Roughly 3 months later, where does NLOTH fall in your album rankings

[Cactus Annie]

Like Passangers lacked coherant songs I feel that NLOTH lacks this sometimes. On Passangers, Larry was largely absent. Can someone please explain to me on how this is a positive? Larry's the drummer. It should be more about the 4 members of the band and not Eno and his keyboards. I also think that the producers should kindly use their oodles of effects for their own projects, thank you very much. NLOTH has oodles of studio trickery, Eno effects and thickeners whilst the most surprising effect of all, melodies, dodges in and out. I heard someone say that the melodies reveal themselves within the song. Well where else will the melodies reveal themselves? On the beep at the checkout? It seems as though this album is dishonest and it's been made with a keen eye for finance rather than art. It's pompus and abstract with sound samples rather than musicianship. The production is so smooth and faceless, like a Seal album. It has dense production and harmonies and it's all been done before. There is currently a backlash about U2 on the Void and Jon Earls gave it 5 out of 10, I'd say that was bloody generous. Members on the Void like Go West, not because they were most groundbreaking because they weren't, but because their songs were catchy and their singer was good. I give NLOTH 3 out of 6 in terms of innovation. It also has pulsing rhythems, I don't like rhythems I like melodies.

 

[gvox]

A few points here:

Larry was not largely absent on Passengers.

Keyboards are an instrument.

Producers are hired specifically for the extras they bring such as effects, production tricks, mixing, etc. That is their craft, and musicians recognize the value.

Melody is not an effect. Mind you, neither is Graphic Equalization, really.

Rhythems (sic) and melodies are not exclusive concepts. They can and do inhabit the same musical space.

3/6 = 5 / 10 = 1 / 2 = 45 / 90...you get the idea.

Finally, of course NLOTH is a dishonest album. A pack liars, those bastards. Especially Bono. Bono and Eno together? The deceit gets downright pathological.

 

[Cactus Annie]

Well Larrry was very upset about Passangers, and it was because he didn't have as much as an imput. Producers are secondary to the musicians, on NLOTH the production >>>>>>musicianship. The album is just as produced as the previous two albums, but they just left a few false starts to baffle listeners. Eno is not a member of the band. I know melody is not an effect, you wally. That's the point I was making. Where's your sence of irrelevence? Do you take everything at face value? In music some people prefer rhytems to meldies, but I prefer melodies.

 

[gvox]

You have no basis for anything you say, it's complete rubbish.

In the dynamic that is the U2 recording experience, the producers are also highly respected musicians who contribute to the sounds you hear in the final product. They are temporary band members, for the purpose of recording the album. That is an established fact, and it's been the reality of U2's best work: UF, JT, AB, Zooropa, NLOTH, and on and on I could go.

You say NLOTH focuses more on rhythm than melodies. I'd say that you need to listen to U2's entire catalogue again, as U2's music has always been very rhythm centric. It does not force the melody to the back burner or mean that melodic elements don't figure strongly, they can and do coexist in the music.

 

[Cactus Annie]

Well that's what Larry said about Passangers in both U2 By U2 nad the propaganda magazine.

BVS likes subtle melodies, I don't. I would like rythems to be secondary to melody. On HTDAAB and ATYCB it was all about the melody! AB and NLTOH it sounds as though melody has taken a back burner yet again. Is there any progressive or chromatic chords? Please help.

The fact is NLOTH has many sound effects and I'm not the only person to say this. Music journelists and other fans have said the same thing. I don't care about keyboards really but what I do care is when studio effects are deemed more important than the actaul musical instruments. This is what I feel about many of the tracks on NLOTH. Recording the sound of your pet dog barking is not music. That's just noize. Sound effects generated from a computer is not music, it's just annoying. I get enough of that at work. And what do people mean when they are talking about sonic landscapes? Is it just more noize? I wanted to hear lots of noize I would sit on a building site. There I could hear vehicals, banging and chatter. That's not music and I'm getting old.

 

[gvox]

I would like rythems to be secondary to melody. On HTDAAB and ATYCB it was all about the melody! AB and NLTOH it sounds as though melody has taken a back burner yet again. Is there any progressive or chromatic chords?

Tell you what: if, in 2 minutes or less, you can name me 3 different 'progressive or chromatic chords' from either HTDAAB or ATYCLB and then prove that those same chords (or similar melodic structures) do not exist on AB or NLOTH, I will never ever roast your comments again. Frankly, I don't even think you can identify 'progressive or chromatic chords' and this is part of the larger reason I think you have no idea what you talk about but I digress, maybe you have more fundamental knowledge of the music than I give you credit for. I'm all ears.


As as for 'sound effects'...listen to I Will Follow. Thanks.

 

[Danny Boy]

On HTDAAB and ATYCB it was all about the melody! AB and NLTOH it sounds as though melody has taken a back burner yet again. Is there any progressive or chromatic chords?

