NLOTH Album Reviews - Professional / Web / Mag Reviews ONLY

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
'Winter' bonus track DOES have JT lyrics and potential just all over the place like artsy-- loosely produced.. as the other post said 'french cinema'! But Im sure the INDEPENDENT didnt here that song...
 
Place your bets. When the Pitchfork review is posted sometime next week, how many posts will the inevitable thread here for said review contain. I'll say about forty bull-billion and a lot of these :angry:
 
BigMacPhisto said:
Place your bets. When the Pitchfork review is posted sometime next week, how many posts will the inevitable thread here for said review contain. I'll say about forty bull-billion and a lot of these :angry:
Click to expand...

Maybe, but I'm predicting it gets a 7.0 or something rather neutral.
 
kurtnils said:
'Winter' bonus track DOES have JT lyrics and potential just all over the place like artsy-- loosely produced.. as the other post said 'french cinema'! But Im sure the INDEPENDENT didnt here that song...
Click to expand...


I'm sure there were some songs the Independent didn't hear.

Another case of ignorance.

Strangely, the Independent wrote a more positive review on the album after it had leaked. Some papers really don't seem to be able to get their stuff together and have incompetent reviewers running wild.
 
Two reviews in French from one of the major newspaper in Québec:

Alain Brunet : U2: exit, la zone de confort | Musique

Kathleen Lavoie : No Line on the Horizon : U2 pièce par pièce | Disques

The first one is very positive, 4 stars, the author says it's their best AB, and that he was pleasantly surprised, that he didn't really expect them to offer something that good at this stage. The title of the review is 'out of the comfort zone'. He also has a personal ranking of all their albums, and the only one getting 5 stars is AB (4 1/2 for J).

The second one is a track by track description more than a proper review and there is no rating, but the tone is very positive.

:up::up:
 
There was a very short one in the Sun-Herald newspaper here yesterday. Not really a review, just a rating and a few brief sentences. Notable though because it got 5 stars, and the reviewer said “It should be noted that (a) I don't really like U2, and (b) I’ve never given a 5 star rating before”.

Longer, proper review in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday by the same guy that did one of the very early track-by-track reviews from the listening sessions. It was also very positive, although his reviews are far more thoughtful than the normal empty hype/hate, and they don't come with a rating. I'll try and track it down...
 
2 more reviews today, Tim De Lisle in the Mail On Sunday headed with 'Brilliant Failures', calling it 'an interesting failure' & gave a rubbish 2/5. But the Sunday Express gave a decent 4/5.

Average score after 33 reviews is now 74/100 (3.7/5) :

5/100 : Q, Rolling Stone, Blender, People (4/4), USA Today (4/4)
4.5/90 : The Sun, Entertainment Weekly (A-/91)
4/80 : Sunday Observer, Hot Press, Irish Times, Mojo, Uncut, Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Nuts, Sputnik, Sunday Express
3.75/75 : LA Times (3/4)
3.5/70 : Entertainment.ie, Jamcanoe.com, IGN.com (7/10), NME (7/10), Spin, The Age.com.au
3/60 : The Times, Zoo, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Guardian
2.5/50 : Drowned In Sound (5/10)
2/40 : London Lite, Mail On Sunday
1.66/33 : Time Out Sydney (2/6)
 
U2 Relevance

Any one else see this? I just saw this on digg.com. I don't agree with the author.

Source
CANOE -- JAM! Music - Artists - U2: Has U2 finally lost their relevance?

It happens to the best of them. In fact, it only happens to the best of them. And it seems it's finally happening to U2.

After more than a quarter-century of virtually uninterrupted tenure as The Most Important Band in the World (TM), it would appear Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton have reached the ultimate plateau in a band's life -- the magical place where fame meets irrelevance.
Do you agree or disagree with Darryl?

