baby | title= U2: Achtung Baby: Music Reviews | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | first = Elysa | last = Gardner | date = 1992-01-09 | accessdate = 2009-03-06}}</ref> Various critics referred to his style as "metallic",<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="globe" /> while Elysa Gardner of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said his playing created "harder textures".<ref name="rs" /> The rhythm section was given a more prominent role in the mix,<ref name="g44"/> and [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]-inspired dance beats appear on several of the album's tracks. Gardner compared the record's melding of guitar tracks and dance beats to songs by British bands [[Happy Mondays]] and [[Jesus Jones]].<ref name="rs" /> The work of singer-songwriter [[Gavin Friday]], Bono's friend since childhood, was cited as an influence on the "new U2".<ref>Graham (2004), p. 54</ref>


In contrast to their previous work, U2 deliberately avoided making political and social statements in their lyrics for ''Achtung Baby''. Instead, the album is more personal and introspective, examining love, sexuality, spirituality, faith, and betrayal.<ref name="g46">Graham (2004), p. 46</ref><ref>Stokes (1996), p. 100</ref><ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 82</ref> The lyrics took on a darker tone, examining the pain of personal relationships and exuding feelings of confusion, loneliness, and inadequacy.<ref name="rs" /><ref name="dlp139">de la Parra (1994), p. 139</ref><ref name="latimes">{{cite news | url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61547027.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+17%2C+1991&author=ROBERT+HILBURN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=58&desc=U2%27s+Daring+Descent+Into+Darkness | title = U2's Daring Descent Into Darkness (subscription required) | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | first = Robert | last = Hilburn | date = 1991-11-17 | accessdate = 2009-12-31}}</ref> Religious imagery is present throughout the record, and in many songs, Bono questions his faith; in "[[Acrobat (song)|Acrobat]]", he sings, ''"I'd break bread and wine"'' / ''"If there was a church I could receive in"''.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = U2's Mysterious Ways | magazine = Sides | author = Bowden, Tony, and Jennifer Stewart | date = 1994-07-01}}</ref> The 49th entry in the ''[[33⅓|33 {{frac|1|3}}]]'' series of books, entitled ''Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall'', is dedicated entirely to religious interpretations of the album.<ref>{{cite book | title = U2's Achtung Baby: Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall | first = Stephen | last = Catanzarite | series = ''[[33⅓|33 {{frac|1|3}}]]'' | publisher = [[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0826427847}}</ref> Although darker themes are present on the record, many lyrics are more flippant and sexual than those from the band's previous work.<ref name="hotpress" /><ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 81-82</ref> With ''Achtung Baby'', the group sought to recover some of the [[Dadaist]] characters and stage antics they had dabbled with in the late 1970s as teenagers but abandoned for more literal themes in the 1980s.<ref name="Stokes 1996, p. 95">Stokes (1996), p. 95</ref> While the band had previously been opposed to materialism, they examined and flirted with those values on the record and the Zoo TV Tour.<ref name="g46" />
In contrast to their previous work, U2 deliberately avoided making political and social statements in their lyrics for ''Achtung Baby''. Instead, the album is more personal and introspective, examining love, sexuality, spirituality, faith, and betrayal.<ref name="g46">Graham (2004), p. 46</ref><ref>Stokes (1996), p. 100</ref><ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 82</ref> The lyrics took on a darker tone, examining the pain of personal relationships and exuding feelings of confusion, loneliness, and inadequacy.<ref name="rs" /><ref name="dlp139">de la Parra (1994), p. 139</ref><ref name="latimes">{{cite news | url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61547027.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+17%2C+1991&author=ROBERT+HILBURN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=58&desc=U2%27s+Daring+Descent+Into+Darkness | title = U2's Daring Descent Into Darkness (subscription required) | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | first = Robert | last = Hilburn | date = 1991-11-17 | accessdate = 2009-12-31}}</ref> The Edge wanted a more personal style of writing, and the band were interested in the works of [[Roy Orbison]], [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]], and [[Jacques Brel]].<ref>Stokes (1996), p. 108; {{Citation | last = Stokes | first = Niall | author-link = Niall Stokes | title = Review: Achtung Baby | newspaper = Hot Press | year = 1991 | date = 13 November 1991 }}; {{Citation | last = O'Hagan | first = Sean | title = Saint Bono Defrocked | newspaper =The Face | pages = | year = 1992 | date = 1 April | url = | accessdate =}}</ref> Religious imagery is present throughout the record, and in many songs, Bono questions his faith; in "[[Acrobat (song)|Acrobat]]", he sings, ''"I'd break bread and wine"'' / ''"If there was a church I could receive in"''.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = U2's Mysterious Ways | magazine = Sides | author = Bowden, Tony, and Jennifer Stewart | date = 1994-07-01}}</ref> The 49th entry in the ''[[33⅓|33 {{frac|1|3}}]]'' series of books, entitled ''Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall'', is dedicated entirely to religious interpretations of the album.<ref>{{cite book | title = U2's Achtung Baby: Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall | first = Stephen | last = Catanzarite | series = ''[[33⅓|33 {{frac|1|3}}]]'' | publisher = [[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0826427847}}</ref> Although darker themes are present on the record, many lyrics are more flippant and sexual than those from the band's previous work.<ref name="hotpress" /><ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 81-82</ref> With ''Achtung Baby'', the group sought to recover some of the [[Dadaist]] characters and stage antics they had dabbled with in the late 1970s as teenagers but abandoned for more literal themes in the 1980s.<ref name="Stokes 1996, p. 95">Stokes (1996), p. 95</ref> While the band had previously been opposed to materialism, they examined and flirted with those values on the record and the Zoo TV Tour.<ref name="g46" />


