Steve Lillywhite says "NLOTH" was 'failure'

[Valoria]

Hello all,
I am relatively new to these forums, and I don't know if anyone has posted this already; it's an article that appeared in the Irish Times where Steve Lillywhite admits that "NLOTH" was a "failure" in terms of sales and blames it in part on the lack of a single that really grabbed people's attention. I think this is sad; I actually liked "NLOTH" overall, particularly the first 5 songs. "Moment of Surrender" in particular I still find very moving. I personally feel "NLOTH" is an introspective album and sometimes quieter work does not get the accolades or attention from the masses. It's too bad if the band feels its a failure, since they have dropped most of the "NLOTH" songs from the current tour:

://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1002/1224280191478.html

 

[Mountain Dew Ma]

Lillywhite admits that "NLOTH" was a "failure" in terms of sales

I haven't read the article yet, but if he said it was a failure in terms of sales then he's likely right. I don't think that speaks anything of the goodness of the CD, they just simply didn't hit their desired sale mark.

Just Space Moon it.

 

[cobl04]

yep. i was ready to vent when i read the thread title, but reading on you'd have to agree with him.

not really sure it helps the band when they come out in every interview and say "yeah, the album wasn't very good, it's a failure..." though.

 

[Saracene]

Funnily (or predictaby?) enough, the word "failure" does not actually appear anywhere in Lilywhite's direct quotes It looks like a writer's own choice.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

yep. i was ready to vent when i read the thread title, but reading on you'd have to agree with him.

not really sure it helps the band when they come out in every interview and say "yeah, the album wasn't very good, it's a failure..." though.

agreed. it annoyed me when they did this during pop too. other bands have done this too and it pisses me off more than it should. have some integrity in your work, it's not like you have to bash less-selling albums to "win back" the fans that didn't buy them.

 

[coolian2]

wow, i was going to rage big time if he'd meant artistically.

it didn't grab people's attention because they chose a shit lead single, mainly.

 

[marik]

i still dont understand how some people (including band members) think there is a better choice for first single on there? You really think things woulda been different if Magnificant was heard a few months earlier as 1st instead of 2nd??? or Crazy 1st instead of 3rd? or an edited verison of Moment? sure i like No Line (the song) but i dont think it woulda caught on any more than Boots

 

[nirniva]

FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
Oh, wait, he just means in terms of sales. Never mind, then.

Spoiler

Though it sucks if this results in another "safe" album and/or them ditching Songs of Ascent.

 

[cobl04]

i still dont understand how some people (including band members) think there is a better choice for first single on there? You really think things woulda been different if Magnificant was heard a few months earlier as 1st instead of 2nd??? or Crazy 1st instead of 3rd? or an edited verison of Moment? sure i like No Line (the song) but i dont think it woulda caught on any more than Boots

to be honest i agree with this. i like to think that any of the above would have performed better, but possibly not,.

 

[LemonMelon]

He's just jealous that Brian Eno got to ruin Unknown Caller instead of him.

 

[Canadiens1131]

I appreciate Lillywhite for his early work with the band.

Now will he please bugger off.

 

[U2girl]

We knew that before. They did not pick the right lead single, not that NLOTH had a strong candidate for the job.

Morocco used to be a big idea, until the band and Eno scrapped it.

 

[U2387]

Properly promoted, No Line would have made a great first single. Or better yet, NLOTH2 with the scat singing replaced by "time is irrelevant...." verse.

Properly promoted is key here. Lost in all of the talk about how U2 were everywhere promoting NLOTH in Feb/March is the fact that they didn't make one peep leading up to the 1/19/09 date that Boots hit the radio. Contrast that to BD and Vertigo.

Both NLOTH 1 and 2 are the right length for radio and are not far out there sounding like MOS or F-BB. Both also have a modern sound that is just different enough to catch people's attention. I remember I was with my room mate who thinks COBL and BD are U2's best songs once when NLOTH2 came up on the satellite radio. He was blown away by the fact that it was U2. With Muse, Kings of Leon etc dominating alternative radio, this would have been a good way for U2 to put their own unique spin on the mainstream so to speak.

Plus, what better promotion for the record then having the lead single repeat the name of the album over and over again?

I think No Line would have had the best chance of working, followed by Magnificent and then Breathe.

I am not much of a conspiracy theorist at all, but Magnificent was black listed by the radio, period end of story. Love it or hate it, this should have been a huge song- its normally what the radio laps right up from U2. The buildup, the pounding drums and bass, Edge's riff, Bono's soaring vocals, the slide solo. This song has everything people look for from U2. Some people wrongly claim U2 by numbers was the problem with Magnificent and why it flopped. Not true at all. Though I would like them to experiment a bit more as much as anyone, U2 by numbers always works on the radio.

 

[gweeps]

The album has some of the most exciting songs in a decade. Also, it contains Larry's best drumming since Achtung Baby, specifically on Magnificent and Breathe. And Moment of Surrender is a revelation. Also, White as Snow hints at a possible very interesting phase in U2's career: a sort of gospel country.

