It’s long been expected that the next installment in U2’s ongoing reissue campaign would be the band’s landmark 1991 album Achtung Baby, and today we received some confirmation — via indie rocker/producer John Vanderslice, of all people — that it’s in the works.
This afternoon, Vanderslice tweeted that he was at a Los Angeles studio with engineer Bernie Grundman, mastering his new album with the Magik*Magik Orchestra, before announcing, “They’re remastering Achtung Baby in next room!!” (Shortly afterward, he added, “Any suggestions for witty opening salvos to drop on U2 crew when I barge in on Achtung Baby remastering session?” Charles Bissell, leader of indie act The Wrens, replied: “at some point say, ‘that sounds even better than the real thing.'”)
Of course, U2 has not formally announced an Achtung Baby reissue, so it’s not known whether the album is being remastered ahead of a fall/winter release, or if the band plans to wait until next year for a 20th anniversary tie-in. The previous U2 reissue — a deluxe 2CD/1DVD box set of The Unforgettable Fire — came out last October, although that set was formally announced just a little more than a month beforehand.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Video: U2 debuts new song ‘Every Breaking Wave,’ announces Australian dates
- Video: U2 debuts ‘Glastonbury,’ ‘North Star,’ ‘Return of the Stingray Guitar’
- Audio: Listen to U2’s ‘Soon,’ outtake from ‘No Line on the Horizon’ sessions
- U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’ tops Spin magazine’s list of the 125 best albums of last 25 years
- Vintage Video: U2 rings out the 1980s with New Year’s gig at Dublin’s Point Depot
easily one of the greatest albums of all time – from any artist and from any genre. simply brilliant piece of work at a time when nearly everyone expected U2 to fail in this complete makeover of their sound and image. rarely does a band/artist succeed with such a radical reinvention of what made them great in the first place.
But they did. They turned themselves inside out! can’t wait to hear the remaster!!!
If there isn’t a high resolution SKU, like a Blu-ray version, I’m not interested.
You sound very hard to please, Steve. I’d say you’re a real techno whore.
What happened to the Rattle and Hum reissue? They just decided to skip this masterpiece?
Seriously, I think there are some great moments on R&H – too bad.
R&H?
I agree – there should be some kind of anthology reissue for R&H, perhaps they are waiting for the 25th Anniv. in 2013 (Unforgettable Fire’s came out for it’s 25th, Joshua Tree’s for it’s 20th… etc). Then again, they have to sift through who owns the movie, the soundtracks, the outtakes, the bootlegs….
I would like to see Achtung Baby and Zooropa remastered then released at the same time. R&H also could be surprising as well, considering all the work they did around the time, all the outtake footage, not to mention the possibility of R&H film commentary by the band. I mainly want to hear all the songs mentioned in the Bill Flanagan book U2 At The End Of The World, such as Jesus Drove Me, The Wanderer w/Bono taking the lead vocal, In Cold Blood, And the early versions of If God Will Send His Angels and others that ended up on Pop. The bonus footage from the Zoo era should be a trip too!
If they do re-release Achtung Baby, I hope they include the out-of-print long-form video “Achtung Baby: The Videos, the Cameos and a Whole Lot of Interference from Zoo TV.” Given the treatment of the other studio album re-issues, it’s a given that the re-issue will include all the B-sides and remixes on a second CD.
In the matter of “Rattle of Hum,” they should re-release it as thus:
1. Original soundtrack album CD
2. CD of B-sides, rarities and remixes
3. Original film DVD with bonus tracks of promotional videos and theatrical trailer
4. Point Depot concert DVD
Rattle and Hum remaster? Didn’t they already do that because I think I’ve got that CD. Anyway talking about the Zooropa and Achtung Baby remaster is a SACD, XRCD2, DVD-Audio or HDCD too much to ask for??? I would like something to actually look forward to.
2011 and still no high resolution disc (sacd) or download, without (overuse of) dynamic range compression? And this for one of the major bands in the world. I just can’t believe it.
Why buy another redbook cd version? Are the record companies executives still living in the stone age?
I heard a rumour that they didnt write this album in the first place. I heard that rumour in 1989.