10 Perfect Albums That No One Saw Coming

There was no reason why a band like U2 should have had a life after the year 1991. For as organic as the Joshua Tree may have sounded in 1987, hearing bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam taking over the world made the concept of the bombastic rock star virtually obsolete overnight. Right around the time that Kurt Cobain was making his magnum opus though, U2 were hard at work building a new sound from scratch.

Delving into the world of electronic rock, Achtung Baby was the last thing that U2 fans were expecting at the time, with Bono trading in his heart-on-his-sleeve delivery for the stage persona of the Fly. This wasn't just fumbling around in the dark for new sounds though. By using these different textures, the band seemed to reverse their songwriting process, going from the protest songs of the '80s to becoming almost disaffected with the entire world, from Zoo Station's morbid outlook to the desperation in a song like Ultraviolet (Light My Way).

Even when you look at the more over the top tracks on here like The Fly, U2 were piling on the sense of irony, going far too over the top and giving us a look at the kind of dystopian view of what the life of a rock star could be like if you took it too far. From the sound of a song like One, even Bono doesn't seem to have everything in order. If anything, Achtung Baby should be a warning for every up and coming artist. You may reach the top, but that doesn't mean you get all the answers once you're up there.