NLOTH vs. UF

[Catman]

Uh, I've wondered this in text before, but why is everybody comparing the songs based on their track list order? It's completely random.

In my defense, I mentioned how I appreciated NLOTH more just on the basis of being a more "complete" record, then went on to say that, even if I were to rate the two on a purely song vs. song basis, NLOTH would still be victorious. Also, TUF is overrated...

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

tuf, definitely. i consider both albums to be a listening experience essentially, but i don't know. tuf just nails it. the track listing is great, all segues work.

Uh, I've wondered this in text before, but why is everybody comparing the songs based on their track list order? It's completely random.

oh i totally agree. i'm just doing it because it's fun

asoh vs. nloth: a tough one, but asoh just barely wins
pride vs. magnificent: magnificent
wire vs. moment of surrender: wire
the unforgettable fire vs. unknown caller: the unforgettable fire
promenade vs. crazy tonight: uhhh...promenade
4th of july vs. boots: this doesn't even seem fair. i'll give it to 4th of july simply because i can tolerate it more than boots. i never skip 4th of july, yet sometimes i skip boots.
bad vs. stand up comedy: stand up comedy. there, i said it. i hate the studio version of bad.
indian summer sky vs. fez-being born: ooh, this is tough. i'll call a tie.
elvis presley and america vs. white as snow: ELVIS
mlk vs. cedars of lebanon: again, i don't think this is a fair comparison, but i'll go with cedars.

tuf: 6
nloth: 3
plus breathe. so tuf wins out.

 

[AtomicBono]

OK, if all the kids are doing it

No Line > ASOH (yes, really. damn close though.)
Magnificent > Pride
MOS > Wire
UC > UF
Crazy Tonight = Promenade ...two completely different kinds of songs. I listen to Crazy Tonight way more though. so I dunno.
Boots > 4th of July
Bad > SUC
Indian Summer Sky = Fez (I love them both and ISS is criminally underrated)
WAS > EPAA
Breathe/Cedars > MLK

there. NLOTH wins.

 

[gweeps]

UF has 1 crap song on it for me: Elvis Presley and America. NLOTH has 1 crap song: Get On Your Boots.

The title track from NLOTH reminds me of ASOH. Production-wise, I mean.

Overall, I'd probably give UF a slight edge (pun not intended) seeing as it has some classics on it. But NLOTH obviously is their most interesting sounding album in a hell of a long time.

And I'd say UF is the more meditative album. NLOTH has more rock.

Oh, and thematically speaking, Moment of Surrender is NLOTH's Bad.

 

[coolian2]

tuf.

i don't need to compare tracks or anything.

 

[ozeeko]

here's the songs off UF that nothing on NLOTH will beat out:

ASOH, Pride, Wire, TUF, Bad

here's the songs off NLOTH that nothing on UF will beat out:

....uh that's where it gets tricky for me. I don't think any of the best songs off NLOTH (that is - title track, Magnificent, MOS, Fez, WAS, COL )- trump any of the best songs off UF.

Was that a little too convoluted for some?

I'll play fair tho:

I definitely think MOS, Fez and WAS beat out EPAA, ISS, MLK, Promenade, 4th of July.

But with those songs matched against UF's best tunes, no matter what order or what-have-you...UF comes out as the winner.

Also, further points go to UF for being a more cohesive album.

 

[roy]

here's the songs off UF that nothing on NLOTH will beat out:

ASOH, Pride, Wire, TUF, Bad

here's the songs off NLOTH that nothing on UF will beat out:

....uh that's where it gets tricky for me. I don't think any of the best songs off NLOTH (that is - title track, Magnificent, MOS, Fez, WAS, COL )- trump any of the best songs off UF.

Was that a little too convoluted for some?

I'll play fair tho:

I definitely think MOS, Fez and WAS beat out EPAA, ISS, MLK, Promenade, 4th of July.

But with those songs matched against UF's best tunes, no matter what order or what-have-you...UF comes out as the winner.

Also, further points go to UF for being a more cohesive album.

Do you really rate Wire that highly? It's always seemed quite an average song to me. In fact Wire, Indian Summer Sky, Elvis & MLK are all pretty boring IMO.

