Rank your favorite songs on Achtung Baby

[269er]

Ebttrt
Uteotw
Mysterious ways
One
Ultraviolet
The Fly
Wgrywh
Zoo station
Acrobat
Love is blindness
Tttyaatw
So cruel


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[ozeeko]

So Cruel is a slow, dull, plodding song that cannot be saved by a few decent lyrics.

VOT????????/

Different strokes. I think it's one of their most accurate lyrics-to-music translations. It builds up sexual tension that never gets released and it's devastating. But that's just me. Play this next to a song like SYCMIOYO and you'll appreciate the restraint.

 

[LPU2]

Looking at these songs it's pretty clear that SOI isn't a challenger for U2's best album.

Tough to argue with. But when I hear AB I hear a bunch of edgy, BRILLIANT unfinished songs. When I hear SOI, I hear complete songs, not as edgy.

 

[youarenotimmune]

The haunting performance of So Cruel from the Hershey Tapes is absolutely amazing. Blows the studio version out of the water:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIIGLQwBDA0

 

[stray dog]

One of three U2 records without a single weak song. Consistently strong across the board. And I think it it highlights the difference between the consistently great (and I mean truly great), Achtung Baby, and the merely consistent, Songs of Innocence. Not that SOI isn't a good record, it's a very good one, but vs. AB there's no comparison (and it's not a fair comparison anyway).

And I'm having enough trouble rating SOI, I have no desire to take another stab at this one. Though I can say I'd put Zoo Station as the #1 song on this record and their #1 song of the 90's.

AB is beautiful but I skip So Cruel...I do not skip anything on SOI. Do I believe AB is superior? Of course. But what is great about this SOI is in the discussion.

Back to rating songs on SOI.

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Shuffle

 

[LemonMelon]

Well this is easy.

Exceptional U2 Listening
1. The Fly
2. Acrobat
3. Love Is Blindness

Great U2 Listening
4. Until the End of the World
5. Zoo Station

Good U2 Listening
6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
7. Even Better Than the Real Thing
8. Mysterious Ways

Terrible U2 Listening
9. Ultra Violet
10. One
11. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
12. So Cruel

Man, you need to fix your RYM score for this album. 4 bad ones and 8 good/great/excellent ones does not average out to a 2/5. That's a 3.5 or 3, minimum.

I mean, you gave a 3.5/5 to this:

This is my early reaction.

Actually Awesome U2 Listening
1. Cedarwood Road

... heaps of fucking daylight ...

Pretty Decent U2 Listening
2. Every Breaking Wave
3. Volcano
4. Iris
5. The Troubles

Average U2 Listening
6. This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
7. Raised By Wolves
8. The Miracle
9. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight

Mediocre U2 Listening
10. Song For Someone

Shithouse U2 Listening
11. California

 

[Axver]

Man, you need to fix your RYM score for this album. 4 bad ones and 8 good/great/excellent ones does not average out to a 2/5. That's a 3.5 or 3, minimum.

I mean, you gave a 3.5/5 to this:

It would be fair to say there is a measure of hyperbole attached to both ratings, and also a response to the general perception of either. I was originally wavering between 3 and 3.5 for SOI but I didn't agree at all with the absolute flogging it was receiving. Also, Achtung's rating reflects how poorly I think it functions as an album. There is literally no part of the album where I normally listen to more than two songs in a row: 1, 2, skip, 4, 5, skip, 7, 8, skip, skip, 11, 12. Even Pop, which I find to be similarly inconsistent, manages to produce a run of three without a skip.

 

[prbiker15]

The haunting performance of So Cruel from the Hershey Tapes is absolutely amazing. Blows the studio version out of the water:

 

[bobsaget77]

I think Lady With The Spinning Head is better than any song on Songs Of Innocence. I wish they had put that and Salome on Zooropa or something instead of wasting 2 great songs as B-Sides.


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[RoKKeR]

I think Lady With The Spinning Head is better than any song on Songs Of Innocence. I wish they had put that and Salome on Zooropa or something instead of wasting 2 great songs as B-Sides.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Lady with the Spinning Head is awesome but it's not much of a standalone song and doesn't work on Zooropa if they already released Fly and Ultraviolet on AB.

 

[Vox02]

1. Acrobat
2. Love is blindness
3. One
4. The Fly
5. So cruel
6. Until the end
7. Who's gonna
8. Even better
9. Until the end
10. Mysterious ways
11. Trying
12. Zoo Station

Vox

 

[TheEdge25]

I just want to say that this thread inspired me to start listening to the "Kindergarten" Achtung Baby songs from the 20th anniversary release.

"Baby" Wild Horses is sooooo

I also really dig "Baby" Mysterious Ways

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Studio version only (live would be very different!)

1 Acrobat
2 One
3 The Fly
4 Until the end of the World
5 Zoo Station
6 Love is blindness
7 Ultra Violet
8 Even better than the real thing
9 So Cruel
10 Wild horses
11 Mysterious Ways
12 TTTYAATW

Live versions: (only 10 songs)

1 The Fly
2 Love is blindness
3 Until the end of the World
4 Mysterious Ways (with slide solo)
5 Zoo Station
6 Ultra violet
7 Even better then the real thing
8 One
9 Wild horses
10 TTTYAATW

 

[An Cat Gav]

One of three U2 records without a single weak song. Consistently strong across the board. And I think it it highlights the difference between the consistently great (and I mean truly great), Achtung Baby, and the merely consistent, Songs of Innocence. Not that SOI isn't a good record, it's a very good one, but vs. AB there's no comparison (and it's not a fair comparison anyway).

