Short of a masterpiece

[kgbodo]

SHORT OF A MASTERPIECE

Even with the tallest boots on, NLOTH would still fall short of being a masterpiece! It’s weakest link link being the bombastic tongue and cheek first single! The problem with boots is that lyrically it just doesn’t fit on the album (except of course for the excellent let me in the sound part). No line is a dark and heavy record... Bono screaming Sexy boots midway through the record comes off like a cheesy advertisement. Boots certainly has its niche but not on NLOTH! Boot's place is perfect as an ad midway through the Superbowl. Maybe U2 should have done like the Beatles and not include their first single on the album. Don”t get me wrong, Boot's is a great song but not on my NLOTH!

Stand up and Breathe are also tremendous tracks and would definitely have made HTDAAB a better record but kind of put a damper on the sonic adventure that really is NLOTH. Besides, straight forward full blown rockers have never been U2's forte (except of course Bullet). Crumbs and Love and Peace are certainly not the crown jewels of the U2 catalogue.

That said, no U2 album has been as interesting and innovative since Pop. NLOTH's first 5 tracks are in my opinion the strongest opening half since Achtung. NLOTH (the song) has Bono exploring unfamiliar vocal territory practically screaming throughout the song, whilst Magnificent is the most danceable non remix U2 number ever. MOS and UC make use of vocal harmonisations common on a proper Daniel Lanois album but that are totally fresh for U2. There are four songs (NLOTH, MOS, UC and CEDARS) on this album where in the chorus it's hard to make out Bono's voice from Edge's Lanois's and Eno's!!

In my humble opinion (a U2 apostle for the past 25 years), NO LINE is 3 songs short of a masterpiece but certainly offers more than a bootfull of sonic exploration and covers enough compelling melodic terrain that by any standard should be enough to keep the most critical U2 fan gloating for the next 2 years. Let me in the sound indeed!

(The evidence is now on the table : NLOTH’s least adventurous titles were written without the assistance of the magnificent Lanois/Eno duo and were probably produced by the safe ears and hands of ol’ Steve Lillywhite.)

 

[Popmart Shopper]

Uh short of a masterpiece I dont think so.

 

[Batfink27]

Boots shouldnt be on it it should have been scrapped.

 

[akann]

i don't know why u2 are so afraid of making 12 song albums these days. Whenever I listen to this album, I kindda wish that there was one more great song on it which would have made it complete. They could have done without Crazy Tonight too imo.

 

[CDFallon]

Put Mercy after Fez - Being Born, and it's a masterpiece.

 

[xtrmx]

i don't know why u2 are so afraid of making 12 song albums these days. Whenever I listen to this album, I kindda wish that there was one more great song on it which would have made it complete. They could have done without Crazy Tonight too imo.

Rofl without crazy tonight the album would have sucked balls.

 

[Martinuk100]

I totally agree.

NLOTH is a total masterpiece. Worst song on the album is Boots!

I have been critical of the last two records, but this one is quite simply an amazing piece of work.

 

[LemonMelon]

Nah, No Line needs GOYB and Stand Up Comedy. It starts to drag with Unknown Caller and Crazy Tonight, but the two tracks that follow give it a shot of adrenaline that carries the album to the end, which happens to be a particularly brilliant ending, their finest since Pop.

 

[pacemaker]

I think Stand Up Comedy is the weakest track. The riff is just ok, the verse melody sounds like Jason Mraz/ Gavin Degraw/ other white-dudes-who-think-they're-black-and-sing-songs-to-nail-college-girls. The chorus redeems the song a touch.

I'm betting they overthought, overmixed, oversomethinged SUC (sorry!), and that there's at least one alternate version out there that would be what Native Son was to Vertigo.

I don't hate the song, but to me, it's the low point of the album. Another version of the song, or hell, even another song, might've been better. Maybe I would like it in another spot on the album... but in the lead up to the somber finale, Stand... kind of lets me down. Hopefully its good and fun live though! Boots fits, IMHO.

 

[Popmart Shopper]

i don't know why u2 are so afraid of making 12 song albums these days. Whenever I listen to this album, I kindda wish that there was one more great song on it which would have made it complete. They could have done without Crazy Tonight too imo.

Yes I agree 12 track albums with that one last song maybe to put it over the top.Mercy as track 12 would have been.

