A new feature, Singles Bar, takes a look at the singles released from classic albums
The Super (and Uber) Deluxe editions of U2’s brilliant 1991 album Achtung Baby are nearly upon us! With the release date for these massive box sets just a week away (see here for details), we thought now would be a good time to reflect back on the singles pulled from the album. Which ones are just as great as the record they come from, and which ones are a bit of a let down? Our guest blogger, James Eldred from The Lost Turntable, takes a look to find out.
Nov 05, 2011 For the 20th anniversary of their landmark Achtung Baby LP, U2 have chosen to release approximately 273 (I may be exaggerating here) different versions of the inevitable reissue set; the Super Deluxe Edition boasts six discs of music and four DVDs, and that’s not even the most extensive set available.It begs the question: why Achtung Baby?After all, prior to the album’s 1991 release date. Nov 01, 2011 The Super Deluxe Edition adds the 1993 album Zooropa, written and recorded during the supporting Zoo tours for Achtung Baby, then two discs of remixes, the B-sides discs that pop up on the Deluxe Edition, and, finally, a fledgling version of Achtung Baby called Kindergarten, which contains nascent versions of all 12 songs from the finished album. Achtung Baby Super Deluxe Edition CD & DVD Genre. Vendor Genre. User rating, 5 out of 5 stars with 2 reviews. This version of the Achtung Baby is the best out there! It has lots of goodies inside and it is a must for any U2 fan! I would recommend this to a friend. Helpful (2) Unhelpful (0. Nov 04, 2011 Here we take an in-depth look at the U2 Achtung Baby Uber Deluxe Edition. Across 64 annotated photos you can view every detail of this amazing box and we also have pictures of the Vinyl box and the Super Deluxe Edition. There are FOUR pages of photos to view. Click on page 2,3,4 etc below the thumbnails to select more photos to view.
The Fly debuted a month before Achtung Baby, and its industrial, beat-driven sound served as a portent to the bold new direction the band would be embracing on the album. It was so bold that a lot of fans probably didn’t know how to react to it upon its release, a fact that shows in its lacklustre performance in the US, where it didn’t even crack the Billboard Top 50 (it still hit number one in the UK, however). And as if the song itself wasn’t sign enough that Achtung Baby would not be another Joshua Tree, then it’s strange b-sides probably were. The mostly-instrumental Alex Descends Into Hell For a Bottle Of Milk/Korova 1 was actually from the Royal Shakespeare company’s score for A Clockwork Orange and was unlike anything the band ever released before, and The Lounge Fly Mix took The Fly and made it even more beat-heavy, almost removing the guitars completely until the very end. It’s not the best single from Achtung Baby, but it’s probably the most daring.
If The Fly brought to the table the bold new sound that U2 was embracing on Achtung Baby, then Mysterious Ways served as an introduction as to how that sound could be shaped into a superb dance track. Twenty years later, Mysterious Ways remains one of those tracks that can always get you on your feet. It’s so full of energy and life, and it’s just downright fun, something that U2 rarely was before. It’s a testament to the power of the track that its singles don’t feature any b-sides, just remixes of the song. There were eight remixes for the song total, most of which were done by members of the soon-to-be-huge big beat act Apollo 440. They range from drastic downtempo reworkings to club-friendly dance mixes, and all are excellent and surprising; each masterfully transforming the song into something different while still retaining the original’s power and enthusiasm. If I had to pick a best from the bunch, it would probably by Oakenfold’s Perfecto Mix, which amps up the trippiness of the original version in (mysterious) ways that would eventually be known as the trademarks of Goa Trance.
Leave it U2 to follow-up what many considered to be one of the best singles of the year with a track that many still think is one of the greatest songs of all-time. And since the single was for charity (with all the proceeds going to AIDS research) the band really did their best to stack it with must-listen tracks. The amazing Lady With The Spinng Head (UV1) is a great combination of slick guitar riffs and throbbing dance beats, much in the vein of Mysterious Ways, and its similarity to that track is probably the only thing that kept if off the Achtung Baby album. Rounding things out are the two best covers from the Achtung Baby recordings; an odd beat-leaden take of Cole Porter’s Night And Day (which had appeared in original form on the 1990 Red Hot + Blue AIDS-benefit compilation album but is presented here as a Steel String Remix) and a very faithful rendition of Lou Reed’s Satellite Of Love.
