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  1. They're playing 4 tracks from NLOTH, they only played 4 tracks from Bomb nearing the end of the the vertigo tour, so it's not that far off. Not to mention they're dabbing into new song territory at the same time! And the new songs are great! All I can say is, NLOTH didn't sell well, but it's not effecting my excitement for U2's future at all.
  2. The only reason NLOTH did not sell well was because it didn't appeal to the average listener these days nor did it appeal to the 'oldies' being far too experimental and different (GOYB would have caused a reaction identical to Discotheque when it was released) who liked the classic rock/pop that made ATYCLB and HTDAAB big sellers.

    Because NLOTH is definitely a better album with better songs, no, it's not a masterpiece, it has its flaws (mostly due to Bono) but if albums sold on their merits it should have comfortable outdone HTDAAB, but it doesn't work like that so it didn't.

    I'm quite surprised by Steve Lillywhites comments, frankly I think there's more to it than appears, perhaps he didn't much like U2 choosing not to continue with him from Bomb and letting Eno and Lanois not only produce but also share writing credits on NLOTH. We all know that 'meat and potatoes' Lillywhite is definitely in stark contrast to the avant garde Eno in style and philosophy and perhaps that adds to the friction. (much like the antagonism between Eno and Larry)

    I think Steve knows that he is the second rate U2 producer (which he is) and since NLOTH is the first Eno/Lanois production to have flopped perhaps he thinks he can finally have some sort of a dig at what otherwise has been an incredible partnership.

    Now he might not be consciously doing this but perhaps his subconscious is bringing it to the surface.
    "At the end of the day, the public are always right especially when you have a platform as big as U2," he said. "Of course it affects them. They are only human. They put their heart and soul into everything they do, but the sales were not what they expected because they did not have the one song that ignited peoples imaginations.


    And the "public are always right" comment is complete and utter BS - no they aren't, if you pander to the public you generally pander to the lowest common denominator - especially these days with the state of music being what it is.

    And I think NLOTH definitely had songs that ignited people's imagination: MoS, Unknown Caller, Fez Being Born, Cedars, NLOTH.

    "It's a pity because the whole idea of Morocco as a big idea was great. When the big idea for U2 is good, that is when they succeed the most, but I don't think the spirit of what they set out to achieve was translated. Something happened that meant it did not come across on the record."


    I agree with this, the concepts on NLOTH are great but most of the songs generally lack in the execution of those concepts, ie. they aren't flawless like most of the tracks on JT/AB. (this is why it's not a masterpiece).

    Again, I find hard to blame anyone buy Bono - he really has become the bands big problem. The guitar, bass, drums on NLOTH are all standout, Bono's lyrics are a hit and miss affair - you have songs completely ruined by embarassingly awful lines like SUC, GOYB and when even serious epics like MoS have oversights like "ATM machine" in them you know you have a problem - especially when the writer is among the greatest lyricists of all time.

    What happened to Bono? It's like the poet of the 80s and 90s has been replaced by some embarassing dad rocker.

    Perhaps it has something to do with him also becoming too American and less Irish and European, his lyrics certainly have become brasher, heavy handed and cheesier. Not a good thing in my book, when did he first start talking with the American accent?
  3. Originally posted by bartajax:I think some of the NLOTH songs are good but there are also some songs on it which really suck imo.

    Good ones are: MOS, Magnificent, Unknown Caller, Fez and No Line itself
    Bad one are: Boots, Crazy, Stand Up Comedy and Breathe. I really dont like those songs.

    The other ones are ok I guess, not very good but not bad.


    How many bad songs does it take to make it a bad album?
  4. The Lillywhite comments seem fair enough to me though the relative shortness of them mean we're left with surface scratchings from whatever the hell he meant.

    My own view is that the band spent way too long on NLOTH. They wanted to build something big that earmarked their relevance so spent time away building up a huge catalogue of ideas and, more to the point, songs.

    Too many in my view because clearly they didn't know how to package it.

    I'm a golfer (yah Europe btw) and they tell you that you can over-think a shot. Reckon U2 overthought the album.

    But the fall-out has been ok. They're messing around on stage playing new songs and an occasional B-side. Think playing live in front of sold-out stadiums (whilst making a ton of money) has shown them their relevance.

    What can we expect next? This is a band that wants to be as big as the Beatles. The first stat that always comes out about the Beatles is album sales....


  5. I dont know, but I just dont like those songs. But I still think the album itself isnt bad. On HTDAAB, ATYCLB , Pop and Zooropa there were also some songs I didnt like, but imo NLOTH has more songs I dont like.
  6. Originally posted by vanquish:
    you have songs completely ruined by embarassingly awful lines like SUC, GOYB and when even serious epics like MoS have oversights like "ATM machine" in them you know you have a problem - especially when the writer is among the greatest lyricists of all time.



