coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
it's still a fucking mile better than the last two pieces of crap they released before it.
Some personal thoughts on No Line On The Horizon, 6 months after release
- Thread starter Zoots
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Trip is like '87 version of Elevation and Vertigo (not that I mind any of the three songs).
OP
OP
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
Trip Through Your Wires is miles better than Top 40 crap like Elevation and Vertigo. Some of you are insane.
Nothing per se, however in the context of JT it's by far the weakest lyric/song, the token dud on their best album.
Musically it's a bad U2 take on American music. It would be better on Rattle and Hum, and Heartland should have taken its place.
The fact that it has no substance.
gvox
Ghost of Love
So Cruel.
BoyOnTheHorizon
Refugee
Here is some considerations about each song on No Line that shows (in my opinion) why this last album just misses the goal of being on par with their best work.
No line: Album version has a fuzzy sound, slow rhythm. Weak chorus. Boring. Sinlge version much nicier sound. Still no Zoo Station or Sort of Homecoming. 4/10
Magnificent: Lazy verses makes what could be a incredible song just a very good song. 8/10
Moment of Surrender: Perhaps the most successiful song on the album, still lacks the sexyness and real passion of With or without you or One. 8.5/10
Unknown Caller: Another song that suffers with lazy verses. Great melody, but never really take off. 7.5/10
Crazy Tonight: Great intro, great verses, great chorus, beautiful solo. Still it doesn't have that everlasting, universal appeal of Beatiful Day or Still Haven't found. 8.5/10
Get on your boots: So much going on here, don't even want to start with it, but... Good riff, nothing special. Irritating vocals, weird chorus. It just doesn't work. 6/10
Stand up Comedy: What a great song it could be. Nice riff, interesting rhythm and vocals, but where did that chorus came from? And what about that pseudo-guitar solo??? 6.5/10
Fez/Being Born: Just a pretentious piece of wanna-be experimental song. Listenable. Nothing more. 5/10
White as Snow: Surprising sweet gem. Nice vocals, beautiful melody. It just doesn't stop your heart. Nothing that they haven't already done before, and better.
Breathe: Strong, even angry statement of a mid 40's rock star. Excellent drums, guitar and bass. The vocals could be even stronger at the choruses. Closest to a real classic they have in this album. 8.5/10
Cedars of Lebanon: Is this even considered a song?? Wonderful tittle, awful music. 2/10
No line: Album version has a fuzzy sound, slow rhythm. Weak chorus. Boring. Sinlge version much nicier sound. Still no Zoo Station or Sort of Homecoming. 4/10
Magnificent: Lazy verses makes what could be a incredible song just a very good song. 8/10
Moment of Surrender: Perhaps the most successiful song on the album, still lacks the sexyness and real passion of With or without you or One. 8.5/10
Unknown Caller: Another song that suffers with lazy verses. Great melody, but never really take off. 7.5/10
Crazy Tonight: Great intro, great verses, great chorus, beautiful solo. Still it doesn't have that everlasting, universal appeal of Beatiful Day or Still Haven't found. 8.5/10
Get on your boots: So much going on here, don't even want to start with it, but... Good riff, nothing special. Irritating vocals, weird chorus. It just doesn't work. 6/10
Stand up Comedy: What a great song it could be. Nice riff, interesting rhythm and vocals, but where did that chorus came from? And what about that pseudo-guitar solo??? 6.5/10
Fez/Being Born: Just a pretentious piece of wanna-be experimental song. Listenable. Nothing more. 5/10
White as Snow: Surprising sweet gem. Nice vocals, beautiful melody. It just doesn't stop your heart. Nothing that they haven't already done before, and better.
Breathe: Strong, even angry statement of a mid 40's rock star. Excellent drums, guitar and bass. The vocals could be even stronger at the choruses. Closest to a real classic they have in this album. 8.5/10
Cedars of Lebanon: Is this even considered a song?? Wonderful tittle, awful music. 2/10
I could see the comparison to Bad in that they're both long songs without a real climax about a drug addict, but So Cruel ?
