Achtung Baby

Okay I'm going to do my best to break down Achtung Baby Super Deluxe Edition. First, the packaging: The set comes in a nice box that includes 16 LP size cardboard photos from the album sessions. The other part of the set is the book. The book is great with essays by Andrew Mueller, Daniel Lanois, Anton Corbijn, Martin Scholz, Martin Wroe, Brain Eno, and Bill Flanagan. There are also tons of photos and the hand written lyrics to "One". There are also several pages dedicated to the CDs and DVDs in the set with the track listings, times, original release info, etc. The one complaint is all of the CDs and DVDs are actually housed in the inside covers rather then having individual cases (got to get the Uber edition for that). The Music: Most U2 collectors will have 85% of the music on these 6 discs. There have been some tweeks to Achtung Baby and I think it sounds great. Zooropa appears to be the same mix but is still a great album and I hope it gets its own edition when the time comes. Disc 3 is the first of the re-mix CDs. All have been release before except the final track which is "One (Apollo 440 Remix) which basically adds a new intro, throws some beats in the middle and tags on a new drum ending. That being said, Achtung Baby is an album that really lends itself to remixes but I think Disc 4 is the better of the remix CDs. Again Disc 4 has only one unreleased song. Another remix of "One" again by Apollo 440 but I prefer this "Ambient" mix to the one on Disc 3. Discs 5 and (especially) 6 are the reasons most are buying the set. Disc 5 has B-Sides and some unreleased songs. The Unreleased songs are mostly from the Achtung Baby sessions. The only one not from the sessions is "Even Better Then the Real Thing (Fish out of Water Remix)". The unreleased songs are "Blow Your House Down" a nice rocker, "Heaven and Hell", a moody song that seems to be Bono riffing with lyrics. "Oh Berlin" kind of a mid-tempo song that feels like the band felt like they had to write a song about the city in which they were recording. "Near the Island" a nice little instrumental which has a real Edge/Eno (even though Eno isn't credited) feel to it. "Down All The Days", this is a really good song that with a little work could have been great. Not sure why it got put away. One of those songs that just builds and builds. Finally there is "Everybody Loves A Winner" a slower song with Bono mostly singing in falsetto and some nice Edge background vocals. The rest of Disc 4 are previously released B-Sides. Disc 6-Kindergaten: I'd love to go into a song by song review of just this CD. This is a billed as an early version of Achtung Baby or demos from early songs. It feels more like pieced together bits of demos from each song but that is not a bad thing. Some stick fairly close to the original (Zoo Station, One) and some are almost brand new songs (Even Better Then The Real Thing, Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World). This is a fantastic Disc! It will never replace the original but it is definitely something that will get repeated listens and not just the once over and put away. The DVD's: The set also includes 4 DVDs. The first is the Documentary "From the Sky Down". While I really enjoy this documentary it seems to have a problem decided if it is a film about the history of U2 or a film about the making of Achtung Baby. I would have preferred more of the behind the scenes from the making of the album. There is one great part though when Bono and The Edge are listening to some of the original sessions a certain song suddenly morphs into another and a huge light bulb goes off...don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it but it is one of the best moments caught on tape of the birth of a song. DVD 2 is a collection of the music videos from Achtung Baby and Zooropa. Some are better then others but it's nice to have them all. DVD 3 has quite a bit on it. There is Zoo TV Special. Which is sort of but not quite behind the scenes of the ZooTV tour. Basically the concert intercut with some behind the scenes and some ZooTV news updates and other things. The rest of the DVD is comprised of shorts. There is The MTV show "Most Wanted" where a fan won a chance to see a U2 show via satellite from his house. It shows some interviews and music videos but is actually a bit boring. There is also a MTV documentary, U2 on Naked City, and U2 on TV-AM which are all about the same...interview clips, music clips, ZooTV craziness all mashed together. The last documentary is called Trabantland. It's about the small, East German car that is featured in some of the videos and promo photos. It's enjoyable especially after seeing "From the Sky Down" and how the band used to see these cars abandoned daily because their East German drivers made the pilgrimage to Berlin just as the cars gave out. There is also some CD-Rom content on this disc. Wallpapers, Screensavers, and links to websites. Disc 4 is the ZooTV live in Sydney Concert. I didn't own the video of this (just the CD) so I was glad to add this to my collection. Concert films aren't my favorite things to watch but this was a really great show with a nice set list. I wish they could have cleaned up the video for this release but that may have something to do with how it was originally shot. Overall this is a 5 star buy for me. Yes I own a lot of the material already but the new items and the packaging (mainly the book) justify double dipping for this release. I hope this review helped. It's my first music review but I wanted to let people know what to expect from this wonderful set.

