Irishteen
Blue Crack Addict
One Step Closer and parts of A Man and a Woman are fairly strong lyrically. Crumbs isn't too bad either, sometimes I think Bomb's lyrics are judged to harshly around here...then I remember the albums weaker moments...
Some personal thoughts on No Line On The Horizon, 6 months after release
- Thread starter Zoots
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One Step Closer and parts of A Man and a Woman are fairly strong lyrically. Crumbs isn't too bad either, sometimes I think Bomb's lyrics are judged to harshly around here...then I remember the albums weaker moments...
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Wow, 6 months. So it's almost been six months since I last listened to SUC then!
I still have a very similar opinion of the whole thing actually. The middle three hold it back from being a hit out of the park, but the rest is fantastic. Moment of Surrender, IMO, is among their very very best. Fez is up there. Unknown Caller, annoyingly dodgy lyric or two aside, is really great. Really love No Line. I still get a bit of a shiver listening to it, like it was that first album spin again when it was such a relief to hear. Adore both White as Snow and Cedars. Magnificent is a big, dumb ultra U2ey single with "Quick Bono you've got 5 minutes, anything, lovey vaguely religious stuff will do" lyrics, but the lush production and stellar job from everyone not called Bono pushes it beyond that and into a place the other big, dumb very U2ey singles of this decade couldn't reach (apart from BD). Breathe I actually don't mind, even if it absolutely tumbles into formulaic territory in the walk out/heart out/anthem time chorus.
As for the middle three, they still stand out waaay too much for me. I can't really fault Crazy Tonight, except that I find it incredibly boring. I like Boots a bit on it's own, but it's throwaway. Stand Up Comedy is atrocious.
Really, I think "yeah, they could have done a bit better overall, pushed it a bit further, made a more complete album, dropped the dumb pop-rock from the middle" etc, but then I hear Moment of Surrender or Fez or Cedars or whatever, and I think if I heard those in 2005 immediately after the massive disappointment of the Bomb, I would probably be in near tears, so yeah, fuck the minor complaints, NLOTH is awesome and I'm giddy with excitement over the Songs of Ascent possibilities.
I still have a very similar opinion of the whole thing actually. The middle three hold it back from being a hit out of the park, but the rest is fantastic. Moment of Surrender, IMO, is among their very very best. Fez is up there. Unknown Caller, annoyingly dodgy lyric or two aside, is really great. Really love No Line. I still get a bit of a shiver listening to it, like it was that first album spin again when it was such a relief to hear. Adore both White as Snow and Cedars. Magnificent is a big, dumb ultra U2ey single with "Quick Bono you've got 5 minutes, anything, lovey vaguely religious stuff will do" lyrics, but the lush production and stellar job from everyone not called Bono pushes it beyond that and into a place the other big, dumb very U2ey singles of this decade couldn't reach (apart from BD). Breathe I actually don't mind, even if it absolutely tumbles into formulaic territory in the walk out/heart out/anthem time chorus.
As for the middle three, they still stand out waaay too much for me. I can't really fault Crazy Tonight, except that I find it incredibly boring. I like Boots a bit on it's own, but it's throwaway. Stand Up Comedy is atrocious.
Really, I think "yeah, they could have done a bit better overall, pushed it a bit further, made a more complete album, dropped the dumb pop-rock from the middle" etc, but then I hear Moment of Surrender or Fez or Cedars or whatever, and I think if I heard those in 2005 immediately after the massive disappointment of the Bomb, I would probably be in near tears, so yeah, fuck the minor complaints, NLOTH is awesome and I'm giddy with excitement over the Songs of Ascent possibilities.
Morgoth321
Acrobat
I love either version of NLOTH (the song), and I was very disappointed when it wasn't used as a concert opener. I thought that its huge clattering, guitar-heaven intro would've been a great way to start the show.
Yahweh_OMG
New Yorker
well, it means that Crazy tonight is better than Gone or Please, or Zooropa, or Stay?????? Oups.... did you mean what you wrote?
Sorry, I didn't read your post correctly, my bad... you said "worst song on the last 4 albums".... I read best songs, my bad
A very minor observation: is NLOTH in an odd/tough key for Bono ?