Writer Bill Flanagan credits Bono's habit of keeping his lyrics "in flux until the last minute" with providing a narrative coherence to the album.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 20</ref> Flanagan interpreted the album as lyrically describing a character being tempted away from domestic life by an exciting nightlife and testing how far he could go before returning home.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 187</ref> This narrative was informed by the turbulent personal relationships of those in and close to the group.<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="m221" /><ref name="xxv"/><ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 12</ref> The band members' relationships with one another strained during the difficult Berlin sessions.<ref name="closer-to-edge" /> During recording, The Edge separated from his wife of six years and mother of his three children, while Bono's friend [[Guggi]] ended a long-term relationship.<ref name="closer-to-edge" /> Bono cites the birth of his two daughters in 1989 and 1991 as major influences. While no previous U2 song had used the word "baby", it appears 53 times on ''Achtung Baby'' and is one of the reasons for the album title. Bono says babies are behind the line of the opening track "[[Zoo Station]]": ''"I'm ready to say I'm glad to be alive" / "I'm ready, I'm ready for the push"''.<ref name="m216" />
Writer Bill Flanagan credits Bono's habit of keeping his lyrics "in flux until the last minute" with providing a narrative coherence to the album.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 20</ref> Flanagan interpreted the album as lyrically describing a character being tempted away from domestic life by an exciting nightlife and testing how far he could go before returning home.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 187</ref> This narrative was informed by the turbulent personal relationships of those in and close to the group.<ref name="fricke" /><ref name="m221" /><ref name="xxv"/><ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 12</ref> The band members' relationships with one another strained during the difficult Berlin sessions.<ref name="closer-to-edge" /> During recording, The Edge separated from his wife of six years and mother of his three children, while Bono's friend [[Guggi]] ended a long-term relationship.<ref name="closer-to-edge" /> Bono cites the birth of his two daughters in 1989 and 1991 as major influences. While no previous U2 song had used the word "baby", it appears 53 times on ''Achtung Baby'' and is one of the reasons for the album title. Bono says babies are behind the line of the opening track "[[Zoo Station]]": ''"I'm ready to say I'm glad to be alive" / "I'm ready, I'm ready for the push"''.<ref name="m216" />

Revision as of 22:59, 20 February 2010

Untitled

Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, it was released in November 1991 on Island Records.

Stung by criticism of their previous album, Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 shifted their musical direction for Achtung Baby, incorporating alternative rock, industrial, and electronic dance music influences into their sound. Thematically, the record was darker and more introspective, and at times, was more flippant than the band's previous work. The album and the subsequent multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour were a crucial part of the group's 1990s reinvention, as U2 replaced their earnest public image with a more lighthearted, 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 amongst the band members over their musical direction and the quality of their material. However, after weeks of tension, arguments, and slow progress, the band made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "One". The group returned to Dublin in 1991, where they completed the majority of the recordings in the first half of the year.

Commercially and critically, Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful records. 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 records of the 1990s, Achtung Baby is regularly featured on rankings of the greatest albums of all-time.

Background

U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree brought them critical acclaim, commercial success, and high exposure, but their seemingly serious nature earned them a reputation as "pompous bores",[1] and it precipitated a critical backlash against them.[2] Music journalists accused them of being grandiose, over-earnest, and self-righteous.[2] The criticism increased the following year with the release of the Rattle and Hum motion picture and companion album, in which the band's continued exploration of American music was labelled "pretentious" and "misguided and bombastic".[3]

Despite their commercial success, they were dissatisfied creatively, and lead vocalist Bono believed they were musically unprepared for their success.[2][4] Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. said, "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best" and likened performing on the group's 1989 Lovetown Tour to being a jukebox.[2][4] They described their collaboration with blues musician B.B. King on Rattle and Hum and the Lovetown Tour as "an excursion down a dead-end street", one that was misunderstood by audiences.[5][6] In retrospect, Bono said that listening to black music helped the group "get the groove ready for Achtung Baby" and that listening to folk music helped him develop as a lyricist.[6] Towards the end of the Lovetown Tour, Bono announced on-stage that it was "the end of something for U2" and that "we have to go away and... and just dream it all up again". Following the tour, the group began what was at that time its longest break from public performances and releases.[7]

Reacting to the criticism and their own sense of musical stagnation, U2 began to search for new musical ground.[2][8] They wrote the song "God Part II" from Rattle and Hum after realizing they had pursued the "retro nature of songwriting" and "nostalgia" to an excess. It had a more contemporary feel that Bono said was more in line with Achtung Baby's direction.[9] More hints of change were two 1990 recordings in which the group used electronic dance beats and hip hop elements for the first time. The first was a cover version of "Night and Day" for the first of the Red Hot + Blue releases. The second was Bono's and guitarist The Edge's contributions to the original score of A Clockwork Orange's theatrical adaptation, which was produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Much of the material they wrote was experimental, and according to Bono, was "preparing the ground for Achtung Baby". Musical ideas not appropriate for the play were put aside for the band.[10] This period saw Bono and The Edge writing songs more closely without Mullen or bassist Adam Clayton.[10]

In preparation for the pending Achtung Baby sessions, the group recorded demos at STS Studios in Dublin in July 1990,[11] while Bono reviewed material he had written in Australia on the Lovetown Tour. The demos, which later evolved into "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "Until the End of the World", "Even Better Than the Real Thing", and "Mysterious Ways", remained undeveloped until the formal album sessions.[12] With a few musical ideas already written, they wanted the new album to be "forward-looking" and a "complete about turn", but they did not know how to achieve this.[13] The beginning of the Madchester movement in the United Kingdom left them confused about how they would fit into any particular musical scene.[12]

