Dublin sessions Achtung Baby

bono in 1992 persona fly , leather-clad egomaniac meant parody rock stardom. conceived character during band s 1991 recording sessions in dublin.

in february 1991, u2 moved album s recording sessions seaside manor elsinore in dublin suburb of dalkey, renting house ₤10,000 per month. band nicknamed house dog town tackiness of exterior dog kennels, , location credited such in album notes. lanois strategy record in houses, mansions, or castles believed brought atmosphere recordings. dublin audio services company big bear sound installed recording studio in house, recording room in converted garage diagonally beneath control room. video cameras , tv monitors used monitor , communicate between spaces. elsinore located within walking distance of bono s , edge s homes, sessions there more relaxed , productive. band struggled 1 particular song—later released b-side lady spinning head —but 3 separate tracks, fly , ultraviolet (light way) , zoo station , derived it. during writing of fly , bono created persona based on oversized pair of black sunglasses wore lighten mood in studio. character, named fly , evolved leather-clad egomaniac meant parody rock stardom. bono assumed alter ego band s subsequent public appearances , live performances on zoo tv tour.

in april, tapes earlier berlin sessions stolen after band reportedly left them in hotel room, , subsequently leaked before album finished. tapes demos bootlegged three-disc collection dubbed salome - [axtung beibi] outtakes , named song prominently featured in collection did not make album s final cut. release considered famous bootleg of u2 material. bono dismissed leaked demos gobbledygook , , edge likened situation being violated . leak shook u2 s confidence , soured collective mood few weeks.

staffing schedules led band having surplus of engineers @ 1 point, , result, split recording between elsinore , edge s home studio increase productivity. engineer robbie adams said approach raised morale , activity levels: there different listen to, exciting happening. record of band s material , test different arrangements, engineers utilised technique called fatting , allowed them achieve more 48 tracks of audio using 24-track analogue recording, dat machine, , synchroniser. focus on capturing band s material , encouraging best performances meant little attention paid combating audio spill. in issue 14 of u2 s fan magazine propaganda, lanois said believed of in-progress songs become worldwide hits, despite lyrics , vocal takes being unfinished.

during dublin sessions, eno sent tapes of previous 2 months work, called total disaster . joining u2 in studio, stripped away thought excessive overdubbing. group believes intervention saved album. eno theorised band close music, explaining, if know piece of music terribly , mix changes , bass guitar goes quiet, still hear bass. re accustomed being there compensate , remake in mind. eno assisted them through crisis point 1 month before recording deadline; recalled seemed mess , , insisted band take two-week holiday. break gave them clearer perspective , added decisiveness.

after work @ elsinore finished in july, sessions moved windmill lane studios eno, flood, lanois, , previous u2 producer steve lillywhite mixed tracks. each producer created own mixes of songs, , band either picked version preferred or requested aspects of each combined. additional recording , mixing continued @ frenetic pace until 21 september deadline, including last-minute changes fly , 1 , , mysterious ways . edge estimated half of sessions work done in last 3 weeks finalise songs. final night spent devising running order record. following day, edge travelled los angeles album s tapes mastering.