The album version - and NLOTH2 more so - sounds like he's struggling a bit, particularly the first verse. It's interesting because live, he soars on it and they usually play their songs live in a different/lower key.
The album version - and NLOTH2 more so - sounds like he's struggling a bit, particularly the first verse. It's interesting because live, he soars on it and they usually play their songs live in a different/lower key.
After 6 months I still think it is a solid album - probably number three for me after JT and AB. For me there is no killer track like Bad, New Years Day, Please, Stay or Beautiful Day but it is consistantly strong and MOS, Mag, Crazy, Unkown Caller, No Line, Breathe and Fez are well above average. I still think Boots and Stand Up are out of place but that they would have made excellent b-sides
See what I said about the 'silly lyrics'. There's much more than silliness happening in Boots; the silliness is somewhat of a cover in the same way that "Baby Baby Baby Light My Way" was a cover on Achtung Baby.
jphelmet
Refugee
I like NLOTH a lot. Lots of good songs. I was looking at how the songs would fit in my own personal top 50 U2 songs. Seems to be a good indicator, of how many are truly my very favorite u2 songs. I am sure it will change over time, but right now- I have:
NLOTH 18
MOS 22
Breathe 26
Cedars 43
The rest of the album doesn't make my top 50. Not to say I don't like the other songs, there are just that many stronger U2 songs. I know some of those olders ones are because I have lived with them for much longer, but I still like them better.
The album itself if probably 4th or 5th for me. There are a lot of good songs, but none that are just over the top great. MOS is really, really good but it doesn't hit me like Bad or WOWOY or the The Fly. Just not there in terms of U2's very best. If NLOTH was released 10 years ago, I don't think a single one of these songs would still being played live today. Its not their fault, they just set the bar so incredibly high with their past catalog.
I really love the 4 I mentioned. I really like the rest of the album, and all the songs would fit somewhere in the 50-100 range of u2 songs for me (this is not a bad thing, i really love that many u2 songs). The only exceptions are Boots and SUC. SUC is the worst U2 song in a long time. I don't hate it, but I have no desire to ever listen to it. Boots is ok, buts its the type of song I don't want to hear from U2. They do so much so well, these kind of fast 3 minute rock songs is not their strength and I wish they would stop trying. They wreak of old men trying to stay relevant, and its getting a little ridiculous. I really hope they embrace the more quiet meditative path they keep talking about with SOA. They are much better at it, and it suits them now.
NLOTH 18
MOS 22
Breathe 26
Cedars 43
The rest of the album doesn't make my top 50. Not to say I don't like the other songs, there are just that many stronger U2 songs. I know some of those olders ones are because I have lived with them for much longer, but I still like them better.
The album itself if probably 4th or 5th for me. There are a lot of good songs, but none that are just over the top great. MOS is really, really good but it doesn't hit me like Bad or WOWOY or the The Fly. Just not there in terms of U2's very best. If NLOTH was released 10 years ago, I don't think a single one of these songs would still being played live today. Its not their fault, they just set the bar so incredibly high with their past catalog.
I really love the 4 I mentioned. I really like the rest of the album, and all the songs would fit somewhere in the 50-100 range of u2 songs for me (this is not a bad thing, i really love that many u2 songs). The only exceptions are Boots and SUC. SUC is the worst U2 song in a long time. I don't hate it, but I have no desire to ever listen to it. Boots is ok, buts its the type of song I don't want to hear from U2. They do so much so well, these kind of fast 3 minute rock songs is not their strength and I wish they would stop trying. They wreak of old men trying to stay relevant, and its getting a little ridiculous. I really hope they embrace the more quiet meditative path they keep talking about with SOA. They are much better at it, and it suits them now.
Lyrics
I just want to add that the people getting on their high horses over other people's opinions of pop lyrics are a little silly. They are pop lyrics -- pop poetry, if you will -- and they are to serve a song, nothing more. I have my preferences, too, of course, and some lyrics hit me really hard. But to effectively call someone an idiot because they like one album's lyrics more than another is rude and silly. After all, it's not like we're comparing a U2 single to Shelley's 'Hymn to Intellectual Beauty' -- the scale of lyrical quality between one tune and another is always going to be small.
I have nothing against the HTDAAB lyrics at all -- in fact, they're some of my favorite U2 lyrics.
