Achtung Baby

Performer: U2
Artist: Daniel Lanois; Brian Eno
Engineer: Steve Lillywhite; Brian Adams; Flood; Joe O'Herlihy; Paul Barrett; Robbie Adams
Producer: Steve Lillywhite; Daniel Lanois; Brian Eno
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: U2: Bono (vocals, guitar); The Edge (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Adam Clayton (bass); Larry Mullen (drums). Additional personnel: Daniel Lanois (guitar); Brian Eno (keyboards). Recorded at Hansa Ton Studios, Berlin, Germany; Dog Town, S.T.S. and Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland. Personnel: The Edge (vocals, guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Bono (vocals, guitar); Daniel Lanois (guitar, percussion); Adam Clayton (electric guitar, bass guitar); Duchess Nell Catchpole (violin, viola); Brian Eno (keyboards); Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums, percussion). Audio Mixers: Steve Lillywhite; Daniel Lanois; The Edge; Flood; Shannon Strong; Robbie Adams; Brian Eno. Recording information: Dog Town, Dublin, Ireland; Hansa Ton Studios, Berlin, Germany; S.T.S., Dublin, Ireland; STS Studios, Dublin, Ireland; Windmill Lane Recording Studio, Dublin, Ireland. Illustrator: Charlie Whisker. Photographer: Anton Corbijn. In 1991, U2 shocked the pop-music world with ACHTUNG BABY, a striking departure from the Irish band's beloved '80s arena-rock sound. Here the group careens into sonically adventurous territory, reveling in distorted guitars, drum loops, and layers of synthesizers. The stunning opening track, "Zoo Station," kicks in with fierce, fuzzed-out guitar and a clanging industrial beat, Bono's distinctive voice the only tell-tale sign that this is indeed a U2 album. From here, ACHTUNG BABY deftly maneuvers between giddy electro-pop (the shimmering "Even Better Than the Real Thing," the funky "Mysterious Ways"), bold techno-tinged rock (the majestic punch of "Until the End of the World," the seductive squall of "The Fly"), and contemplative ballads (the heartbreakingly beautiful "One," the haunting closer "Love Is Blindness"). Throughout it all, the quartet plays to the peak of its abilities, aided by the atmospheric, top-notch production of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. This is the record where Bono, for better or worse, fully embraced the role of "rock star," with the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. ably accompanying him every swaggering step of the way. One of the group's finest outings, ACHTUNG BABY is indisputably U2's most adventurous album.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.113) - Ranked #62 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...The album has lots of uncertainty, irony and distortion. It also has one of the most beautiful songs U2 ever recorded: 'One'..." Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.50) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the '90s." Rolling Stone (1/9/92, p.50) - 4.5 Stars - Outstanding - "...the band is able to grow confidently and consistently on its own native strengths...few bands can marshal such sublime power..." Spin (9/99, p.128) - Ranked #19 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" Entertainment Weekly (11/29/91) - "..refreshingly personal - deeper and denser than any of the band's previous releases..." - Rating: A Q (10/01, p.96) - Ranked #9 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" Q (12/99, p.70) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums of the 1990s" Q (12/91) - 5 Stars - Classic - "...U2's heaviest album to date. And best..." - One of Q Magazine's 50 best albums of 1991. CMJ (1/6/03, p.16) - Included in CMJ's list of "Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time" Musician (12/91) - "...ACHTUNG, BABY is dense, tough and endlessly surprising...a great accomplishment..." Jazziz (Dec.-Jan./92, p.94) - Picked by critic John Dilberto as one of the 10 best albums of 1992. New York Times (Publisher) (1/1/92) - "..Dense, self-serious and overly ambitious: all the things this band is rightfully famous for.."

U2's Bono was one of the few real rock heroes of the 1980s, leading the Irish band to international recognition with a charged, political approach to music. The band's early efforts brought a stadium-size presence to post-punk, with Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's distinct guitar lines interacting seamlessly with the rhythm section of bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. In 1987, U2 broke through to superstardom with THE JOSHUA TREE, a grand culmination of their '80s sound. In the 1990s, however, the band very purposefully deflated that epic image, simultaneously adding ambient, dance, and electronica touches on 1991's ACHTUNG BABY. Mining that vein for much of the decade, U2 kicked off the 21st century with a triumphant return to form that was embraced by new and longtime fans alike.

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