Initial thoughts...
1. No Line... very atmospheric, the verses sound interesting, the chorus will need to be elaborated on and expanded out later in the song for it to be considered a great song, at this stage I would call this song innovative and experimental, and that definitely goes for the chorus from what we have heard so far... has a very strong aura not of Achtung, but in fact of The Unforgettable Fire (the album), reminds me a lot of Wire or Indian Summer Sky, very experimental sounds, eerie... Very Eno...
2. Magnificent... does what is says on the tin.... Magnificent is as Magnificent does, clearly at this stage, the stand out, based on the 30 second clips... beautifully fast paced, deliciously drummed, shimmering rock music the likes of which no one is playing in the world at the moment, a real blend of 80s and 90s U2 at their best... real U2, not "classic", just the real deal U2 rock band from Ireland that we haven't heard enough of since Achtung Baby.... please let this be the direction of their next triumvirate of albums
3. Moment of Surrender... the 30 second clip sounds promising and yes, I agree with the So Cruel comparisons... you can already tell the song will have a beautiful, melodic, lounge-like arrangement.... I really like what I hear so far, I like the atmosphere and the tune and the style... sounds really relaxing, yes, like some of the best moments on Achtung, Zooropa, Passengers and Pop... for some reason I keep thinking of "Evidence" by Faith No More, due to its lounge style... the other 6.5 minutes could be anything, but any song recorded in one take and considered by the band plus Eno and Lanois to be good enough to go straight to the record, must be good....
4. Unknown Caller... nice intro and very high pitched vocal from Edge in this 30-second clip... which is nothing like the rest of the song... I can't wait for it to morph into the beach clip we know and love... I adore the beach clip and the chanting / humming chorus... along with Magnificent, the beach clip in my opinion feels like "real U2"... the spirit is in the air!
5. Crazy Tonight.... this does not capture me so far, I sincerely hope there is much, much more to the song and the sounds than what we hear in the 30 second clip... and I hope none of what we have heard is the chorus... maybe I am being harsh with only a 30 second listen, but this just does not grab me at all... in fact so far I'd have to say this sounds like one of those rare U2 songs I am repelled from listening to! I would encourage U2 to ditch plans to make this the next single... I can smell the badly chosen singles of Pop and the disastrous effect it had on record sales with Crazy.... sounds out of place given the good start to the album we have just had...
6. Boots - as per my previous review of the single, I can't raise Boots much past 6/10... U2 should have written this with three "You don't know how beautiful you are" choruses rather than two... a third one at the end would have added more substance to the song, which sounds throw-away with just two choruses... As has been the case since "Pop", the first single is nothing like the rest of the album...
7. Stand Up - see my comments above on Crazy Tonight, only maybe a bit more innovative and less candy floss and ice cream... I hope it starts to rock harder as it twists and turns, sounds strangely soft... The funkiness is nice, but I need to hear more to be able to make any further comments... I am starting to think this album is more in the direction of the "third part of the 00s trilogy" rather than a new direction or a step back to "Achtung" era sounds...
8. FEZ / Being Born - these songs could be the saviour of the album, steering it back towards innovation, new sounds, trippier, crunchier drums and tastier guitars and bizarre melodies and musical directions... don't hear enough to be able to say for sure, but perhaps the album is going to be the start of a new direction after all...
9. White as Snow - back to stripped down, back to basics.... hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... I have never been a huge fan of the slower, acoustic balads... But I have read reports that this song undergoes total transitions and changes and really ramps up the rock as it evolves... I hope so because it sounds a bit sad and depressing, and it can't keep up the sadness without adding intensity as it builds up...
10. Breathe - I agree with Eno that this is one of their best song's of all time... just as I was getting worried that the second half of the album was fading out not with a bang but with a whimper, along comes this scortcher to revive me... I find it intriguing that Breathe is buried at #10... this could quite easily go up the pecking order and sit in the first half of the album, or smack-bang in the middle... the 30 second clip sounds fantastic, and for those who have heard the beach clip... wait til you hear the chorus... and when you hear it reserve judgement and listen to it about five times in a row... you will want to be there inside the record singing backing vocals with Edge, Eno and Lanois... a strong song to almost wrap up the record... and
11. Cedars - well, I actually can't say anything, the 30-second clip has not given anything away, I am actually unable, at this time, to form any judgement... funnily enough, I had a similar experience with Yahweh on Atomic Bomb... could not get a handle on the early stages of the song, had to listen many times to actually get it and get the melody and structure sorted out in my head... hopefully this will be as good as Yahweh, which I love.
Well, I can't wait to hear the whole album, I look forward to going back and revising my opinions when the story of No Line On The Horizon starts to unfold...
This is an awesome take. Here are my opinions, not much unlike yours:
1. NLOTH- This captured me immediately. I am relieved to hear them dodge the "big poppy opener" card on this one for something more sedate and ephemeral. Big fan so far....
2. Magnificent- Spectacular layering, REALLY hope we hear that big beach clip chorus kick in, as well as that outro by the Edge that was so memorable. Great 2 track run so far.
3. MOS- Too tough to judge, but I can feel the anticipation in there just from this. I hope it builds into something large, because the next track needs a heavy foot to kick into it...
4. UC- If like the beach clip, I dig it. Tonally, I am not sure I like that Edge vocal in the beginning, as it reminds me of some of the (no offense) absolutely ridiculous and downright comical bells and whistles Lillywhite added to HTDAAB. I pray we're not going there again....
5. Crazy Tonight- I don't get this one. Is this U2's "Mother" a la The Police on "Synchronicity"? It doesn't seem to fit here at all, and unless I'm hearing the bridge here (which I think we are) it seems like a weak track.
6. Boots- Here for a reason, and I look forward to finding out why. Safe first single, too clean in my opinion, but I wasn't expecting to love something with that title anyway. Solid, tolerable song.
7. Stand Up- If this is Zeppelin, then I look like Brad Pitt. The best part of it so far is the blusey-ness Edge seems to be showing, which really shines out in this one. Promising.
8. Fez/BB- Like it. So far, I think this is a "reboot" to a darker, more downer "second act" of the album, reflected by some of the lyrics and as one other poster mentioned, Bono's singing style (more spoken word, etc.). Interesting, and nice to seem them tinkering.
9. White as Snow- Definitely what I heard, based on that. And this does build up. That piano track we heard Eno playing shows up here at the end. I already liked this one, and now is no different. Great. As I mentioned then and now, this could have easily been on MDH soundtrack.
10. Breathe- Fantastic. Unlike most of you, I like the additional sound elements, as well as the "These days" part. It breaks up a very choppy verse structure and leads into a melodic chorus, also leaving the band space to come back "in time" at that. Really dig it so far, and hope it keeps up.
11. Cedars of Lebanon- Jury's out. But I like the sedate ending with a sedate opening. (EDITORS NOTE: Ends where it started, you see, like there was no line on the horizon.......ahhh, these men are geniuses!). Depending on the mood set by the rest of the band by this one, could be the perfect ending.
FIRST TAKE- I like it. So far. When I first heard "Bomb", I listened to "OOTS", "Vertigo", and "A Man and a Woman", and skipped through the other ones. I did not enjoy it. With ATYCLB, I listened a couple times, then became track specific. Same with Pop. This is the first album since Zooropa I am compelled to take as one, collective "sound" needing to be heard all at once. I like that, and hope that is actually how it translates with the full record.
Just one man's opinion....
I wish i have did the same! Where is my self control???????????
........and there was that whole drag thing going on with AB eh!
