The Past Presents revisits revered albums from the past 20-25 years to ask the question, “Is this album still a classic, or has it lost its edge over the years?”. Was it a great record for that particular time and place, or is it something we’ll be passing on to our kids? It also looks at the “lost classics” – countless albums that should have earned more attention but for one reason or another fell through the cracks.
The comparison of music, particularly specific albums or songs, to mile markers on the highway of life is an apt one. It’s exceedingly easy to trace your life’s path just by looking at your record collection. It’s all there: the highs and lows, memorable moments, moments of high accomplishment, and periods of boredom and depression, preserved for all time by the music that scored those moments. In my own experience, U2 found a place on many of life’s mile markers; but, since its release, Achtung Baby has been more like another passenger in the car than just another mile marker. U2 first cropped up for me in 1983. I remember hearing “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day” on the radio seemingly every time I got in the car. Soon “Pride” was also a fixture on every car ride. It went on and on. U2 were always there, lurking around the edges, always slightly out of synch with me. I liked the band, but it was mostly the singles that stuck with me. I was, without a doubt, a greatest hits fan when it came to U2.
Everything changed in the fall of 1991. At this time I was starting my senior year of high school. My friends and I had been obsessed with music since middle school and we showed no signs of stopping. That summer of 1991 we’d logged many hours at the local record store and spent many more hours pouring over video tape of recent episodes of 120 Minutes (for those too young to remember, this was an MTV show that played videos from alternative/indie/punk bands). I remember being slack-jawed the first time we saw the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” When that video ended I knew this band from Seattle had just changed something for me. What I didn’t know was that I would have that feeling again just a few weeks later when U2 released the video for “The Fly,”the first single from their new record, Achtung Baby.
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