Writing, recording, and production

"Buzzwords on this record were trashy, throwaway, dark, sexy, and industrial (all good) and earnest, polite, sweet, righteous, rockist and linear (all bad). It was good if a song took you on a journey or made you think your hifi was broken, bad if it reminded you of recording studios or U2. Sly Stone, T. Rex, Scott Walker, My Bloody Valentine, KMFDM, the Young Gods, Alan Vega, Al Green, and Insekt were all in favour. And Berlin [...] became a conceptual backdrop for the record. The Berlin of the Thirties—decadent, sexual and dark—resonating against the Berlin of the Nineties—reborn, chaotic and optimistic [...]"

Brian Eno, on the recording of Achtung Baby[8]

U2 employed Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno to produce the album, both of them having produced The Joshua Tree and the band's 1984 record The Unforgettable Fire.[14] Lanois was principal producer, with Mark "Flood" Ellis as engineer.[8] Eno took on an assisting producer role, working with the group in the studio for a week at a time to review their work before leaving for a month or two.[8][15] He did this on at least five occasions and believes that by distancing himself from the record, he provided the group with a fresh perspective on their material when rejoining them.[16] As he explained, "I would deliberately not listen to the stuff in between visits, so I could go in cold [...]"[17] The "oblique" strategies of the Lanois-Eno team contrasted with Rattle and Hum producer Jimmy Iovine's direct and retro style.[14]

Berlin sessions

The band saw "domesticity as the enemy of rock 'n' roll" and that to work on the album, they needed to remove themselves from their normal family-oriented routines. With a "New Europe" emerging following the Cold War, they chose Berlin, a city at the heart of the reuniting continent, as a source of inspiration to move towards a more European aesthetic.[2][14][18] They recorded at Hansa Studios in West Berlin, near the recently opened Berlin Wall. Several acclaimed records were made at Hansa in the 1970s, including two records from David Bowie and Eno's "Berlin Trilogy", and Bowie and Iggy Pop's collaboration, The Idiot.[12] U2 arrived on 3 October 1990 on the last flight into East Berlin on the eve of German reunification.[12] Expecting to be inspired, they instead found the mood in Berlin to be "depressing", "dark and gloomy".[13] The collapse of the Berlin Wall resulted in a state of malaise in Germany. The dilapidated condition of Hansa and the band's hotel in East Berlin added to the "bad vibe", as did the location of Hansa's Studio 2 in a former SS ballroom.[13][19]

Morale worsened once the sessions commenced, as the band worked long days, yet could not agree on what direction to take musically.[19] The Edge had been listening to alternative rock and electronic dance music, and to industrial bands like Nine Inch Nails, the Young Gods, and KMFDM. He and Bono advocated new musical directions along these lines. In contrast, Mullen was listening to classic rock acts Blind Faith, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix.[2][10] He and Clayton were more comfortable with a sound similar to U2's previous work and did not understand the proposed new direction.[2][13] The Edge's interest in dance club mixes and drum machines made Mullen feel that his contributions as a drummer were being diminished.[13] Lanois was expecting the "textural, emotional, and cinematic" U2 of the The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, and he did not understand the "throwaway and trashy things" that Bono and The Edge were working on.[2] Compounding the divisions between the two camps, which they called the "haircuts" and the "hats",[18] was a change in the band's long-standing songwriting relationship. Bono and The Edge were working more closely together writing material at the exclusion of the rest of the group.[10][20]

"At the instant we were recording it, I got a very strong sense of its power. We were all playing together in the big recording room, a huge, eerie ballroom full of ghosts of the war, and everything fell into place. It was a reassuring moment, when everyone finally went, 'oh great, this album has started.' It's the reason you're in a band - when the spirit descends upon you and you create something truly affecting. 'One' is an incredibly moving piece. It hits straight into the heart."

The Edge, on the recording of "One"[21]

U2 had hoped that their existing ideas would become completed songs through jam sessions, but they were "under-rehearsed and under-prepared" and found that their ideas were not evolving.[13] For the first time, the group could not find consensus during their disagreements and felt that they were not making progress. Bono and Lanois, in particular, had an intense argument that almost came to blows during the writing of "Mysterious Ways".[22] Mullen thought it "might be the end" of U2.[13] Eno visited for a few days, and understanding their attempts to "deconstruct" the band, he assured them that their progress was better than they thought.[23][24] By adding unusual effects and sounds, he showed that The Edge's desire for new sonic territory was not incompatible with Mullen's and Lanois' desire to retain solid song structures.[24] In December, a breakthrough was achieved with the writing of the song, "One".[21] When The Edge combined two chord progressions that he was playing on guitar, the group found inspiration and quickly improvised most of the song at Lanois' encouragement in 15 minutes. It provided a much-needed reassurance for the band and re-validated their long-standing "blank page" approach to writing and recording together.[21][25]

The group went to Dublin for Christmas, where they discussed their future together and all recommitted to the group.[26] They briefly returned to Berlin in January 1991 to wrap up recording at Hansa Studios.[27] Although just two songs were delivered during their two months in Berlin, The Edge said that in retrospect, working there had been more productive and inspirational than the output had suggested.[21][23][28] The band had been removed from a familiar environment, providing a certain "texture and cinematic location", and many of their incomplete musical ideas would be revisited with success.[21]

