U2: Spin Magazine Ranks Achtung Baby As Most Influential Release In 25 Years

From U2.com:

The editors of SPIN have ranked the most influential releases since the magazine’s 1985 beginnings – and Achtung Baby comes in at No.1.

‘U2’s most immediately dynamic music since 1982’s War, and its most emotionally frank songs to date, capturing that particular early-’90s rub of boundless possibility and worn-down despair…

‘One’ became an indelible anthem because it admitted ‘we’re not the same’ but urged that we’ve gotta ‘carry each other’ nonetheless. The squalling swagger of ‘The Fly’ resonated due to the rock star at its center confessing he’s a liar and a thief. And for ‘Mysterious Ways,’ the Edge somehow concocted a jubilantly snarling riff that transformed Bono’s gospel come-on…’

Here’s what Spin says.

In order, the rest of SPIN’s top five:

2. Sign ‘O The Times, Prince
3. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
4. Nevermind, Nirvana
5. OK Computer, Radiohead

HIM’s Take:  It doesn’t get better than Achtung Baby!  Here’s one of our favorites from 2001’s Elevation Tour…