First, let me say that nearly everything I talk about in this review would apply to the "Uber" edition as well. The Uber just adds to the experience somewhat by the inclusion of some additional items - but the music/video content (the true heart of this release) remain the same between the versions. Both this set and the Uber version are for fans of the album. This is likely obvious on the surface, but it really does go much deeper than that. Fans of this album likely became fans when it was first released - back when U2 re-invented themselves. Fans of this album first heard "The Fly" or "Mysterious Ways" come from U2 and listened to them with a mixture of genuine shock and delight. During this first unveiling of the new U2 sound, look, attitude, etc. - U2 fans strapped themselves in for a ride that truly comes once in a generation. We saw a band we love go away, and then come back stronger and more amazing than any of us could have imagined. There have been many times I wish I could have gone back and experienced an album, movie, book, etc. for the first time again. Achtung Baby is one of those albums for me, and this set... ...this set is the U2 fan's opportunity to go back and experience that first listen all over again. This is the opportunity to see other sides of the story around the album, to "time-travel", and to get as close to the moment you had back in 1991 when you first placed the Achtung Baby CD in your stereo (or, in my case, first put the cassette in your car-stereo) and had your mind blown. This experience kicks off with an amazing book. No, I haven't had the time to read it completely, but I have leafed through it a number of times and what struck me most was in the images chosen for it. You've seen similar images from this era before with this band, but not THESE images. You've seen the shot of Edge in the "star pants" on the cover, or Bono with the unnamed woman behind him, but you haven't seen the additional shots taken. This theme goes throughout the book - and puts you in a strange mindset of viewing these images from the standpoint of nostalgia as well as through the eyes of someone who has truly never seen them before. It's an interesting way to take iconic images that they know U2 fans have seen 1,000's of times, and give them a twist of something new. This continues into the documentary "From the Sky Down". Most of the interviews are new, but they've mixed in older interviews as well. You've seen some cuts from some of the older interviews from other appearances by U2, but you haven't seen THESE cuts. These are the parts of those interviews that weren't aired, but were from the same interview. You recognize the camera angles, the dress, the attitude, and you can almost re-play those other interviews in your head while you're watching this - but they are newer parts (at least to you) of the interview. This aspect of the documentary, I am convinced, was solely aimed at giving hardcore U2 fans that opportunity to see something both old and new at the same time. Probably the most impressive thing about the documentary is where they show how the song "One" came to be - and do it in near real-time with the original tapes from the sessions. For me, this was fascinating and gave an experience that is as close to being in the room with them while they create what would become not only one of their most amazing songs but - from the standpoint of the documentary - was the point at which their new direction actually started to become a reality and the band began to heal. On the audio side, I recommend that hardcore fans listen to the "Kindergarten" disc first. It's an alternative version of Achtung Baby taken from the original sessions, and showcases each song in their more raw (and sometimes completely different, both lyrically and musically) forms. Listening to this disc gave me the same feelings I had when I first heard Achtung Baby back in 1991. It's the album you love, but done differently enough to feel like a completely new listen. The other CD's you probably already have. I had most of the tracks - there were some surprises in there - but for the most part, the remaining re-mixes and b-sides have been available before. Personally, I was victim to having a large number of CD's stolen from me years ago - and these additional tracks were the welcome return of music I had not heard in a long time. Many of the shows on the other DVD's are things that were on MTV at the time, or released in different forms on VHS. I had some of them on VHS - and it is nice to now have them on DVD. Some have lamented the fact that these are not of Blu-Ray - but, honestly, these were on TV back when HD had no meaning. Even on DVD, you can tell the source material would have gotten no benefit from being on Blu-Ray. You likely already have the Sydney ZOO TV show as well. I have seen some complaints about the inclusion of this disc, but I think it's necessary. This set seems designed to give the complete Achtung Baby experience, specifically to U2 and Achtung Baby fans. It is also somewhat linear in how it introduces you to it all (if you go from disc 1 to disc 2, etc.), and the album, tour, etc. are all set-up well. It would seem odd after watching the closing credits of "From the Sky Down" to NOT have what is arguably the best recording of what many believe is their most mind-blowing tour. Yes, people who buy this set probably already have it - but there's got to be at least someone who doesn't - and it would be crime to send that person down this path through the set and then, at the end, simply say "If you'd like to see how it all ended - buy this other disc!!" I think it needed to be included. I have 2 complaints: 1. The Sydney disc in my set will only play on my PC, not my DVD player. This isn't too bad for me, since I already own it - but for people like those I mentioned above who may not have it, this is not good. I've read here that it is because the DVD is in PAL format even though it is stamped NTSC. Whatever the reason, this is blemish on this set. 2. The MTV Rockumentary cut out the videos from the original VHS. I had this video on VHS, and it was basically the same movie - however, instead of commercials, it had U2 videos. I haven't watched the whole thing to see if maybe they end up at the end of it - but I would have rather seen them in their original spots. The most glaring issue with this is that in the original video, right after the "Boy to Achtung Baby" section, the video for Even Better That the Real Thing starts. Now, it just slaps the "MTV ROCKUMETARY" logo up on the screen, skips the video, and goes on with the interviews. I liked the original better. Also, the original had a rare studio video for "Until the End of the World" that I don't see anywhere else in this set. I would have liked to have that on DVD as well. Anyway - this set is a definate must-have for fans of this album. Casual listeners, etc. would likely be better off getting one of the other versions, as many of the additional items in the Super Deluxe and Uber sets reference things that casual listeners either don't know about or don't care about. If you are a fan, however, and you want to relive the original release of Achtung Baby and all that was involved with it, you are in for quite a ride with this box. Enjoy!

