not sure if i agree with this statement because i don't think it was ever the band's intention for HTDAAB to be a widly innovative album. i remember them saying that it would be very guitar driven, which it accomplished.
I don't think it was supposed to be innovative at all. My recollections of the Bonohype (tm) on the album, having the Engineer of the Beatles producing, the Boy-centric songs on the tour, the punkish album cover and some other things was that this was supposed to be a gritty album, a punk album and the first beach clip, ABOY kind of lent itself to this.. But when we got the finished product, it was just a slightly darker ATYCLB.
In so many places keyboards were added (cobl, cumbs,) accoustic guitar parts added to what appeared to be hard rock songs (aboy, lapoe), ATYCLB leftovers inserted (MD, OOTS) and songs that seem totally out of place added late (AWAAW, Yahweh, Fast Cars), and some of the grittier songs dropped entirely (Mercy, X&W) it really left the album without much of an identity and it's really what makes it a failure.
There's some excellent songs on the album (Vert, Sometimes, COBL) that fit kind of what I at least was expecting but the collection as a whole seems a bit watered down from what they're cabable of, and maybe even what they started with and maybe a bit cop out as well. I'm not degrading the songs themselves, just the album.
Based on the strengths of the individual stand out songs, I rate the album high personally,
Josh
AB
NLOTH
HTDAAB
but it's the only album that I don't listen to without cherry picking.