U2 achtung baby1/4/2024 At one point, Adam offered his bass to Bono and told him to play what he wanted himself. The divergent opinions and disagreements on what the next album should sound like were so intense that the band almost broke up as unproductive sessions filled with tension. It did not help that instead of finding inspiration in Berlin, the band found malaise, gloom and a dismal inhospitable winter that had set in over the city. Rounding things out, the band's hanging judge, Larry Mullen, had developed a serious appreciation for Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix sonics. Bono wanted to reflect rap music influences and the Manchester Scene Edge was lobbying for experimental music, noise rock, electronica and alternative guitar sonics, while Adam wanted to add the influences of dance club sonics. All agreed they didn’t want to record The Joshua Tree part two, but what would follow it was anyone’s guess. Additionally, they suddenly realized that none of the band members was on the same musical page. They decamped to the legendary Hansa Studios to record their 7th album and were shocked by the state of the recording venue. They intended to capture the spirit of reunification rife in Berlin as East Germany went into extinction and the Berlin Wall fell. The band initially wanted to record in East Berlin at the end of the Cold War. There would be times during the creation of Achtung Baby when those ponderings almost became a reality. Bono stated, “We won’t see you for a while we have to go away and dream it all up again.” This statement had many fans and critics wondering if U2 was calling it a day. The true origination point for Achtung Baby would be New Year's Eve 1989 when U2 played their final Joshua Tree homecoming concert in Dublin. ![]() The album cover alone moved from monochrome tones to an explosion of images and colour that hinted this would not be The Joshua Tree version 2.0. U2 would successfully reinvent the band with Achtung Baby's release as they submerged their earnest dour image and replaced it with something more self-deprecating and frenetic. Achtung Baby would be a ground-shaking shift from U2’s prior releases, The Joshua Tree, and Rattle and Hum's movie soundtrack. ![]() The release would ensure they would survive not only the “Great Band Culling” at the end of the 20th century but see them continue to great commercial success throughout the subsequent thirty years. Often less discussed is that Achtung Baby represents one of the greatest midstream realignments for a successful band ever attempted. One only has to review any Greatest Album lists to see the album’s high entry. For myself and many others, this album not only represented some of the best of U2’s creative abilities but represents one of the finest rock albums ever to be released. How time flies, in the Fall of 2021, U2’s Achtung Baby will be thirty years old.
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