Achtung Baby

There’s just something about U2 that I cannot stand

More like U2

A long, long time ago. In a small town not that far away. A younger version of myself had an iPod. Imagine…. It was a time before smartphones and music subscriptions. It’s romantic to think of a time without constant notifications and updates. At the time you primarily learned about music from the radio, friends or family. Then one day a deal made through U2 and Apple forces a download of their newest album onto every single iPod in existence. No consent was given at all. It was like a virus that found its way into your iPod the moment it was plugged in to your computer. You at first think cool a free album… But then you listen to it and realize that you don’t really care for U2. Then if you shuffle your music it ends up embedded in your life whether you like it or not. So you think whatever I’ll just delete it. Then you find out you can delete are your own personal music but not U2. This violation of user choice made apple release a tool to remove the album and forced an apology from U2. I was not a fan of U2 then and continue to not really be into their music. But I cannot deny that I sang along to many of the tunes on this album either way.

Not U2's best representation. For me its a 2.5 but rounding down feels more right than rounding up

2.3 Third U2 album on here, so I've now had late stage, early stage, and finally mid stage. Maybe it caught me on the wrong day but this was the worst of the lot. War was actually alright, the later one was generic shite, but this was the most disappointing of the lot. I was trying to put my finger on why it's so bad and the closest I can get to it is it sounds like the selection of songs David Brent puts together in that episode of the office. Just fake, cringy stadium rock. I think it's saying something that for all the albums they sold, I've never met a single U2 fan. You'll meet people both from that era or born way after that wax lyrical about the smiths, the police etc, but who actually likes them today. It's as though everyone of that era was put under a spell that's been broken. As it's shite.

Classics

Their seventh album. Rock. I've tried and tried and tried again over the years with U2. They just don't do anything for me. Like this album, it isn't bad but it doesn't do anything for me at all. It's bland and I was bored.

More like ECCH-tung 🤢

Unrelentingly bland and boring. The guitar "solo" at 2:15 of "Love is Blindness" does a good job of encapsulating the talent and ambition on display in another hour of U2's music, formulated to never stray too far from optimal mass-appeal.

Found it boring more than anything else. Some ok songs but I see no reason to listen to it again.

I have never liked U2, I have never understood it. This was a slog for me. Bono is so uninteresting, the edge may be a guitar revolutionary but that doesn't stop them from making songs that are infinitely less interesting than REM. I don't love the joshua tree but why did they need a reinvention from that sound? Even my boy Brian Eno can't save this. Mysterious ways is fine I guess. I feel like I’m being punked, so many people I know list this as a best album of all time and I truly can’t see it. It must have been a right place right time situation because I’ve never met anyone under thirty who gives a shit about this band.

I don't know why we needed this middle tier U2 album. For the most part it's fine, sometimes even good, but too many sha la las and baby lyrics. Feeling a decent 2/5

Joshua Tree proves they're capable of greatness. This just feels like a watered down version of something that could be good. Bland & flavorless.

Aspects of the sound were enjoyable. This ends up being pretty same-y by the end of the record and wears thin for me. There isn't a clear movement to the album - it stays pinned at a similar level of intensity and emotional weight throughout with little deviation. Just not really for me.

Kan inte förmå mig att bry mig om detta. Ni är jätteduktiga, men ni är också jättetråkiga.

Megh

A bit repetitive. One is a good song though

It's ok. Never enjoyed U2. Repetitive sounds, guitar and christian rock type vibes.

bono is a douchebag

Better than expected. I'm giving double the amount of stars I thought I would - two. After the malaise of the Unforgettale Joshua Tree Fire years U2 stumbled into the 90s and into a career high by trying to sound like Jesus Jones. The gutars are fantastic it could almost be Andy Gill and the electronic atmospherics are cool. But Bono is far too high in the mix. He can't let an instrumental passage go by without vocalising unneccessarily. Even in the verses and choruses he's too damn loud and delivers every bloody line with ernest passion forcing you to pay attention to lyrics, which are gibberish. A clique is still a clique and nonesense is still nonesense if you sound like you mean it man. But the guitar sound is marvelous and that's earned an extra star. Pity you can't hear them!

Not a fan unfortunately, never really have been 🤷

Wasn’t the worst thing ever but also was.

a walk down memory lane

feeling pretty meh about U2 as a whole. mysterious ways was nice, One was fine, and everything else just kinda sounds the same in my opinion. every song is a quasi-balled that never amounts to distinction.

Fine - not really doing much for me.

Boooooooooooooriiing

This was the beginning of the downturn for me with U2. Maybe a couple of good songs, with “One” being the best, but overall this album is not breaking any new ground, and it lacks the passion of U2’s earlier music. Almost feels like they are going through the motions… & beginning the shmaltzy cheesy phase. Nothing really terribly bad about it, just not great.

This is not my favorite U2 album but it has one of their best songs "One." The rest of the album is ok and I would listen to it again.

After listening, I can confirm that this is indeed an album made by the band U2.

Despite being ubiquitous throughout my childhood and teens age years, the only U2 album I’ve ever listened to all the way through was Rattle and Hum. But this album? Aside from the singles (well, some of them anyway), it’s straight trash.

Not my genre. Outside of One and The Fly I don’t think I’d delisted to any track.

Huge whiplash hitting this one right after Slayer

eh

This album serves no purpose to me other than to reaffirm what I’ve always known. U2 are almost certainly one of the most overrated bands of all time. They make my fucking teeth grind with how shit they are.

Mid.

Tiene alguna cancion curiosa pero me parecio un poco flojo

I think there are good arguments on both sides as to whether you should be able to separate art from the artist, and I'm not sure which side I come down on. What I do know, however, is that it's much easier to separate the art from the artist when the art in question is actually any good, not dull, plodding, stadium rock shite. Realistically, Bono is no bigger bell end than Morrissey, but the big difference between the two is that the Smith's made some great music. I'm going to resist the urge to add a Hat Twat Tax and give this album a two rather than a one. Either way though, I'd be happy to never hear this again.

With or without youuuuuuuuuuu, with or without youuuu

Ok

mid 2 ive often wondered, whats the deal with U2? today i learned the deal. theyre eh

Admito que no soy muy fan de U2, no conecto particularmente con las vocales ni me sorprenden las lyrics. Pocas melodías del album captan mi atención. Aún así es una buena escucha, simplemente not my jam Favs: Until the End of the World, The Fly, Mysterious Ways

The songs all sound more or less the same to me. Not upsetting, but not interesting.

