Personally I'm not a real big fan of U2's Achtung Baby

[LynneSin]

It'll be 20 years in November that Achtung Baby was released and it seems everyone is making a big deal about this album. Supposively there will be a tribute album released along with a documentary about the making of this album.

Maybe it's me but I'm really not a big fan of this album. Personally my favorite was The Joshua Tree.

Can someone tell me why there is such a big appeal about this album?

[HughBeaumont]

1. I don't get it either. I consider it a massive shark jump.

Modernized Electronic U2 = blech. Progression doesn't always equal "better".

[Swede]

2. It had "one" on it,my favorite U2 song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE9hubGnqQM

[applegrove]

9. Yes. I love that song. And "Mysterious Ways", wasn't that on the album too?

[WildEyedLiberal]

3. I think it's brilliant

Start to finish. I think it and Nevermind are the first real 90s albums that set the stage for the next decade plus of music. But I suppose taste varies.

[MrCoffee]

7. Agreed

It's got some seriously underrated songs. As a whole, it's probably U2's second best album. And it's held up remarkably well.

[WildEyedLiberal]

13. My favorites aren't even the radio hits

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, So Cruel, Ultraviolet... great stuff. Not to take anything away from the radio hits - One is a classic and Mysterious Ways is catchy as all hell.

Yeah, great album.

[wysimdnwyg]

4. I liked Achtung Baby, but not nearly as much as JT and RnH

It's funny though, if you consider how monumental 1991 was to music. These are just a few of the records released that year:
U2 - Achtung Baby
Nirvana - Nevermind
Pearl Jam - Ten
Rick Astley - Free (just kidding, but it did roll out in 1991)
Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said
Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Tom Petty - Into the Great Wide Open
Metallica - Metallica (the Black album)
Garth Brooks - Ropin' the Wind
Guns'n'Roses - Use Your Illusion I and II
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

[OriginalGeek]

5. Tom Petty's is the only album on that list I even really like

And that is not one of my favorite TP albums.

The Black album was a low point for me. Hiring Bob Rock to make themselves radio friendly may have made them millions of dollars but I don't believe they produced any art from that point forward.

I like a few of them U2 songs on AB but I like earlier albums better.

I pretty much ignored grunge although I am a HUGE post-nirvana Dave Grohl fan.

I was mad at Lenny for taking away my sweet sweet Lisa Bonet. His music is actually mostly pretty great but damn him! Damn him to hell!

Garth is the epitome of what I hate in country music.

lol Halen. What a bunch of juveniles. Of course, I liked them when campy Dave was with them but the rest was miserable. And I still hate Eddie for taking away my sweet sweet Valerie Bertinelli.

[JVS]

6. I like it. I also like how it helped pave the way for Zooropa.

[Ishoutandscream2]

8. Overrated band

All sounds the same.

[av8rdave]

10. I love Achtung Baby

From the album title (referring to a line from "The Producers") to the historic backdrop of the album. The song Zoo Station actually refers to a location in East Berlin where citizens were shot trying to escape to the west.

Other songs contained strange references to oral sex, as well as a Gloria Steinem quote thrown in for good measure.

Lots of imagination, and some interesting musical territory explored.

The Joshua Tree was a great album, but it was refreshing to see the band try some fresh direction on some of the songs, instead of adding to the Joshua Tree sound.

[cemaphonic]

15. Zoo Station was West Berlin FWIWI

It was the central train station for West Berlin, and opens up onto a big public plaza that was kinda like the Berlin equivalent to Times Square (including 70s-80-s seediness and 90s gentrification).

[av8rdave]

16. Obviously I had it wrong

Thanks for the correction!

[Tikki]

11. I am not a U2 fan.....

Tikki

[bighughdiehl]

12. I love it....

it is one of the few commercially big albums from the last 30 years where I can just sit
back and enjoy the whole thing without skipping a single song.
As someone said above, it did kind of kick off the 90s along with Nirvana's Nevermind,
and (I think) Pearl Jam's Ten.

Best albums of the 90s overall:
Achtung Baby
Ten
The Bends and OK computer by Radiohead.
Throwing Copper by Live

[Grantuspeace]

14. You can't judge it on the songs that were overplayed....

On the radio. It is a very deep album with many strong cuts. My favorite effort from them.