Dublin sessions

In February 1991, U2 regrouped in the seaside manor "Elsinore" in Dalkey, renting the house for ₤10,000 per month.[27][28] Lanois' strategy to record in houses, mansions, or castles was something he believed brought "atmosphere" to the recordings.[28] Dublin audio services company Big Bear Sound installed a recording studio in the house,[27] with the recording room in a converted garage diagonally beneath the control room. Video cameras and TV monitors were used to monitor the spaces, while talkback microphones were used to communicate between them.[28] The house was within walking distance of Bono and The Edge's homes.[27][29] The sessions at Elsinore were a turnaround in the album's development, as the house's atmosphere was more relaxed, and the group were more productive there.[30] One song, later released as the B-side "Lady With the Spinning Head", was troublesome, but it inspired three separate songs, "The Fly", "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "Zoo Station".[29] During the writing of "The Fly", Bono conceived an alternate persona based on a pair of oversized black sunglasses, given to him by wardrobe manager Fintan Fitzgerald, that he wore to lighten the mood in the studio.[27][29] Bono developed the character into a leather-clad egomaniac also called "The Fly", and he appeared in this persona for the band's subsequent public appearances and live performances on the Zoo TV Tour.

In April, tapes from the earlier Berlin sessions were leaked and bootlegged. Bono dismissed the leaked demos as "gobbledygook", and The Edge likened the situation to "being violated".[31] The leak created what Lanois described as "a bad scene for a few weeks", shaking the band's confidence.[32] The sound engineering team was short-staffed after Flood left for a month because of a previous recording engagement. Lanois asked Flood's assistant on the project, Robbie Adams, to take over, and assistant Shannon Strong was hired to help him. Upon Flood's return, the group had three engineers, and it was decided to split recording between Elsinore and The Edge's home studio.[28] Adams said the approach "increased the level of activity and enthusiasm. There was always something different to listen to, always something exciting happening."[28] In order to record all of the band's material and test different arrangements, the engineers utilised a technique they called "fatting", which allowed them to achieve more than 48 tracks of audio by using a 24-track analogue recording, a DAT machine, and a synchroniser.[28] Through the end of May, lyrics were still being written and the final vocal takes had yet to be recorded, but Lanois noted that the record was beginning to take shape and he believed some of the in-progress songs would become worldwide hits.[33]

During the Dublin sessions, Eno was sent tapes of the previous two months' work, which he called a "total disaster". Joining U2 in the studio, he stripped away what he thought to be excessive overdubbing. The group believes his intervention saved the album.[34] Eno theorized that the band was too close to their music, explaining, "[...] if you know a piece of music terribly well and the mix changes and the bass guitar goes very quiet, you still hear the bass. You're so accustomed to it being there that you compensate and remake it in your mind."[16] Eno also assisted them through a "crisis point" one month before the deadline to finish recording; he recalls that "everything seemed like a mess", and he insisted the band take a two-week holiday from working on the record. The break gave them a clearer perspective and added decisiveness.[35]

After work at Elsinore finished in July, Eno, Flood, Lanois, and previous U2 producer Steve Lillywhite mixed the tracks at Windmill Lane Studios.[27][36][37] Each producer was asked to create their own mixes of the songs, and the band either picked the version they preferred or requested that certain aspects of each be combined.[37] Additional recording and mixing continued up until the last few days before the 21 September deadline,[38] including last minute changes to "The Fly" and "One".[39] The final night was spent devising a running order for the album. The following day, The Edge travelled to Los Angeles with the album's tapes for mastering.[39] The band viewed the finished record as a "watershed" that ensured their creative future.[39]

Composition

"We're at a point where production has gotten so slick that people don't trust it anymore.... We were starting to lose trust in the conventional sound of rock & roll—the conventional sound of the guitar, in particular—and, you know, those big reverb-laden drum sounds of the '80s or those big, beautiful, pristine vocal sounds with all this lush ambience and reverb. So we found ourselves searching for other sounds that had more life and more freshness."

The Edge, explaining the band's motivation for seeking a new sound[40]

To describe their musical departure on Achtung Baby, U2 referred to the record as the sound of "four men chopping down The Joshua Tree".[1][41] While Bono's vocals were centre-stage in melody and mix on past songs, critics described his vocals on Achtung Baby as being more elusive, dynamic, and lower in the mix.[42][43] His voice is often in a lower register or treated with processing,[44][45] and on many tracks, he sings as a character.[46] The Edge's guitar playing on the record is a departure from the chiming, echo-heavy sound that became his trademark in the 1980s; on Achtung Baby, his style demonstrates industrial influences and utilises a variety of guitar effects, particularly distortion.[44][47] Various critics referred to his style as "metallic",[43][45] while Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone said his playing created "harder textures".[47] The rhythm section was given a more prominent role in the mix,[46] and hip hop-inspired dance beats appear on several of the album's tracks. Gardner compared the record's melding of guitar tracks and dance beats to songs by British bands Happy Mondays and Jesus Jones.[47] The work of singer-songwriter Gavin Friday, Bono's friend since childhood, was cited as an influence on the "new U2".[48]