In general, this is what I perceive from the majority of posters on this forum:
-- people like 'arty' songs over 'direct' songs
-- people like 'wordy' lyrics over 'simple'
I'm not going to disagree with anyone, but I will point out that U2 are effectively a post-punk band, and according to that ethos:
-- 'direct' is always better than 'arty'
-- 'simple' is better than 'wordy'
One thing I love about the Atomic Bomb album -- coming after the lusher and more restrained, somewhat too slicky-produced ATYCLB -- is that it ROCKS. It's like a grown-up version of a loud, post-punk band from 1980... which is exactly what U2 were in 2004.
On the other side of the coin, NLOTH is more like a prog-rock album by post-punkers. I still think it's a good album, but I find the lines drawn a bit too weakly, and the melodies are the weakest since Zooropa. It's also the most schizophrenic batch of tunes since Rattle & Hum. Oh, and I agree with the guy who said "I'll Go Crazy if I Type this Fucking Title Again" sounds like a Britney Spears song!
I just want to add that the people getting on their high horses over other people's opinions of pop lyrics are a little silly. They are pop lyrics -- pop poetry, if you will -- and they are to serve a song, nothing more. I have my preferences, too, of course, and some lyrics hit me really hard. But to effectively call someone an idiot because they like one album's lyrics more than another is rude and silly. After all, it's not like we're comparing a U2 single to Shelley's 'Hymn to Intellectual Beauty' -- the scale of lyrical quality between one tune and another is always going to be small.
I have nothing against the HTDAAB lyrics at all -- in fact, they're some of my favorite U2 lyrics.
In general, this is what I perceive from the majority of posters on this forum:
-- people like 'arty' songs over 'direct' songs
-- people like 'wordy' lyrics over 'simple'
I'm not going to disagree with anyone, but I will point out that U2 are effectively a post-punk band, and according to that ethos:
-- 'direct' is always better than 'arty'
-- 'simple' is better than 'wordy'
One thing I love about the Atomic Bomb album -- coming after the lusher and more restrained, somewhat too slicky-produced ATYCLB -- is that it ROCKS. It's like a grown-up version of a loud, post-punk band from 1980... which is exactly what U2 were in 2004.
On the other side of the coin, NLOTH is more like a prog-rock album by post-punkers. I still think it's a good album, but I find the lines drawn a bit too weakly, and the melodies are the weakest since Zooropa. It's also the most schizophrenic batch of tunes since Rattle & Hum. Oh, and I agree with the guy who said "I'll Go Crazy if I Type this Fucking Title Again" sounds like a Britney Spears song!
After 6 months I still think it's a masterpiece.
Magnificent, Unknown caller, White as snow, NLOTH, Moment of surrender, Breathe are brilliant and their live-versions are even better (except for White as snow because the band did not play it on the first leg of the tour)! The rest of the songs from this album are very strong too.
Magnificent, Unknown caller, White as snow, NLOTH, Moment of surrender, Breathe are brilliant and their live-versions are even better (except for White as snow because the band did not play it on the first leg of the tour)! The rest of the songs from this album are very strong too.
Well you said you don't understand why people compare Boots to Vertigo so much. There are three obvious reasons, see above. And while some lines are quasi vaguely interesting in Boots, majority is really on the same silly level as Vertigo. Gasoline/submarine rhyme alone is atrocious.
Re: Vertigo's lyrics - ever heard of the band's "the journey from fear to faith" talk re: Bomb ? The song(s) might make more sense in light of that.
I checked on my i-tunes to see how many times I'd played it on the PC- and it'as in the mid 50's- that doesn't include the actual plays on the ipod or the cd either
I still really like the album- yeah the middle section is a bit out of place with the rest of it, and GOYB was a dsimal choice for lead single (but brilliant live track)
The only track I'm not so keen on is SUC- but that's a small price to pay for the brilliance eslewhere on the album. And the new stuff sounds great live
I still really like the album- yeah the middle section is a bit out of place with the rest of it, and GOYB was a dsimal choice for lead single (but brilliant live track)
The only track I'm not so keen on is SUC- but that's a small price to pay for the brilliance eslewhere on the album. And the new stuff sounds great live
OP
OP
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
They left post-punk 25 years ago. I really do not think U2 can be considered effectively a post-punk band, especially since the most popular albums Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, UF, ATYCLB etc. are nowhere close to that genre. Arty/Poetic lyrics is what suits them and what Bono was best at, in my opinion. RTSS, Promenade, Heartland, UF, UTEOTW, Please etc. are all infinitely better lyrically than stuff like Sometimes or Kite.
