Editing U2 (section)

=== ''Achtung Baby'', Zoo TV, and ''Zooropa'' (1990–1993) ===
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 | quote  = Buzzwords on this record were ''trashy, throwaway, dark, sexy,'' and ''industrial'' (all good) and ''earnest, polite, sweet, righteous, rockist'' and ''linear'' (all bad). It was good if a song took you on a journey or made you think your hifi was broken, bad if it reminded you of recording studios or U2&nbsp;...
 | source =&nbsp;—[[Brian Eno]], on the recording of ''[[Achtung Baby]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bringing Up Baby|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Brian|last=Eno|author-link=Brian Eno|date=28 November 1991|issue=618}}</ref>
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Stung by the criticism of ''Rattle and Hum'', the band sought to transform themselves musically.<ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 4–6</ref> Seeking inspiration from [[German reunification]], they began work on their seventh studio album, ''[[Achtung Baby]]'', at Berlin's [[Hansa Studios]] in October 1990 with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 7</ref> The sessions were fraught, as the band argued over their musical direction and the quality of their material. Clayton and Mullen preferred a sound similar to U2's previous work; Bono and the Edge were inspired by European [[industrial music]] and [[electronic dance music]] and advocated a change. Weeks of tension and slow progress nearly prompted the group to break up until they made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "[[One (U2 song)|One]]".<ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 6–11</ref> They returned to Dublin in 1991, where morale improved and the majority of the album was completed.

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 | title = "The Fly" (1991)
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 | description = "[[The Fly (U2 song)|The Fly]]" features hip-hop beats, distorted vocals, and a hard industrial edge that differed from U2's typical sound.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 30; Graham (2004), p. 49; Stokes (1996), p. 102</ref> | format = [[Ogg]]
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''Achtung Baby'' was released in November 1991. The album represented a calculated change in musical and thematic style, their most dramatic since ''The Unforgettable Fire''.<ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 4–6; Graham (2004), p. 43</ref> Sonically, the record incorporated influences from [[alternative rock]], dance, and industrial music, and Bono referred to it as "four men chopping down the Joshua Tree".<ref name="ach-stations">{{cite magazine|title=Achtung Stations|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Stephen|last=Dalton|date=November 2004|issue=90|page=52}}</ref> Thematically, it was a more introspective and personal record; it was darker, yet more flippant than the band's previous work. Commercially and critically, it has been one of the band's most successful albums. It produced five hit singles, including "[[The Fly (U2 song)|The Fly]]", "[[Mysterious Ways (song)|Mysterious Ways]]", and "One", and was a crucial part of the band's early 1990s reinvention.<ref>Graham (2004), p. 44</ref> In 1993, ''Achtung Baby'' won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cheers for Clapton: Guitar Great Picks Up Six Awards at Grammys|newspaper=[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]|first=Barbara|last=Jaeger|date=25 February 1993|page=C09}}</ref> Like ''The Joshua Tree'', many publications have cited the record as one of rock's greatest.<ref name="500Greatest"/>

[[File:Bono as The Fly Cleveland 1992.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Bono in March 1992 on the [[Zoo TV Tour]] portraying his [[persona]] "The Fly", a leather-clad egomaniac meant to parody rock stardom|alt=Bono with black hair, black sunglasses, and a black leather attire speaking into a microphone.]]
Like ''Achtung Baby'', the 1992–1993 [[Zoo TV Tour]] was a break with the band's past. In contrast to the austere stage setups of previous U2 tours, Zoo TV was an elaborate multimedia event. It satirised the pervasive nature of television and its blurring of news, entertainment, and home shopping by attempting to instill "sensory overload" in its audience.<ref name="ach-stations" /><ref name="closer-to-edge">{{cite magazine|url=http://hotpress.com/archive/2627068.html|title=Closer to the Edge|first=Olaf|last=Tyaransen|author-link=Olaf Tyaransen|magazine=Hot Press|date=4 December 2002|access-date=26 April 2011|archive-date=18 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818015505/http://hotpress.com/archive/2627068.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 139–141; Flanagan (1995), pp. 12, 13, 58–61; Stokes (1996), pp. 110–111</ref> The stage featured large video screens that showed visual effects, random video clips from [[pop culture]], and flashing text phrases, along with a lighting system partially made of [[Trabant]] cars.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 143</ref> U2 were known for their earnest performances in the 1980s, but the Zoo TV performances were intentionally ironic and self-deprecating.<ref name="ach-stations" /> Bono performed as several over-the-top characters, including the leather-clad egomaniac "The Fly",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-behind-the-fly-the-rolling-stone-interview-88039/|title=Behind the Fly|first=Alan|last=Light|author-link=Alan Light|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=4 March 1993|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=651|pages=42+|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204630/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-behind-the-fly-the-rolling-stone-interview-88039/|url-status=live}}</ref> the greedy [[Televangelism|televangelist]] "Mirror Ball Man", and the devilish "MacPhisto".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|first=Adrian|last=Deevoy|date=September 1993}}</ref> Prank phone calls were made to US President [[George H. W. Bush]], the [[United Nations]], and others. Live satellite link-ups to [[Siege of Sarajevo|war-torn Sarajevo]] caused controversy.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 153, 166</ref> Zoo TV was the highest-grossing North American tour of 1992, earning {{USD|67&nbsp;million}}.<ref name="wapo010693">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/01/06/u2-dead-top-92-concert-sales/d6e12afc-cf16-4b62-96fa-76ef324fbb26/|title=U2, Dead Top '92 Concert Sales|first=Richard|last=Harrington|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=6 January 1993|page=C7|url-access=subscription|access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref>