And I'm having enough trouble rating SOI, I have no desire to take another stab at this one. Though I can say I'd put Zoo Station as the #1 song on this record and their #1 song of the 90's.

Totally agree, Achtung Baby is my favourite album by anyone ever. However i shall take a stab at this.

1. The Fly
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. Until The End Of The World
4. One
5. Love is Blindness
6. So cruel
7. Ultraviolet
8. Acrobat
9. Zoo Station
10. Mysterious Ways
11. Tryin' To Throw
12. WGRYWH.

It's very tough for me to rank as other than the top 2 and final slot the others are all equally good to my ears.

WGRYWH is the only song that was a bit below the standard of the rest.

 

[deltau922]

1. Until the end of the world
2. Acrobat
3. The Fly
4. Ultraviolet
5. Mysterious ways
6. One
7. Zoo Station
8. So Cruel
9. Ebttrt
10. Love is blindness
11. Who's gonna ride your wild horses
12. Tryin to throw your arms around the world


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[Salome]

Still feel that ZOO TV makes this album look better than it actually is.


Great:
01. The Fly
02. One
03. Until the End of the World

Good:
04. Love Is Blindness
05. Mysterious Ways
06. Acrobat
07. Zoo Station

Not bad:
08. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
09. So Cruel
10. Even Better Than the Real Thing
11. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
12. Ultra Violet

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

1. The Fly
2. Zoo Station
3. Love Is Blindness
4. Until the end of the world
5. Acrobat
6. Ultraviolet
7. One
8. So Cruel
9. Mysterious ways
10. Ebttrt
11. Tryin to throw your arms around the world
12. Who's gonna ride your wild horses

 

[MrPryck2U]

Here goes:


1- Fly
2- Ultraviolet
3- Until the End
4- MW
5- Even Better
6- One
7- So Cruel
8- Blindness
9- Horses
10- Acrobat
12- Tryin'

 

[xtrmx]

1. Ultravoilet (My #1 U2 song, thanks for last tour U2, got to hear it at last!).
2. Wild Horses
3. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World
--Shit really gets hard from here on out, but in a good way--
4. Even Better Than the real thing (especially live)
5. So Cruel
6. The Fly
7. Until The End of the World
8. One
9. Acrobat
10. Mysterious Ways
11. Love is Blindness
12. Zoo Station.

I don't think there is a bad song on this album, top 3 are way above the others though for me.

 

[thefly418]

1. One
2. Until The End Of The World
3. The Fly
4. Mysterious Ways
5. Ultraviolet
6. Zoo Station
7. Love Is Blindness
8. Wild Horses
9. Acrobat
10. Even Better Than The Real Thing
11. So Cruel
12. Tryin To Throw Your Arms

 

[SpiralStaircase]

Don't really rate the album. I know, I know, not a popular view around here. It's alright. But not anywhere near a masterpiece imo. A few very, very good songs but no great ones - "One" is obviously great but too obviously so

so

1 Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
2 One
3 The Fly
4 Zoo Station
5 Acrobat
6 Until the end of the world
7 Even better than the real thing
8 Love is blindness
9 Ultraviolet
10 Mysterious Ways
11 Tryin' to throw your arms around the world
12 So cruel

I skip more songs on this album than any preceding it and the one after it.

 

[CosmoKramer]

1- One

2- Mysterious

3- Even Better

4- Wild Horses

5-Zoostation

6- Until the End

7- The Fly

8- Ultraviolet

9- TTTYAATW

10-So Cruel

11- Blindness

12- Acrobat





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[hasin73]

No. 1.......... ACROBAT

 

[madonna's child]

My favorite U2 album!

1 - Ultraviolet
2 - The Fly
3 - Until the End of the World
4 - Mysterious Ways
5 - One
6 - Zoo Station
7 - Acrobat
8 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
9 - Even Better Then The Real Thing
10 - Love Is Blindness
11 - Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World
12 - So Cruel

 

[BigMacPhisto]

A True Fan's Ranking (i.e. The Correct Ranking):

1. The Fly
2. Until The End Of The World
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Even Better Than The Real Thing
5. One
6. Who's Gonna Ride You Wild Horses
7. Ultraviolet
8. Zoo Station
9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. Love Is Blindness
11. Acrobat
12. So Cruel

 

[Valkeerie]

1. Acrobat
2. The Fly
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Love is Blindness
5. Until the End of the World
6. One
7. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
8. Even Better than the Real Thing
9. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World
10. Ultra Violet (Light my way)
11. So Cruel
12. Zoo Station

My impression of this album is that while it deserves to be on top, it has some flaws that put it below of my other favourites (The Joshua Tree and Unforgettable Fire). Bono seemed to have lost his voice projection, and resorted to mumbling his songs with a gritty tone. Edge's experimentation fell short of the greatness that were the echoes and sound of his 80s guitar. Compared to their latest 80s work, it felt quite distant, but taking it for what it is, an experiment after their steady climb to success, it's quite remarkable. And I agree with that another user: that ZooTV made this album better than it was on its own.