Achtung Baby! 20th Anniversary Edition - U2

Though well received by critics and fans alike, there can be no doubt that Achtung Baby's writhing and yelping out of this record marked a dramatic shift in dynamics for the band.

 

It remains hard to believe that, upon hearing its opener ‘Zoo Station’ today – in particular, Adam Clayton’s uncharacteristically buzzing, pulsating bass and Bono’s leering vocals – that just one record before this one, U2 were hanging out with BB King, preaching the gospel and scaling dizzying heights of sonic architecture with The Joshua Tree. This was two decades ago – how this must have come across at the time beggars belief. The producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno – in tow since 1984s The Unforgettable Fire – had sat at the desk once again, as they had done following third album War; the band then decamped to Berlin, opened the flaps and pressed the reset button.
Twenty years on and the collection remains fresh and compelling; the Edge’s fuzzed-as-hell guitars a surprisingly fitting contrast to his signature echo-laden waves, while the rhythm section is better still with Larry Mullen’s laid-back, syncopated beats sitting comfortably within the grooves. Though remastered, I have found little distinguishing this from the 1991 release, however it is louder, and Clayton’s bass is comes through more to fill out the mixes. Perhaps the album’s true weak point is still Bono’s lyrics. For a man of his talent – despite the grating personality – this writer still strives to find meaning in songs such as the catchy ‘The Fly’ or ‘Acrobat’. Fortunately the tunes themselves retain the band's high-standard as craftsmen of perfect pop-rock and as such you quickly forget that what you’re singing along is throwaway. Elsewhere we inevitably arrive at ‘One’, perhaps the bands last great anthem from pre-millennium days – a counter to my lyrical nag, which sees Bono back in the driver’s seat. Call it pretentious, but these signalled the exit of his obsessions with political and social content and, love it or hate it, few have done it better.
So what do you get for your hard-earned? A meagre £12 will buy you the CD deluxe-edition, housed in a gorgeous digipak. Though the booklet adds little new information, a plethora of b-sides, out-takes and unreleased items on the second disc should be enough to whet your appetite. While it is obvious as to why some of these songs have remained in the vaults – ‘Blow Your House Down’ screams mediocrity – there are certainly some worthy curios here. You want more you say? Then the Super Deluxe Edition is for you. This really is a piece of art; a box-set residing in a deep, 12-inch case featuring 6 discs, art prints and a hard-back booklet. You’ll get the album itself, the aforementioned bonus disc and its follow-up ‘Zooropa’, but it is the DVDs that set this collection apart. Here we have excerpts from the world-conquering ‘ZooTV’, the albums video- singles and assorted paraphernalia from the band at the height of their powers. How much? £80 to you, sir!