Yes, it's one of the best albums ever recorded. Only U2's Joshua Tree stands next to it by the same artist. And for me, it was and remains a deeply personal record, having been released when I was a freshman in college. I don't think a newer fan can really understand how shocking this record was - how it was the complete opposite of everything U2 stood for, and yet was still them.... But anyway... I'm reading a few complaints from other raters about the packaging. Yes, the hardcover books for the early albums were lush. But this is true to the original release. When Achtung baby first came out it was a softcover that opened up to four pages. It was as visually shocking as it was aurally. The crappy plastic-box release which came soon after was a travesty, robbing decades of fans of some of the best of the album art. Only now is the original vision restored. This is how Achtung Baby is supposed to look. My only packaging complaint is the MAMMOTH and intrusive FBI warning that seems to take up half of one of the pages. U2 didn't even put their own name there, but the FBI needs that much room? A shame. I have recently come across a Canadian copy of this 2-disc set. The FBI warning is gone, and instead you have the artwork which the FBI's threat was covering up. Also, the coloring is better on the Canadian copy. It's lighter, and less blurry. It looks exactly like the album did in 1991. If you have a choice, I'd go for the Canadian version of this product. The album may not have been "remastered" but it has been tweaked. You will hear things you haven't heard before on both discs. There is one new song on disc 2 "Blow Your House Down" and most of the B-sides. Yes, they are all amazing songs and if you missed any of them the first time you missed half of the album. Back in 1991 it was common for bands to release almost another album's worth of material as B-sides. It was a part of the experience. When you first heard The Fly, The Lounge Remix and Alex Descends into Hell for a Bottle of Milk (Written for the play A Clockwork Orange 2000) came along with it. If you're considering the one disc, pony up the cash for this edition instead. Of course, the Super-box has A LOT more material if you're really into the album. I won't suggest the Uber to anyone simply because, if you're not already SURE you need the Uber - you don't. Noah Mullette-Gillman Author of Luminous and Ominous

Just got this in the mail and within seconds of browsing through it I was speechless. The CD options are phenomenal, the DVD's are well-chosen as a representation of the band's journey and almost complete anihilation through the recording of one of the best rock and roll albums of all time, and the book is, quite simply, amazing. Stories of the entire creative process from conception to execution of Achtung Baby are peppered throughout amazing photography, giving fans a never-before-seen look inside the making of one of the best rock and roll albums of all time. But what took my breath away was a photo of the actual page that "One" was written on - something so simple and yet so crucial to the entire direction of the album, and honestly when I read through it I felt like I was being handed a gift by the band. Amazing. Updated: I realized that in my excitement over the book that I unfairly left out the quality of the disks themselves. Here's the skinny - the original Achtung Baby and Zooropa are obviously nothing new, and for hardcore fans who collected all of the singles the disk full of B-sides really isn't either. But, as another review stated, "Kindergarten", or the demo cd of Achtung Baby, is really quite the listening experience. It was cool getting to hear the development of the music, and for the truly hardcore fans there's plenty of Bongolese throughout most of the songs. The acoustic version of "One" gave me goosebumps, and I loved the arrangement on "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" and actually thought it was better than the finished product, although it's definitely raw. The mix CDs are fun as well, so long as you don't take them too seriously. With regards to the DVD selection while I haven't watched them all yet I think that they're an entirely fair representation of the band during the early 90's. I personally only have the Sydney VHS so for me, at least, it was nice to upgrade to the DVD. The documentary "From the Sky Down" is a big deal because U2 is known for being extremely private and closed when it comes to who they allow into their inner sanctum, and to get that inside view as, ironically, a fly on the wall, is something that I definitely enjoyed ever minute of.

