
A defining moment in 90's rock music; a required listen
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Most records come and go, the bad get purchased and forgotten, the mediocre make it to the radio for a while. The good records make waves and garner reviews, but the truly excellent are frozen forever in history as landmarks, and Actung Baby is no exception. I have seen this album on nearly every best of list imaginable, from Rolling Stone, to VH1, from "best albums of the 90's" lists to "best albums of all-time" lists. Why? Because not many albums have the sound and intrigue of this one. While other bands were cutting mainstream radio singles, U2 was crafting something adventurous and inspired, when they had everthing to lose. After the overwhelming success of The Joshua Tree (1987), the band released the less accepted Rattle And Hum (1988), and were in need of something to bring back the Joshua Tree listeners. Rather than create perfect pop, and staying away from the politically-inspired music of their earlier albums, they blended electronic sound and guitars and distortion into a polished masterpiece while everyone had their backs turned.
Songs like One and Mysterious Ways struck a nerve with many listeners, becoming instant classics in the U2 catalog. Songs like The Fly, Acrobat, and Love Is Blindness have dense musical journeys that form an album that is picturesque and exciting, few if any albums before or since have been as inventive or ambitious.
Review ID: 10000000001524645

Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our
guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours.
You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote.
Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.