vertpomme
Refugee
Overall, I really enjoy the album. However, and I know that
I am in a very small minority in saying this, I don't
think that MOS is that great of a song. It's okay, but, in
the grand scheme of things, I just don't think it is as good
as it could be, especially lyrically. Is it as bad as some of
the tracks off Bomb or ATYCLB? No, but I do feel that it is
a weak point for NLOTH.
I am in a very small minority in saying this, I don't
think that MOS is that great of a song. It's okay, but, in
the grand scheme of things, I just don't think it is as good
as it could be, especially lyrically. Is it as bad as some of
the tracks off Bomb or ATYCLB? No, but I do feel that it is
a weak point for NLOTH.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
You know, I actually agree with you about the one song NO ONE would ever agree with you on: A Man And A Woman.
I genuinely like the lyrics on that song, and the bridge is sublime, rather reminiscent of Pop:Brown eyed girl across the street
On rue Saint Divine
I thought this is the one for me
But she was already mine
You were already mine...
Little sister
I've been sleeping in the street again
Like a stray dog
Little sister
I've been trying to feel complete again
But you're gone and so is God
The soul needs beauty for a soul mate
When the soul wants, the soul waits
Perhaps I'm just a soft touch (lmao), but...
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
This observation would have mirrored reality in 1982. It also would have taken an hour and a half to load.
Ehh, October and a lot of War (see: Drowning Man) moved in a more arty direction, at least lyrically. There are even parts of Boy that really show a strong push more towards arty lyrics.
October might have been more arty on accident, though... a lot of the lyrics were essentially improvised (hello, Brian Eno) intellectual/emotional/spiritual (if there is any different between the three, which I don't think there is) ramblings from Bono.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I was referring to the descriptor "post-punk", not the assertion that post-punk must be straightforward. Although I think that claim is fairly absurd in itself, especially when bands like Joy Division created the genre, a band that never prided itself in its straightforwardness. As far as I'm concerned, artsiness puts the "post" in post-punk.
No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
You know, I actually agree with you about the one song NO ONE would ever agree with you on: A Man And A Woman.
Brown eyed girl across the street
On rue Saint Divine
I thought this is the one for me
But she was already mine
You were already mine...
Little sister
I've been sleeping in the street again
Like a stray dog
Little sister
I've been trying to feel complete again
But you're gone and so is God
The soul needs beauty for a soul mate
When the soul wants, the soul waits
Perhaps I'm just a soft touch (lmao), but...
Fool, I love this song.
Oh, then you're absolutely correct.
thelaj
Refugee
For me, NLOTH is a category 2 U2 album, falling after the mighty duo of AB & TJT... Sometimes Pop reaches those heights, else I demote it to the second tier. Either way, NLOTH comes in at #4 from 12 - which is pretty decent showing.
The thing that gets me about NLOTH is when I remember the beach clips and how Breathe and Magnificent used to absolutely soar. I was convinced that Mag. was gonna be my all-time favourite U2 track, but the album version just falls short of a magic 10/10 rating. I actually prefer the Adam K & Soha Mix, as that remix makes it fucking FLY. I really miss the transcendent ending to Breathe as well.
Took me a long time to "get" MoS and I still don't really adore the studio version but live it is on another planet. The heavy guitar, guttural singing and overwhelming darkness make it stellar.
I really like Boots, and have since Day 1... however SUC & Crazy Tonight are definitive mediocrity for me - they avoid the absolute hate I have for some u2 songs though. Unknown Caller had the possibility of being really good, but I can't stand the over-use of that Walk On guitar sound so I rate it 3/5 on my iTunes.
Cedars of Lebanon is my hidden gem on the album, wonderful.