Just look at the initial response to their 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, in stores and online Tuesday. Oh sure, it's getting plenty of attention -- but not the same sort of attention as their previous discs. Despite its much-hyped global premiere in January, the upbeat leadoff single Get On Your Boots didn't have legs, barely denting the Billboard Hot 100 before it tumbled off the chart. Their performance at last month's Grammy Awards was met with yawns of disinterest, with many fans suggesting Bono seemed tired and out of breath. None of it bodes well for Horizon's prospects with the public, which seems to feel that with U2, they've been there, heard that and thrown away the T-shirt already.

Bet Bono didn't see that coming. Tell the truth, neither did we. But we did know it was bound to happen. As any music geek can tell you, there are several stages in the life of an artist. And every act that hangs around long enough walks the same path: Aerosmith, AC/DC, Bowie, Dylan, KISS, R.E.M., Madonna, Springsteen, and countless others. Granted, not all of them go through the stages in the same order or at the same rate. Some skip stages. Others repeat them. A few get stuck in one for most of their careers. But eventually, most get to where U2 now find themselves.

Of course, the band that blazed the trail -- like so many others -- is none other than The Rolling Stones. Now that U2 is catching up, let's follow the line that the British rock gods drew -- and that leads inexorably to the Irish icons' limited horizons.

STAGE 1
Baby Steps
Every act starts out the same: Lean, hungry, committed -- and convinced they're destined to rule the world. Any musician who tells you different is a liar.
- Rolling Stones: 1962-1964 -- From their formation to their first album. Fresh from the blues clubs, they were still basically a glorified cover band.
- U2: 1976-1981 -- From their formation to their first two albums. Boy started the ball rolling with I Will Follow, but the following dwindled after the sophomore-slump October, featuring the aptly titled I Fall Down.
See Also:
- Elvis' Sun Sessions
- The Beatles in Hamburg
- Bob Dylan's first album
- Nirvana's Bleach
- Madonna's first album


STAGE 2
Hitting Your Stride

You're not an amateur any more, but you're not yet at the top of your game -- artistically or commercially.
- Stones: 1964-1965 -- From their first album to Satisfaction. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards started writing songs -- after famously being locked in a room together -- while the band's relentless touring made inroads in America.
- U2: 1983-1984 -- War and Unforgettable Fire. Okay, maybe Fire wasn't that unforgettable. But on War, Bono found his political feet with Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day. A glimpse of the greatness to come.
See Also:
- Metallica's Ride the Lightning & Master of Puppets
- R.E.M. from Reckoning to Life's Rich Pageant
- KISS' Hotter Than Hell & Dressed to Kill
- The Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope
- Eagles' Desperado & On the Border

STAGE 3

At the Summit

The glory days when you can do no wrong. Everything you release turns to gold (and then platinum). Every show is a sellout and every award has your name on it.
- Stones: 1965-1972 -- From Satisfaction to Exile on Main St. The era of Jumpin' Jack Flash, Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar, Street Fightin' Man, and nearly every other Stones classic. Even Altamont, Their Satanic Majesties Request and the death of Brian Jones couldn't stop them.
- U2: 1985-1990 -- Live Aid, Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum. They played for millions. Joshua earned them their first Grammys. Even Bono's giant white flag (and equally outsized ego and ambition) couldn't stop them.
See Also:
- Bruce Springsteen from Born to Run to Born in the U.S.A.
- Elton John from Your Song to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
- Pink Floyd from Dark Side of the Moon to The Wall
- Michael Jackson from Thriller to Dangerous
- Nirvana from Nevermind onward

STAGE 4

Missteps & Stumbles

Self-indulgence, supermodels, substances and solo albums -- they all take their toll. And when you're at the top, there's only one way to go.
- Stones: 1973-1977 -- Goat's Head Soup to Black & Blue. Mick marries Bianca. Keith gets busted in Toronto. Bill Wyman makes solo albums. Things get so bad Mick Taylor quits the best-paying gig he'll ever have. Yep, it's only rock 'n' roll -- but they've lost it, lost it, yes they have.
- U2: 1991-1999 -- Achtung Baby, Zoo TV, Zooropa, Pop. Bono called Achtung "the sound of four men trying to chop down The Joshua Tree." It worked. High-concept tours with Bono as MacPhisto, umpteen TV screens and giant lemons didn't help. On the plus side: Clayton didn't marry Naomi Campbell.
See Also:
- Jerry Lee Lewis' marriage to his cousin
- KISS solo albums
- Van Halen hiring Gary Cherone
- Britney Spears shaving her head (and marrying Kevin Federline, and, and, and ... )
- Virtually every decision Axl Rose made between 1995 and 2008

