Amazon.com reviews...

[ultraviolet353]

UC and MOS are the best songs lyrically. and are good tracks

What I do not get about this album (and again purely opinion) is that it is (both by the band and ardent lovers of the album) viewed as "experimental."--Bono is really pitching this hard.

I just do not see that at all (IMO). IMO, it is their laziest, most conventional record dressed up with obtrusive production (and again, I love Eno/Lanois). There are new textures, bleeps, and bloops, but the melodies to me seem quite basic to me (and almost re-hashed). It's almost as if the case is made that the absence of killer melodies and crescendo means it is experimental--whereas, I feel the songs are just not strong enough.

The two most interesting tracks to me, sonically speaking, are NLOTH and BB. The Fez part of BB is a great example of the overproduction of nothing (and the LMITS reprise seems to beckon us to swim in this new dense orgy of experimentation that is just not there)--and Fez while being a great riff is simply just that. SUC sucks. Crazy is a Britney Spears song. UC is the 'Walk On' Riff. MOS is atmospheric and emotional but goes nowhere--Still a very good song but no new ground here (seems like an earnest So Cruel to me).

I find the album not even close to experimental. And that is my main problem with it--along with the virtual ABSENCE of crescendo on the record (which I miss most on MOS).

 

[Zoots]

could it be that U2 fans - and this might be a stretch here - have better things to do with our lives than write sad reviews on Amazon.com?

 

[KUEFC09U2]

But at the end of the day POP wasnt all that innovative or experimental either,people claim it was, but it just wasnt, various bands had already been playing around with that type of sound, and some claim U2 where just trying to follow the whole brit pop thing that was going on, at the end of the day music is music, it does not have to be experimental all the time, and if you feel it does then maybe just maybe U2 are not the band for you, try someone like animal collective or whatever,

As for songs on NLOTH not "soaring", i find that songs like magnificent, NLOTH, Fez-BB, Unknown Caller, and even crazy tonight all soar for me, and in my mind and my opinion can be pretty epic (apart from crazy, as i do class that as a "single")

 

[ozeeko]

the problem (as i see it) with NLOTH is that U2 is trying to please every fan of every era of U2, and what you get is an overly compromised record that lacks an identity, hence people's confusion over it. While BOMB is my least favorite U2 album cuz i think the songs are atrocious...at least it had an identity! A safe, mainstreamy and bland identity, but at least it had one. AB certainly had its own identity. THey weren't catering to JT fans on AB, and what happened? They lost some of their old school fans, but in their eyes it was "who needs 'em." That's the right attitude to have when you're trying something new, when you're evolving. Otherwise it's regression. On NLOTH, they set out originally to try new things, mix in some exotic Morroccan flavors...funny how i don't really hear any of that on the album. What i do hear instead is a lot of Eno keyboards (which i do love nevertheless), but still, nothing new instrument wise, arrangement wise. The only really new things i hear are the alice in chainsy harmonies in GOYB, the strange chords in the verses of the title track, and the folk turn in WAS (my fave song here)

So take that into consideration that they didn't go all the way with the nu shiznit...what really ruined the record for me was the last desperate decision to call in Lillywhite to produce more of the same, more stadium anthems with very general broad lyrics that can be used as background music to suit any enviromental, political, humanitarian cause out there. That's what kills it for me.

So I don't think this album is abysmal, there are some awesome tracks (title track, Magnificent, MOS, UC, F-BB, WAS, COL). I just wish they had dove completely into the Morroccan thing and forgotten Lillywhite's number.

 

[Zoots]

the problem (as i see it) with NLOTH is that U2 is trying to please every fan of every era of U2, and what you get is an overly compromised record that lacks an identity, hence people's confusion over it. While BOMB is my least favorite U2 album cuz i think the songs are atrocious...at least it had an identity! A safe, mainstreamy and bland identity, but at least it had one. AB certainly had its own identity. THey weren't catering to JT fans on AB, and what happened? They lost some of their old school fans, but in their eyes it was "who needs 'em." That's the right attitude to have when you're trying something new, when you're evolving. Otherwise it's regression. On NLOTH, they set out originally to try new things, mix in some exotic Morroccan flavors...funny how i don't really hear any of that on the album. What i do hear instead is a lot of Eno keyboards (which i do love nevertheless), but still, nothing new instrument wise, arrangement wise. The only really new things i hear are the alice in chainsy harmonies in GOYB, the strange chords in the verses of the title track, and the folk turn in WAS (my fave song here)

So take that into consideration that they didn't go all the way with the nu shiznit...what really ruined to record for me was the last desperate decision to call in Lillywhite to produce more of the same, more stadium anthems with very general broad lyrics that can be used as background music to suit any enviromental, political, humanitarian cause out there. That's what kills it for me.

So I don't think is album is abysmal, there are some awesome tracks (title track, Magnificent, MOS, UC, F-BB, WAS, COL). I just wish they would've dove completely into the Morroccan thing and forgotten Lillywhite's number.