Lillywhite said there is no "big song"? Crazy Tonight is as good and exciting as City of Blinding Lights. I know he means in terms of single sales and chart positions though.

The only two weak points on the album are Boots and Stand Up. But even they have some neat parts.

Face it; albums don't sell anymore unless they're rap/hip-hop/country, etc. As long as U2 feels they have something to put out worth a damn they'll release albums regardless of how well they sell. Same goes for singles. The real money's in the touring after all. Well, it would be if U2 decided to not be so extravagant in their setups. Next tour should be just them on a stage, playing their songs. Enough spectacle.

 

[Galeongirl]

In terms of sales, maybe.. sure the singles didn't grab much attention but then again what single does these days? Cd sales and especially singles sales are dying. They don't even sell singles around here anymore, I'd have to go to amsterdam or have them ordered to get one.

Doesn't say anything about the Quality of NLOTH to me.

 

[Rob33]

This really gets to me. I don't understand how an album that finishes in the top 5 best selling albums of 2009, the year it was released, is considered a failure or flop...and I've said this countless times. Albums just don't sell like they used to....that doesn't make it a failure. Didn't NLOTH finish #2 or #3 worldwide? It's relative....it's not a failure!

 

[An Cat Gav]

I appreciate Lillywhite for his early work with the band.

Now will he please bugger off.

 

[DevilsShoes]

I am not much of a conspiracy theorist at all, but Magnificent was black listed by the radio, period end of story. Love it or hate it, this should have been a huge song- its normally what the radio laps right up from U2. The buildup, the pounding drums and bass, Edge's riff, Bono's soaring vocals, the slide solo. This song has everything people look for from U2. Some people wrongly claim U2 by numbers was the problem with Magnificent and why it flopped. Not true at all. Though I would like them to experiment a bit more as much as anyone, U2 by numbers always works on the radio.

I'm not sure U2 by numbers always works that well on radio TBH. Walk On and Original of the Species both failed to strike the right chord and whereas All I Want Is You hit the top spot in Australia, it wasn't a hugely popular single elsewhere. Something I never fully understood really as it's one of the best ballads of their career.

For me, Magnificent wasn't different enough, especially when you consider the fact that the public had been fed the likes of BD, COBL and Vertigo in recent years.

 

[nielsgov]

I appreciate Lillywhite for his early work with the band.

Now will he please bugger off.

I agree with this. He was great for early U2 but now he just seems to push them back in Bomb territory.

 

[wolbersu2]

I agree with this. He was great for early U2 but now he just seems to push them back in Bomb territory.

I think it was very good for U2 to discover new territories and I think It should've gone further than the result of NLOTH. This album is, for me of course, the best (u2)album of the decade.
Lillywhite wants them to be the new Bon Jovi or the Stones. In other words, don't innovate boys.
Then there are album sales, they are by far not the same as in the 80's and 90's. In these terms NLOTH is a classic album.
Lack of big singles? NO. Magnificent is huge. Should have been the first single, followed by Unknown caller and Moment of surrender.
Promotion could've been better, I mean other strategy.
So, Lillywhite is wrong. We (read I) don't want another HTDAAB. Let's bring out a less commercial but artful work like Songs of Ascent!!!

 

[Spoutnik]

Should Eno and Lanois take these Lillywhite remarks as a slap in the face?

 

[nirniva]

Properly promoted, No Line would have made a great first single. Or better yet, NLOTH2 with the scat singing replaced by "time is irrelevant...." verse.

Properly promoted is key here. Lost in all of the talk about how U2 were everywhere promoting NLOTH in Feb/March is the fact that they didn't make one peep leading up to the 1/19/09 date that Boots hit the radio. Contrast that to BD and Vertigo.

Both NLOTH 1 and 2 are the right length for radio and are not far out there sounding like MOS or F-BB. Both also have a modern sound that is just different enough to catch people's attention. I remember I was with my room mate who thinks COBL and BD are U2's best songs once when NLOTH2 came up on the satellite radio. He was blown away by the fact that it was U2. With Muse, Kings of Leon etc dominating alternative radio, this would have been a good way for U2 to put their own unique spin on the mainstream so to speak.

Plus, what better promotion for the record then having the lead single repeat the name of the album over and over again?

I think No Line would have had the best chance of working, followed by Magnificent and then Breathe.

I am not much of a conspiracy theorist at all, but Magnificent was black listed by the radio, period end of story. Love it or hate it, this should have been a huge song- its normally what the radio laps right up from U2. The buildup, the pounding drums and bass, Edge's riff, Bono's soaring vocals, the slide solo. This song has everything people look for from U2. Some people wrongly claim U2 by numbers was the problem with Magnificent and why it flopped. Not true at all. Though I would like them to experiment a bit more as much as anyone, U2 by numbers always works on the radio.

I agree with literally every word of this post. Bravo, sir.

 

[alanah]

This really gets to me. I don't understand how an album that finishes in the top 5 best selling albums of 2009, the year it was released, is considered a failure or flop...and I've said this countless times. Albums just don't sell like they used to....that doesn't make it a failure. Didn't NLOTH finish #2 or #3 worldwide? It's relative....it's not a failure!