What do chromatic chords have to do with melody?

I don't care about keyboards really but what I do care is when studio effects are deemed more important than the actaul musical instruments.

You do realize that about 90% of Edge's guitar playing is effects?

 

[Cactus Annie]

But Edge's sound effects conjure up melody. Midnight Sun has a chromatic chord. If this album has many chromatic chords that that could mean it's jazz rock. It's exciting, isn't it?

 

[Cactus Annie]

Yes. This is what I was looking for: Welcome to uPlaya Artists! Upload Your Songs and See If You've Got a Hit! :: uPlaya Artists

Do you think this technology will deem NLOTH to be a scientific hit? They did say on the video I looked on there that the software picks up hooks that you can singalong to.

 

[smitefull1]

3 months later the album has really grown on me, that is the stuff i hear live plus stand up comedy, can't say i really listen to it as a whole, NLOTH2 is also still a favorite of mine.

what i'm most impressed with is how good the songs sound live, they're outstanding, and for me much better written than most of the stuff on the last 2 albums. i still hate boots, but i'll deal with it for a show opening like they're giving us, i'd almost want to catch 3 shows to hear the first 4 songs instead of a full show with the greatest hits treatment. can't wait to see hear them for myself.

big ups to HD video cameras, kick fucking ass!

 

[shart1780]

I love it.

I still hate Atomic Bomb though.

 

[AEKU2]

You have no basis for anything you say, it's complete rubbish.

In the dynamic that is the U2 recording experience, the producers are also highly respected musicians who contribute to the sounds you hear in the final product. They are temporary band members, for the purpose of recording the album. That is an established fact, and it's been the reality of U2's best work: UF, JT, AB, Zooropa, NLOTH, and on and on I could go.

You say NLOTH focuses more on rhythm than melodies. I'd say that you need to listen to U2's entire catalogue again, as U2's music has always been very rhythm centric. It does not force the melody to the back burner or mean that melodic elements don't figure strongly, they can and do coexist in the music.

Correct especially in the very Lanois influenced rhythm albums such as JT and AB.

 

[Montrose]

BVS likes subtle melodies, I don't. I would like rythems to be secondary to melody. On HTDAAB and ATYCB it was all about the melody! AB and NLTOH it sounds as though melody has taken a back burner yet again. Is there any progressive or chromatic chords? Please help.

The fact is NLOTH has many sound effects and I'm not the only person to say this.

Go here:

It Might Get Loud

Play the video.

Pay attention at 1:15 to the lack of effects on ATYCLB.

 

[WITS]

That is a tough one...

I have loved an album more then all the others over different periods since listening to U2 for the first time on Bomb.

I'll have to say this album ranks just above the albums I find average.

Not very specific I know but number wise it'd have to be between 6 and 8. It holds up well but a couple of them really don't stand out to me and I generally just skip to hear the 5-6 I do like, even when I want to just go through the album I sometimes have to skip a few because I generally don't like a few songs.

It's a good album overall and I still see myself liking a few of them more and more but it's never going to get into the top 5 imo.

Saying that it's the best live songs I have ever listened to (perhaps the only ones I have listened to) but they stand out much better in real life then on the CD.

 

[JUSTinPUSHPLAY]

1. Achtung Baby
2. The Joshua Tree
3. All That You Can't Leave Behind
4. No Line On The Horizon
5. Pop/How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - *tie
6. Zooropa
7. Rattle And Hum
8. War
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. Boy
11. Passengers
12. October

 

[BoyOnTheHorizon]

I like lists...

1 - The Joshua Tree
2 - Achtung Baby
3 - Rattle And Hum
4 - War
5 - No Line On The Horizon
6 - The Unforgettable Fire
7 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
8 - Boy
9 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
10 - Pop*
11 - Zooropa*
12 - October*

*These three are bad albums by any standarts; while the other ones are all very good albums, just the lower ones are not so good by U2 standarts.

 

[BoyOnTheHorizon]

Oh my, how i missed this place!! How is everybody????

 

[alanah]

I'm ok..

 

[thelaj]

I like lists...

1 - The Joshua Tree
2 - Achtung Baby
3 - Rattle And Hum
4 - War
5 - No Line On The Horizon
6 - The Unforgettable Fire
7 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
8 - Boy
9 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
10 - Pop*
11 - Zooropa*
12 - October*

*These three are bad albums by any standarts; while the other ones are all very good albums, just the lower ones are not so good by U2 standarts.

Not mine. Pop is my second/third favourite U2 album. R&H is my least favourite.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

No Line On The Horizon, for me would be situated in 4th, just ahead of Zooropa and the Unforgettable Fire, which mind you, are two fantastic albums which is saying a lot for NLOTH. First is Achtung Baby, second is The Joshua Tree and third is Pop.