STAGE 5

Reclaiming the Throne

F. Scott Fitzgerald said there were no second acts in American lives. Maybe he was right -- but everybody know there are encores in rock 'n' roll. And every band gets one. Sometimes more.
- Stones: 1978 -- Some Girls. Revitalized and challenged by the no-nonsense spirit of punk, they shake off the cobwebs, reawaken their inner rockers and produce their last undeniably brilliant work. And their biggest-selling CD to date.
- U2: 2000-2006 -- All That You Can't Leave Behind & How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. As Bono put it, they reapplied to be the best band in the world. And they got the job by getting back to basics with straightforward songs and shows that connect with fans.
See Also:
- David Bowie's Let's Dance
- Tina Turner's Private Dancer
- AC/DC's Back in Black
- KISS' reunion tour
- Led Zeppelin's 2007 reunion concert

STAGE 6

The Endless Plateau

You'll always be huge. You'll sell out stadiums. You might even make some great albums. But you'll never be the It Band again. You're too big, too rich, too coddled, too removed from the streets, the kids and the zeitgeist -- no matter how much your personal assistants and image consultants assure you otherwise.
- Stones: 1980 - ? Everything from Emotional Rescue to A Bigger Bang. Some of it's good. Some of it's bad. But none of it matters.
- U2: 2009 - ? It begins with No Line on the Horizon. Who knows how it will end? With one final return to greatness? Or with The Edge falling out of a coconut tree?
See Also:
- Rod Stewart
- Paul McCartney
- Madonna
- Bon Jovi
- Michael Jackson
Click to expand...
 
The album is not even out yet. IF, for example, the album goes #1 and has great numbers, the tour sells out, etc.. this guy is gonna look like an asshat! These types of articles have been coming out as far back as achtung, we'll see....
 
Blog on the Tracks - stuff.co.nz


Bad New Zealand review - bad fan/public blog reaction underneath it.
Wow, seems like U2 has hit saturation point and people just don't want to hear from them anymore.
And they haven't even heard the album - it's a fucking masterpiece and they couldn't care less.

Most of the anger/wit/mocking is aimed at Bono and his 'causes'.
No surprises there I suppose.

Oh well, at the end of the day I still have the album on repeat and am still loving it.
 
What???

Allmusic gave Paris Hilton 3.5 stars but gave U2 3 stars!!! :hmm::hmm::hmm:

.... and you are even discussing Allmusic review here!!!:angry::angry::angry:
 
Catman said:
Also noticed that, again, they changed ratings of a previous album. HTDAAB used to be 4 stars, now 3.5...


EDIT: What is really weird is the fact that, with this record and HTDAAB, I have found myself disagreeing very much, for the most part, with critics - didn't think much of HTDAAB, but loooooooooooove NLOTH. Huh.
Click to expand...

I've noticed that allmusic have changed a lot of ratings for major artists... as if they've got something against these once "cherished" artists... this goes for albums as far back as 2004.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

womanfish
All That You Can't Dismantle of An Innocent Horizon
2
Replies
51
Views
3K
Catman
Catman
the tourist
I Listened To No Line On The Horizon Today
2 3
Replies
82
Views
8K
Rachel D.
Rachel D.
Scrumtralescent
No Line On The Horizon: the most underrated album?
5 6 7
Replies
184
Views
14K
cobl04
cobl04
redhill
Kygo Should Produce the Next U2 Album and Tour With Them
2 3
Replies
60
Views
4K
cobl04
cobl04
LuckyNumber7
U2 Catalog: Take the Survey!
3 4 5
Replies
146
Views
10K
LuckyNumber7
LuckyNumber7

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom