Depending on the depth of your pockets, there are various permutations of the 20-years-on reissue of U2’s daring reinvention album. A standard remastered single disc of the original 12 tracks may be enough for some, but the most remarkable treasures are to be found in the “super deluxe” version.
To call Achtung Baby a pivotal U2 release is an understatement; the wide open vistas of their previous full studio release, 1987’s The Joshua Tree, were already sounding dated, as more and more young pretenders sought to emulate its atmosphere. Carbed up on a diet of Bowie, Reed and (at a stretch) Talking Heads, Bono and chums opted for a more arty, corrosive battle plan for their next outing, while striving to retain a few of their own signature flourishes.
Six previously unheard songs feature here, most notably the hymnal soulful hues of Everybody Loves A Winner and Heaven And Hell; Blow Your House Down hints at the anthemic rockers to follow (Vertigo, Elevation), while Oh Berlin is a minimalist acknowledgement of their influences that goes as far as mentioning Bowie and Reed in its lyrics.
An embryonic version of the entire Achtung Baby album (listed here as Kindergarten) offers radically different takes on what would soon be familiar songs, with a stripped-down One taking its lead from the acoustic reverb of John Lennon’s cover of Stand By Me, and a jangling power-pop prototype of Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?.