 

[digitize]

Current album rankings:

1) Achtung Baby
2) No Line On The Horizon
3) Pop
4) Zooropa
5-tie) Original Soundtracks 1
5-tie) The Unforgettable Fire
7) All That You Can't Leave Behind
8-tie) The Joshua Tree
8-tie) War
8-tie) October
8-tie) Boy
12) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
13) Rattle and Hum

 

[mgokelly]

I like lists...

1 - The Joshua Tree
2 - Achtung Baby
3 - Rattle And Hum
4 - War
5 - No Line On The Horizon
6 - The Unforgettable Fire
7 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
8 - Boy
9 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
10 - Pop*
11 - Zooropa*
12 - October*

*These three are bad albums by any standarts; while the other ones are all very good albums, just the lower ones are not so good by U2 standarts.

Zooropa is a fantastic album, Pop is a very god album apart from songs like 'Playboy Mansion' and 'Velevet Dress'. October is U2's weakest album.

 

[INSTCUWSUMVC]

1- Achtung Baby
2- Pop
3- Zooropa
4- The Unforgettable Fire
5- No Line On The Horizon
6- All That You Can't Leave Behind
7- Passengers
8- Joshua Tree
9- How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
10- Boy
11- War
12- October
13 Rattle and Hum

 

[Salome]

01 No Line On The Horizon
02 The Unforgettable Fire
03 All That You Can't Leave Behind
04 Zooropa
05 Joshua Tree
06 Rattle and Hum
07 October
08 Achtung Baby
09 War
10 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
11 Boy
12 POP
13 Passengers

 

[secretly alone]

1. The Joshua Tree
2. Boy
3. October (tie)
3. The Unforgettable Fire (tie)
3. War (tie)
6. Rattle and Hum
7. Achtung Baby
8. NLOTH (tie)
8. ATYCLB (tie)
10. HTDAAB
11. Zooropa
12. Pop

At least for this week It's still a little early for me to solidly place No Line in the ranking among the others which I have had years to get to know. All I know is that I really love it, and it comes somewhere after all the 80s albums.

 

[gweeps]

Pop
The Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
The Unforgettable Fire
No Line on the Horizon
War
Zooropa
All That You Can't Leave Behind
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Rattle and Hum
October
Boy
Original Soundtracks 1

 

[2861U2]

Currently:

1) All That You Can't Leave Behind
2) No Line On The Horizon
3) Achtung Baby
4) Rattle And Hum
5) Pop
6) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
7) The Unforgettable Fire
8) Zooropa
9) The Joshua Tree
10) War
11) Boy
12) October

 

[Purplereign]

I just can not do the ranky thing . . . it makes my head hurt . . .

bloody interesting reading through the thread though - I just love how everyone has a different take on favourites . . . great thread

 

[nielsgov]

It's tied with Joshua Tree for me. One day I like NLOTH more and the other day TJT. But Achtung Baby and Pop are one and two. I'm not good at rankings either though so I'm not making a list.

 

[65980]

Gold, Silver, Bronze

They're all award winners at the rock Olympics, but at different levels on the podium:

Gold:

1) The Joshua Tree
Greatest album by greatest band of post-punk era. Incredible melodies, soundscapes, arrangements, emotional content. The band's incredible power is restrained for the first time, to make a perfect studio album.
2) Achtung Baby
Just as great as Joshua Tree, but in a completely different way. Amazingly, the band were completely successful in shaking off their 80s' baggage and this album wiped their career-slate clean. Unmissable genius, especially from The Edge, who has never been better (divorce brought out the best in him).
3) War
Defines the U2-sound forever; the band's breakthrough. Sweeping, soaring anthems of youthful (but now a little bit mature) zeal and zest.
3) The Unforgettable Fire
Alliance with Eno & Lanois yields a poetic, dreamlike album, which somehow also lets out the power and dynamics of the band. Bono's great leap forward.
3) Rattle & Hum
Messy and unfocused, and the live tracks are mostly unnecessary, but there are so many 5-star tunes on here that I absolutely love it.
3) All That You Can't Leave Behind
Slighty calculated return to mainstream accessibility, but craftsmanlike maturity fits them somehow, and with "Beautiful Day" they conquered radio, against the odds, again.
3) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
War re-cast as middle-aged rockers. Nothing ground-breaking, but the songs are so good that the quality just blows me away. Rocks hard.

Silver:

Under A Blood Red Sky
War tour accessory is one of the most successful live albums ever released.
Zooropa
Very enjoyable ZooTV appendage expanded to full-album length. Thus, it's a bit inconsistent, but a very likeable whole.
Pop
Songs are good enough to earn a Gold, but the execution and production mar the whole project.

Bronze:

Boy
Almost a Silver, but the older I get, the less enjoyable this becomes.
October
Like the above, but less focused; Bono's weakest hour.
No Line On The Horizon
Interesting and noble release from pushing-50 rockers, but only has about four great songs.

Disqualified for taking steroids and not really being U2:

Original Soundtracks Vol. 1