I "heart" No line on the horizon

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I love the album but man do those quotes make me wish we could hear the original recordings in full some time. I'd never caught the quote about NLOTH originating as an album of 'future hymns' with songs like Mag, MOS, UC, and WAS they were certainly on their way there (the original version of SUC sounds like it would have been as well). The whole idea and conception of the album is just an intoxicating fantasy, I want that album.
 
NLOTH
Magnificent
MOS
UC

is the best opening of any U2 album. And as a whole the album just flows beautifully. Except for SUC.

Top 3 U2 album!! (AB, NLOTH, UF)
 
I've only used a handful of emoticons ever. With that said, NLOTH has made me all of these
:rockon: :up: :beer: :combust: :dancing: :heart: :hyper: :ohmy: :applaud:
Proof that NLOTH has emoticon love from me

The biggest reason why I love this album- personally- it's rejuvenated me with it's joy and creativity. Just when I thought I couldn't like them more than I already do, they made this album and set off a whole set of events last March unlike anything else. And taught me that you never really know what's right around the corner...

Without their hard work and commitment, they wouldn't have given me one of the greatest nights- they showed the love and enthusiasm for their work and threw together that Promo Tour last Spring. My girlfriend and I won tickets to the Radio Show in Chicago at the Metro (Mar 10 09) and the two of us were interviewed on WGN TV Chicago as the band rolled in. Even the interviewer asked me Adam's name cus he didn't know who was who. Met up with old high school friend who also got in the show. Got to talk to the Edge, shook his hand! after the radio show, he and Adam signed the ticket to our first show/ first date together, even chatted it up shortly with Edge asked him about Mercy, he actually said they really like, just don't know what to do with it yet.

This album will forever remind me of that night and so many other moments that the songs attach themselves to.

That deserves one more :heart:
 
Oh man, Fez-BB came on my ipod today. It totally reminded me why I love this song so much. It just... clicks!
Awesome drumwork, great guitar, the bass right before the 'oohoooh's' is just perfect. Damn. Awesome song. Damn you U2 for not playing this baby live. I'm predicting BB will become the new Acrobat.
 
No Line On The Horizon (the song) is just about the greatest thing they've done in the last 17 years.

Or maybe Unknown Caller.
Or maybe Moment of Surrender...

Damnit, the album is so good.
 
Its definitely in my top 5: I am working on the order after JT and AB. My long time list had War and UF at 3 and 4 respectively. NLOTH definitely knocks out #5, Boy, but I just do not know where to put it. Do I rank it ahead of War? Depends on the day. UF? Tie.

Safe to say its better than Zooropa, Pop, Boy, October, R&H, ATYCLB and Bomb for me, which is pretty damn good. All I know is that, for me, U2 made a top 5 album last year at this stage in their career!

I had not listened to NLOTH in full for a while, but just did the other night.

Take a break from it, come back, and you will have even more appreciation for it than you do now!

Especially Magnificent!!! Turn the studio version of that up loud, close your eyes, feel the bass and drums, feel the room shake and just listen. What a crime that this song did not make a break through. If we did not have MOS, this would be the best U2 song in a very, very long time!

It is just incredible, beginning to end. We talk alot about the "middle 3" but none of them can be accused of being bad or uninteresting songs. Also, UC>Crazy works well, as does SUC>F-BB, so there is really no flow problem. Boots is only guilty of being a bad choice of a 1st single.

The way I see it, Crazy, Boots and SUC are all alot more interesting than Grace or New York or Miracle Drug or All Because of You.

All songs I like, mind you.

ATYCLB and Bomb, albums I love, alot more than the majority here.

What I am getting at is if you listen to NLOTH front to back, especially after a long break, you appreciate so much more that this album REALLY IS head and shoulders above the last two!

The atmosphere, the sense of feeling, the mood that is created, everything U2 is so good at, is what we find in NLOTH and miss in ATYCLB and Bomb.

All that being said, I regret that as of yet, I can't associate NLOTH with a great time in my life. It sounds stupid, I know, but alot of us here have discussed how U2 has been a companion on their journey. All I know is I love the music. During the run up to the release last year, my Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he ultimately passed away in April. So I really associate the album with a difficult time in my life.

However, there was a girl who I was really close to, almost dated, etc in 2007/08 and not "pulling the trigger" was a major, major regret. We didn't interact much in fall 2008/Spring 2009 as she had a boyfriend, and when I graduated College, I never thought I'd hear from her again. Until I did! Just a week before the tour started.

So I at least have that to associate with the NLOTH time period. NLOTH and Magnificent have always made me think of this girl. She is overseas now working, but we are in touch and I always read little things into pictures she sends back, etc. For example, one particular one, she was on a bus and the seat design was a bunch of NLOTH equals signs!

I don't know, sorry to ramble, I read way too much into things!
 
See since I love all U2, I hate to ever rank things beyond the top few, because that would require hating on things I love, just my personal stance. But I'm pretty sure NLOTH is close to my top 3 at the moment. Yeah AB/JT are right there at the top, but I'm not one of those fans that always think the best is in the past. With the kinds of ideas they've toyed with over the past decade they've shown a lot of creative vitality, they just need to trust themselves and forget the marketplace. Mainstream people who accuse U2 of being simple don't have a clue just how unique they can be, and because of the self-doubt that's always been a part of U2 but now might as well be the de facto 5th member, they might not know until after they retire and a lot of this stuff starts to come out.

Oh how I wish for the SOA they hinted at, but I'll always dream of the NLOTH they almost had, the Bomb they could have had, and based on some of the 'outtakes', the ATYCLB they could have had. If only they'd trust themselves like they did in the 90s.
 
U2387 said:
Its definitely in my top 5: I am working on the order after JT and AB. My long time list had War and UF at 3 and 4 respectively. NLOTH definitely knocks out #5, Boy, but I just do not know where to put it. Do I rank it ahead of War? Depends on the day. UF? Tie.

Safe to say its better than Zooropa, Pop, Boy, October, R&H, ATYCLB and Bomb for me, which is pretty damn good. All I know is that, for me, U2 made a top 5 album last year at this stage in their career!

I had not listened to NLOTH in full for a while, but just did the other night.

Take a break from it, come back, and you will have even more appreciation for it than you do now!

Especially Magnificent!!! Turn the studio version of that up loud, close your eyes, feel the bass and drums, feel the room shake and just listen. What a crime that this song did not make a break through. If we did not have MOS, this would be the best U2 song in a very, very long time!

It is just incredible, beginning to end. We talk alot about the "middle 3" but none of them can be accused of being bad or uninteresting songs. Also, UC>Crazy works well, as does SUC>F-BB, so there is really no flow problem. Boots is only guilty of being a bad choice of a 1st single.

The way I see it, Crazy, Boots and SUC are all alot more interesting than Grace or New York or Miracle Drug or All Because of You.

All songs I like, mind you.

ATYCLB and Bomb, albums I love, alot more than the majority here.

What I am getting at is if you listen to NLOTH front to back, especially after a long break, you appreciate so much more that this album REALLY IS head and shoulders above the last two!

The atmosphere, the sense of feeling, the mood that is created, everything U2 is so good at, is what we find in NLOTH and miss in ATYCLB and Bomb.

All that being said, I regret that as of yet, I can't associate NLOTH with a great time in my life. It sounds stupid, I know, but alot of us here have discussed how U2 has been a companion on their journey. All I know is I love the music. During the run up to the release last year, my Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he ultimately passed away in April. So I really associate the album with a difficult time in my life.

However, there was a girl who I was really close to, almost dated, etc in 2007/08 and not "pulling the trigger" was a major, major regret. We didn't interact much in fall 2008/Spring 2009 as she had a boyfriend, and when I graduated College, I never thought I'd hear from her again. Until I did! Just a week before the tour started.

So I at least have that to associate with the NLOTH time period. NLOTH and Magnificent have always made me think of this girl. She is overseas now working, but we are in touch and I always read little things into pictures she sends back, etc. For example, one particular one, she was on a bus and the seat design was a bunch of NLOTH equals signs!

I don't know, sorry to ramble, I read way too much into things!
Click to expand...

good post. i've decided that i'm done ranking the albums. i really love them all, and a lot depends on what mood i'm in.
 
mikal said:
good post. i've decided that i'm done ranking the albums. i really love them all, and a lot depends on what mood i'm in.
Click to expand...

I agree. I still try, but I said in my first paragraph how hard that is. Especially with War and UF and NLOTH. Is it better than War? They are too damn different. Better than UF? Its close sonically but not lyrically or thematically, so they're too alike and too different at the same time.

Then we get to the whole " i have to rank all these albums I love so low."

Almost every band I can think of has one album that just is not that good, and its widely known. U2 does not have that at all, I think they are all great. This is why I always trusted NLOTH would be excellent, they have never made a bad album, why would they start now?

I think of most of the discussions here- be they about R&H, ATYCLB or Bomb or the rare other album, and the fact that they are so detailed and passionate obscures the most important thing: 99.99% of the discussion on these albums is "they are very good, but here is what I think U2 could have done to make them great."

The albums are all so good, and all in different ways. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and as powerhour pointed out, all have their "could have beens" etc.
 
mikal said:
good post. i've decided that i'm done ranking the albums. i really love them all, and a lot depends on what mood i'm in.
Click to expand...

I've been saying this for years now. It's impossible for me to rank albums or even songs, for that matter.

When it comes to specific songs, I have more like a top, middle and bottom tier, but even then, songs fluctuate wildly between them.
 
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