 

[powerhour24]

One the sales front, for the most part he's wrong due to the climate, but with a better lead single and more proper promotion for subsequent singles instead of a 2 week media onslaught that just annoyed many people, NLOTH could have sold more, not Bomb or ATYCLB numbers because nothing does anymore, but more than it did.

BUT!

He said: "It's a pity because the whole idea of Morocco as a big idea was great. When the big idea for U2 is good, that is when they succeed the most, but I don't think the spirit of what they set out to achieve was translated. Something happened that meant it did not come across on the record."

In this he is totally right, whatever we think of the finished product we all know the original intent got neutered, this doesn't sound like he's suggest he wants them to streamline and sound generic, it sounds like his advice is that they follow after their artistic intentions in full and let the public follow, which is what worked for JT and AB and their early stuff, and to a lesser degree Zooropa, but then again they neutered ideas for ATYCLB and Bomb and those were still successes .

Either way, should this advice reach their ears, and I sincerely hope it does, I wouldn't say it encourages HTDAAB part 2.

 

[purpleoscar]

This really gets to me. I don't understand how an album that finishes in the top 5 best selling albums of 2009, the year it was released, is considered a failure or flop...and I've said this countless times. Albums just don't sell like they used to....that doesn't make it a failure. Didn't NLOTH finish #2 or #3 worldwide? It's relative....it's not a failure!

Totally agree. U2 would have to find a way for people to not download the album and nobody has found a way to do that. The industry has to change and the only solution that businesses have found is to saturate the market with touring which has the danger of over-exposure.

In the end it's all about creating a world that people want to explore and it's not easy to accomplish that. NLOTH will be a great U2 album that is underestimated but with time it will be looked upon as being amazing.

 

[U2girl]

Properly promoted, No Line would have made a great first single. Or better yet, NLOTH2 with the scat singing replaced by "time is irrelevant...." verse.

Properly promoted is key here. Lost in all of the talk about how U2 were everywhere promoting NLOTH in Feb/March is the fact that they didn't make one peep leading up to the 1/19/09 date that Boots hit the radio. Contrast that to BD and Vertigo.

Both NLOTH 1 and 2 are the right length for radio and are not far out there sounding like MOS or F-BB. Both also have a modern sound that is just different enough to catch people's attention. I remember I was with my room mate who thinks COBL and BD are U2's best songs once when NLOTH2 came up on the satellite radio. He was blown away by the fact that it was U2. With Muse, Kings of Leon etc dominating alternative radio, this would have been a good way for U2 to put their own unique spin on the mainstream so to speak.

Plus, what better promotion for the record then having the lead single repeat the name of the album over and over again?

I think No Line would have had the best chance of working, followed by Magnificent and then Breathe.

I am not much of a conspiracy theorist at all, but Magnificent was black listed by the radio, period end of story. Love it or hate it, this should have been a huge song- its normally what the radio laps right up from U2. The buildup, the pounding drums and bass, Edge's riff, Bono's soaring vocals, the slide solo. This song has everything people look for from U2. Some people wrongly claim U2 by numbers was the problem with Magnificent and why it flopped. Not true at all. Though I would like them to experiment a bit more as much as anyone, U2 by numbers always works on the radio.

NLOTH 2 with (or without) a verse of Bongolese and the vocals barely keeping up with the music ? Pass.

NLOTH would be interesting and would be my choice to lead too, though still not sure if it would grab people's attention. Perhaps a little out there would be the way to go - no single and just throw the entire album to radio stations. I wish Breathe had been a single, but I doubt it would surpass Crazy and Magnificent on the charts. And while MOS may have or may have not cracked into the mainstream, on the charts and radio it would have failed.

As for promotion ... full week of Letterman (and several other TV shows), using BBC, Blackberry ad, Youtube live transmission...if anything NLOTH could have used a little less in-your-face approach.

I don't know about blacklisting, but personally I'm amazed Magnificent didn't perform better. It's the kind of song U2 of 2000 and 2004 would die for - vintage U2 transformed into the present.

 

[U2girl]

Should Eno and Lanois take these Lillywhite remarks as a slap in the face?

No. Eno has said they eventually decided to scrap the intial "world music" Morocco sounds because they (band and producers) weren't sold on them.

 

[ramblin rose]

Well, Steve feels like he was misquoted. From his twitter:

3 hours sleep, at Newark on way to Dublin via London.. Horribly misquoted in Irish Times . expect it from tabloids...but not serious paper.

 

[powerhour24]

In the internet age the sting of a misquote or allegation can never be retracted, everything gets disseminated far too widely far too quickly to fix.

 

[U2girl]

He was misquoted.

The sales were not what they expected because they did not have the one song that ignited peoples imaginations.

“It’s a pity because the whole idea of Morocco as a big idea was great. When the big idea for U2 is good, that is when they succeed the most, but I don’t think the spirit of what they set out to achieve was translated. Something happened that meant it did not come across on the record.”

That does not equal the album being a failure.