Comments on: U2: No Line On the Horizon

By: Paul Jenkins

Paul Jenkins — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:55:39 +0000

I am an unabashed U2 fan, from waaaaaaaay back (mid-80s). One thing their music has always had is power. This album is no exception.
The one thing that U2’s detractors can never claim is that the band has ever sold out to populism. They try / change / mix / shift / experiment like no other band, risking failure / death at every turn.
The fact that Bono (a man of great integrity, benevolence, feeling and conscience who lost his mother and grandfather in the same week, and his father 27 years later) is the best writer since Dylan makes U2 what they are.

From NLotH, I like:

Moment of Surrender (Eerie, soulful song, brought tears)
Magnificent (Uplifting, potential #1)
NLotH (classic get up, feel the energy)

Overall top 11 (and I hope I’m not showing my age here :-))

1 - Sunday Bloody Sunday (Lyrically, musically, spiritually best song ever by ANYONE, especially live)
2 - Tomorrow (Haunting recount of the worst day of Bono’s life)
3 - One (Need I say more)
3 - Wire (Bad, confused trip, gets the blood going)
4 - One tree hill (Best melody ever from U2)
5 - Moment of Surrender (See above)
6 - Miracle Drug (Desperation shows)
7 - Love is Blindness (soulful by the bucketload)
8 - Peace on Earth (tribute to Armagh’s worst day hits right note)
9 - SYCMIOYO (Trying to reach his distant father, but too late)
10 - Walk on (Inspirational)
11 - Kite (About his r/ship with older members, principally his father)

BTW, in case NE1 is asking what happened to CoBL, believe it or not, I don’t like it at all. I seem to be in the minority on this one.

By: sk pitman

sk pitman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:36:08 +0000

I made my list. Needless to say, I forgot AYCLB came out in 2000 and was already included on Best of 1990-2000. That doesn’t give me a whole lot to work with so hopefully the band will drum up a single or two for the release (aka Electrical Storm/Hands) and maybe a couple stellar tracks will emerge from the rumored release later this year.

11 songs

1 TBA
2 TBA
3 Vertigo
4 Magnificent
5 City of Blinding Lights
6 No Line on the Horizon
7 Crumbs from Your Table
8 TBA
9 Moment of Surrender
10 Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
11 TBA

By: sk pitman

sk pitman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:05:33 +0000

After listening to each song ~10-20 times, my previous thoughts have mostly been confirmed.

New reflections:

“Moment of Surrender” is the most soulful piece the band has recorded since “In a Little While”, and probably the best overall track on the album.

“No Line” (the song) is one of my top 5-7 U2 songs from this decade, which begs the question: What 15 tracks make the Best of 2000-2010? You know it’s coming. I’ll have to think about this one.

“Fez/Being Born”: Quality track. Highly interesting and well crafted.

“White as Snow”: Has help up nicely and has some unexpected melodic turns.

“Crazy”, “SUC”, “Breathe”: Great music - the band really put out some tight tunes, unfortunately, the songs lyrically and melodically aren’t up to the task on these takes.

When I hear this album, all I can think is…wow, they really need an editor (or in the music world: a producer). Oh wait, they have one (or three). I feel these producers have gotten too close and that a) they don’t have the objectivity to tell if something is good or not or b) that they ain’t willing to stand up to the band anymore.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:26:40 +0000

I think it will be interesting to see how these songs translate live. Will the band be able to capture the ambience of some of these tracks in a football stadium? I think it would be amazing if Eno and Lanois played live with U2 at some point.

Here is an interesting tidbit…

http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b102720_bono_even_more_new_u2_music_coming_soon.html

By: sk pitman

sk pitman — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:27:23 +0000

“No Line on the Horizon” and “Moment of Surrender” are the only songs that I think will stand up well in the long run.

“Magnificent” and “Unknown Caller” are solid but second-tier types.

“SUC” and “Crazy” really detract from No Line becoming a cohesive record.

The lyrics are really hard to handle in places.

The response to this album has been very interesting, from Rolling Stones 5 stars to NOW Magazines 1 star and everything in between.

I think the “betweens” have it right on this one. The extremely high or low rating outlets seem to be driven by an agenda more than anything.

By: David

David — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:29:53 +0000

Ty - don’t agree. It’s not a great song, but its not terrible. These are pretty good lyrics:

“Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but a change of heart comes slow…
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me, or are you doubting?
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light…”

By: t clair

t clair — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:44:22 +0000

I love get your boots on, as radio-friendly as it is. Moment of Surrender is a beautiful redemption tale. I love how they let loose on “Stand Up Comedy” (I guess I disagree with Neil on this one).

Finally, what the hell is with I’ll Go Crazy if I don’t Go Crazy Tonight? That’s not just in the running for worst U2 title ever, but worst U2 song ever period. Not impressed. It’s the only real flaw on the record, in my opinion. A shame that the flaw is an ENTIRE SONG.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:15:06 +0000

Oh yeah… Go THOR!

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:04:48 +0000

Looking forward to hearing it again. Need to listen to it more than once for sure. No songs jump out as enjoyable with the first listen as I had experienced on previous two or three albums. Definitely sounds like Achtung Baby in many respects. Too bad it took too long to produce.

I too like Arcade Fire’s music.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:58:22 +0000

Lyrically I think this record is a grower. At first I thought the same as you, but the more I listen the more I like Bono’s character sketches. The last 2 records were more autobiographical. I do agree that there is some fluff here, but as a whole I think it is a great direction for the band.