In contrast to their previous work, U2 deliberately avoided making political and social statements in their lyrics for Achtung Baby. Instead, the album is more personal and introspective, examining love, sexuality, spirituality, faith, and betrayal.[49][50][51] The lyrics took on a darker tone, examining the pain of personal relationships and exuding feelings of confusion, loneliness, and inadequacy.[47][52][53] The Edge wanted a more personal style of writing, and the band were interested in the works of Roy Orbison, Scott Walker, and Jacques Brel.[54] Religious imagery is present throughout the record, and in many songs, Bono questions his faith; in "Acrobat", he sings, "I'd break bread and wine" / "If there was a church I could receive in".[55] The 49th entry in the 33 1⁄3 series of books, entitled Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall, is dedicated entirely to religious interpretations of the album.[56] Although darker themes are present on the record, many lyrics are more flippant and sexual than those from the band's previous work.[42][57] With Achtung Baby, the group sought to recover some of the Dadaist characters and stage antics they had dabbled with in the late 1970s as teenagers but abandoned for more literal themes in the 1980s.[58] While the band had previously been opposed to materialism, they examined and flirted with those values on the record and the Zoo TV Tour.[49]

Writer Bill Flanagan credits Bono's habit of keeping his lyrics "in flux until the last minute" with providing a narrative coherence to the album.[59] Flanagan interpreted the album as lyrically describing a character being tempted away from domestic life by an exciting nightlife and testing how far he could go before returning home.[60] This narrative was informed by the turbulent personal relationships of those in and close to the group.[2][13][15][61] The band members' relationships with one another strained during the difficult Berlin sessions.[62] During recording, The Edge separated from his wife of six years and mother of his three children, while Bono's friend Guggi ended a long-term relationship.[62] Bono cites the birth of his two daughters in 1989 and 1991 as major influences. While no previous U2 song had used the word "baby", it appears 53 times on Achtung Baby and is one of the reasons for the album title. Bono says babies are behind the line of the opening track "Zoo Station": "I'm ready to say I'm glad to be alive" / "I'm ready, I'm ready for the push".[12]

"Zoo Station"
The introduction to "Zoo Station" was meant to make listeners think "This record is broken" or "This can't be the new U2 record".[29]
Problems playing this file? See media help.
"One"
Although "One" was quickly improvised, additional edits were made to give the song more "foreground". The lyrics describe a troubled relationship.

"Zoo Station" announces U2's reinvention, with industrial-influenced percussion, layers of distorted vocals and guitars, and lyrics suggesting new appetites and anticipations.[58][63] The song's introduction was intended to make listeners think the record or their music player was broken, or that it was mistakenly not the new U2 album.[29] Irish rock journalist Bill Graham called the song a "new brand of glam-rock" with "Spartan rhythms and sudden flurries of melody".[64] "Even Better Than the Real Thing" began as a guitar riff composed during the Rattle and Hum sessions. The riff was revisited many times afterward with little success, until The Edge began playing with a Digitech Whammy effects pedal.[29] The song's title and lyrics were "reflective of the times [the band] were living in, when people were no longer looking for the truth, [they] were all looking for instant gratification".[29]

Bono's inspiration for the lyrics from the ballad "One" was a combination of the band members' struggling relationships, the German reunification, and a letter he sent to the Dalai Lama turning down an invitation to a festival called "Oneness"; Bono's note read "One, but not the same", a line he would incorporate into the song's chorus.[21] Although "One" was composed primarily in one improvised songwriting session and was a turning point for U2, Eno did not originally like the song,[23] and the group attempted to give it more "foreground".[21] With his own mix, Eno encouraged the band to "undermine the 'too beautiful' feeling",[21] and to make further edits, such as removing most of the acoustic guitar.[23]

"Until the End of the World" is lyrically one of the most serious songs on the album, written as a conversation between Jesus Christ and his betrayer, Judas Iscariot.[29] The song's music originated from a guitar riff that Bono wrote for an old demo. The Edge revisited it after the band met filmmaker Wim Wenders, who was looking for music to use in his film Until the End of the World.[29] "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" began as a rough demo from 1990 that the band attempted to improve during the album's sessions. However, they regularly revisited the original demo and eventually settled on a version that sounded most like the original.[29] The song's lyrics describe a couple who are experiencing a quarrel. "So Cruel" demonstrates cabaret influences and Bono cites Scott Walker as an inspiration. Written acoustically and rather quickly, the song originally sounded more traditional than what they had in mind for the album. Flood keyed Clayton's bass part off Mullen's playing of an Irish bodhran, which combined with overdubs, gave it a more unusual sound.[36][65][66] Thematically, it deals with unrequited love, jealousy, obsession, and possessiveness.[67]

"The Fly"
"The Fly" was chosen as the first single because its hip hop beats, distorted vocals, and hard industrial edge sounded nothing like the typical U2 sound.[67][68][69]

"The Fly" features an industrial sound and layers of distorted vocals and guitars. The song was chosen as the album's first single because it sounded nothing like U2.[67][68][69] Bono wrote the lyrics in character as "The Fly", composing a sequence of "single-line aphorisms".[70] He called the song "like a crank call from Hell... but [the caller] likes it there".[29] "Mysterious Ways" features a funky guitar riff and danceable, conga-laden beat. The song began as an improvisation over a drum machine, with the band only liking Clayton's bass line.[29] They struggled to find a suitable melody for the song until The Edge introduced a new effects pedal.[29] The final product is what Bono calls "U2 at our funkiest... Sly and The Family Stone meets Madchester baggy."[29]

"Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World" is a quiet song dedicated to the Los Angeles bar The Flaming Colossus. The lyrics describe a drunken stagger home.[71] "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" is another song about a strained relationship and unease over obligations.[72] The song intentionally juxtaposes a trademark of the group, a "repeato-riff" guitar part, with a cliché they had never used, vocals that repeat the word "baby".[73] "Acrobat", which uses a 12⁄8 time signature, features The Edge playing a distorted tremolo. Lyrically, it is one of the most personal songs on Achtung Baby, with Bono acknowledging personal weakness, contradictions, and inadequacy.[74] He cites the track as one of his favourite U2 songs, although he was not satisfied with the recording.[65] The album's closing track, "Love Is Blindness", was written in Australia during the 1989 Lovetown Tour and during the Achtung Baby sessions.[46][75] Bono became acquainted with Frank Sinatra, and as a result, the song demonstrates cabaret influences.[36] Bono described The Edge's guitar solo that concludes the song as "a more eloquent prayer than anything I could write".[76]

