Enter the 1990s. With the tide changing as far as popular music went, so did U2's overall sound. The Edge had gotten really interested in beats and drum machines and the like, and wanted to incorporate that into their sound. Despite some resistance at first, he eventually won out, and U2 was suddenly doing songs like "Mysterious Ways" and "Zoo Station," which had rhythms unlike any we had previously heard in U2's music. It was a tough pill to swallow at first for Larry Mullen Jr.,, having to work his way around drum beats he wasn't necessarily responsible for, but over the course of the recording of the album, he saw the light, swallowed his pride, and did his job, all for the greater good.
Not that the recording of
Achtung Baby was smooth by any means. The band really struggled with writing at first, in part because of the musical differences that had fragmented the band for a time, and also in part because the songs just weren't coming together. They had great parts, but just that: parts of songs. They struggled to write finish, completed songs, until one day, a guitar part The Edge was just randomly playing magically turned into "One" by the end of the day. Once they had that song, it was like the fuse was lit, and while not easy from that point on, the writing became more focused from that point forward, and the band eventually had enough songs to release their 7th studio album.
My journey with this album was very uneven. I had become a big fan of the band in the later 80s, but as the 90s rolled around, I was getting into classic rock and progressive rock, and when I heard "Mysterious Ways," in 1991, I thought, "What a bunch of horse shit.," U2 was already falling by the wayside for me as it was, and when the first single from the new album turned me off that badly, my interest in them simply plummeted. Eventually, I heard some of the other singles from this record here and there, but having gotten into Rush in late '91, U2 just seemed so lame and tame, pun not intended, compared to them at that point, that I simply put them away, in the "Bands I used to like" category. I doubt I voluntarily listened to a single U2 song by choice from 1992-1994. Then in 1995, the single "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" was out and I liked it, and then in early 1996, I heard "The Fly" at a friend's house, which sort of reignited my interest in them. Knowing full well how popular
Achtung Baby had been, I borrowed a copy from a friend, listened to it and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Sadly, while the brief surge was enjoyable as heck, that little U2 phase evaporated before long, even as I bought my own copy of the CD, and once
Pop was somewhat of a disappointment, I put U2 on the backburner once again, where they would remain until 2009.
I don't know what it was, but something lit a fire under me in 2009 to start listening to this band again. And when I did,
Achtung Baby stood out as their best work, by a wide distance, and I still feel that way. It is a perfect record. I even like "Mysterious Ways" now (!), although it is still my least favorite from this record.
I can never get enough of songs like "Until the End of the World" and "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)," and deep cuts like "Love Is Blindness," "So Cruel" and "Acrobat" are just magnificent. I don't genuflect to "One" like many do, but it is still a damn fine song. This is just one of those albums that you can turn on, listen to from start to finish, and never get bored with. It is one of the greatest, most daring, and creative rock records ever.
Topic: The history of U2 v. Discography Thread: Songs of Innocence (Read 23040 times)