Another '91 iconic classic album. After the hugely successful Joshua Tree album (1987), the subsequent live and new songs album/documentary Rattle And Hum (1988) gathered generally mixed critical review, with accusation ranging from being over-grandiose, over-earnest, and self-righteous. Personally, it still nevertheless contains some memorable songs, such as When Love Comes To Town duet with the great BB King, the unrated Heartland, and really excellent live, gospel infused rendition of I Still Haven't Found What I Am Looking For. But perhaps the best of all is the live (?) version of With Or Without You which contains the additional "we will shine like stars on the summer night" or something like that, excellently captured, with Larry looking probably as the best drummer of the year. But yet, after the mammoth success of Joshua Tree, how can the band top that? It did, and in 1991, after a tumultuous recording process which nearly break the band, Achtung Baby landed and is famously described as the album "intend on chopping down the Joshua Tree". Re-inventing themselves from previously "savior" like role, the band members, particularly Bono, took hold of the fast food pop culture, style over substance, decadent, sleazy culture and mix it all up into one particularly addictive album of the 90s. Everybody knows "One", "Mysterious Ways" and perhaps "The Fly" but the one favourite personally is "Ultraviolet" and on the U2 360 Tour, it is such a treat to see the glowing UFO like mic with Bono wearing a laser beamed jacket singing it which then segue into With Or Without You. And perhaps to capture the decadency of the entire idea of the Achtung Baby idea, there's the "Uber Deluxe Set" which comes even with a set of the Fly infamous goggle like sun glass! But the price, whew! I think I''ll settle just for the Super Deluxe Set instead.
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