In a way the album is closer to the type of emotional journey the concerts take you on in that it has three different sections that take you through different moods or emotions.
Whether they could have done something greater is kind of subjective too, because what some would consider greater or better wouldn't necessarily accomplish what they want to accomplish. I think that too many forget that the band has a definite purpose in mind other than simply producing something to listen to. Their goal has always been to communicate, to open hearts and minds. That is their main focus and will always take precedence over any musical aspects.
A couple of things:
1. I think the real argument here, that's being debated, is whether or not it's good as an album. An album can have an emotional journey, but the songs can be uncohesive (sp?) or not fit together right. I think CT is a really well performed and written song. Good songs do not a good album make. Ideally, all the songs are great as well, but CT and SUC (for me) compromise the mood of the album. I would gladly listen to the song on the radio. But when I pop in NLOTH, I will skip those songs every time. Because that's where the reinvention falls flat. We can argue whether the album format is best anymore - a good argument to have - but they put out an album, so that's what we judge it against, right?
2. I would love to know the consistent emotional journey you see on this album. Because just talking about love and struggle doesn't make it an emotional journey for me, it needs to be told in a moving and compelling way, and part of that is showing it to me in a way I haven't heard before. If every romance movie that came out was a near shot-for-shot remake of Gone with the Wind (likely a bad example, but go along with it), I'd be bored as hell. I don't think, in terms of an emotional journey, that NLOTH pulls it off. Because there is real depth and complication of emotion, up until track five, where it's all happy-go-lucky YEAH! sentiment. That DESTROYS the journey in a significant way. Once again, see WOWY - seems like it's about love, not really a love song. At best a longing song, but even that is complicated. "I can't live, with or without you," says something, whereas "I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tongiht!!!!" says close to nothing.
3. I don't think U2 is ignorant / doesn't care about musical innovation. You can say its subservient to the meaning, but the music is the vehicle for that meaning, and the band knows that. There was a lot of shit in AB that if played like The Joshua Tree would have felt redundant. However, they had the music, the sonics, to make a case for it. Also, I don't know how a band who breaks their money-getting, people-reaching formula (getting successful with War and Lilywhite, then stopping that and making a comtemplative, oddity little album with Eno and Lanois;; also see chopping down the joshua tree) to avowedly experiment and create fascinating music can be considered to put new-agey, "opening hearts and minds" kinds of concerns over the music. Because FEZ-BB puts the music first, the mood, the style and aesthetics, and I'll be goddamned ifthat doesn't hit me 1000% harder in the heart than CT.