 

[david]

I think Boots fits nicely on the album. It's not that far out, and it fits nicely next to Stand Up Comedy.

I'm sure if Mysterious Ways was the first single off Achtung, and the first song they heard off that album, people would say the same thing people are saying now about Boots.

 

[boNOSE]

I agree, also a 25 year U2 fan, it's a masterpiece. I've seen them when they were great (Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby) and when they were pompous (Joshua Tree, Pop) and when they were humble (ALLTUCLB) and passed when I was sick of them (HTDAAB), and I really didnt care too much about this release.

But his CD restores hope that music can be something more than a commercial enterprise, something very rare these days. They did not cop out, every song - even boots I think - has strong merits, and nothing is either immediately palatable or so esotheric that I cant relate to it. I think this a far superior effort than HTDAAB, I feel like they are familiar again, being open and vulnerable instead of ironic and clever, that sucked (OOTS excepted). I love this CD, I hope I dont get tired of it too soon.

U2 I think show they respect their audience enough to take them into new territory responsibly, a sign of what a mature rock band should be doing - giving us the benifit of their experience, not pretending to deny their status and age by acting like 18 year olds by trying to rewrite "I will Follow" over and over again. God bless U2! A for effort and A+ for execution ! This CD is a gift of hope in a very dark time in our history.

 

[david]

After not listening to Boots since it was released as a single, I found myself enjoying it more while listening to the whole album now when it comes on.

Crazy, Boots, SUC, is a nice middle section to the album that has a crunch to it.

 

[digitize]

For me, Boots and SUC are the worst songs on the album, and I really like both songs.

 

[boNOSE]

I dont think Boots is the weakest track, I think Fez-Being Born is. Why? I think it bears too much of an "experiemntal" feel to it, which is fine with me, but without being resolved into a full song. It feels more like a sketchbook than a finished artwork.. .. .. At the end of the day you have to feel the song is "about something", either musically, rhymically, lyrically, whatever - Boots I get that from, Fez I dont (yet.. .. .)

 

[ywamperth]

I agree with many posters here. Boots and SUC are the weakest tracks on the album. And yes, with so many unused tracks, would it hurt to put one more on?

 

[last unicorn]

I love all the songs except Crazy Tonight, still I think it belongs on the album. I wouldn't change the album tracklist. I don't care if it is considered a "masterpiece" by some people or not, it feels complete to me, and titles like "masterpiece" are overrated and subjective.

 

[GibsonGirl]

At the end of the day you have to feel the song is "about something", either musically, rhymically, lyrically, whatever - Boots I get that from, Fez I dont (yet.. .. .)

Fez is about 1:34-1:55 and 2:46-3:27. You'll get it...

 

[windylad72]

This is a masterpiece album.

There's nothing wrong with Boots, its a great 3.5 minutes song.........Bono always said they'd lose a few of the "pop kids" along the way. They just can't play it live very well just yet and yes the other songs are better than this. The album flows and ends with Cedars just takes the temp down nicely after loads of racous loud riffs and melodies. Anyone making records can do so but making magic music takes some effort.........guys they've just made some magic music.

Pop was a bit different which was fine and an ok album, but if hasn't lasted the pace very well........the songs from this album will stand the test of time so much more than the songs on Pop.

 

[mirrorballman]

I get what you're saying, and in some ways you are right. I think a little finetuning, more courage in some songs (in concern to which direction they took after their intros) or even the lack of THE song make the album fall just short of a masterpiece. I am not comparing it to their earlier masterpieces, not one bit.

That said, maybe that's also the strength of the album: That there isn't that ONE outstanding track (like on their other albums) and that makes it maybe even more special? The album works as a whole imo.

 

[quadcaster]

i absoloutly love it. loved boots when it came out and still do.

Best album since achtung!

 

[jamaral]

Yes it's short of a masterpiece, in my opinion and taste because of rythmic section with low energie and slow pace in most of songs, and a mix of ethereal sound (Eno) with natural epic u2 sound badly done wich made the songs too closed on themselves. U2 allways had that problem, that's why most of their songs are better live, were they let themselves go free. I believe they should change producers, get out of the box. I tried to listen to this record on windows media player with speed settings on 1,1 and i liked more the songs, wich says a lot...