Soft rock for people who think they like hard rock. Yawn.

I didn't really like U2 much in the 90s. I thought that might change with age... but it still doesn't do it for me

I'm really questioning who put this list together. It seems like the albums are less of a concern as opposed to the few songs that are on them that are timeless. Achtung Baby has massive hits like One and Mysterious Ways, which are all-timers, but the album as a whole is a noise machine, filled with vague lyrics, electropop backgrounds. I know U2 is an all-time band, but I also know they have better than this.

Expected to dig this one and was interestedly put off by the production choices to make it sound intentionally chaotic because "the world was confusion at the time." Zoo Station is one of the worst on the album for me. Apart from its singles that I already knew, only Till the End of the World and Love Is Blindness stood out to me. I found it more palatable when treated as a live album. Maybe their live shows sound exactly like the over-produced recordings. Why you'd want to intentionally make a trashier recording is beyond me, but apparently it worked for them.

Better than I expected but still not my thing. Turned it off.

U2 are just massively not my thing.

Quite dull, Coldplay for the 90s

One absolute belter of a song, but apart from that pretty mid and a bit boring. "One" does a lot of heavy lifting here.

Just generally boring. Nothing offensive there and you can leave it on the background. Spotify kept playing and I had no idea it started another U2 album.

"A lot of noise"

Werde mit U2 vielleicht nie klarkommen

The one where they got new effects pedals, but sadly not any new ideas. Plodding, uninspired music draped in a new coat woven from the offcuts of more creative musicians, and topped off with some truly awful lyrics.

Bland. Jack white’s cover of love is blindness is much more interesting than this version

There are some songs I've heard a million times. None of the other songs are terribly interesting to me. "Ultra Violet (Light MY Way)" in particular was a chore. I would be fine to never hear "Love is Blindness" again. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is okay.

They suck

Ehh

yeah, i mean....it's definitely music.

I was really into this album for a hot minute in middle school (it came out well before I was in middle school, but clearly appealed to an angsty tween). Bono’s vocals are giving a blend of David Bowie, Thom Yorke, and something the National-adjacent, with a smattering of 80s emotional sensibilities. The album itself feels like a middle school feeling: overblown reactions to first-time feelings, but it’s not necessarily bad, I’d say. I find Bono and U2 pretty insufferable now, so it’s hard to set that aside-but I don’t think I ever need to revisit this album. I’d properly give it a 2.5, but am rounding down since I’d not go back to it.

Absolutely not.

chli langwiilig..

Some very cheesy rhymes (talk/walk rhyme still? Did we graduate elementary?). Singer can pull off wide range of notes, but all songs sound like the same melodramatic tune about missing his baby.

I liked a few songs and the style. But it's not my favorite genre.

U2 igen. Att Joshua Tree finns med i boken är fullt rimligt. ATs plats hos de-måste-lyssnande bör emellertid ifrågasättas. Svagare låtar och tråkigare produktion (trots att det även här är herrarna Eno och Lanios som står för hantverket). Det går att se en tydlig utveckling. Tyvärr går den bakåt.

u2 means nothing to me

Just really don't like U2. Didn't find anything here that I enjoyed or caught my attention. 2/5

Everything that comes out of Bono's mouth here is preposterous. 'Did you play Jesus to the Lepers in your mind?' 'Who's gonna ride your wild horses?' 'Lips move but they cant talk, tryin to throw your arms around the world' (this one's about you, isn't it Bono?) As bad as these lines are, theyre made so much worse by Bono, who delivers them like he's giving the Sermon on the Mount. That's ultimately all that you can focus on, because everything else is made to blend into the background. Not great.

There’s a generally high bar of quality all through this album, but the two hit singles, ‘One’ and ‘Mysterious Ways’, stand in such sharp contrast to everything else that I have to wonder why you’d bother putting yourself through it all. The package feels a bit more like the band is chasing those hit singles as opposed to having something meaningful to put up. And it worked: This album helped setup U2’s run as the ‘biggest band in the world’ all the way through to the fall from grace that was How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. From this point they just kind of become a singles band, which is disappointing given their older stuff. ⭐️⭐️

Really disappointing... Not because I was expecting a U2 album to wow me, but because typically any album involving Brian Eno is pretty solid. But the 90s were kind of weird for Mr. Eno so I give him a pass on the production end of this. This is my first U2 album listen ever and Achtung Baby comes off to me as trying to emulate Simple Minds if they turned down the energy by 55%. There is a lack of depth here (lyrically and musically) that is disguised by thoughtfully placed reverb. I could imagine hearing any of these songs playing at a christian charity shop.

Achtung Baby starts off fresh enough, w/ an uncharacteristic edgy Edge riff and an assertive drum break, tho it still possesses Bono's distinctive mush: 'I'm ready to say / I'm glad to be alive / I'm ready / I'm ready for the push.' Lyricism is not only not U2's forte, it's a distraction and a diminishment, particularly when Bono sloppily evokes literary tropes: 'We're free to fly the crimson sky / The sun won't melt our wings tonight.' Contrast that w/ Joni's allusiveness and you'll see who has the edge: 'Like Icarus ascending / On beautiful foolish arms / Amelia it was just a false alarm.' Like most U2 records, it fails to be what it's meant to be: it's not pop since it's too self-serious, but it's not rock either since it extends no real punch to the gut.

Very bland

Mid -

Once again not very memorable with two or so songs that are either enjoyable or fine

YAWN. I don't feel quite as strongly about U2 as I do about Coldplay but it's pretty close. Never forget my choir's rendition of One (derogatory)

Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, as I played this while moving into our new house. But It didn't do anything for me. The album art looks like a 2010s tryhard instagram grid

just couldn't click with it at all, but clearly something good in there

Inoffensive but incredibly dull

Very much a singles band from what I’ve heard

liked songs: Mysterious Ways, There's nothing particularly bad about this album, but I just do not understand the hype around U2 outside of some of the big hits. They're fine, but I just get bored listening to them. 2.5

I liked the album but need to listen a few more times.

Some great tunes, but lots of filler.

They're just not for me. This album isn't horrendous, but I'd never willingly play it.

Definitely some classics on it. Not a massive fan of U2 tbh.

2/5

No comment

I just don’t connect with this band. They seem like they’re capable of making cool music, but then choose not to in favor of making bland pop rock. The best moments are the noisiest and spaciest, and when Bongo isn’t singing.

This album did nothing for me ngl. Not bad at all just didn’t hit

felt like a chore

what a drag

Yep. That was U2. Still not a fan. 2 stars.

I like the mix of genres

Ouin, l’album se ressemble beaucoup et ça confirme le peu de hype que j’ai pour U2

Bien que je félicite l'essai d'ajouter des sons plus électroniques et expérimentaux à leur musique (avec l'aide de nul autre que Brian Eno à la production!), le fond reste ennuyant et manque d'inspiration. Comparez avec OK Computer à vos risques et périls.

I try so hard to have an open mind about U2. I really do. Better than the last one I listened to.

I feel less alive.

Alguna buena y ya

fu2

The beginning of the decline of U2. I remember my aunt giving me a tape cassette of U2's War once in a long and distant past, and I played the shit out of it. I enjoyed the energy, the post-punky angst, and the musicianship. Sadly, this album doesn't really embody any of that, and marks a turn towards mediocrity for U2.

I really, really just don’t like his voice.

normal nada del otro mundo

It’s the beginning of the end for U2 on this album. While the gang has some really good songs it’s apparent that their singles are far higher quality than the rest of the record. This marked the period where Bono thought he was deconstructing the idea of pop stardom only to find he really loved it and was devoted to it more than the music. From here on, they’re greatest hits only.

'I was drowning my sorrows but they learnt to swim'... This was like watching paint dry but the paint started taking a shower

Achtung Baby is supposed to be U2’s game-changing reinvention record, so I was pretty surprised by how bland this album sounds. Aside from the obvious hits, I wouldn’t be able to distinguish the songs from their late-career material. I realized for the first time how much Mysterious Ways sounds like Elevation. Both those songs are fine, but they’re also nothing mind-blowing. Even Better Than The Real Thing is decent, I remember liking it when it would come on the radio. The Fly just sounds like a mess. I also listened to the Achtung Baby episode of U Talkin’ U2 To Me. Adam Scott kept saying when this record came out, it was like nothing he had ever heard before. They talked about U2 joining the dance-rock trend but if this is Bono & Co.‘s answer to Madchester, it’s pretty underwhelming. I like U2’s 80s post-punk sound, but I find their music got progressively more boring. I guess without this evolution, they would’ve just faded away. I watched the music video for The Fly, and I think I get it. It was an image makeover that positioned them as a cool slick band for the 90s, even in the face of grunge about to take over. It was a marketing move and it worked. But the record itself doesn’t hold up for me. Maybe you just had to be there in 1991. The obvious standout here is One. It’s a timeless classic, and sounds even better because it’s so much better than everything else on the album.

This was quite boring. I thought for a second this was the polarizing flop U2 record from the 90s (Zooropa) and for that single second, I was intrigued. Sadly, I was mistaken. This is one of their big "significant" hit records and it's pretty fucking dull. Most of it has already left my brain. The 2 hits on this thing are a mixed bag. I am a little ashamed to admit that I do love One. It's GenX Imagine and it just works for me... but i understand why people hate it. Mysterious ways on the other hand...sigh... it kinda sucks. I've never liked it, but it did stick out as better and more interesting than the rest of the album, which isn't saying much. The only other track that had an interesting vibe was the closer... very moody and emotional rather than sterile radio rock sludge present on every other track. This album really fits under the too boring to hate category so it's a solid 2 for me. I do have an aside though about the lyrics.... The man loves using the word and talking about love. But in my head, Bono was a peace in love hippy guy (see One). After this record, he seems more like a sad lover boy toxic nice guy character. I didn't dig into the lyrics on this album for the most part... but the general vibe is he loves these women but they don't love him back or he's going to help these women but they don't need him and that makes him sad... and it gives me the ick. I don't like his energy around women and love at all. It also makes his big peace and love generalizations feel hollow when juxtaposed with these other tracks. On the track Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, I thought he figured out that women don't need his shit when he dropped the line "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." I was impressed. It's a great line. Then i googled it and it turns out it's a famous feminist slogan, and Bono deserves zero credit. Then i dug into the lyrics and i don't know if i'm reading it right but i came up with 2 different interpretations. One makes Bono seem like a real asshole and one is normal famous guy shit. I'll do the neutral one first. IN that interpretation, he's trying to throw his arms around the world as an artist, but that leaves him with nothing left for love and makes it very hard for someone to date him and for him to be there as a partner but he tries (i'm gonna run to you [...] woman be still). I suppose the Dali verse contributes to this as perhaps he was another artists who neglected his personal life for his art. The Bono's an asshole take would be that feminism/women are trying to throw their arms around the world and it's a frustrating, all-consuming and fruitless endeavour trying to change things. But don't worry, Bono is gonna run to them, comfort them, be there for women... they just need to be still. I dunno. Maybe it's the fame one but i still don't like Bono's vibe on this album. His lyrics are just not good and made me like him even less than I did before.

For the life of me, I do not understand why he is singing about Shamu. That whale doesn’t seem very mysterious to me.

I thought I'd be giving it a 1, but their instrumentation has just enough hints at post-punk interestingness for me to give it an extra star. Begrudgingly.

Bland

Isn't this the first bad U2 album? I certainly don't enjoy it.

Never been a huge fan of U2. This confirmed why.

Potentially the most beige album I've ever heard.

I mean, it's still Bono...but it wasn't not a vibe

At one point while listening, I asked myself “wait, have I accidentally pressed the repeat one button?”. Turned out than no.

Looking at the track listing I didn’t recognise any of the track titles but turns out I knew about half the songs here. That made it easier to get through because the songs I didn’t know were a slog to get through. Even the songs I knew weren’t that catchy and were a bit boring

U2 had a pretty good run, but this is the one where they started going downhill.

Leuk, met klassiekers. Wel meer muziek die je vanaf de zijlijn luistert op een festival. Tegen het einde was ik er wel echt klaar mee.

Two songs are okay.

Decidedly average

Eh, wasn’t massively impressed by this. Just sounds incredibly generic and Bono has the vocal tone of a wet lettuce. Acrobat was the stand out track for me and that was just ok as was the last one

One is the only good song.

U2 is a band I always think I should like, and don't.

Not interesting

I was shocked at how bland this was

NOt my favourite. Bono's etheral voice doesn't really make it for me here.

Ugh. I like old U2 alright, but this is the album I checked out on this band with. It might not be their fault, other than that they wrote this album full of hits that I’ve heard soooo many times that I just can’t handle them anymore. I’m probably leaving this record an unfair 2, but a 2 nonetheless; it’s just that everything on this record is just. So. Boring. And off-putting.

