Its an old story, and yet its a story worth telling. After the abundantly earnest "Rattle and Hum", U2 found themselves in a corner. Ten years ago, the possibilities just seemed endless you know? They could start off with a scrappy new wave album ("Boy) and stylistically diverse raw LP ("War). Hell, maybe they'll let Edge twiddle around on keyboards for a couple tracks before they bring it all down to grand statement of purpose that'll tell the world who they are ("The Unforgettable Fire" and "The Joshua Tree")! Alas though, peaks precede falls and "Rattle and Hum" was exactly that. They seemed to be one of those bands that would be forever resigned to Eighties, a mere nostalgia act for aging fans to watch while they fondly remember High School prom. Then "Achtung Baby" came in.
Instead of exploring the American countryside and jamming out with B.B. King, U2 take us to a journey into hell. But instead of burning pits and winged demons, we get the neon glamour of Las Vegas and girls that come with a price. This is most evident in the lead single "The Fly", in which big distorted guitar riffs and hip-hop drums takes the place of atmosphere and naivete. Instead of singing about how to make the world a better place, Bono instead sings of women who he holds in high regard ("Mysterious Ways") or have broken his heart ("Love is Blindness"). Then there's the melancholic conversation between Judas and Jesus ("Until the End of the World") and the yearning for us to just be together again ("One").
Needless to say, this album was a sucker punch to the record buying public. Compared wide-eyed hope of their previous albums, this record just felt downright dirty. And U2 took full advantage of this. Bono dunned huge glasses and a leather jacket to convey his new persona "The Fly" and the stage show was a magnificent gesture satire on top of irony (arguably the nineties greatest weapon). This is a great album and U2 artistic peak. Eat it all up kiddies, because U2 was never this good again.