First of all, I should confess- I'm old. I was there. I was there for the complete inertia that Achtung Baby represented. For those of us who didn't hate Rattle and Hum, but contrarily loved it and were eager to see what they would do next, Achtung Baby was as shocking to hear as it must have been difficult to make. I was initially stumped, confounded, even frustrated by Achtung Baby, but it has since grown into my favorite Rock Album of all time. And it remains, to this day, one of the best musical discoveries, and musical experiences, of my life. I tell you that to say, I was going to be a tough sell for this box- if only because I snatched up, and still have, every Single from the record, including Imports... and I thought I pretty much had everything a fan could collect, or obsessively hunt down, from that era. What was a new box going to offer me, that I didn't already have? If that's you, and I know I'm not alone in this... This box is everything we could have dreamed it would be! I know that's contrary to some reviewers who say that they wish there were more, or different, content. But I'm prepared to tell you that if you are a die-hard fan of this band and this album, and Rock music in general, the material that debuts here is worth the price of the box, even if you already have the rest of the music. And, let me say, you didn't already have these remasters- of both Achtung Baby and Zooropa, and also of those remixes and b-sides. They sound a-mazing. But there is yet more exclusive material included here... It is: -Some Recent Remixes (I don't recall ever hearing "One" remixed before now... Covered, maybe, but not remixed. "Real Thing" and "Mysterious Ways" also get updated remix treatment) -Exclusive B-Sides ("Blow Your House Down," "Heaven and Hell," "Oh Berlin," "Near The Island," "Everybody Loves A Winner," and "Down All The Days" -an alternate treatment of "Numb") -From The Sky Down (of course, it debuted on disc here) -Several tracks on The Videos DVD (like the footage from Stop Sellafield) are exclusive to this release -The entire "Bonus Material" disc (If you're like me, you've only had a VHS of the ZooTV special since 1992... SO psyched to see it here!) ...and the piece de resistance: -The KINDERGARTEN Version of Achtung Baby Yes, to me, this latter entry is worth the price of the box, all by itself... even if you weren't getting all that other stuff. The Kindergarten Version reminds me of what it felt like to listen hard, with famished curiosity, to this mad explosion coming out of the speakers- and, in both cases, then and now, the reward was the same: I was winding my way into Achtung Baby. For those of us who had the experience I described above, this Kindergarten Version is the closest new experience I could ever imagine having that replicates the old, former one. It's a really special gift. I've never seen a band do something like this, even though you hear "demo" versions and "early" versions all the time. This is a true 'alternate' record. The Achtung Baby that almost was. The songs are still there, with a great many twists and ideas you've never heard inside those musical frameworks until now. It may not strike you the same way, if you didn't have the experience I did in 1991-2... But if you did, this new experience is truly priceless, and will probably bring back those old days for you the way it did for me. Again- what a gift! My heartfelt thanks to U2 and their team for not only giving us Achtung Baby, lo those 20 years ago, but also for giving us this celebration bash to commemorate it. Yes, I can agree that my one disappointment was the presence of the Zooropa in Sydney show, sans updates- like a Bluray pressing, or some different bonuses with it. But then again, the experience is not complete without that perfect statement of all that ZooTV was... And, regarding a bluray, the concert was shot on video twenty years ago. Not sure what a Hi-Def image is going to improve, that an up-converted DVD wouldn't approximate. I can see consumers thinking that the Uber Box is only for the truly devoted... But if you fell in love with this record sometime within the last 20 years, you owe it to yourself to revisit that experience with at least this Deluxe Anniversary Version. It's just, simply, the best! Highly recommended! See Also: -The glorious cover version of Achtung Baby by artists like Jack White, nine inch nails, Depeche Mode, and many others -The bluray of From The Sky Down (with bonus features)

I'm not going to get too much into the audio/video content of this set because quite frankly that's not what this particular edition is about. Sure, if you have all of the singles you have most if not all of the remixes and most die-hard U2 fans already have Zoo TV live from Sydney on DVD - not to mention the videos. If all you are concerned about is the music and video content, then this set definitely isn't for you. The "Kindergarten" disc is an interesting look at the development of some of the songs as is the documentary DVD From the Sky Down, but there are less expensive ways of getting those discs, i.e. the regular "Super Deluxe Edition." What we have here then is an amazingly pieced together collector's box set with all kind of cool and flashy attractions - the Fly sunglasses, buttons, a magnetic tile box, 5 7" vinyl singles, Achtung Baby on vinyl, a copy of a fan magazine, lithographs, etc. This edition is more for you to display, not listen to. Like the other reviewer said, you can even download the content so you don't wear out your physical CDs. Sure the packaging may be over-the-top for some, but wasn't that the point of Achtung Baby to begin with? U2 reinvented themselves after their seemingly holier-than-thou '80s pretentiousness. Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree are great albums, but like Bono once said their '80s work was never really that sexy. Once they hit the disco clubs in Europe a whole new chapter began and we as U2 fans were better off for it. In my opinion this all reached a climax with the vastly underrated Pop album, but that's a different conversation all together. Just comparing the deluxe editions of Joshua Tree and Unforgettable Fire to this one illustrates the difference in tone between the U2 of the '80s and the U2 of the '90s. Take it for what it's worth. Like the Genius of Miles Davis box set from last year which came with a trumpet case, lithograph, t-shirt, and mouth piece, this set is more about presentation than the content. If that bothers you, then don't get it. But if Achtung Baby is one of your favorite albums and you have the means, then you won't be disappointed.