 

[Salome]

I love Unforgettable Fire
2nd favourite U2 album and all
but I don't think the album is really as cohesive as some people make it out to be

after Promenade it seems to change it's mind on where to go every song
quite intentionally so with 4th of July - Bad
but to my ears less intentionally so with Indian Summer Sky - EPAA - MLK

though less cohesive in its sound No line actually feels more cohesive as an album to me

 

[ozeeko]

Do you really rate Wire that highly? It's always seemed quite an average song to me. In fact Wire, Indian Summer Sky, Elvis & MLK are all pretty boring IMO.

Yes, without a doubt.

"Wire" is something you don't find very often with U2 - it's them jamming. The sound is what makes the song, if you get hung up on the lyrics it's gonna be disapointing. With everything Boy-UF, i think the sound was the main idea for the songs, not the lyrics. As I've said b4, i don't think Bono came into his own until JT with lyrics. On War he had some good moments, so did he on UF, but JT is really where he took off. So on UF, i just ignore the lyrics, not to mention Bono is singing unintelligably, so it's not that hard to just listen to the music. While Bad and RTSS and MOS are lyrically definitely about heroin, i think Wire hits it home the most MUSICALLy as far as capturing a character gripped by the horrors of heroin. I like the loose rhythmic drive they got goin, plus The Edge takes his echoing guitar to the full max. It's a musical masterpiece. Maybe not a traditional song in the way that "One" is a traditional song, but i'm just judging it by it's overall musical presentation. Much in the same way i love 4th of July, it's not really a song, but as a piece of music i think it's brilliant. I think a lot of the times people are too narrowminded by what they believe a song oughta be, based on some prerequisite, like containing an audible hook and verses and middle 8's that rhyme and serve the overall foundation of the "song". That's what i love about UF, because it's more of a sound painting than anything else. Easy hooks aren't really anywhere to be found. You just gotta get lost in the sound. I suggest you do the same.

As for ISS, MLK and EPAA - i already stated that they're the weakest links on that album, but still i enjoy them immensely within the context of this record. I feel that the UF definitely has a cohesive sound. If you wanna say that after Bad the record goes astray, then alright, that's your opinion, but at least it does that towards the very end of the album instead of halfway thru in the way that NLOTH does.

 

[standrums]

In my defense, I mentioned how I appreciated NLOTH more just on the basis of being a more "complete" record, then went on to say that, even if I were to rate the two on a purely song vs. song basis, NLOTH would still be victorious. Also, TUF is overrated...

It's funny how opinions differ as I would say both AB and JT are overrated and UF and NLOTH are underrated.
I also think that UF and NLOTH are better albums than both AB and JT and, while I'm on it, Zooropa is also a better album than AB and JT. I suppose it's all subjective.

Swings and roundabouts and all that...

 

[Aardvark747]

nloth. done.

 

[zwervers2]

The unforgettable Fire hands down.

NLOTH is a good album, UF is a great album.
Songs like Pride who are so overplayed it is not even funny anymore are milestones and NLOTH doesnt have those. Nice songs, not instant classics.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[mikal]

I love Unforgettable Fire
2nd favourite U2 album and all
but I don't think the album is really as cohesive as some people make it out to be

after Promenade it seems to change it's mind on where to go every song
quite intentionally so with 4th of July - Bad
but to my ears less intentionally so with Indian Summer Sky - EPAA - MLK

though less cohesive in its sound No line actually feels more cohesive as an album to me

i agree. i really think putting Love Comes Tumbling in between Indian Summer and EPAA would have made this album even better.

 

[standrums]

The unforgettable Fire hands down.

NLOTH is a good album, UF is a great album.
Songs like Pride who are so overplayed it is not even funny anymore are milestones and NLOTH doesnt have those. Nice songs, not instant classics.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Let's talk about this in 10 years...

 

[RedRocksU2]

Nice songs, not instant classics.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I disagree. Lots of instant classics for me in NLOTH.

Have a great one.