Packaging and title

The sleeve artwork for Achtung Baby was designed by Steve Averill, who had done the majority of U2's albums.[77] To mirror the group's musical direction, they sought a sleeve that would contrast with those from their previous albums, which had mostly used single black-and-white images that were serious in nature.[77][78] This led to discussions about using colour and multiple images.[77] Rough sketches and designs were created early during the recording sessions, and some more experimental designs were conceived to closely resemble, as Averill put it, "dance-music oriented sleeves. We just did them to show how extreme we could go and then everyone came back to levels that they were happy with. But if we hadn't gone to these extremes it may not have the been the cover it is now."[77] The group's long-time photographer, Anton Corbijn, who was more experienced at monochrome photography, was concerned about effectively capturing colour, but he refined his techniques during the recording sessions.[77]

An initial photo shoot was done near U2's Berlin hotel in late 1990,[79] most of the photos taken in black-and-white.[77] However, the group felt the shots were not indicative of the spirit of the new album, and they re-commissioned Corbijn for an additional photo shoot in Tenerife, beginning 9 February 1991 and lasting two weeks.[27] For the shoot, they dressed up and mingled with the crowds of the annual Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to present a more playful side of themselves.[27] Corbijn had the idea to photograph the band with a Trabant, a German automobile for which the band had developed an affection, and he had one shipped to Tenerife. The Edge was inspired to paint it bright colours.[80][81] It was during the group's time in Tenerife, and during a four-day shoot in Morocco in July, that they were photographed in drag.[27] Additional photos were taken in Dublin in June, including a photo of a naked Clayton.[82] The content of these photos was intended to confound expectations of U2,[39] and their full colour contrasted with imagery on past sleeves.[78]

One of the photographs was of a cow from an Irish farm in Kildare, and for a while, it competed with the nude photo of Clayton and a shot of the band driving a Trabant for the choice of a single cover image.[77] A multiple image scheme was ultimately used, as Corbijn, Averill, the band, and the producers could not agree on a single image,[77] and the resulting front sleeve is a 4×4 squared montage.[39] The band wanted to balance the "colder European feel of the mainly black-and-white Berlin images and the much warmer exotic climates of Santa Cruz and Morocco".[77] Some photographs were used because they were striking on their own, while others were used because of their ambiguity.[77] The nude photo of Clayton was placed on the rear cover of the album. On the US compact disc and cassette sleeves, Clayton's privates are censored with a black "X" or a four-leaf clover,[83] while vinyl editions feature the photo uncensored.[78] In 2006, Bono said that the sleeve for Achtung Baby was his favourite U2 cover artwork.[84]

The album's title, "Achtung Baby", means "Attention, baby!" or "Watch out, baby!" in German, and it was used by the band's sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy during recording.[14] He reportedly took the phrase from the Mel Brooks film The Producers,[39] although the phrase said in the film is "Auf Wiedersehen, Baby". The title was selected in August 1991 near the end of recording.[77] According to Bono, it was an ideal title, as it was attention-grabbing, referenced Germany, and hinted at either romance or birth, both of which were themes on the album.[39] The band was determined not to highlight the seriousness of the lyrics and instead sought to "erect a mask", a concept that was further developed on the Zoo TV Tour, particularly through characters such as "The Fly".[85] U2 considered calling the album Man (in contrast to the group's debut album Boy), 69, Zoo Station, and Adam, which would have been paired with the nude photo of Clayton.[2][39][77][86] Other possible titles included Fear of Women and Cruise Down Main Street, in reference to The Rolling Stones's album Exile on Main St. and the cruise missiles launched on Baghdad during the Gulf War.[85] Most of the proposed titles were rejected out of the belief that people would see them as pretentious and "another Big Statement from U2."[86]

Release

As early as December 1990, the music press reported that U2 would be recording a dance-oriented album and that it would be released in the summer 1991.[87] In August 1991, controversy threatened to overshadow the November release of Achtung Baby.[41] Sound collage artists Negativland released an EP entitled U2 that parodied U2's song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and used the band's likenesses on the cover. Island Records objected to the cover, believing fans would be confused that the EP was U2's new record. Island successfully sued for copyright infringement, but it received criticism in the music press, as did U2, although they were not involved in the litigation.[88] The negative headlines were mediated by the success of Achtung Baby's first single, "The Fly". Released on 21 October 1991, a month before the album, the song became U2's second number-one single in the UK.[89] "The Fly" was selected as the lead single because it sounded nothing like the typical U2 sound, and it signaled to fans that the group were taking a new musical direction.[29]

Island Records and U2 refused to make advance copies of the record available to the press until just a few days before the release date, preferring to have fans listen to the album before reading reviews. The decision came amid rumours of tensions within the band, and it was compared to the Hollywood practice of withholding review copies of films from the media before release whenever they received poor word-of-mouth press.[90] Achtung Baby was released on 19 November 1991 in the compact disc, tape cassette, and vinyl record formats. The record became the first release by a major act to use two "eco-friendly" packages, the cardboard Digipak, and the jewel case without the long cardboard attachment.[83] The album was U2's first in three years and the first comprised entirely of new material in over four years.[15] The group maintained a low profile after the record's release, avoiding interviews and allowing critics and the public to make their own assessments.[14] Instead of participating in an article with Rolling Stone magazine, U2 asked Eno to write one for them.[27]