I was really excited about getting this deluxe edition, even though I already have most of the content, because Achtung Baby is, for me, an absolutely perfect album and my favorite ever. The first four CDs weren't anything special for me, since I already own Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and most of the remixes from the Uber and Unter discs (and I'm not that crazy about remixes in general anyway). The 5th disc I was originally disappointed in, because some of the songs clearly have vocals that were recorded recently; the difference in Bono's voice quality and range is obvious. However, it does call itself "B-Sides and Bonus Tracks," so I'm okay with just telling myself that these are the "bonus tracks" and it's fine if they're recent. I haven't gotten all the way through this disc yet, so I'm not sure how much of the material I already own (looks like most but not all), but I'm still happy to have these songs with decent sound quality. The 6th disc, "Kindergarten - the alternative Achtung Baby" is awesome. It was actually what I popped in first, while I was still perusing the book. I love hearing where these great songs came from and other directions they could have taken, although none are as good as the album versions in my opinion. It's a perfect record, how could they make these songs better?) I've only watched the first of the DVD discs so far, and I loved "From the Sky Down." I've read Bill Flanagan's book "U2 at the End of the World" many times, and I'm glad they didn't gloss over the importance of "One" in really saving the band. My only small complaint with the film was that it might be difficult for viewers who don't know the band members' voices well to tell who was speaking, and at times it was important to know who it was. I didn't have any problems, but a casual viewer might. I already have the ZooTV Live from Sydney DVD, and I sort of wish they had been able to put in DVD of a different show from the tour (Like Live From Dublin in August of '93, maybe--even a high quality soundboard audio recording, which does exist, of this show would have improved the newness of the material), although I doubt many were filmed in enough detail back in those days. The book is great; mostly images with a few sections of writing from people who know details about the album. I would have appreciated more words added, but again, I guess that's what Bill Flanagan's book is for. I'm really glad I bought this, and for me it was worth the money, but I do wish there were more things included that the die-hard fan wouldn't already have in their collection.

This 2018 vinyl reissue of U2's Actung Baby is simply terrific, if not long overdue. If you wanted to own this truly great U2 album on the vinyl format, your only choice til now was to pay around $60 and up on eBay or Discogs for a RARE original 90's pressing. Finally we have a proper double 180 gram reissue of Actung Baby. How does it stack up? First off, the packaging is super nice; I would have loved a gatefold for this special edition LP but, that's a minor quip, the packaging is still of a high quality, no cheap white paper sleeves here; they're very nice and have an inner lining and the inserts with pictures and lyrics are a quality, heavy duty material). And, the sound is quite simply a knockout! I have never heard this album sound so great! The original CD from the 90's was decent, adequate but this 180 gram double vinyl is the ultimate way to experience this atmospheric masterpiece. The mix is very dynamic, the instruments are given room to "breathe" and you can hear everything clearly. The sound is rich and has tight, punchy bottom end that is very powerful but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the music. The Edge's guitars are given plenty of breathing room and you can really hear his creative, sometimes very intricate guitar work. The highs are crisp but never shrill or ear piercing, and Bono's vocals are smooth and resonant and ride over the whole thing nicely. And the price is very reasonable; You're getting a very high quality double vinyl reissue for a little over 20 bucks. Highly recommended, this vinyl reissue was worth the long wait! Order it up, you won't be disappointed.