Maybe the MOS intro is reminiscent of Your blue room a bit, but I don't see anything in U2's past like this modern-day gospel, 7 minute-plus song.
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
How do we debate someone who is 100% wrong? Find another hobby that you actually enjoy.
An Cat Gav
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
it's a shame that you feel like that, i wont criticise you because i feel the same about bomb!
I would have thought that FEZ and cedars were the kind of songs that most of us were praying for, SUC....not so much.
An Cat Gav
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
gman
New Yorker
I have shown my love for Trip many times on this here forum. I adore the song...and love to play it on my bass. Its great fun!
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Well, they're uh....both slow. Good observation, Gabe. By this criteria, it bears resemblance to:
The Ocean
Scarlet
Drowning Man
The Unforgettable Fire
Promenade
Bad
MLK
WOWY
RTSS
Love Rescue Me
Heartland
AIWIY
One
So Cruel
TTTYAATW
Love Is Blindness (this would be my choice, personally)
etc. etc.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
lol, that's what i was thinking!
i hate One too, because it sounds too much like AIWIY, Heartland, and WOWY.
if MOS had a kickass chorus this would be the case. It unfortunately has not. Not to mention the single worst line ever sung by Bono. "even on our weddingday" It sounds like he wants a divorce and I dont think that is the purpose of the lyric
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I love the wedding day line. The ATM machine line is the clunkiest in MOS, but even that one is functional.
The ATM machine line is the clunkiest in MOS, but even that one is functional.Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
The ATM machine line is very strong for me. And yeah, the wedding day line is too. It goes to the heart of what he's talking about; giving yourself, but not really, not really surrendering up until now but holding back.... even on the day when you're supposed to...
And MOS kicks ass on the verse, not the chorus. That's part of the genius. It's inverted!
And MOS kicks ass on the verse, not the chorus. That's part of the genius. It's inverted!
It's fun when somebody writes a halfway interesting and somewhat thought-out post for a change. I'm going to respond point-by-point:
I agree that it's underwhelming... but "4/10"? You're tough. This track to me is sort of meat-and-potatoes U2-by-the-numbers, but with a less interesting melody than usual.
I agree 100%. Still a great track though.
As per my previous comments, I disagree, but I'm fascinated by how much everyone on this forum loves this song. Is the song this popular in the real world (i.e., outside of 'Interference')? I actually thought I must be missing something, so i cranked it up the other day and listened to it carefully... and I still didn't like it.
I like this song. Solid, Tier-two U2 track.
I don't hate this song as much as I did at first, but I still think it's cheese on a stick. I don't know how you can compare to anthems like "Beautiful Day" or "Still Haven't Found", which both have really powerful lyrics... the lyrics to this tune are like something John McCain would have put on his campaign bumper sticker. They make "Vertigo" seem like Shelley. (I do recognize, however, that as you're in Brazil, you may not be an English-speaker nor be arsed about the finer points of the lyrics... and fair enough.)
I agree. This track is like 4 songs awkwardly rolled into one, never forming a shapely whole. I'm still confused by this song, which has no identity. It's just a total non-event.
Not sure what you're on about here. Tier-three U2 song.
I like this track. A bit out of left-field after the preceding two tracks, though.
I really like this song, too. I do find it way overproduced (which could be said about most of the album).
This one continues to get better for me (something about it rubbed me the wrong way at first --- maybe the "travelin' salesman" lyrical approach, which seemed an unnecessary affectation. No amount of cheesy lyrics can ruin that sublime chorus, though. It is great.
Well, we part ways here. I think this track is awesome. A weird and creepy, but perfect closer.
I think my final opinion on this album, now that I'm pretty familiar with it, is that it starts off okay but schizophrenic, gets a bit crappy in the middle, and then ends very well.
Anyway, you have some interesting opinions, even if they're unconventional.