"Mysterious Ways" was released as the second single five days after the album's release. On the North American Billboard charts, the song topped the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts and reached number nine on the Hot 100.[91] Achtung Baby sold and charted well on the heels of the first two singles' success. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, while topping the US Billboard 200. The record sold 295,000 copies in the US in its first week,[88] and on 21 January 1992, the RIAA certified the record as platinum in the US.[92] The album sold seven million copies worldwide in its first three months alone.[52]

Three additional singles were released in 1992. "One", released in March to coincide with the beginning of the tour, reached number seven in the UK and number ten in the US charts, and like its predecessor, it topped both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. The song has since become regarded as one of the greatest songs of all-time, ranking highly on many critics' lists.[93] The fourth single from Achtung Baby, "Even Better Than the Real Thing", was released in June. The album version of the song peaked at number 12 on the UK Top 40,[89] while becoming the album's third single to top the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[91] A remix version of the song peaked at number eight in the UK.[89] "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" followed as the fifth and final single in August 1992. It peaked at number 14 on the UK singles chart,[89] and number two on the US Mainstream Rock chart.[91] By the end of 1992, the album had sold 10 million copies worldwide.[94]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[95]
Austin Chronicle[96]
Chicago Tribune[97]
Robert Christgau(dud)[98]
Entertainment Weekly(A)[99]
Hot Press(10/12)[42]
Los Angeles Times[53]
Orlando Sentinel[44]
Q[100]
Rolling Stone[47]

Upon its release, Achtung Baby received strong reviews from critics.[31] Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone, in her four-and-a-half-star review, said that U2 had "proven that the same penchant for epic musical and verbal gestures that leads many artists to self-parody can, in more inspired hands, fuel the unforgettable fire that defines great rock & roll."[47] The review said that the album, like its predecessor Rattle and Hum, was an attempt by the band to "broaden its musical palette, but this time its ambitions are realized".[47] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an "A" and called it a "pristinely produced and surprisingly unpretentious return by one of the most impressive bands in the world".[99] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe echoed these sentiments, stating that the record "not only reinvigorates their sound, but drops any self-righteousness. The songs focus on personal relationships, not on saving the world."[45] Morse praised the album's sonics, stating "Clanging, knob-twisting sound effects run through the record, as does the metallic, head-snapping guitar of David (The Edge) Evans, who has never shone this brilliantly."[45] In its five-star review, Q called the album U2's "heaviest album to date. And best." The review praised the band and its production team for making "music of drama, depth, intensity and, believe it, funkiness".[100]

Time magazine featured a very positive review of the album, calling it a record of "major-league guitar crunching and mysterious, spacy chords" and "songs of love, temptation, loose political parable and tight personal confession". The review declared that U2 had successfully reinvented itself.[101] In a perfect four-star review, the Los Angeles Times stated "the arty, guitar-driven textures are among the band's most confident and vigorous ever". The newspaper noted that despite the "exhilarating and sensual textures", the album is a difficult one for listeners because of the dark, introspective nature of the songs. The reviewer explained that U2 had lost some of its individuality by transitioning from writing inspirational songs in the past to tracks with more dismal subject matter, an area in popular music that was well-covered.[53] Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised the record not only for featuring "noisy, vertiginous arrangements, mostly layers of guitar", but also for the group's ability to "maintain its pop skills". The review concluded, "Stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990s."[43]

At the 35th Grammy Awards in 1993, Achtung Baby won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal", and it earned Lanois and Eno the award for "Producer of the Year". The record was also nominated for the "Album of the Year" award.[83]

Legacy

In the ensuing years, Achtung Baby has become acclaimed as one of the greatest albums in rock history. Many publications have placed it among their rankings of the best albums. In 1993, two years after the record's release, Entertainment Weekly placed it at number 28 on its list of the "100 Greatest CDs of All Time".[102] It has appeared on several Q readers' polls of the greatest album; in 1998, it was ranked number 15,[103] and in 2006, it was ranked number nine.[104] The Q staff named it the third-best record from 1980–2004,[105] and similarly, in 2008, Entertainment Weekly called it the third-best record of the previous 25 years.[106] In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 62 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,"[107] while the National Association of Recording Merchandisers placed it at number 45 on its "The Definitive 200" list.[108] In 2005, it appeared on Spin's list of "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005" at number 11.[109] The following year, the record appeared on a number of rankings, including Hot Press's "100 Greatest Albums Ever" at number 21,[110] ABC Television's program My Favourite Album at the 33rd position,[111] and NME and The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and Albums' list of best records at number 40.[112] That same year, Time included Achtung Baby on its list of "The All-Time 100 Albums".[113] Music television channel VH1 ranked it at number 65 on their "100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll" program in The Greatest series.[114] The record appeared at number 36 on USA Today's 2003 list of the top 40 albums of all-time.[115] It was listed as one of U2's four records in the music reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[116]

As of 2009, Achtung Baby has sold 18 million copies worldwide,[117] including eight million copies in the US.[83][118] It is the group's second-most commercially successful effort after The Joshua Tree, which has sold 25 million copies worldwide.[119] The success of Achtung Baby influenced U2 to continue experimenting with alternative rock and electronic dance music for the remainder of the decade. Zooropa, released in 1993, was a further departure for the band, incorporating techno influences and electronic effects into their sound.[120] In 1995, U2 and Brian Eno collaborated on the experimental/ambient record Original Soundtracks 1 under the pseudonym "Passengers".[62] For Pop in 1997, the group's experiences with dance club culture and their usage of tape loops, programming, rhythm sequencing, and sampling resulted in their most dance-oriented album.[62]

