Album · 1991
Achtung Baby
by U2
Achtung Baby is a 1991 rock album by U2. It runs 12 tracks across 55 minutes on Universal-Island Records Ltd.. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Riffiter listeners rate it 4.0/5 from 15 ratings.
Rock · Pop Rock · Alternative Rock
Your rating
- 4.0 /5
- 15 ratings
- 85 /100
- 8 critics
- 12
- Tracks
- 55 min
- Runtime
- 105 bpm
- Tempo
- D minor
- Key
Ratings
15 ratings · avg 4.0
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Reviews
No reviews yet.
10 people have played it start to finish
Critics
8 publications
- Los Angeles Times4/4
- Entertainment WeeklyA
- Rolling Stone4.5/5
- Calgary HeraldB+
- Hot Press10/12
- Orlando Sentinel4/5
- Chicago Tribune3/4
- The New Zealand Herald3.5/5
Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.
Achtung Baby album cover
The Achtung Baby cover was designed by Charlie Whisker, Shaughn McGrath and Steve Averill and photographed by Anton Corbijn and Ritchie Smith.
- Design
- Charlie Whisker, Shaughn McGrath, Steve Averill
- Photography
- Anton Corbijn, Ritchie Smith
Your rating for the cover
Tracklist
12 tracks · 55 min
Ranked head-to-head
1 vs 1
Stars say how much you like Achtung Baby. They never settle which song on it you would defend. Pick between two at a time and the order builds itself.
Nobody has finished a run on this record yet. Rank Achtung Baby's songs yourself →
Also released as
Every pressing below shares this page's rating and reviews — they are the same record.
Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition)Anniversary edition · 2021 · 50 tracks
- 1Zoo Station (Remastered 2018)
- 2Even Better Than The Real Thing (Remastered 2018)
- 3One (Remastered 2018)
- 4Until The End Of The World (Remastered 2018)
- 5Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Remastered 2018)
- 6So Cruel (Remastered 2018)
- 7The Fly (Remastered 2018)
- 8Mysterious Ways (Remastered 2018)
- 9Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World (Remastered 2018)
- 10Ultra Violet (Light My Way) (Remastered 2018)
- 11Acrobat (Remastered 2018)
- 12Love Is Blindness (Remastered 2018)
- 13Night And Day (Steel String Remix / Remastered 2021)
- 14Even Better Than The Real Thing (The Perfecto Mix / Remastered 2021)
- 15Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Extended Club Mix / Remastered 2021)
- 16Lemon (The Perfecto Mix / Remastered 2021)
- 17Can't Help Falling In Love (Triple Peaks Remix / Remastered 2021)
- 18Lady With The Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix / Remastered 2021)
- 19Even Better Than The Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix / Remastered 2021)
- 20Mysterious Ways (Ultimatum Mix / Remastered 2021)
- 21The Lounge Fly Mix (Remastered 2021)
- 22Mysterious Ways (The Perfecto Mix / Remastered 2021)
- 23One (Apollo 440 Remix / Remastered 2021)
- 24Mysterious Ways (Tabla Motown Remix / Remastered 2021)
- 25Mysterious Ways (Apollo 440 Magic Hour Remix / Remastered 2021)
Videos
4 videos
Ranked by listeners
top 5 · 7 rated tracks
According to Riffiter listeners, the best track on Achtung Baby is One — rated 4.5/5 by 5 listeners.
Awards
1 win · via Wikidata
- Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
More by U2
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About
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative rock, industrial, and electronic dance music influences into their sound. Thematically, the album is darker, more introspective, and at times more flippant than their previous work. Achtung Baby and the subsequent multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour were central to the group's 1990s reinvention, which replaced their earnest public image with a more lighthearted and self-deprecating one.
Read moreRead less
Seeking inspiration on the eve of German reunification, U2 began recording Achtung Baby at Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990. The sessions were fraught with conflict, as the band argued over their musical direction and the quality of their material. After tensions and slow progress nearly prompted the group to break up, they made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "One". Morale and productivity improved during subsequent recording sessions in Dublin, where the album was completed in 1991. To confound the public's expectations of the band and their music, U2 chose the record's facetious title and colourful multi-image sleeve. Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful records. It received favourable reviews and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Top Albums, while topping the charts in many other countries. Five songs were released as commercial singles, all of which were chart successes, including "One", "Mysterious Ways", and "The Fly". The album has sold 18 million copies worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. One of the most acclaimed records of the 1990s, Achtung Baby has regularly been featured on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time. The record was reissued in October 2011 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its original release.
In brief
- Is Achtung Baby good?
- Riffiter listeners rate Achtung Baby 4.0/5 from 15 ratings.
- What is the highest-rated track on Achtung Baby?
- One, rated 4.5/5 by 5 listeners on Riffiter.
- When was Achtung Baby released?
- Achtung Baby was released in 1991 on Universal-Island Records Ltd..
- How many tracks are on Achtung Baby?
- Achtung Baby has 12 tracks, with a runtime of 55 minutes.
- What genre is Achtung Baby?
- Achtung Baby is catalogued under Rock, Pop Rock, Alternative Rock.
- What BPM is Achtung Baby?
- Achtung Baby runs at a median tempo of 105 BPM across its tracks, most often in D minor, measured from audio analysis.
- What albums are similar to Achtung Baby?
- Listeners of Achtung Baby also rate Automatic for the People by R.E.M., Nevermind by Nirvana, Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- Who produced Achtung Baby?
- Achtung Baby was produced by Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite. Daniel Lanois produced all of them.
- Who wrote the songs on Achtung Baby?
- Achtung Baby was written by Adam Clayton, Bono, Larry Mullen Jr. and The Edge (Guitarist). Adam Clayton wrote 3 of them.
Achtung Baby at a glance
- Label
- Island Records
- Recorded at
- Windmill Lane Studios, Hansa Tonstudio
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Credits
- Produced by
- Written by
- Adam ClaytonBonoLarry Mullen Jr.The Edge (Guitarist)
- Mixed by
+3 moreShow fewer
Shannon StrongRobbie AdamsSean Leonard- Engineered by
- Played by
+2 moreShow fewer
Larry Mullen, Jr.Nell Catchpole- Vocals by
Lineage
9 connections
Built from
- SaloméU2interpolatesZoo Station
Lives on in
Even Better Than the Real ThingDead or Alivecovered byEven Better Than the Real Thing
OneJohnny Cashcovered byOne
Credits and connections from Genius