Every artist is a cannibal

#4 - Achtung Baby (U2) 1991

From the minute we announced we were ushering in the top 25, I knew this gem would be somewhere near the top. This is, without question, U2 at their pinnacle, their best album ever. All of you have heard this album, but when is the last time you really listened to it? Let's just list the songs you already know you like:
- Even Better Than The Real Thing
- One
-Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
- Mysterious Ways
- Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World

Those are five fantastic tracks, but anyone who has really listened to this disc knows that this happens to be a glorious concept album, held together by the ebb and flow of emotion wound up in both Bono's lyrics and the band's experimental, psychodelic sound. To me, The Fly might be the most brilliant song on the album, serving as the fulcrum for everything that follows.
One thing I noticed this week while getting into this album again in anticipation of posting it was the thick layer of metaphor that Bono uses throughout the album. I thought about counting all the metaphors but quickly realized there were just too many. It's almost like a code language. I can't break it, yet, but I can tell you this album is mixed with imagery that seems to evoke a variety of moods. The album cover represents that truth perfectly...