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It’s my favorite track from Achtung Baby, and if you ask me, it also the best single. Not only does it feature a great extended remix of the One b-side Lady With The Spinning Head but it also includes the amazing demo Where Did It All Go Wrong and Salome, a b-side that’s honestly better than most of the tracks on the album proper, thanks to a funky bassline that’s eerily reminiscent of Billy Squire’s Everybody Wants You. There was also a remix-only single for Even Better Than The Real Thing with re-arrangements by the Apollo 440 guys and Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto project. They’re all pretty much perfect, but a standout of the bunch is once again brought to us by Oakenfold, this time with his Sexy Dub Mix. Horrible name aside, it’s a drastic take on the original that removes Bono’s vocals completely and replaces them with a powerful performance by an unnamed house diva. It redefines the song completely, instantly transforming it into a stellar dance tune that would fit right in at any early-’90s warehouse rave.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xMkTjvqNHg
Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses is a great track, but as a single, it’s probably the weakest of the bunch. If you like covers of classic rock tunes you should enjoy it though, as it features two of the more unlikely remakes of U2’s career. Up first is the band’s take on Paint It Black, which is a fairly faithful version of the classic Stones tune. While Bono’s vocal delivery isn’t rough enough to convey the sense of dread and desperation of the original, it’s still fun to hear the band take on a song that’s so thematically different than anything they ever recorded before. They do far better with their cover of CCR’s Fortunate Son however, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering it’s a kind of powerful political protest song that the band was known for in their early days. The only weak track of the single is the Temple Bar Remix of the title track. Aside from being about a minute longer, it’s barely a remix at all, which is a shame considering how great the remixes on the other singles were. Still, it will be great to have this track, and all the other great cuts from the singles, when the deluxe editions of Achtung Baby drop on the first week of November
The Achtung Baby Uber Edition can be pre-ordered by clicking here.
The Super Deluxe Edition of Achtung Baby can be pre-ordered by clicking here.
The U2Achtung Baby UBER deluxe box set came out in late 2011.
It took deluxe editions to a whole new level with an amazing array of content. It came in an enormous “magnetic puzzle tiled box” which contained the 10 discs found in the standard SUPER deluxe box (6 CDs and 4 DVDs). Unlike that box the discs come in special bespoke digipacks in the UBER deluxe set. The box actually has drawers, it’s so big and also contained the 2LP 180g vinyl version of the album (the only other place it was issued was in a vinyl box – it wasn’t released separately) as well as the five singles all pressed on transparent vinyl, contained in special oversized wallets.
Admittedly, there was some silly stuff as well, enamel badges, ‘The Fly’ sunglasses, etc. but the numbered lithograph and copies of the U2 Propaganda magazine were quite good.
Admittedly, there was some silly stuff as well, enamel badges, ‘The Fly’ sunglasses, etc. but the numbered lithograph and copies of the U2 Propaganda magazine were quite good.
At the time this set retailed for £260 and it was deleted very quickly. They are still knocking about online if you dig deep. On Amazon UK you will need to part with £400 to get hold of one and they are €650 on the German site, but good old Amazon in Canada are offering them for $315 CA or about £185. Add £30 to that for shipping (to the UK at least) and for about £215 in total you can pick up a brand new 20th Anniversary Achtung Baby Uber deluxe edition. Obviously that’s a LOT of cash, but it is LESS than retail at the time and relatively speaking it’s a good deal. We took many, many pictures of this set when it was released, so check ’em out and see what you think. It really does have the ‘wow’ factor, although don’t even think about trying to find a shelf strong enough or big enough to put it on.
U2 Achtung Baby Tracks
- • CANADA Order: Achtung Baby (Uber Deluxe Box Set)