1. Achtung Baby
2. The Joshua Tree
3. Pop
4. No Line on The Horizon
5. All That You Can't Leave Behind
6. Zooropa
7. The Unforgettable Fire
8. War
9. Boy
10. October
11. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
12. Rattle & Hum
The thing that gets me about NLOTH is when I remember the beach clips and how Breathe and Magnificent used to absolutely soar. I was convinced that Mag. was gonna be my all-time favourite U2 track, but the album version just falls short of a magic 10/10 rating. I actually prefer the Adam K & Soha Mix, as that remix makes it fucking FLY. I really miss the transcendent ending to Breathe as well.
Took me a long time to "get" MoS and I still don't really adore the studio version but live it is on another planet. The heavy guitar, guttural singing and overwhelming darkness make it stellar.
I really like Boots, and have since Day 1... however SUC & Crazy Tonight are definitive mediocrity for me - they avoid the absolute hate I have for some u2 songs though. Unknown Caller had the possibility of being really good, but I can't stand the over-use of that Walk On guitar sound so I rate it 3/5 on my iTunes.
Cedars of Lebanon is my hidden gem on the album, wonderful.
1. Achtung Baby
2. The Joshua Tree
3. Pop
4. No Line on The Horizon
5. All That You Can't Leave Behind
6. Zooropa
7. The Unforgettable Fire
8. War
9. Boy
10. October
11. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
12. Rattle & Hum
I really love No Line on the Horizon. For me it's their third best album after Achtung Baby and Pop.
The first four and the last four tracks are just great. My two favourites are Unknown Caller and Fez-Being Born. I can't choose between them. I even like the middle three, especially Boots but they just don't fit the album. So I'm a little dissapointed with the album because I'm sure they had better songs than Crazy and SUC.
But they're probably saving them for SOA and I'm eally excited about that album! But I just think that NLOTH could have really been their best album if they had made different choices (not so commercial). Now I hope that SOA will be the album that NLOTH was meant to be.
But I still love NLOTH and I still listen to it a lot.
The first four and the last four tracks are just great. My two favourites are Unknown Caller and Fez-Being Born. I can't choose between them. I even like the middle three, especially Boots but they just don't fit the album. So I'm a little dissapointed with the album because I'm sure they had better songs than Crazy and SUC.
But they're probably saving them for SOA and I'm eally excited about that album! But I just think that NLOTH could have really been their best album if they had made different choices (not so commercial). Now I hope that SOA will be the album that NLOTH was meant to be.
But I still love NLOTH
and I still listen to it a lot.mirrorballman12
The Fly
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2009
- Messages
- 88
At first I was a little skeptical of the album and did not really get it. After several listens I have a greater apprteciation of all the songs, and I find the album to be remarkable. I agree with some people's comments about Boots. It really is not a bad song, people were probably just expecting something a little more different; ie vertigo or Cobl (which I love). NLOTH ranks probably fifth or sixth in the extensive U2 catalogue. Reading other threads it seems the songs on NLOTH are better live which was the case with The Unforgettable Fire. The two songs that really make NLOTH exceptional are MOS and NLOTH. Look forward to seeing them Sept. 24. 
Thoughts about NLOTH six months later; actually mine are about the same as the week of release (rare for me to say about a U2 album). Here we go on another long rant, I'm sure.
First, the cons:
1. I've said it before, but why are most of the U2 songs of this decade along the lines of this whole "Human spirit triumphing in times of hardship" theme? Where is the dark energy that created all their best albums in the 90's?
2. In an album that is supposedly going into new territory, why does the Edge rarely stray away from the same old jangly delay effect that we've been hearing for about the last 10 years? The man needs to step outside the box a little; he's right in his comfort zone for most of this record.
3. Again, in an album that is supposedly going into new territory, why do you lead off with a single that is more or less Vertigo part II? (side note: not knockin' the song, I actually like it quite a bit, but it's beside the point).
4. New direction, huh? Why include two songs that fit right at home in your last album (Stand up comedy and Crazy Tonight)? My theory is they are too afraid to stray too far these days. These songs both feel like they were included as an afterthought in order to have a "safety net" in the album in case the more experimental side wasn't embraced; instead, causing the album to feel very "torn" between two sides of the fence, in turn giving the album no real cohesiveness or identity unlike all the other U2 albums.