Great post! I agree with most of it, although I like NLOTH overall more than you do. I even enjoy the Crazy Tonights and Stand Up Comedys but I see what you're saying about the potential, had they stuck to the Moroccan thing completely kinda like Achtung Baby when they immersed themselves in that mood, place and time.

 

[ultraviolet353]

Great post! I agree with most of it, although I like NLOTH overall more than you do. I even enjoy the Crazy Tonights and Stand Up Comedys but I see what you're saying about the potential, had they stuck to the Moroccan thing completely kinda like Achtung Baby when they immersed themselves in that mood, place and time.

agree with your awesome tracks on the record--but IMO, none of them are in the Pantheon of the greatest U2 songs--the 1st record I can say that about when speaking of U2. I would have loved to see them build a record around BB, NLOTH and MOS--and even COL to an extent. When I first heard the song NLOTH, I really thought the album would be stunning--

 

[digitize]

NLOTH is my second favorite U2 album, right after AB.

 

[thelaj]

NLOTH comes in at #4 for me, after Achtung Baby and Pop/Joshua (they rotate).

Amazon reviews of something as subjective as music seem pointless to me. Almost by definition the most bland music will win a self-selecting popularity contest.

 

[Rosebud]

It's hard for me to rate U2's albums, but I think NLOTH is definitely one of their best, and one of my favorites -- both song for song, and as a cohesive album (rare).

However, the top 40 kind of tunes these days are deplorable, so what can you expect?

Good news is, U2 fans seem to love it, and they are in astronomical demand live...and are not appearing to disappoint, by any account.

Don't get me wrong. I do wish that NLOTH was doing better in the charts... and the...umm.. Amazon reviews ( ), if only because it would give me hope about the future of Western society.

But hey, you can't win 'em all.

 

[dan_smee]

when people actually listen to lady gaga and heidi montag, what can you expect on amazon.com?

enjoy it for yourselves

 

[angel_28]

I love it
If other people don't, that's fine it is up to them.

 

[Moser]

And even so, who really cares what other people think. If you like it yourself, what does it matter?

OMG its PoP II! oh wait a minute...i liked PoP...a lot!!

I never read reviews, I just figure out for myself if I like it or not. Pretty much anything by U2 I know will be good.

Who gives a damn?

Great point...I happen to think NLOTH is as misunderstood as POP is...but we'll agree to disagree

enjoy it for yourselves

I love it
If other people don't, that's fine it is up to them.

for the Pop lovers.

 

[buzzkill27]

It's hard for me to rate U2's albums, but I think NLOTH is definitely one of their best, and one of my favorites -- both song for song, and as a cohesive album (rare).

However, the top 40 kind of tunes these days are deplorable, so what can you expect?

Good news is, U2 fans seem to love it, and they are in astronomical demand live...and are not appearing to disappoint, by any account.

Don't get me wrong. I do wish that NLOTH was doing better in the charts... and the...umm.. Amazon reviews ( ), if only because it would give me hope about the future of Western society.

But hey, you can't win 'em all.

As I said before in an earlier post most of those negative Amazon "reviews" were a bunch of spammers who created accounts for the sole purpose of bashing the band,others claimed they used to be "big" fans of U2 until this album....blah blah blah but among all their record reviews they had not "reviewed" a single U2 album before NLOTH....hmmm interesting.

Then there were some legit actual negative reviews where the person specifically pointed out what he/she didn't like about the album...and you respect them for their opinion....but there were only a few of these people most negative reviews were of the spam variety

 

[last unicorn]

I know a lot of people who are "confused" by NLOTH because they think it doesn't sound like U2. Most music fans only know U2's anthemic rock songs. I met people who were at the 360 show and said the new songs weren't great and they are glad U2 played their old and classic material because that's what U2 are supposed to sound like. It's hard for them to get into U2's more experimental and atmospheric stuff because they expect the band to produce more mainstream rock material. Personally, I don't care, NLOTH is among my personal top 3 U2 albums.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

NLOTH would rank 4th in my book. Pop in 3rd, AB 1st.

Those sick little bastards can listen to their beloved catalogue of Nickelback songs for all I care.

 

[Irishteen]

But at the end of the day POP wasnt all that innovative or experimental either,people claim it was, but it just wasnt,

If Pop was a success it would of been U2's sell-out moment, I mean a dance/electronica inspired album in 1997, yeah u2 way to stick it to the mainstream on that one. Pop was as much a step back from Zooropa/Passengers as ATYCLB was from Pop

the problem (as i see it) with NLOTH is that U2 is trying to please every fan of every era of U2, and what you get is an overly compromised record that lacks an identity, hence people's confusion over it.

Funny enough that's what i think Bomb is, it's like they tried to write a song that would of fit on one of their prior albums. Complete mess

 

[Moser]

Those sick little bastards can listen to their beloved catalogue of Nickelback songs for all I care.