In a nutshell: gear change. Ahh yes. U2. A divisive band in rock music culture. To me, their early work is trying to be sincere but it comes off as self-righteous. Great guitar chops. Bono’s songwriting ranges from great to downright embarrassing. Achtung Baby is indeed a departure. Especially compared to Rattle and Hum. I think Brian Eno coming on board as co producer helped. Still heavily thematic (this time the reunification of Germany, cheers Wikipedia). The album got me thinking about the art of deciding the singles. For U2, went with the everyday sandwich approach: the bread is plain, the filling is satisfying. Personally I would have led with Mysterious Ways and dropped The Fly altogether. Overall: 4/10

I do not like this album :-( I got tired of Bono halfway thru There seems to be lots of earnestness, big sound. But yea came across as tiring pre coldplay dad rock that isn't for me.

Ganska wank. Har några bra stunder, främst gitarren. Bästa låten: One

I thought I was rather indifferent towards U2, but Bonos lyrics are so bad here it’s almost unbearable.

Der er mange catchy numre men det må også være omkring her Bono begynder at blive ægte træls at høre på. Kan godt lide One og skammer mig en liiiille smule over det.

I don't know if this one is a "had to be there" but I found it kind of dull. Still has some great sound (I'm sure this is much better live) but it wasn't quite the loud stadium rock I guess I expected from U2 after them being omnipresent for my entire life... Perhaps that's what people like about this one? Mysterious Ways definitely was a highlight but overall the album just didn't catch my attention. Maybe I'll give it another try eventually in the context of their other albums.

I don’t know what irks me about Bono’s voice so much. Maybe it’s the way that every note he sings is drawn out longer than it should be and it sounds like he’s moaning. One extra star for some interesting instrumentation on some of the songs

God Bono is fucking annoying and he's not that talented (not every note needs to held to orgasm moan threshold). I don't know what's more unbelievable: that these assholes thought it was so important to listen to their crap music that they forced it onto every iPod, or that they were at one point the most popular "rock'n'roll" band on earth (humanity is fucked). At least two members didn't give themselves dipshit nicknames, I hope no more of their albums are on this list, but I know I won't get so lucky. Rant aside, this album has a couple of decent tracks, and the otherwise is ... completely unremarkable

Overall: 4/10 Very glad to say that I don't hate this. I still don't think it's a great album but I've been talking smack about U2 since I got The Joshua Tree and it's nice to know that not everything they made is unbearably bad...just slightly not great. This album still has some elements that I hated about JT. Most of the songs are whiney (thanks Bono) and I don't really enjoy the guitar tone. U2 tend to write very droney songs most of the time that irritate me. But there's also some more upbeat songs that add some variety to this album. Mysterious Ways is my favourite U2 song that I think is genuinely really great. One is also a great jam, Ultra Violet has my favourite guitar work in any U2 song and theres a couple other songs on here that didn't piss me off. This still isn't a good album in my opinion, but it's at least listenable at times. Brian Eno's production is obviously really good and adds a lot to the songs. I'm praising it more than it deserves honestly but I'm just glad it's not horrible. Fav Song: Mysterious Ways Least Fav Song: So Cruel

It's weird, when this came out, it felt like a huge departure for U2, maybe because the music press said it was. But in retrospect it doesn't seem that different from their previous stuff. One is decent enough, but I still don't really like Bonos voice.

U2 is a talented band, but they are not for me.

When I was a kid and this record came out I made an interpretative dance to Mysterious Ways. Some things are better forgotten - you’ve been warned. . . Baby.

I've listened to U2 a few times before thanks to being an Apple user. They have a good sound, and I found a few songs I enjoyed lyrically. It wasn't a bad album, but it didn't excite me either. It's not one I would revisit at any point. Unfortunately, I think due to overexposure I'm just a bit bored by them now. Apple ruined U2 for me.

idgaf!

in the words of U2, "it's alright, it's alright, it's alright."

Terrible; Bono's caterwauling is particularly grating. The production in this album is slightly improved from Joshua Tree, inching out of a 1 rating.

Classic & light / not my flavour of rock

alveg fínt, það var samt ekkert lag sem mér fannst eitthvað spes

# Album Name: Achtung Baby # Artist: U2 # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Generally a poor album. Lots of mediocre vocal and guitar on this thing. Not sure what they were thinking. "One" was the odd one out. Genuinely a great song. The rest of the album was below par. Im still not convinced on U2's legendary status. # Top Tunes: One # Would I listen to it again? Dont think so.

A lot of boring background music rock with a few bangers mixed in

This album has aged terribly. It was huge when it came out, but it sounds so small now. Weak melodies, safe chord progressions, busy bass guitar, passionless guitar, and Bono singing like a drunken hack at karaoke night. I'm surprised at how amateur the band sounds, even though they had long been professionals by this time. Boring and nearly talentless.

I never knew this was a cultural phenomenon until much later, but I still harbor unfettered hatred for U2 from their stunt with iTunes. Coercively listening to music is never pleasant and I can't overcome my disdain for their sound. Even if I try to be partial, this would never be greater than 3/5 because there's just something interesting missing from U2 - an edginess maybe? Stick to featuring on Kendrick albums, buddy.

Non gradisco granché gli u2

Who likes this stuff? Its boring, its not good. Yuck.

Maybe 1 decent song but the rest seemed like filler. Not sure how people are so up on this one

As previously mentioned, I have a complicated relationship with U2. I liked their early songs, full of righteous anger from four young men growing up in the middle of the troubles. However, their songs quickly became preachy and pompous, and they lost their edge (but not their Edge). The mega successful Joshua Tree had its moments, but as with this album the good bits are entirely down to the production work of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The high points are the singles ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’ and ‘The Fly’, but there’s still a lot of tedious filler on here (I’m looking at you, ‘One’). Pay your taxes Bono.