5. Eno - is he mellowing out as he gets older? I mean, everything you hear of his influence on this album sounds a little too cheerful and/or church-y for me. I know the idea was hymns for the future, but come on guys, please tone-down the "we're saving the world through our music" idea. Although Eno had the right idea when he said they should have included "Winter" on the album (as much as I hate to admit it sounds like Coldplay (except ten times better than Viva la Vida )).
6. Moment of Surrender - hype, hype, and more hype. This is this album's "One"?! Are you kidding me?! It's a song where Bono does a yelling vocal that is almost to the point of being irritating and a chorus that is more boring than "Oh, can't you see what love has done?"...but not more boring than "No, no line on the horizon, no, no line"
7. Weak opener - Doesn't hit hard like the big album openers: "Streets", "Discotheque", "Zooropa", "Zoo Station", "Beautiful Day". The second version of No Line is by far the better version of the song; it actually brings out the experimental sounds a lot more, instead of having them forced down into the mix, creating what is for me a very forgettable U2 song.
8. The number one mistake of NLOTH: Crazy Tonight. Why? Why? Why?
Okay, the Pros:
1. Lot of gems mixed in - Magnificent, Unknown Caller, White as Snow, Breathe, and Cedars. All amazing songs.
2. Did I mention Unknown Caller? - A song with all the typical U2 sounds in it, but as a whole, not typical at all. This song is pure brilliance; gives me the chills every time and the Eno/Lanois/Bono/Edge chant-style chorus is nothing short of amazing.
3. Hope that this is a transition album into something more "out there" and truly more experimental. This album feels more like a modern "Unforgettable Fire" (which is the only U2 album I rank lower than NLOTH); which means it could give way to something incredible. If Songs of Ascent includes Winter, and whatever song it is that plays in that Electronic Press Kit from the tour, then it is already a far superior album.
4. Highly listenable - for all its quirks, it is still a U2 album and it gets a good playing from front to back at least once a month or so.
Overall: Simply feels like the band carried over too much of what they could have left behind onto this album (pun intended). This stage is very crucial for U2, I think. They either shake it off and truly venture into new uncharted territory, or they bounce back into their safety zone and produce more sequels to ATYCLB the rest of their career and more or less just settle in and ride the rest of their careers out on auto-pilot with a few remarkable songs here and there, but no real monster albums. Either way, they will probably still remain my favorite band and I'll be loyal 'til the end.
First, the cons:
1. I've said it before, but why are most of the U2 songs of this decade along the lines of this whole "Human spirit triumphing in times of hardship" theme? Where is the dark energy that created all their best albums in the 90's?
2. In an album that is supposedly going into new territory, why does the Edge rarely stray away from the same old jangly delay effect that we've been hearing for about the last 10 years? The man needs to step outside the box a little; he's right in his comfort zone for most of this record.
3. Again, in an album that is supposedly going into new territory, why do you lead off with a single that is more or less Vertigo part II? (side note: not knockin' the song, I actually like it quite a bit, but it's beside the point).
4. New direction, huh? Why include two songs that fit right at home in your last album (Stand up comedy and Crazy Tonight)? My theory is they are too afraid to stray too far these days. These songs both feel like they were included as an afterthought in order to have a "safety net" in the album in case the more experimental side wasn't embraced; instead, causing the album to feel very "torn" between two sides of the fence, in turn giving the album no real cohesiveness or identity unlike all the other U2 albums.
5. Eno - is he mellowing out as he gets older? I mean, everything you hear of his influence on this album sounds a little too cheerful and/or church-y for me. I know the idea was hymns for the future, but come on guys, please tone-down the "we're saving the world through our music" idea. Although Eno had the right idea when he said they should have included "Winter" on the album (as much as I hate to admit it sounds like Coldplay (except ten times better than Viva la Vida )).
6. Moment of Surrender - hype, hype, and more hype. This is this album's "One"?! Are you kidding me?! It's a song where Bono does a yelling vocal that is almost to the point of being irritating and a chorus that is more boring than "Oh, can't you see what love has done?"...but not more boring than "No, no line on the horizon, no, no line"
7. Weak opener - Doesn't hit hard like the big album openers: "Streets", "Discotheque", "Zooropa", "Zoo Station", "Beautiful Day". The second version of No Line is by far the better version of the song; it actually brings out the experimental sounds a lot more, instead of having them forced down into the mix, creating what is for me a very forgettable U2 song.
