Sunday 1 June 2008

1991 October - It's No Secret.....

The release of Achtung Baby was coming closer and I heard that DJ Simon Mayo was playing The Fly, a track from the new album on BBC Radio One at 9am on 9th of October. In those days this was how you first heard anything from a new album, it was always so exciting waiting for it to be played! But this was a workday and I was due in work at 9am, oh, dear me, I had a flat tyre and would be delayed......well, needs must!

I sat right in front of the radio to listen to the song and had the tape recorder on to tape it. When it came on I was stunned, what on earth was this? Totally unlike anything U2 had done before, frenetic, menacing, with a dark, edgy (excuse the pun) industrial sound. I was shocked but not horrified, this was U2 taking a big risk with a totally new sound and I admired them for doing that.

I listened to the song again and it was definitely growing on me. The lyrics were amazing and I especially loved,

Its no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest
Its no secret ambition bites the nails of success
Every artist is a cannibal every poet is a thief
All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief

The following week the video was shown on Top of the Pops and again it was so different from anything U2 had done before. Bono had turned into The Fly with shades so black you could not see his eyes, he had a haughty, throwaway manner with a hint of menace, yet he was also very sexy. I loved the video and it complemented the song perfectly. I realised then that Achtung Baby was going to be like nothing U2 had done before and that only whetted my appetite for its release all the more.

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