Achtung Baby (studio album)
by U2

Achtung Baby by U2
Year: 1991
Overall rank: 109th   
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 1,832 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1991 (5th)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1990s (21st)
Award Top 200 albums of all time (109th)

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U2 bestography

Achtung Baby is ranked 2nd best out of 36 albums by U2 on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by U2 is The Joshua Tree which is ranked number 52 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 18,335.

U2 album bestography « Higher ranked (52nd)
The Joshua Tree
This album (109th)
Achtung Baby
Lower ranked (323rd) »
War

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Feb
05
Thu
19:30
An Intimate Evening with David Foster & Katharine McPhee
Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre , Red Bank, United States. United States
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Jan
30
Fri
17:30
Nothing More w/ Catch Your Breath, Archers and Doobie
Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, Las Vegas, United States. United States
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Dec
13
Sat
19:00
Holiday Doo Wop
Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
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Achtung Baby track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
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1.
Average Rating: 81 (327 votes)Comments: View 8
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3.
Track pick (890 - 602 votes)
Average Rating: 89 (602 votes)Comments: View 13
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6.
Average Rating: 80 (311 votes)Comments: View 4
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7.
Average Rating: 84 (342 votes)Comments: View 2
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8.
Track pick (850 - 434 votes)
Average Rating: 85 (434 votes)Comments: View 2
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11.
Average Rating: 81 (298 votes)Comments: View 2
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12.
Average Rating: 81 (306 votes)Comments: View 4
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Achtung Baby rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 109th | 1990s rank: 21st | 1991 rank: 5th

Achtung Baby collection

Achtung Baby ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 1,832 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,832 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 !
3 days ago Siromynian   1,57679/100
 
40/100
 !
12/02/2025 17:14 Tuur   94767/100
 
85/100
 !
12/01/2025 00:06 Trooper44   8479/100
 
95/100
 !
11/30/2025 05:38 Kingturtle   6,48972/100
 
35/100
 !
11/28/2025 20:25 Musicbuff123   29469/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.4/100, a mean average of 78.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 18.7.

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Achtung Baby comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 145 comments |
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Rating:  
75/100
From 07/17/2025 02:47 | #310182
I find a lot of this overproduced and the music not coming together in such a cohesive way; yet despite that, I somewhat like most of it due to strong songs and playing. "Until the End of the World" is tremendous. I could see playing a few tracks of this for someone just for easy enjoyment. I wouldn't claim it's essential.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/17/2025 08:21 | #308549
Shortlisted for album of the year at the 1993 Grammys. the winner was Unplugged by Eric Clapton. This should have won it hands down
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/20/2024 08:07 | #304420
U2 alternates Rolling Stone music style, so it's supposed to be Native-Alternative Album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/27/2024 02:04 | #301493
Not a big U2 fan so I was highly surprised at how good this was. They got some deep groove and flow going on a lot of tracks. Dips off a bit at the tail end but definitely the best album to come from them.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
30/100
From 01/10/2024 16:05 | #301051
Sorry, I'm just not a fan of inspiration rock. Most of these songs are indistinguishable from one another.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 09/07/2023 19:17 | #299025
After a lacklustre response to rattle and him The band retreated and while they endured some initial difficulties, delivered an album of total reinvention and their critical zenith. A timeless masterpiece.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 07/10/2023 22:33 | #298050
This is probably their most enjoyable album for me, especially tracks like Until The End Of The World, So Cruel and Acrobat.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 04/10/2023 22:31 | #295929
This is a far more experimental record than anything else they have released but this does lead to weak moments. However, this experimental side of U2 makes for an extremely engaging listen with there being such depth and character to this album. Their layering is fantastic as well which gives us so much to explore on future revisits. Performance wise, it is probably up there with one of Bono's most consistent and diverse displays that demonstrates just how brilliant he is. This album made me respect Bono's vocal far more than I already did by him showing us such a large range that is packed full of emotion making songs like Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses and One sound so powerful. I think the production is incredibly strong as well with the sound being so clean and it flows brilliantly. Overall, a fantastic display of the talents of the group that might struggle quality wise in places but it also has some hidden gems that are amongst their best ever tracks.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/02/2022 01:09 | #291703
Quite good
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 08/31/2022 03:44 | #289138
Alright
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1991
1. Nevermind by Nirvana
2. Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
3. Ten by Pearl Jam
4. Spiderland by Slint
5. Achtung Baby by U2
6. The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
7. Laughing Stock by Talk Talk
8. Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. Metallica by Metallica
10. Screamadelica by Primal Scream
11. Blue Lines by Massive Attack
12. Out Of Time by R.E.M.
13. Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden
14. Dangerous by Michael Jackson
15. Trompe Le Monde by Pixies
16. Temple Of The Dog by Temple Of The Dog
17. Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses
18. Yerself Is Steam by Mercury Rev
19. Woodface by Crowded House
20. Innuendo by Queen
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