8. The number one mistake of NLOTH: Crazy Tonight. Why? Why? Why?
Okay, the Pros:
1. Lot of gems mixed in - Magnificent, Unknown Caller, White as Snow, Breathe, and Cedars. All amazing songs.
2. Did I mention Unknown Caller? - A song with all the typical U2 sounds in it, but as a whole, not typical at all. This song is pure brilliance; gives me the chills every time and the Eno/Lanois/Bono/Edge chant-style chorus is nothing short of amazing.
3. Hope that this is a transition album into something more "out there" and truly more experimental. This album feels more like a modern "Unforgettable Fire" (which is the only U2 album I rank lower than NLOTH); which means it could give way to something incredible. If Songs of Ascent includes Winter, and whatever song it is that plays in that Electronic Press Kit from the tour, then it is already a far superior album.
4. Highly listenable - for all its quirks, it is still a U2 album and it gets a good playing from front to back at least once a month or so.
Overall: Simply feels like the band carried over too much of what they could have left behind onto this album (pun intended). This stage is very crucial for U2, I think. They either shake it off and truly venture into new uncharted territory, or they bounce back into their safety zone and produce more sequels to ATYCLB the rest of their career and more or less just settle in and ride the rest of their careers out on auto-pilot with a few remarkable songs here and there, but no real monster albums. Either way, they will probably still remain my favorite band and I'll be loyal 'til the end.
OP
OP
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
I agree with all of the above! But you have to realize that the typical Edgey chime and delay is not only on Crazy Tonight, it is on Unknown Caller as well. Of course, that solo on UC and the amazing verses redeem the song. And yes, Boots is pretty much Vertigo II. Why would you use that as opening single for an album you have repeatedly hyped up in the media as exploring new territory???
This is where I strongly disagree with you! MOS is pretty much the best song on the album for me, if not for the whole damn decade. Never a dull moment in that song. Even the way the second verse is changed for the "rhythm of my soul, rhythm of my consciousness" part is just brilliant and keeps the listener interested, in my opinion. And such a sexy groove too! Eno's production FTW! Also, how could you compare the banal "oh can't you see" (reminds me of that Delilah song "oh it's what you do to me") with lines from MOS? WITS is bland sappy shit compared to this beauty of a song! Anyway, to each their own.I'm 99% sure that is what will happen. Even though I enjoy NLOTH a lot and have to say that my confidence in this band has gone up now after the boring last album, they still do not seem to have the balls to go all the way. They still feel the need to include a safety net in songs like the middle 3 of NLOTH. So it seems that they will never make an album that's completely out there and new.
This.
ultraviolet353
War Child
I think MOS is good/great, but I also think it is the most overrated U2 song ever. I know the band loves it--Bono basically pleaded with the audience on opening night (I think it was) "This is a beautiful song..." Why would he need to say that? The song is too linear, with no build, no crescendo--just a straight line beginning to end--lacks the signature all U2 masterpieces have, IMO.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
You never listened past the 6 minute mark then?
The last minute is by far the best part of the song IMO.ultraviolet353
War Child
I have--There is some keyboard that creeps in briefly that is subtle and nice, but it is the same rhythm as the beginning of the song--There is no crescendo. If the ooooo's were the crescendo they should be backed up with more urgent instrumentation, IMO.
It would be if SYCMIYO (a REAL masterpiece) didn't have it's crescendo ("reason I sing..operain me"...or Edges impassioned guitar)--it wouldn't be a masterpiece.
Personally I like the beginning of MOS much better because it hints at something big, but never delivers--the song sputters--to me, it seems like it's missing something--With the exception of a mellow guitar solo, the song seems to feel the same throughout beginning ,middle and end.
It would be if SYCMIYO (a REAL masterpiece) didn't have it's crescendo ("reason I sing..operain me"...or Edges impassioned guitar)--it wouldn't be a masterpiece.
Personally I like the beginning of MOS much better because it hints at something big, but never delivers--the song sputters--to me, it seems like it's missing something--With the exception of a mellow guitar solo, the song seems to feel the same throughout beginning ,middle and end.
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