Zoo TV Tour

An elaborate concert stage stands. It is comprised of several towers of metal support rigs. Attached are bright lights, many video screens, and suspended cars with headlights shining in the direction of the audience. The lighting is a mix of yellow, blue, and red. A tower on the left bears a logo reading "Zoo TV".
The Zoo TV stage featured a complex setup with over 30 video screens.[121]

In support of the album, U2 launched the worldwide Zoo TV Tour. Like Achtung Baby, the tour was intended as an unequivocal break with the band's past. In contrast to the previous tours' austere stage setups, the Zoo TV Tour was an elaborate multimedia event. It satirised television and the viewing public's over-stimulation by attempting to instill "sensory overload" in its audience.[41][62][120] The stage featured dozens of large video screens that showed visual effects, random video clips from pop culture, and flashing subliminal messages. Live satellite link-ups, channel surfing, crank calls, and video confessionals were incorporated into the shows.[121] Whereas the group was known for its earnest performances in the 1980s, the group's Zoo TV performances were intentionally ironic and self-mocking;[41] on stage, Bono performed in-character as several personas he had conceived, including "The Fly", "Mirror Ball Man", and "Mr. MacPhisto". The majority of the album's songs were played at each show, and the set lists began with up to seven Achtung Baby songs in a row before any older material was played.

The tour began in February 1992 and lasted almost two years, the group playing 157 shows over five legs. The tour alternated its first four legs between North America and Europe, before visiting Australasia and Japan for the fifth and final leg in late 1993.[122] During a six-month break in the tour, the band recorded their next studio album Zooropa and released it in July 1993. Zooropa was inspired by life on tour and expanded on many of its themes of media oversaturation.[120] In 2002, Q magazine said the Zoo TV Tour was "still the most spectacular rock tour staged by any band."[32]

Video

In May 1992, U2 released Achtung Baby: The Videos, The Cameos, and a Whole Lot of Interference from Zoo TV, a VHS compilation of nine music videos from the album. Running for 62 minutes, it was produced by Ned O'Hanlon and released by Island/Polygram. It included three music videos each for "One" and "Even Better than the Real Thing", along with videos for "The Fly", "Mysterious Ways", and "Until the End of the World". In between the videos were clips of so-called "interference", comprising documentary footage, media clips, and other images, similar to what was shown at shows during the Zoo TV Tour. The release reached a certification of Gold in Canada.[123]

Track listing

All tracks are written by U2, with lyrics by Bono

No.TitleProducerLength
1."Zoo Station"Daniel Lanois4:36
2."Even Better Than the Real Thing"Steve Lillywhite, with Brian Eno and Lanois3:41
3."One"Lanois with Eno4:36
4."Until the End of the World"Lanois with Eno4:39
5."Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"Lillywhite, Lanois, and Eno5:16
6."So Cruel"Lanois5:49
7."The Fly"Lanois4:29
8."Mysterious Ways"Lanois with Eno4:04
9."Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World"Lanois with Eno3:53
10."Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"Lanois with Eno5:31
11."Acrobat"Lanois4:30
12."Love Is Blindness"Lanois4:23
Total length:55:27

Personnel

U2
Additional personnel
Production
  • Producers – Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite
  • Engineers – Brian Adams, Robbie Adams, Paul Barrett, Flood, Joe O'Herlihy
  • Assistant engineers, mix assistants – Robbie Adams, Shannon Strong
  • Mixing – Robbie Adams, The Edge, Brian Eno, Flood, Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite
  • Digital editing – Stewart Whitmore
  • Mastering – Arnie Acosta

Charts and certifications

Notes

  1. ^ a b Mueller, Andrew. "U2 - The Joshua Tree Re-Mastered (R1987)". Uncut. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fricke, David (1992-10-01). "U2's Serious Fun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
  3. ^ Gardner (1994)
  4. ^ a b Flanagan (1995), p. 24
  5. ^ Flanagan (1995), p. 27
  6. ^ a b McCormick (2006), p. 213
  7. ^ de la Parra (1994), pp. 138–149
  8. ^ a b c d Eno, Brian (1991-11-28). "Bringing Up Baby". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
  9. ^ McCormick (2006), pp. 204, 207
  10. ^ a b c d McCormick (2006), p. 215
  11. ^ Bailie, Stuart (2001-10-01). "Not Quite Better Than the Real Thing". Q.
  12. ^ a b c d e McCormick (2006), pp. 216, 221
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h McCormick (2006), p. 221
  14. ^ a b c d e Graham (2004), p. 43
  15. ^ a b c Gardner (1994), p. xxv
  16. ^ a b "Eno". Propaganda. No. 16. 1992-06-01.
  17. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Milk It! Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the '90s. De Capo Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0306812712.
  18. ^ a b Flanagan (1995), p. 7
  19. ^ a b "The Berlin Sessions". Propaganda. No. 14. 1991-06-01.
  20. ^ Graham (1996), p. 28
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h McCormick (2006), pp. 221, 224
  22. ^ Stokes (1996), p. 104
  23. ^ a b c d Stokes (1996), p. 98
  24. ^ a b Flanagan (1995), p. 10
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References

Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
December 7, 1991 – December 13, 1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
December 1, 1991 – December 7, 1991 		Succeeded by
Dangerous by Michael Jackson
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