U2's Achtung Baby celebrates 20 years this November
Achtung Baby was originally released in November 1991 and was, as Bono said at the time, "the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree." The album was a new direction for U2 -- led by The Fly, Achtung Baby went on to have four other singles, "Mysterious Ways," "One," "Even Better Than The Real Thing" and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses."
At twenty years old, Achtung Baby is all grown up, and to celebrate, an anniversary edition is due this October. The archives have unearthed unreleased songs and treasures from the original recording sessions. There's five different versions featuring a raft of songs, videos, remixes, b-sides and documentary footage - a full album of demo and early versions of the full track listing has also been revealed.
Deluxe formats will include "From the Sky Down," a documentary from Academy Award winning Davis Guggenheim, in which U2 return to Hansa Studio in Berlin to discuss Achtung Baby.
As if the impending 20-year high school reunion wasn't bad enough, now my favorite band goes ahead and makes me feel even older. I remember this album. I loved this album. Actually, I still love this album. I can close my eyes and still visualize my freshman-year roommates, myself and others stumbling across campus so we could see U2 for the concert tour promoting this album. (Yes, stumbling! I still can only vaguely remember a bit of this show. There was drama, and goodness knows, drama, at the time, trumped any concert. Ridiculous. I'd slap myself if I could. Drunk at the concert? Okay. Drunk and not watching the show? NOT OKAY.) Still today, it's among my favorite of U2's albums, though realizing that it is 20 years old is humbling. And no, I won't be paying for the deluxe edition of it. I'll listen to it on repeat a bit instead, that will be my homage.
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