I agree that it's underwhelming... but "4/10"? You're tough. This track to me is sort of meat-and-potatoes U2-by-the-numbers, but with a less interesting melody than usual.
I agree 100%. Still a great track though.
As per my previous comments, I disagree, but I'm fascinated by how much everyone on this forum loves this song. Is the song this popular in the real world (i.e., outside of 'Interference')? I actually thought I must be missing something, so i cranked it up the other day and listened to it carefully... and I still didn't like it.
I like this song. Solid, Tier-two U2 track.
I don't hate this song as much as I did at first, but I still think it's cheese on a stick. I don't know how you can compare to anthems like "Beautiful Day" or "Still Haven't Found", which both have really powerful lyrics... the lyrics to this tune are like something John McCain would have put on his campaign bumper sticker. They make "Vertigo" seem like Shelley. (I do recognize, however, that as you're in Brazil, you may not be an English-speaker nor be arsed about the finer points of the lyrics... and fair enough.)
I agree. This track is like 4 songs awkwardly rolled into one, never forming a shapely whole. I'm still confused by this song, which has no identity. It's just a total non-event.
Not sure what you're on about here. Tier-three U2 song.
I like this track. A bit out of left-field after the preceding two tracks, though.
I really like this song, too. I do find it way overproduced (which could be said about most of the album).
This one continues to get better for me (something about it rubbed me the wrong way at first --- maybe the "travelin' salesman" lyrical approach, which seemed an unnecessary affectation. No amount of cheesy lyrics can ruin that sublime chorus, though. It is great.
Well, we part ways here. I think this track is awesome. A weird and creepy, but perfect closer.
I think my final opinion on this album, now that I'm pretty familiar with it, is that it starts off okay but schizophrenic, gets a bit crappy in the middle, and then ends very well.
Anyway, you have some interesting opinions, even if they're unconventional.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Not to mention the single worst line ever sung by Bono. "even on our weddingday" It sounds like he wants a divorce and I dont think that is the purpose of the lyric
Zwervers, meet irony. Irony, meet zwervers. I think the broken way he delivers that line is completely intentional, and very effective.
Also, I don't know why people are having a hard time seeing the similarities between SC and MOS. They both have a pretty distinct trip-hop beat, which isn't the norm for the band, and feature the narrator at a desperate crisis point, even if the newer song has a more gospel bent.
OP
OP
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
Wow! You give Crazy Tonight an 8.5 and Fez, a 5? Cedars 2???
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (most shitass title in the history of U2 and actually worse than the stupidly banal Love And Peace Or Else) is a good example of what is still wrong with today's U2. I don't hate the song. I don't love it either but it's okay. But I hate that obnoxious title.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
^^^ This.
Salome
you are what you is
that they still do songs with the same intent as Some Days are Better Than Others and Playboy Mansion but now they actually do it a lot better?
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Not to mention the single worst line ever sung by Bono. "even on our weddingday" It sounds like he wants a divorce and I dont think that is the purpose of the lyric
I have asked this to about 4 other people and never got an answer, what about this line makes it the worse line ever? I think it's honestly one of Bono's best.
I'm just curious why the vocal minority hate this line so much...
OP
OP
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
I don't see how it's the same intent.. (especially with Playboy) but anyway, we'll have to agree to disagree here. I think Some Days has got a wickedly catchy beat and the most fun buzzing solo. As for Playboy Mansion, I love that sexy groove and some of the lyrics "then will there be no time..." and the "never bought a lotto ticket/ banks cathedrals.." verse. Crazy Tonight is okay but is quite sugary in the vein of Bomb. It is just not my favourite style of theirs.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
If by "a lot better" you mean "predictable and formulaic", certainly.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Yeah. I'd take those songs any day, lyrically and musically. They never made me cringe.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Which illustrates the entire point of the song, but I guess that doesn't matter if it sounds terrible regardless.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
I'll take Crazy over Some Days and Playboy Mansion any day!
Similar threads