Please excuse me, but The Beatles in the mid-60s were reinventing themselves, U2 are just turning themselves into a grey blob with this album. Their early work has an interesting edge, something to convey. The phoenix rising from their ashes is a worldwide phenomena, but bland (no texture, no taste, nothing).

there's a vast emptiness at the center of this music that I can't seem to shake. given that Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite (among others) are handling production duties, this should be an easy shoe-in for me. and yet, it's U2 themselves that hold me back from a fuller enjoyment and, in fact, actively grind my gears. granted, there weren't many rock albums that sounded like this in 1991. it's a grandiose experimental sound involving a lot of electronics, strings, and other "recording studio as an instrument" layers. at times, I almost found myself captured by Achtung Baby just off of the pure textural thrill that sometimes comes through on songs like "Until the End of the World" or "Zoo Station," but then I started paying attention to the actual songwriting again. that's where it all came crumbling down. these songs are dreadfully boring. the rock instrumentation at play (y'know, the actual band) is utterly sterile. the producers and extra bells/whistles get all the best moments. Bono's voice (specifically his grating falsetto, a defining feature for him on this LP) is among the most punchable I've ever heard. The Edge's guitar tones are among some of the least edgy (and most pillowy) in all of rock music. the only interesting layer of stuff coming from the members of U2 themselves is Larry Mullen Jr.'s drums. this was very nearly my second DNF for this series. U2's music, especially this album and The Joshua Tree, reek of a kind of pomposity that simply doesn't feel earned. there's this feeling I get like the band thought they were making the hottest shit any rock band had yet thought of, and yet the final results are so tepid, predictable and uninteresting. not to mention how cloying the absolute worst moments are. fun fact: "One," which has become an anthem for social justice causes in the last few decades, is actually just a song where Bono negs a woman he made up. stop it! get some help! decent 3/10.

how. how do you put together a group of four pretty talented musicians, get production from Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Flood, and make something so... meh. like, i think this is it, right? this is what proves that good art is more than the sum of its parts, that and supergroups. prestige-era U2 sound like a supergroup of people who you don't know and are just expected to know already. and you know what else they sound like? CHRISTIAN ROCK. i'm familiar with the South Park gag of writing love songs and just replacing any mention of a woman with Jesus and God -- U2 are doing it backwards. look: "[He's] slippy You're sliding down [He'll] be there when you hit the ground It's alright, it's alright, it's alright [He] moves in mysterious ways It's alright, it's alright, it's alright [He] moves in mysterious ways, oh" - "Mysterious Ways" "Gonna run to you, run to you, run to you [Jesus] be still I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you [Jesus] I will" - "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World" "No, nothing makes sense Nothing seems to fit I know you'd hit out If you only knew who to hit And I'd join the movement If there was one I could believe in Yeah I'd break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in 'Cause I need it now" - "Acrobat" i didn't even need to change that last one. to cap things off, another reference: you know that episode of Regular Show with the Every Meat Burrito? it's got like 90 different exotic meats on it, and Mordecai, Rigby, and co. gotta go rent a police beater that still has a criminal hiding in the shag carpeting. it's a great episode. anyway, they finally get the burrito that they've been hyped for the entire episode, and the first thing Rigby says when he bites in is: "huh. tastes like chicken." this album tastes like chicken. make of that what you will.

U2? Not 4Me.

Not a u2 fan, best songs are the singles. Would nott listen again!

Not a big U2 guy and this album did nothing to change that.

The songs I recognised didn’t sound the same as the big music video or radio productions, I wondered if there was a rights issue ir re-recording so I ended up on the u2 Reddit page, when it was proclaimed as the greatest thing ever and to doubt that was insanity. Colour me insane, because this was a bit bland.

Nothing interesting about this album at all. Super sleeper music. Best - ??? Worst - ??? 2.50/5

Pretty fun

It feels like I listened to multiple genres throughout this album, very inconsistent.

Not a huge U2 fan. So acknowledging my Bias.

Sounds like a Diet Coldplay album. I didn't see that one coming at all. Favorite Track: "One".

Ugh whatever

Idc

I was surprised about the modern sound considering when this album got released. It still didn’t really entertain me and I really had a boring time listening to this.

Peak mid

Pretty inane stuff. Sonically pleasing but overstayed it's welcome.

It's amazing how a girl can affect a score.

It’s okay. Nothing is objectively bad, but just not very interesting either. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

I didn't hate it - this album doesn't justify that large of an emotional response. I certainly don't want to hear it again.

Surprisingly listenable despite having to hear Bono the whole way through.

Had a tought time deciding how to rate this one. On one hand I don't like U2 very much, they always seemed bland and boring, with unimaginative melodies and this "wall of sound" that they create with effects. This kind of ruins the musical experience because of several reasons. One being it removes sound stage and imaging out of the equation, which makes the songs really boring to listen to, because there is no feeling of space and coexistance of frequencies and different instruments which are supposed to create the song together. On the other hand there are some famous songs on this album, the band have achieved significant mainstream success, and the songs aren't bad per se, there is just not that much positive I can say about them. During listening to the album, I figured out that all of their hits are actually just songs which have a melodic chorus, where the vocals create the actual melody, and not the instruments. So people just remember those few words of the chorus, which are honestly, sometimes pretty good. Was between a 2 and a 3, giving it a 2 in the end.

After an off-putting opener, U2 settles into their sound nicely on “Even Better Than The Real Thing”. “One” is a very simple, timeless hit that can still be appreciated to this day. “Mysterious Ways”, on the other hand, to me is largely overrated and shes not as well. Everything in between is kinda just ho-hum. This whole album is a blueprint for bands like Radiohead to take and experiment with / iterate on.

what's going on

Bit mid Not very interesting

Another band who would be a lot more my style if they had a different front man.

It's U2. It's deeply U2. If you like U2, you'll like this. If you don't, this ain't gonna change your mind.

Phony

meh. Not U2s finest, by far. It was a new sound and expanded them. Has a few hits (loosely defined), but did little for me.

Only really cared for One, not amazing

I legit knew 2 U2 songs before this. And now I knowore than 2 songs but probably like 4 songs now. It was alright. Started off strong IMHO but then it gradually descended into something I kinda didn't care for. I did like the instrumentals for a few of the songs, loved the industrial drums type sound a few times but overall I liked the instrumentals. Bono's voice is just... okay. It felt more annoying, cloying and trying too hard. Maybe I just don't like Bono lol Fave Songs: - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - The Fly (I think it was sunny that day) - Acrobat (the drums on this are so Tool vibes idk why) For Love Is Blindness, I prefer the Jack version. Not sorry.

Decent from a band I truly dislike

boring

I've always thought I disliked U2, turns out it's Bono who I don't care for. There's a lot of cool intros and interesting guitar tones and solos, but then Bono's preachy whispering vocals come in and it kind of loses me. I imagine this is a good album if you enjoy U2, but for me it was a bit of a slug to get through

Ehh, it’s ok. Not a big U2 guy, and their 80’s stuff is better in my opinion. Perfectly ok middle of the road album that I was ready to be done with before the nearly hour long run time. 2.5 ⭐️ that is rounding down. I have not forgotten about how hard it was to get rid of that dumb Songs of Innocence album these cunts forced onto everyone’s IPhone back in the day. Not without my consent, Bono!

