U2's Achtung Baby: Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall

I have long felt that U2's `Achtung Baby' was their most explicitly Christian album but could never say exactly why. Thanks to Catanzarite and this exciting, intelligent and well-written book, I can now articulate what I have long felt. U2 is a group that has always explored the highs and lows of humanity. On "Achtung Baby," they dug deep into the lows in a way that was breathtaking and engaging. You don't have to agree with all of Catanzarite's interpretations to understand that he has paid the band and its work a glorious tribute - the most intelligent and best-written book in the 33-1/3 series. Catanzarite writes with a poet's flair and understanding and is clearly at home in both the sacred and the profane. Only those with a pronounced bias against the more Christian aspects of U2's work (which to anyone, except those angry anti-Christians, are very hard to ignore) can dismiss this truly extraordinary little book.

Stephen is a very passionate writer. I found myself highlighting quotes. I loved how he brought God to this book.

First off, I think Achtung Baby is one of the best albums ever recorded. And true to the title, this book was a tremendous and well written meditation on love told through the album. It really did Achtung Baby justice and made me think about it in a way I hadn't before. And yes, the book is obviously religious, but it doesn't overtly proselytize. Instead its payload is based on the core theme of Christianity, presented in an uncluttered fashion: it is a book on love and the sacrifices necessary to maintain it. The message is universal and it cuts straight to the heart. Many of the songs on Achtung Baby are about people failing to make these sacrifices. Catanzarite writes about why these failures occur in human relationships. It is a difficult narrative to thread through the album, but, in almost all cases, he really pulls it off. As the previous reviewer wrote, it is a book that transcends its subject. Even if I had never listened to the album, I still would have enjoyed Catanzarite's book and will likely pick it up again in the future.

Just lovely... compelling explorations of each track with the attendant subtleties and nuances of the joy and heartache of love as Stephen Catanzarite leads the reader through this lyrical meditation of "Achtung Baby." Gripping metaphorical character sketches and beautiful turns of phrases as well as poetic discourse on instrumentation make this wonderful little book a worthy companion to this landmark album.

As the author helpfully reminds readers in the very first sentence, this is not a book about U2. If you are only interested in the technical details of how "Achtung Baby" was recorded, perhaps you should go elsewhere. But if you are expecting the sort of "This-is-how-Achtung-Baby-changed-my-life" drivel that often passes for music journalism today, you should also think again. Stephen Catanzarite has done something almost miraculous: he has written a powerful and uplifting book of meditations about music and faith that shows he is incredibly knowledgeable about both subjects. (That's the miraculous part.) Much has been written about U2's spirituality, most of it centered around the band's early days and Bono's latter-day humanitarian efforts; you have probably read those books already. The subject of what Catanzarite argues is the band's most deceptively faith-based album -- and why it that is so -- has been left almost untouched, until now. Because of Catanzarite's approach, this volume seems destined to have a long life outside this series. To call it an inspirational book seems the most accurate description; it seems like the sort of thing you might want to have on your nighttable for reading during those dark nights of the soul. I was reminded of the work of the late, great Trappist monk Thomas Merton, a guy who would probably have loved this album (and this book). I was happy to see that the author makes no apologies for the way his Christianity informs his approach (also a novelty in the world of music writing), but this is not a "Christian" book, per se, nor a book about one man's faith. It is simply a book for everyone who grapples with the big issues; who loves clear, lucid (and often very funny) prose; and who cares about what we are all doing here on Earth, and how to make the best of it - as explained through the lens of one remarkable album, and one remarkable book.