 

[bram]

I need to speak up before this Wire love gets out of control. Wire is the worst song on UF hands down. If one of the great b-sides from that period replaced it, UF could very well be my favorite U2 album. The lyrics are embarrassing, the music is one-dimensional, and it doesn't fit in with the rest of the record. At all. It severely weakens what could otherwise be the best first 4 songs of any album. Anyone who dislikes Unknown Caller because of the lyrics is not allowed to like Wire:

I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm on right track
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope

I don't hate Wire, but it's definitely in my bottom 30 U2 songs.

 

[mikal]

I need to speak up before this Wire love gets out of control. Wire is the worst song on UF hands down. If one of the great b-sides from that period replaced it, UF could very well be my favorite U2 album. The lyrics are embarrassing, the music is one-dimensional, and it doesn't fit in with the rest of the record. At all. It severely weakens what could otherwise be the best first 4 songs of any album. Anyone who dislikes Unknown Caller because of the lyrics is not allowed to like Wire:

I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm on right track
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope

I don't hate Wire, but it's definitely in my bottom 30 U2 songs.

but it wasn't cool to hate Bono's lyrics back then.

 

[U2girl]

ASOH NLOTH
Pride Magnificent
Wire MOS
TUF UC
Promenade Crazy
4 of july = Boots Don't care much about either of these two.
Bad SUC
ISS FEZ
Elvis WAS
MLK Cedars

 

[bram]

but it wasn't cool to hate Bono's lyrics back then.

Haha seriously. It's sad, but I actually feel like I need to defend the supposedly "terrible" lyrics of the 00s by pointing out comparable lyrics from the 80s. None of Bono's lyrics really bug me, but I think people are just so used to the older lyrics that they don't realize some of the serious weaknesses in them--probably because they are different weaknesses. A lot of people despise Bono's more specific and original lyrics (ABOY, MD, UC) while they have no problem with the general, vague banalities from the 80s (I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down the walls...).

 

[xtrmx]

oh lists again

ASOH NLOTH - NLOTH2 would've come close, but not this version.
Pride Magnificent - Can't really choose between those, went for the great guitar in mgnft.
Wire MOS
TUF UC - Very easy. I get tired putting on UC knowing that I have to wait at least 1,5 mins before the song kicks in, only to hear a worse Walk On. TUF is a classic.
Promenade Crazy - To bad these songs match up this list. I really love Promenade but I love crazy a little bit more. Right now at least.
4 of july -Get On your Boots
Bad SUC - My #1 U2 song, nothing can beat that.
ISS FEZ FeZ-beingborn is a pretty cool song.
Elvis WAS - Cool, UF and NLOTH contain my #1 and my #last song; was.
MLK Cedars
Breathe wouldn't beat any song. I always thought it was going to be great having heard the beachclips and all. Turns out it doesn't interest me a single bit. I guess it's because of the cockatoo, the htdaab style guitars, the very very badly sung "these dayyyyys", the boring melody, the...oh well, at least there must be something wrong.

UF has songs like Bad/pride/ASOH and TUF. All classics for me and the only song that can almost match those is magnificent. I don't know, NLOTH for me feels even more of a "collection of songs" than HTDAAB did, rather than a dense atmospheric album like UF. It misses more great songs. NLOTH2 instead of 1 and Winter instead of WaS maybe would've made this good album into a great one.

 

[mikal]

quick question about the tracklist comparisons:

why does anyone do them?

 

[bram]

quick question about the tracklist comparisons:

why does anyone do them?

Yeah, they don't make sense. Everyone needs to put down their left brain for a few minutes, relax, and repeat: "this is not how to meaningfully compare albums."

 

[roy]

ASOH NLOTH
Pride Magnificent
Wire MOS
TUF UC
Promenade Crazy
4 of july = Boots Don't care much about either of these two.
Bad SUC
ISS FEZ
Elvis WAS
MLK Cedars

l agree. NLOTH is a such a great album, which for a band going over 30 years is truely unique.

 

[Niceman]

I've given up trying to decide which is U2's best album. I just see there being 3 levels of U2 albums: Best, great, and good.

Best: Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, No Line on the Horizon
Great: Unforgettable Fire, Pop, Boy, Rattle and Hum, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
Good: October, War, Zooropa, Passengers, All That You Can't Leave Behind

So, yes, for me right now, NLOTH beats UF, but not by a huge amount. They're both fantastic work!

