Achtung Baby's recording sessions were almost the end of U2. Divided to the bone about the course to be sailed, the album was created under great creative pressure (or rather the lack thereof). The simultaneous divorce of The Edge more or less symbolized the emotionally deplorable state of the band members. It became their darkest album with often puzzling lyrics. At the same time, U2 with Achtung
… Baby rose from the splinters of their cut Joshua Tree after three years of silence. At the same time, Achtung Baby had a catalytic effect. The new sound with elements from alternative rock, glam rock, industrial and dance was in turn a source of inspiration for later bands such as Radiohead, Oasis, Blur and The Verve. Without Achtung Baby, the development of the so-called Britpop would probably have looked very different. Twenty years later the album has still not lost any of its freshness. This makes it perhaps the most important rock album of the nineties. On this remaster, the old recording tapes have been expertly dusted. The second CD contains b-sides and bonus tracks, including the previously unreleased song Blow Your House Down. (JWvR)more