U2 is a solid "meh" from me every time I hear them. I think "meh" translates to 2.5. Rounding down because the only song I really like is 'One.' That shit still holds up.

Не интересно

Production on this album is super hit or miss, bass and guitar are pretty great across the album, drums and vocals are a bit meh. Some cool sound design choices on this, plays with the idea of being atmospheric a couple of times. But overall no commitment to any one style of experimentation leads to a messy and overall boring album. Stand out tracks are: One is anthemic and uplifting, with incredible guitar and probably the best vocal performance on the record. Drums are a tad washed out in the mix though. Worst tracks are: So Cruel, with one of the most annoying piano leads of all time and the production is grating by the end. The Fly is genuinely horrible, the lyrics suck the vocal effects are painfully bad, the production is overblown and there’s some really annoying backing percussion that sticks out like a sore thumb once you notice it. 2/5

Boringgggg

Bleh. I remember buying this at a church rummage sale. I was so excited to have my own U2 tape. There was a man in his 40s who offered me (I don't remember what) an immense amount of value for the album. It meant something to him. I listened to the tape a few times. I should have taken the trade. 30 years later, listening to Achtung Baby only reinforces that. The worst thing that can happen to U2 is people listening to other music. Unlike the Beatles who borrowed from other genres and created something unique, U2 has only stolen from other genres to create a regrettable regurgitation of noise. 'One' is the saving grace of this album.

Some really classic U2 songs on this album but its the same as the band has always been to me their hits are great and I love hearing them. Then they have a lot of songs that sound kind of same-y that I usually skip and this album has a lot of those kind of songs so not a very high score from me even if One and Mysterious Ways are good enough to listen to on repeat a few times.

This started strong, but by the time that "Hey sha-la-la-la" showed up in the lyrics to the fifth song I knew that the creativity was spent. The rest of the album was pure filler and forced emotionalism.

better than expected. many of the songs started off with some pretty cool instrumentals that went absolutely no where.

Next. Not a fan of U2 as we know.

I was a big fan of this album when first released and I really remember being desperate to see the live tour with the flying trabents. Listening to it again now it feels like the dictionary definition of bland. It just washes over me with the exception of "One" which I still have a soft spot for.

Just okay

Comparison is the thief of joy. This is worse than War, even if One and Wild Horses are alright. In generally I just think this album is bland

The last time I had to listen to a U2 album for this project, it was The Joshua Tree and I gave it 1 out of 5. I'd never felt the need to listen to a U2 album before and it turns out I don't care for them. I don't like Bono's voice. I don't like the MOR-ness of it all. It's not my cup of tea. With Achtung Baby, however, I have a little experience of it already. It came out in 1991, when I was a teenager with an interest in music and who was watching lots of music videos on TV shows. I remember that I rather liked the singles from this album at the time; "One" is schmaltzy but I liked the video with all the buffalos in it; I remember "Mysterious Ways" had a belly dancer behind a sort of waterfall effect, and "The Fly", which is probably my favourite, made sense of Bono wearing those big fly-like glasses. "The Fly" probably is / was my favourite tune because I love the gnarly crazy guitar sound. (It goes: "BA-WAH GER-NAH GER-NAH WER-GAH!") And it is the Edge's interesting guitar noises which I find most interesting about U2 generally. A lot of the rest of the album just has his usual jangly delayed sound, and I don't particularly care for it either way. Maybe that's why the rest of the album is boring as shit. Or maybe it's the song writing. Or maybe I just don't like U2. I find myself desperate to skip every song and get it over with. Anyway, I like a couple of songs, sort of, it's a shame Bono's singing is on them... actually, I like the guitar part on a couple of songs... so I'll give this two stars - which is double what they got last time - and they can think themselves lucky that's it's not possible for me to give 1 1/2. Congratulations lads!

I’ve been to more U2 shows than I care to admit (don’t ask), and still have to say that this band is boring AF. Meh amount of stars.

Boring

Not as bad as I thought it would be. I’ve heard a few of the songs before and there were a couple of others that I liked. Not something I would go back to but not the worst.

the songs before ‘one’ were dreadful. and all the ones after have been good and what i expected - not great but not shit.i however hâte ‘the fly’. i’ve finished it, it got better but i thought U2 would be better than this… middle of the road boring in my opinion.

Whatever, more nah than yeah

More like poo2 ENOUGH WITH THE CLAPPING BONO

Ахтунг! Переоценённая группа! Ахтунг бэйби!

Leaves a bad taste in your mouth, as it turns out.

I did not enjoy this

I don't hateeeee it but a lot of it was just very meh and sounded similar to the rest of it. There were no songs stuck in my head or that I needed to repeat except for one love (but that's not theirs). It's not an album I needed to listen to but because U2 is so universally big and despite their album songs of innocence being forced upon every iPhone user... I'm still not a fan

Sorry to the great nation of Ireland but I think U2 is corny and mid

I made it halfway through One. I don't want to listen to this.

The level of not caring is immeasurable

not a fan but it wasnt ass

I’m sorry but I hate U2.

Not my jam

U2 used this album to try buying back their credibility after the painfully pretentious "Rattle and Hum". Now they were a full-on worldwide sensation. The hits just kept coming and the mainstream begged for more. This, of course, made them uncool. They became everyone's little sister's favorite band and even the most conservative parent groups approved of them. Popes, presidents, and the media all showered U2 with praise and medallions recognizing their global citizenship. But, was the music any good? It was fine, I guess. Minus one whole star because they should never be forgiven for that time they (and Apple) forced us all to own a digital copy of "Songs of Innocence." Some scars should never heal.

I liked two songs or three... I was bored while listening

Achtung Gravy

idk them like that but i don’t get their thing

this was somehow very generic but also hard to listen to. the album is best explained in the song mysterious ways when bono sings “It's alright, it's alright, alright”

I never did listen much to U2, and now I am vindicated as to why. Snoozefest.

Most generic rock music imaginable, as expected from U2.

Awful

Felt like one long song

Definitely overblown but not awful/

U2 sucks. What a bunch of cry singing. Joshua Tree is ok and probably belongs on this list, this is mostly just bono crying on every track.

Never really been a fan of U2, I have liked a few songs over the years but have never looked for their music or thought it was all that fantastic. We will see how this goes.

2/5

Docking multiple stars for extreme pretentiousness, extreme boredom and lack of anything cool.