[[File:U2 performing in Lisbon on Zoo TV Tour on May 15 1993 (3).jpg|alt=An elaborate concert stage set, set in a dark stadium. Three automobiles hang above two projector screens, aiming their headlights towards the stage.|thumb|left|The Zoo TV Tour ''(pictured in May 1993)'' was a multimedia spectacle, featuring a stage that used dozens of video screens and a lighting system with Trabant cars.]]
In June 1993, U2 signed a six-album deal to remain with Island Records/[[PolyGram]].<ref>Flanagan (1996), pp. 232–233, 239</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' estimated that the deal was worth {{USD|60&nbsp;million}} to the band,<ref name="latimesdeal">{{Cite news|title=U2 Record Deal Rocks Industry|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Chuck|last=Philips|date=4 June 1993|page=F1}}</ref> making them the highest-paid rock group ever.<ref name="mcg161">McGee (2008), pp. 161–162</ref> The following month, the group released a new album, ''[[Zooropa]]''. Quickly recorded during a break in the Zoo TV Tour in early 1993, it expanded on many of the themes from ''Achtung Baby'' and the tour. Initially intended to be an [[Extended play|EP]], ''Zooropa'' evolved into a full-length [[LP album]]. It delved further into [[electronic music|electronic]], industrial, and dance music.<ref>Graham (2004), p. 51</ref> [[Country music|Country]] musician [[Johnny Cash]] sang the lead vocals on the closing track "[[The Wanderer (U2 song)|The Wanderer]]". Most of the songs were played at least once during the 1993 legs of the tour, which visited Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; half the album's tracks became long-term fixtures in the setlist.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 166–172</ref> ''Zooropa'' reached the top ten in 26 countries,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ivors Spotlight Take That's Barlow|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Dominic|last=Pride|date=11 June 1994|volume=106|issue=24|page=38}}</ref> sold 7&nbsp;million copies,<ref>Bordowitz (2003), p. 289</ref> and won the 1994 [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album]], but the band regard it with mixed feelings; the Edge called it "an interlude".<ref name="u2byu2-248">McCormick (2006), pp. 248–249</ref>

Clayton's issues with alcohol came to a head on the final leg of the Zoo TV Tour. After experiencing a [[Blackout (drug-related amnesia)|blackout]], Clayton was unable to perform for the group's 26 November 1993 show in Sydney,<ref name="u2byu2-255">McCormick (2006), pp. 255–256</ref> which served as the dress rehearsal for a [[Zoo TV: Live from Sydney|worldwide television broadcast the following night]]. Bass guitar technician Stuart Morgan filled in for him, the first time a member of U2 had missed a concert since their earliest days.<ref name="mcg169">McGee (2008), pp. 169–170</ref> After the incident, Clayton resolved to stop drinking alcohol.<ref name="u2byu2-255"/> The tour concluded the following month in Japan. It earned 5.3&nbsp;million in ticket sales<ref>Cogan (2008), p. 154</ref> and {{USD|151&nbsp;million}} in gross revenues.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tait-towers-amish-music-concerts-stage|title=Inside the Amish town that builds U2, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift's live shows|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|first=Stephen|last=Armstrong|date=5 January 2018|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=6 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506022049/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tait-towers-amish-music-concerts-stage|url-status=live}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/five-more-epic-80s-tours-that-deserve-the-wall-treatment-6756725|title=Five More Epic '80s Tours That Deserve ''The Wall'' Treatment|website=[[Houston Press]]|first=Nathan|last=Smith|date=12 September 2014|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=12 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812185112/https://www.houstonpress.com/music/five-more-epic-80s-tours-that-deserve-the-wall-treatment-6756725|url-status=dead}}}}</ref> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s Tom Doyle said in 2002 that Zoo TV was "the most spectacular rock tour staged by any band".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=10 Years of Turmoil Inside U2|first=Tom|last=Doyle|magazine=Q|date=November 2002|issue=196}}</ref>