 

[Chill Mike D]

ASOH > NLOTH
Pride < Magnificent
Wire < MOS
TUF > Unknown Caller
Promenade >>> CT
4th of July > Boots
Bad >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SUC
ISS < FBB
EPAA >>> WAS
MLK < Cedars

LCT > Breathe
3 Sunrises > Winter


Unforgettable Fire wins 8 to 4

 

[digitize]

I'll to a track-by-track comparison, for grins...

ASOH vs NLOTH - ASOH
Pride vs Magnificent - Magnificent, by lightyears
Wire vs Moment of Surrender - Moment of Surrender
The Unforgettable Fire vs Unknown Caller - Tie
Crazy Tonight vs Promenade - hmm... Krazy Tonite.
Boots vs 4th of July - Boots
Bad vs Stand Up Comedy - Bad. Anyone who says SUC here fails miserably.
Indian Summer Sky vs Fez - FEZ.
EPAA vs White as Snow - White as Snow.
Cedars or Breathe vs MLK - Cedars or Breathe

That makes it:
TUF: 2
Tie: 1
NLOTH: 7

Yeah.

 

[ahittle]

I got TUF when it came out. I was 12 years old and it was my introduction to the band, and really into better music in general. It was a coming of age. I didn't really even have words to describe how the music made me feel.

Rationally, I can pick TUF apart now, but nothing will ever ever match my experience of listening to that record with headphones over and over as a pre-teen.

I listen to NLOTH in the car or at home while my two brilliant chatty kids are buzzing away with their own lives. There is no way that this album, as good as it is, could ever burrow its way into my psyche like TUF did.

 

[jphelmet]

I got TUF when it came out. I was 12 years old and it was my introduction to the band, and really into better music in general. It was a coming of age. I didn't really even have words to describe how the music made me feel.

Rationally, I can pick TUF apart now, but nothing will ever ever match my experience of listening to that record with headphones over and over as a pre-teen.

I listen to NLOTH in the car or at home while my two brilliant chatty kids are buzzing away with their own lives. There is no way that this album, as good as it is, could ever burrow its way into my psyche like TUF did.

sounds like my experience exactly, even down to the two kids.

 

[ozeeko]

I need to speak up before this Wire love gets out of control. Wire is the worst song on UF hands down. If one of the great b-sides from that period replaced it, UF could very well be my favorite U2 album. The lyrics are embarrassing, the music is one-dimensional, and it doesn't fit in with the rest of the record. At all. It severely weakens what could otherwise be the best first 4 songs of any album. Anyone who dislikes Unknown Caller because of the lyrics is not allowed to like Wire:

I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm on right track
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope

I don't hate Wire, but it's definitely in my bottom 30 U2 songs.

The lyrics on Wire, like much of the stuff on the October album, were made up on the spot. The whole album was an experiment. Bono didn't focus too much on lyrics then. Plus, Eno was never into lyrics and he kinda persuaded Bono to just sing whatever came to him, he was more interested in the sound of the singing and the sound of the words than the overall meaning or message.

How does this song not fit with the rest of the album? It's got the trademark atmospheric, ethereal UF sound!

When i listen to Wire, i'm just listening to Bono as if he's just another instrument.

I laugh when you guys try to dissect Bono's lyrics in the early albums. HE WAS STILL LEARNING! And Wire shouldn't even be scrutinized one bit when it comes to lyrics, because Bono was just making shit up on the fly!

People are harder on Bono when it comes to his most recent lyrics because he has proven in the past that he's a great writer! It's foolish to think that he was capable of the same lyrical power in the early 80's as he was in the late 80's and 90's. He grew up at some point! He read more! Should we start making fun of the early Beatle's lyrics because they're too simplistic and poppy? They were what they were, and gradually their lyrics got more complex and adventurous!

 

[YBORCITY]

While I saw U2 firstly on the War Tour, TUF solidified for me the U2 nut I have become. So I really must say that TUF would rank higher for me. The Album was kinda a soundtrack for myself and all of my friends in High School it may have been because it was during formative teenage years although obviously being such a fan when TJT hit was alot of fun too.

They would really have to go a long way to beat TUF for me personally.