 

[SpaceBoy]

SHORT OF A MASTERPIECE
In my humble opinion (a U2 apostle for the past 25 years), NO LINE is 3 songs short of a masterpiece but certainly offers more than a bootfull of sonic exploration and covers enough compelling melodic terrain that by any standard should be enough to keep the most critical U2 fan gloating for the next 2 years. Let me in the sound indeed!

I really couldn't agree more. I have a tracklist for this album that omits Crazy Tonight, Boots and Stand Up Comedy and for me it is the closest thing to a "third masterpiece" as I've heard from them since Pop. There is still so much there to appreciate even with three songs missing. That is not to say that I hate those three songs. I like the sonic exploration in Boots but ultimately the lyrics are what really bring it down, they make it feel throwaway, the same goes for Crazy Tonight and Stand Up Comedy but to a slightly lesser extent. If I absolutely had to put one of those songs back in the running order it would be Crazy Tonight, as it comes the closest to matching the quality of the eight 'essential' tracks musically and lyrically, IMO.

 

[OrARoundabout]

i absoloutly love it. loved boots when it came out and still do.

Best album since achtung!

NO, SINCE ZOOROPA!

God, everybody is getting it wrong!

 

[stealthboy]

NO, SINCE ZOOROPA!

God, everybody is getting it wrong!

lol, thank you. You are correct.

It goes:
1) Zooropa
2) Achtung
3) NLOTH

I thought that was common knowledge by now?

 

[RademR]

I think after it clears and I fully get into all the songs 100%, I think it will be their best album since Achtung.

 

[Salome]

there's no : snore : smilie

 

[corcovadosong]

Yes it's short of a masterpiece, in my opinion and taste because of rythmic section with low energie and slow pace in most of songs, and a mix of ethereal sound (Eno) with natural epic u2 sound badly done wich made the songs too closed on themselves. U2 allways had that problem, that's why most of their songs are better live, were they let themselves go free. I believe they should change producers, get out of the box. I tried to listen to this record on windows media player with speed settings on 1,1 and i liked more the songs, wich says a lot...

The worst songs on the album, generally, are the ones Eno/Lanois didn't touch. Crazy, SUC, and Breathe were Lillywhite. I love breathe, so not going to say anything about those.

I could not disagree with you more. There's a difference between slow and low energy. Just because they aren't playing super fast does not mean the rhythm section is low energy - Larry's drumming on this album is actually some of the most active, colorful and intense drumming we've gotten. I don't have much to say about Adam, because I don't feel like I've heard a version of the album with a high enough quality.

Eno and Lanois, honestly, just saved our favorite band, and we should be thanking them. If what U2 creates on their own is SUC and Crazy Tonight, then I'm out, and the band is going to see I think, from all the reviews and fan reaction coming through, that those are the weak points of the album.

I don't even think Boots is that bad - I kind of like it. But crazy tonight does not make a case for it, they do not flow.

Magnificent, one of the biggest U2 songs ever, in terms of having a vocal hook, musical hook, universal lyrics, big echoey production, that giant feeling - is produced by Eno and Lanois. It's also a bit more on the side of beautiful day / WTSHHN than Vertigo. It's even got a bongo and tom tom rhythm in it.

we've got four awesome songs in the beginning, and four awesome songs at the end. Now we figure out what happened to the middle.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

I agree with many posters here. Boots and SUC are the weakest tracks on the album. And yes, with so many unused tracks, would it hurt to put one more on?

NO WAY!!!!

Get rid of the terrible Crazy Tonight and you have 7 GREAT tunes and 3 ok, it makes it better already. Crazy Tonight is really a third zone pop song that has nothing to do on this album, it kills everything in there. After 4 "genius" songs it's like there is a cover band playing the 5th one. I still can't understand why it's there, depressing.

 

[U2FAN4LIFE]

I'm coming to the realization that its impossible to be objective with only a few days to take an album in. The middle three on NLOTH really bother me... yet I LOVE Zooropa and it has a couple tracks namely Babyface and Some days... that in my early days with the album I felt were relatively lousy and distracting from an otherwise brilliant effort... today I appreciate those songs as being part of the complete Zooropa package... a little sweet to counter the tart... Maybe I'll see Crazy tonight in the same way in a few years. Anyhow... If I had known 2 weeks ago that I'd be comparing NLOTH to Zooropa I would have been a lot less concerned over what I'd heard in the beach clips... HTDAAB is being bashed unfairly in my opinion but it has nothing on NLOTH at least to me.