You said it. Throw in Lousy Gaga in too.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Lousy gaga

 

[Vlad n U 2]

You said it. Throw in Lousy Gaga in too.

Heck! Throw in everything that makes Top 40 'music' what it is. I'm curious to see the reception that Miley Cyrus gets on Amazon.com ...

 

[Irishteen]

Heck! Throw in everything that makes Top 40 'music' what it is. I'm curious to see the reception that Miley Cyrus gets on Amazon.com ...

Miley Cyrus >>>>>>>>>>> Jonas Brothers

I hate that I know that but Jonas Brothers are the worst thing in music now and worse they wrote a tribute song to U2 (Kings of Leon and Muse)

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Miley Cyrus >>>>>>>>>>> Jonas Brothers

I hate that I know that but Jonas Brothers are the worst thing in music now and worse they wrote a tribute song to U2 (Kings of Leon and Muse)

THEY DID!?!? Okay brothers and sisters, lets get 'em and burn them like witches!

(Alcohol may have been present in the making of this post)

 

[Irishteen]

THEY DID!?!? Okay brothers and sisters, lets get 'em and burn them like witches!

(Alcohol may have been present in the making of this post)

I was on a trip across the country with my family and girlfriend, we all got to pick music. My sister chose Jonas Brothers new album (TWICE). It featured deep lyrics like
"everyone's allergic to poison ivy
everybody gets the itch
everybody hates that"


But when reading through the lyrics book it had a blurb for each song and I think it was the last song on the album they said was a tribute to their favourite bands U2, Muse and Kings of Leon. The song is incredibly bland, which means it might be the best song on their album

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I was on a trip across the country with my family and girlfriend, we all got to pick music. My sister chose Jonas Brothers new album (TWICE). It featured deep lyrics like
"everyone's allergic to poison ivy
everybody gets the itch
everybody hates that"


But when reading through the lyrics book it had a blurb for each song and I think it was the last song on the album they said was a tribute to their favourite bands U2, Muse and Kings of Leon. The song is incredibly bland, which means it might be the best song on their album

Ha!

One thing I simply cannot understand is that when some bands list U2 as one of their main influences (Jonas Bros. for one) they seem to release amazingly bland and cringeworthy and cliched music. Either they don't know the real U2 or they are just mentioning them to look somewhat credible?

I demand an answer to this!

 

[Irishteen]

Ha!

One thing I simply cannot understand is that when some bands list U2 as one of their main influences (Jonas Bros. for one) they seem to release amazingly bland and cringeworthy and cliched music. Either they don't know the real U2 or they are just mentioning them to look somewhat credible?

I demand an answer to this!

I demand an answer to how U2 + Muse + kings of Leon = Jonas Brothers. I guess Kings of Leon is enough to turn U2 + Muse bland

"Next time I see you I'm giving you a high-five because hugs are overrated just F Y I"

Actually I think they're lyrically inspired by Bono

 

[AtomicBono]

I don't know anyone personally who loves the album, including myself (most of my friends are HUGE U2 fans).

The only place it is lauded seems to be here. I like the record OK, but IMO, it is the first U2 album that is not a "great record." It doesn't surprise me at all that it is not connecting outside of this forum.

Most people I know who have heard it like it or love it, and they're just casual U2 fans. I've convinced 3 people, 2 of whom have never seen U2 before, to camp out with me in the GA line in Chicago for 360 Tour. I do know one person who doesn't like it (he loves old U2 but hated HTDAAB), but to make a blanket statement like "The only place where anyone praises NLOTH is on Interference" based on just your own experience is not valid.

as for Amazon.com ... um, it has more 5-star reviews than anything. the average is 3 1/2 stars (or 4 for the boxset), which isn't totally outstanding but it's not like it's getting completely trashed either. Of course people are always gonna write bad reviews for U2, they've always been one of the most loved and hated bands in the world.

Besides, who can trust a 1-star review that says "Worst album since Zooropa"? Zooropa is brilliant

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I demand an answer to how U2 + Muse + kings of Leon = Jonas Brothers. I guess Kings of Leon is enough to turn U2 + Muse bland

"Next time I see you I'm giving you a high-five because hugs are overrated just F Y I"

Is that a Jonas Bros. lyric?

 

[Irishteen]

Is that a Jonas Bros. lyric?

Yup, and it's got Bono all over it lyrically

 

[Vlad n U 2]

The Jonas Bros. must've contacted Chris Martin for that.

 

[mgokelly]

I think NLOTH has suffered very badly with casual listener because of GOYB. It is by far the worst song on the album and was the first impression of NLOTH for most people. The thing I hate about bad reviews is people saying U2 are finished, when if they took the time to listen to the album they would realise it is one of U2's best albums (IMO).

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Though the talk of U2 being so-called 'sell outs' never seems to cease, i've heard people say that they're becoming the Rolling Stones. I personally find that laughable.