    Perhaps this is a bit off topic but I actually heard it referred to as an ATM machine on the news one night and it stuck out to me because we had been ripping that specific lyric.
  7. Originally posted by bartajax:[..]

    I dont know, but I just dont like those songs. But I still think the album itself isnt bad. On HTDAAB, ATYCLB , Pop and Zooropa there were also some songs I didnt like, but imo NLOTH has more songs I dont like.



    There are too many bad songs on it to be considered anything other than a bad album. Plain and simple. Forget the arguments about its commercial success, etc. Just listen to it. It's poor. The stakes have been raised for the next one.
  8. Originally posted by TheRefugee:[..]


    There are too many bad songs on it to be considered anything other than a bad album. Plain and simple. Forget the arguments about its commercial success, etc. Just listen to it. It's poor. The stakes have been raised for the next one.


    In your opinion
  9. Originally posted by TheRefugee:[..]


    There are too many bad songs on it to be considered anything other than a bad album. Plain and simple. Forget the arguments about its commercial success, etc. Just listen to it. It's poor. The stakes have been raised for the next one.


    Don't agree that its a bad album. It's just not what the band wanted to make. Still miles better than Leave Behind and Bomb.
  10. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]

    Don't agree that its a bad album. It's just not what the band wanted to make. Still miles better than Leave Behind and Bomb.


    In your opinion In mine it's not. The three of them float around the same level. The way I see it, all that you can't leave behind and bomb both had themes throughout the album, the hits were great to listen to alone, and listening to the entire album was an experience in its own. NLOTH to me doesn't flow as well (maybe it's the track order?) to me it has songs that are trying to be hits (obviously they weren't) that stand out too much. Songs like Boots and Crazy don't belong on the same album as MOS, Fez-Being Born, Cedars of Lebanon, White as Snow and NLOTH.
  11. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]

    Don't agree that its a bad album. It's just not what the band wanted to make. Still miles better than Leave Behind and Bomb.


    Agree completely. For me, NLOTH is the best U2 album since 2000. By far.

    Haven't read all the posts in this thread, but really, nobody noticed Lillywhite's tweets regarding the article? They can be found here: http://twitter.com/Sillywhite and they go like this:

    3 hours sleep, at Newark on way to Dublin via London.. Horribly misquoted in Irish Times . expect it from tabloids...but not serious paper.
    3:52 AM Oct 2nd via ÜberTwitter


    and the second one:
    @holstenstrasse I never said failure once !!
    4:06 AM Oct 2nd via ÜberTwitter in reply to holstenstrasse
  12. Lillywhite wasn't calling radio stations to demean the album or separate himself from it, he was just asked a question about it and gave his opinion. As for me, the album is a failure, sales or no sales The album was delayed, and delayed again...Bono said for months they have hit a songwriting vein and they are excited to continue seeing where it will lead them. Well it seemed to me to lead them to indecision. I don't know how Breath and Comedy fit into the album, but i remember reading Adam's coments about how they "are looking for new directions and sounds and expressions through their music, but they also are aware of the audiences perception and expectations of U2 songs and they are trying to find the right mix on the album for everyone...", something like that. Anyway, there is the failure. It is beyond obvious that the band had great expectations of what the new album could be. But in the end they either didn't achieve what they wanted with the songs they recorded or just didn't have the balls to put out something that they believed in wether it sounded like what the fans have come to expect(to me means what the fans have been known to pay for) from U2 music or not. Its a good album, but is a nonevent outside the U2 fanbase. And with the number of people that went to see the 360 shows versus the number of people who bought the album(sure borrowing, burning and illegal downloading aside) this album almost relegates the band to a nonfactor in modern/current music, and pegs them as a great touring band with a great catalogue of hits they can rely on to still fill stadiums. I believe the band strived to be relevant in current music with this album and even to help lead the way into its future, at least thats what i got from all i read pre-release and all the interviews i heard post release...failure. And something that has struck a note with me is- People who follow blindly = superfans of anything - are the reason for the existence of the KKK, and even the possibility for the Hitlers of the world to rise to power. Opinions are great and i enjoy reading them here but many of them are not opinions they are a blind defense to some fictionally percieved threat to their heroes U2, and thus themselves(passion is good but impartiality is always better). Obviously I'm not talking of just U2 fans but anywhere i find it i then put myself on guard around those people and proceed with caution. This is just my opinion.
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U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.
U2start is run by fans for fans. Help us reduce personal costs. Consider to make a donation to support us.