Not for me

Not too sure what an “achtung baby” is and this album didn’t explain it very well. Also I didn’t really like the music. Mid album + confusion = 3/5

Another u2 album. And this time it's a 30th anniversary edition. There is no way I'm sitting through over 2 hours of the most over rated band of all time. I did listen to a good portion of it though and it hasn't changed my opinion. They are where they are through fortune and timing. There are 100's of 1000s of equally tallented bands and musicians out just as deserving of the success this lot have had. I don't actively dislike their music I just don't place above many pub bands I have seen. So can't give it a 1, it'll have to be a 2

The only thing I know about these guys is that they gave me an album that was impossible to remove during my brief stint as an iPhone owner. I tried every trick in the book to delete the thing and it would be back in my library flashing it's smarmy, homoerotic cover at me the following week. Oh, yeah. This isn't that. It's vaguely within the key of music I'd enjoy, but it reeks too much of the decades that precede it. Can't say I'm a fan.

If Coldplay was trying to do a lackluster Muse imitation

Had to force myself to keep listening. Not the U2 sound I prefer.

I think I could probably erase U2 from my brain, and my life wouldn’t change at all.

No thanks

Boring Bono

U2.5 stars

I really tried to listen to this out of fairness (and because I love Brian Eno), but I gave up.

Some nice songs

First couple of songs really show songwriters who've run out of ideas, trying to make up for it with wrapping underwritten, unfinished and ultimately uninteresting vamps in what they think are interesting or experimental arrangements (they're not) and an overinflated-ego-frontman vibin' over them. It does get better. One obviously a standout, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses pretty good. Acrobat is a favorite. But there is so much filler here - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms ... doesn't go anywhere, nor does So Cruel. The singles The Fly, Mysterious Ways are so blatantly "90s" - trying to incorporate "modern" sounds and beats, but ultimately fail - U2 is not a band that grooves. Upon research, people like David Bowie, Scott Walker, Einstürzende Neubauten, Sly & Family Stone are mentioned as inspirations & Brian Eno being in the studio, which all sound like a recipe for a brilliant outcome. But it just all sounds so forced and affected.

There are some U2 albums that are essential listening. This isn't one of them.

More innovative than their early pop stuff but still not a great fan.

2e U2 album, de eerste werd echt een beetje gered voor mij door de grote hits aan het begin. Die hits zijn hier niet, dus ja... Dan komt Bono zijn unieke stemgeluid meer naar voren, en daar ben ik dus echt geen fan van. Het album is gewoon totaal niet mijn smaak, het klinkt kleiner dan de arena rock die we kennen van U2, maar eigenlijk trek ik de arena rock dan toch beter, want dan hoor je Bono minder. Tsja, ik geef het niet 1 ster, want dan vind ik het echt verschrikkelijk en dat is niet zo, ik haat het niet actief, maar ik hoop sterk dat dit het laatste U2 album is op zowel deze lijst als dat ik uberhaupt ooit nog hoef te horen. Ik ben op een gegeven moment andere dingen gaan doen in de hoop dat dit album dan sneller voorbij was. Maar voor mijn gevoel kwam ik 2 uur later terug en stond er nog steeds U2 aan... TLDR; Muzikaal ok, Bono moet zn smoel houden; 2 sterren. FAVO: Mysterious ways

Achtung Baby is rubbish, U2 are mostly crap anyway but this has one song of redeeming quality in One and the rest of it is utter dirge. Scrapes a 2 because of One.

Just cringe innit. U2 holds no nostalgia for me so it's just quite dull and cringe to me. Quite persistent paternalistic lyrics I think too, which grate. Why do men always sing about weeping women?

So, I finally got a chance to see U2 on the Zootopia tour. We had a big group going. Tickets were expensive. But we were all psyched, cause they were known to be one of the best live bands. They kept us waiting in the rain for three hours, played maybe 45 minutes, and then left. One of the worst concerts I’ve ever seen. The disappointment was so profound, I stopped listening to them entirely. There’s no reason this record needs to be on this list. Unless the point is to show what it sounds like when a band totally sells out. Then, yes, this is a perfect example of a good band evolving into absolute mediocrity.

U2 has always been among the top bands that annoy me. And not just because they forced their album onto my iPhone that one time. First of all, Bono and Edge, with their mononyms are kind of cringey. Second of all Bono always sounds like he’s pandering or trying too hard. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I’ll say that there are some good tunes here, in particular the hits of “One” and “Mysterious ways”, which were soundtracks of the long car rides of my childhood. Nothing I’ll be coming back to here.

Borign

Other than the singles, I was bored by this album. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

This album produced no strong feelings on my end. The album equivalent of an unseasoned water chestnut. 2/5

So painful.

Once again, an album inexplicably on this list. Should we listen to U2 because they're popular? This is boring, boring, boring. Not quite lowest common denominator stuff, but there's something for everyone and no-one on this dog's breakfast of an album. The mystery of U2's appeal continues. Bono's crooning and mooing over the proceedings is especially irksome.

Their usual over dramatic blah. Mysterious Ways is awesome

Dit album moet breken met hun verleden. Het zou dus heel anders moeten zijn dan bijvoorbeeld War, wat we eerder geserveerd krijgen. Muzikaal merk je wel iets. Ik zou zeggen dat het soms wat meer richting Depeche Mode gaat. Iets elektronischer, iets vager, iets gevarieerder. Allemaal met de nadruk op 'iets'. Uiteindelijk zet U2 haar handtekening met de zang. Met af en toe een kleine uitzondering, is die zang nu niet heel anders. En als ze dan echt wilden breken met het verleden. Waarom zijn het dan juist de minder elektronische, minder vage nummers die tot single zijn verheven?

I know repeated listens can yield delightful treats, but I’ve tried to get to know this album a few times over the years, yet nothing about it ever sticks out to my ears! Every song seems a long slog of sameness. Nevertheless, it’s never too terrible.

Oof. 2 U2 albums back-to-back. Still, at least this was better than War, so I'll give this 2 stars.

U2.. This will be a hard listening experience

U2 is a band I always hear people say is overrated, and they have never really managed to enter my listening sphere. I don't think I can name a single song of theirs aside from 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and only because we had to analyze the text of that one for school. I've never listened to a full U2 album, and I don't think I've been missing out. At least this album hasn't convinced me so. "In my dream I was drowning my sorrows/But my sorrows, they learned to swim" from 'Until the End of the World' is a pretty cool line, but the delivery is just so flat, not depressed or sad. Just flat. That I can't enjoy it for what it is. I simply don't believe it. Also it doesn't seem to be an original line. Frida Kahlo said something very very similar at some point Standouts One 2/5

Not bad but a little too mainstream pop rock for me?

