Achtung! Achtung! (Achtung Baby - U2)

Member Name: bailey_kipper_uk

Product:	Achtung Baby - U2
Date:	31/07/08 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some great songs

Disadvantages: Doesn't always feel like the U2 that I love

Ok, so my 3rd album is Achtung Baby (I've skipped over Ace of Spades as I only own that song from the album, and that's only due to downloading the Guitar Hero 1 soundtrack, maybe I could review that...). This is a great album from one of the greatest bands of all time. I didn't really get into U2 properly until 'All that you can't leave behind', though I obviously knew a number of their songs. So I had a quick look on the web to find out a bit more info about this album.

Apparantly this was a change of direction for U2, which considering this was their 7th album, is not surprising. I've just realised I also own their first five albums and also the 2 most recent ones, to me I don't notice a massive difference, so maybe they were just trying a different lane on the same road (I came up with that myself, I'm starting to sound like I work for NME...or maybe not).

I don't hear a large shout of 'Who are U2?' but just in case you are unaware of them they consist of 4 long serving members who formed in the mid 70's. There's Paul, Dave, Adam and Larry, no really.

Bono (Paul) is the lead singer, famed for wearing sunglasses wherever he goes. Bono was a nickname he earned when he was younger, but short of changing it by deed poll, that is now his name that everyone uses. Dave is the artist commonly known as 'The Edge', and he's the lead (brilliant) guitarist, again it's of course a nickname, though one with a debateable origin. The Edge is famed for his hat wearing and you will barely ever see him without one.

The other 2 members of the band are Adam Clayton who plays the bass and Larry Mullen Jr who plays the drums, both are famous in their own rights though nowhere near as big as The Edge or Bobo (oops, I mean Bono).

I want to skip straight to track 3 which you'll see why in a minute but we'll start with Track one.

Zoo Station is the first track. Briefly, this is a reference to a tube station in Berlin which is on the line called U2, clever. This is much more electric that earlier U2 efforts which had a standard rocky feel. Of course with Bono being the outspoken chap he is, this had to have some political meaning, and he doesn't disappoint. However unlike many of his other songs this is positive and talks about how we should move forward. It's a good song, though for me not one of their classics I had heard before getting this album. 7/10

'Even better than the real thing' is the next track on the album and gives The Edge a chance to to enjoy himself without over exerting himself. It's more rocky than the last and is more like the U2 I know. 7.5/10

Ok. The next track is 'One'. It's a track that most people should know and is definitely one of their best tracks and one tracks on my top 100 all time. Reading into the lyrics you realise that whilst it is about getting on, it's not necessarily about living in harmony, though if you don't listen to the lyrics then you think it is. It's the song that kept U2 together so in my book that is good enough, but it's a great song as well and when added to the other songs makes this an album well worth a purchase 10/10

Track 4 is 'Until the end of the world' and is a religious song rather than one about global warming as you would expect nowadays. It is about Jesus and Judas, however could be applied to any similar situation, though clearly you don't need to be the messiah for it to apply. 7/10

Track 5 is Who's gonna ride your Wild Horses and was pleasing to hear as it was another one that I knew, that makes 3 out of 5 so far. I really like the chorus and this is the recognisable part. This is a good song for Bono as his singing takes the lead and it sounds good. 8/10

Track 6 is 'So Cruel'. This features more keyboard than previous songs and more drumming, so a nice change from all the guitar. It's a slower song but still of course instantly recognisable as a U2 song. The song is about a failed relationship, and Bono sings it as though he was the one being broken up with. 7/10

The Fly was definitely more of a departure from the norm and this can be heard with the harder distored sounds going on throughout this song, not my favourite U2 track by a long way, but interesting to hear this different style that was retained for much of the 90's until they reverted back to what they were good at for the 'All that you can't leave behind' album. 6.5/10

Another one that I know is next, Mysterious Ways is the track and apparantly it's the way she moves. This is another great U2 song and whilst the start reminds me of Lenny Kravitz, the rest is definitely U2 (with a Kravitz feel, in my opinion). 9.9/10

Tryin to throw your arms around the world, is one of the last few songs on this album and plods along without the usual rockyness of U2, the music feels like unnecessary backing to Bono's singing and talking... 5/10

Ultraviolet (Light my way). I didn't recognise this at first and having listened to it a few times I still don't. Though it has made a few appearances in modern cinema, probably most well known way in the Adam Sandler film Click. It's like loads of Eels songs that have appeared in films (such as Shrek and Scream) that no-one knows, but they are good songs. 7.5/10

Acrobat is the penultimate track, it's a good U2 song but not one I've listened to enough, I think the last 2 tracks usually cause me to skip onto another album, that's the problem when you have a few hundred albums plus the best part of 3000 further songs that are either from compilations or were singles. 7/10

Love is Blindness is a slow, album finishing track. It closes things down, feels quite depressing and reminds you that it's been a while since you heard One. 6/10.

Summary
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I've been quite harsh on the second half of this album, don't get me wrong it's not that they are bad songs, they just aren't my thing, and not what I want to listen to when I'm in the mood for some U2. Fans lap up this album, and it is a great album with some very good songs but I find myself focusing too much on those at the expense of listening more to the other tracks. Give it a year or so and I might revisit this review, having made more effort to listen to tracks from U2 that weren't singles.

Summary: Good album, worth it for the great songs and new songs that you may not know