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by **PlayingWithFire** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:01 am

U2's Atchung Baby

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Reinventions rarely come as thorough and effective as Achtung Baby, an album that completely changed U2's sound and style. The crashing, unrecognizable distorted guitars that open "Zoo Station" are a clear signal that U2 have traded their Americana pretensions for postmodern, contemporary European music. Drawing equally from Bowie's electronic, avant-garde explorations of the late '70s and the neo-psychedelic sounds of the thriving rave and Madchester club scenes of early-'90s England, Achtung Baby sounds vibrant and endlessly inventive. Unlike their inspirations, U2 rarely experiment with song structures over the course of the album. Instead, they use the thick dance beats, swirling guitars, layers of effects, and found sounds to break traditional songs out of their constraints, revealing the tortured emotional core of their songs with the hyper-loaded arrangements. In such a dense musical setting, it isn't surprising that U2 have abandoned the political for the personal on Achtung Baby, since the music, even with its inviting rhythms, is more introspective than anthemic. Bono has never been as emotionally naked as he is on Achtung Baby, creating a feverish nightmare of broken hearts and desperate loneliness; unlike other U2 albums, it's filled with sexual imagery, much of it quite disturbing, and it ends on a disquieting note. Few bands as far into their career as U2 have recorded an album as adventurous or fulfilled their ambitions quite as successfully as they do on Achtung Baby, and the result is arguably their best album.

The Offspring's Smash

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Offspring's second album for Epitaph did the impossible: it landed in the Top Five, unheard of for independent records. The Offspring crossed over due to the raucous, Eastern-tinged single "Come Out and Play," which stopped and started just like Nirvana, only without the Seattle trio's recklessness. The record stayed in the charts because the Offspring sounded relentlessly heavy, no matter how much the band claimed to be punk. Their tempos are slower than traditional hardcore, and their attack is as heavy as Metallica. But they acted like they were punk, with odes to no "Self Esteem" and singing about fighting in school. Nothing on the album matches the incessant catchiness of the singles, but Smash is a solid record, filled with enough heavy riffs to keep most teenagers happy.

by **PlayingWithFire** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:39 am

90s U2 sucks!

by **deerayfan072** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:22 am

Smash, a great Offspring album

by **Omaha Red Sox** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:46 am

Smash is not their best album, the one before it was, but it definitely gets the nod over Achtung.

by **ironman** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:09 am

I'm the first one to vote for U2?

Sad, just sad.

by **PlayingWithFire** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:22 am

ironman wrote:I'm the first one to vote for U2?

Sad, just sad.

I like U2 as much(probably more, I have 4 of their albums and used to have a 5th) as the next guy. But for some reason their 90s stuff just doesn't sound too good to my ear. Pop was AWFUL. Atchung Baby was still bad. I like both of their post 2000 albums better than Atchung Baby and their 80s stuff is way superior

by **ironman** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:44 am

PlayingWithFire wrote:
ironman wrote:I'm the first one to vote for U2?

Sad, just sad.

I like U2 as much(probably more, I have 4 of their albums and used to have a 5th) as the next guy. But for some reason their 90s stuff just doesn't sound too good to my ear. Pop was AWFUL. Atchung Baby was still bad. I like both of their post 2000 albums better than Atchung Baby and their 80s stuff is way superior

I'm definitely in the minority with what U2 I like. I got into them right around when Achtung Baby came out and it's always been my favorite album of their's. I also really like their other stuff from the 90's. I didn't think Pop was that bad and I really like Zooropa.