- Ich bin kein U2 Fan. Überhaupt nicht. Hab das nie verstanden, warum die SOO big geworden sind und vor allem blieben. - Das Album ist für mich eine Absicherung meiner bisherigen Meinung. Träge, zu lange Soli, zu lange Intros, zu lange Outros, total vorhersehbare Songstrukturen, wie ich finde sehr ähnliche Vocal-Parts. Außerdem fehlt mir in deren Songs häufig einfach so ein Spannungs/Dramaturgie-Bogen. die plätschern alle immer so vor sich hin. - Vielleicht höre ich das auch alles aktiv hinein, aber kann ich auch nichts dran ändern. U2? No, thank you. 2/5

- Mischung aus Guilty Pleasure und lässt mich absolut kalt.. schwer zu beantworten

Why is this on this list?

U2 is vastly overrated. One is a very good song. The rest is meh.

Until the End Of The World++ Manque l'énergie des premiers albums.

Biiseissä on potentiaalia mut Bonon revittelylle on kyl lämpene yhtään

Heti, kun ekassa biisissä alko laulujan ääntelyt, muistin taas mikä U2:ssa olikaan vikana. So Cruelin kohdalla oon todella kyllästynyt tähän levyyn. 2/5

✅ love is blindness is a good song¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Still resent U2 for that stupid album that I couldn’t get rid of from my iTunes for ages. This album is fine. 4/10.

Listenable but mid as hell

Even the more enjoyable songs annoy me

Fuck U2 I’ll never forget when they auto uploaded their shitty new album onto everyone’s iTunes, then released a douchey non-apology apology video when everyone got mad at them. Like they’re the custodians of music. This album feels very generic.

I feel towards U2 the way a lot of people feel about Coldplay. They’re so middle of the road inoffensive pop rock. Nothing here to get excited or passionate about, but nothing to really dislike either. Which I kind of dislike

I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but U2 always have something pretentious about them that makes them unappealing to me. It is as if they are actually a band of aliens that didn't make it on their home planet and said to themselves: "Fuck it, we'll move to planet earth and play human music!"

Lynn? Are those your mums cataract glasses? 2.0

Achtung kurwo! I was very surprised rating 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' by U2 three stars. I was wondering that maybe all the time I'm too harsh to them. But no, this album is garbage to me. For entire record I thought that band is playing in one room and Bono is a fucking mile away from them, music and singing don't match. And I had to write it again, their music is so bland like a sheet of paper without writing. Painful listen.

Didn't grab my attention and somewhat cringey lyrics.

This is exactly where U2 became boring beyond all compare. Bono is not insufferable, only because I managed to suffer this.

Something about the production bothers me. It's muffled, or the instruments aren't as distinct as I'd like. The weird pseudo industrial sound they're going for sounds dated. The bigger problem is I just don't like most of the songs. One is sappy, and the rest are largely unmemorable to bad. Favourite track: Acrobat. First U2 album on the list, I hope it gets a lot better than this.

An okay album, the only song that stood out was Even Better Than The Real Thing.

Meh. Very forgettable

I’m still pissed at them for forcing that album on us a few years ago (you couldn’t even delete it and it wasted space on my iPhone). This one has a few hits though.

Est-ce que si ça passe à la radio je change de radio ? Non. Est-ce que j'irai l'écouter sur Spotify ? Non plus...

"Why isn't everyone trying to sound like U2? It's not a very cool thing to do Why would you want to sound like U2? Just press record and play it straight through"

I get why some people like them but I personally don’t. Far too slow for me.

2 U2 albums in a row and I’m tired of it already. Bono is an excellent singer and the edge is a creative player. But this stuff is boring.

It all sounded a but generic and samey to me.

Idk how this band is so fucking popular

Better than some of the past options for sure.

BONNNOOOO!! Emphasis on the NO. Couple songs I know on here but not enough to make up for number 2.

Lots of hits, Bono is still a big turd. Fly somewhere else in your private planes and lecture me about environmentalism some more9

They all sound the same.

Look I might still be traumatized by that time a U2 album just appeared in my (and everyone's) iTunes library. They didn't ask or anything, it just showed up for free. Nice thought, I suppose, but I didn't like it.

Best Song: Mysterious Ways. Something about the groove, the lyrics, and the weird singalong quality of this song makes it feel like white gospel music. Worst Song: Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World. A perfect encapsulation of U2's penchant for coming off as preachy, desperate, and whiny. "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle". Bono you make me sick. Overall: Music made for melancholy moments in sitcoms. Fake emotions melodramaticized. Meh.

Hate to be that guy but my god I just don't understand the success behind U2. I'm actually very open to hearing more records to better understand what makes this one of the largest bands of all time. It mostly has to be a case of them being super popular and Europe and not fully transitioning as strongly over here in Canada. Similar to our version of Tragically Hip. Like take the song "One" off this album for example. It has 500m streams on Spotify, 10x higher than any other song on this album, and their THIRD mostly played of all. I was ready to hear a banger I already knew and just didn't know the name of. Nope. I honestly do not recognize this song. Which is odd because I'm for sure more familiar with lesser streamed songs, "Beautiful Day", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and "Where the Streets Have No Name" to name a few. Update: As I'm writing this review, the song "Mysterious Ways" comes on from this record, and I immediately know it, and it "only" has 80 million listens. Now I REALLY don't know what's going on. I'm sure I've heard "One" at some point in my life, but that's my point - so much of this stuff is utterly forgettable that it made no impression on me. I don't know. I can't tell if my tastes leaning towards favoring rock music over other styles of music are helping or hurting my enjoyment of U2. Like this isn't an 80s hip hop album or some World Music record where I don't really share a perspective on. It's a genre of music I should subjectively like but I can't for the life of me find one redeeming aspect to it. Plainly put - boring. Maybe one day...

Objectively this sounds like good music but when I listen to it... It just doesn't do anything for me. Like drinking water. High 2.

some songs and pretty much all of the singing sound like very generic alternative rock. overall the album seems to have no desire to create anything either fun or just interesting to listen to. if Mysterious Ways wasn't decent this would probably deserve a 1/5

boring

This was another tough album to get through. I liked the song “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “One” was familiar in a good one. Nothing remarkable about the album though and couldn’t finish.