#124 U2, 'Achtung Baby' (1991)
Previously #63
The first U2 record of the ‘90s saw the band take a major shift in their sound. The new decade saw the band make a shift in their sound, incorporating elements of Alternative Rock, Industrial Rock and Electronic Music. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, who had held the reigns on ‘The Joshua Tree,’ were back to produce this record. On the intervening record, ‘Rattle and Hum,’ the band had further paid tribute to American music, exploring its roots. Critics labelled the attempt as pretentious and the band were increasingly accused of being self-righteous and sanctimonious. The band keen to shake up their sound, went to Hansa Studio in Berlin, famous as the studio where Bowie recorded his Berlin Trilogy, on the eve of reunification to seek new inspiration. Bono and The Edge started writing more together without Mullen Jr. and Clayton. The two factions started arguing about the band’s sound; Bono and The Edge had been inspired a lot of electronic and industrial music, whereas the rhythm section of the band was keen on classic rock and to continue the sound for which U2 was known. On top of this, they found Berlin to be depressing and not as inspiring as they had hoped. The band had come to blows and were on the brink of breaking up until one day, while working on an early version of ‘Mysterious Ways,’ The Edge started playing a chord progression around which the rest of the band started improvising. The result was ‘One,’ which became a breakthrough on the record. Following a breather in Dublin, the band returned reenergised and subsequently wrote and recorded ‘Achtung Baby,’ the second most successful album of their career.
The album opens with ‘Zoo Station,’ taking its cues from bands the like of Nine Inch Nails. ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing,’ the fourth single from the record, is a great example of the new sound the band was pursuing in the ‘90s. It’s a sound they would continue to develop in subsequent records. ‘One’ was once again a new direction in sound. The lyrics were inspired by the band’s near implosion, as well as the reunification of Germany; “We're one but we're not the same/We get to carry each other, carry each other/One!” ‘Until The End Of The World’ bears the hallmarks of the recent Madchester sound, as well as elements of electronic music. Final single from the album, ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’ is an epic stadium ballad with a sound similar to that of ‘The Joshua Tree.’ ‘So Cruel,’ once again different to their earlier sound, more electronic. ‘The Fly’ was the first single, and once again inspired by Madchester, could have been The Stones Roses or Primal Scream. Even Bono’s voice sounds completely different. ‘Mysterious Ways,’ the album’s second single, starts off with heavily affected guitar, not the usual delay effect that The Edge favoured. Bass heavy, funky, danceable, it was a sound that we’d never heard before from U2. The same can be said of the remaining songs on the album. U2 had made a statement. Instead of resting on their laurels, they had returned with a new sound for the ‘90s. The result is a cohesive record filled with great songs. The record would sell 18m worldwide, cementing the band’s status as one of the biggest of all time. U2 was now officially the biggest stadium rock band in the world with songs to back that up.
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