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  1. Originally posted by gwiz:I always like NLOTH when I listen to it, but when I think about the album, I start to dislike it. Don't know why.


    Sorry to sound like a broken record, because I know it's been said before, but I think it's because there are 10 fantastic songs on that album, once it sinks into you. (Probably 11, White as Snow just hasn't hit me like the others yet). The songs, however, just don't meld together to form an album. U2 is usually so good at this, it REALLY sticks out now that it isn't happening.
  3. Originally posted by EyesWithPrideB3:[..]

    Sorry to sound like a broken record, because I know it's been said before, but I think it's because there are 10 fantastic songs on that album, once it sinks into you. (Probably 11, White as Snow just hasn't hit me like the others yet). The songs, however, just don't meld together to form an album. U2 is usually so good at this, it REALLY sticks out now that it isn't happening.


    I agree here to some extent.

    For me the first 4 songs fit well together, the next 3 are good as a group also, then the last 4 are just kind of 'stand alone' tracks.

    If you watch Linear the songs make more sense in the order they are in on the film. However, I know that's cheating a bit having a visual effect to improve the audio.

    I have thought the same about Pop by the way. Tracks 1-3 are a group. 4-6 together. And the rest go well as a group apart from Playboy Mansion which I think doesn't quite fit in.

    I'd love to ask them how they decide on the order of an album and the order of a live setlist and the difference in their eyes between the two.
  4. Amazing! I posted the reply above and the next quote at the bottom of the page was:

    "When we set out on this record it was Larry who came up with the plan not to have a plan. He put up this idea that wouldn’t it be great just to make music for its own sake, not for the purpose of a live show or on album but just to see what we’re capable of.." - Bono, September 2008, talking on the upcoming album

    Makes sense doesn't it?
  5. Originally posted by nickbibby:[..]

    I agree here to some extent.

    For me the first 4 songs fit well together, the next 3 are good as a group also, then the last 4 are just kind of 'stand alone' tracks.

    If you watch Linear the songs make more sense in the order they are in on the film. However, I know that's cheating a bit having a visual effect to improve the audio.

    I have thought the same about Pop by the way. Tracks 1-3 are a group. 4-6 together. And the rest go well as a group apart from Playboy Mansion which I think doesn't quite fit in.

    I'd love to ask them how they decide on the order of an album and the order of a live setlist and the difference in their eyes between the two.


    I always thought "Unknown Caller" would be the perfect album opener, with "No Line" rocking in the second slot. I know Linear opens with UC...the birds chirping and Edge singing "sunshine" is a new breath of air, in my opinion.

    Though, then I think about it, and I remember when I popped the CD into my car on the way home from buying it, and the way the sound of No Line filled my entire Saturn Ion and brought a big goofy smile to my face...

    IM SO CONFLICTED!
  6. Originally posted by nickbibby:Amazing! I posted the reply above and the next quote at the bottom of the page was:

    "When we set out on this record it was Larry who came up with the plan not to have a plan. He put up this idea that wouldn’t it be great just to make music for its own sake, not for the purpose of a live show or on album but just to see what we’re capable of.." - Bono, September 2008, talking on the upcoming album

    Makes sense doesn't it?


    Makes PERFECT sense, what a great grab from the site! I always read those quotes too. I suppose it's disorienting though, since like I mentioned before, the albums usually all HAVE that to them, you know? So to immediately consider NLOTH to be in the same category may be a mistake, but a justified one at that.

    Through Larry's explanaton though, NLOTH really does become a fantastic 'album'.
  7. NLOTH is strange, it was overhyped way too much, so most people can never really be delighted with the final album, it's always going to be somewhat disappointing for those who were expecting a new AB or JT like the band, press, producers etc were suggesting.

    It's a good album, their best since Pop (probably, it lacks strong single material like BD and Vertigo though) I hope SOA is better, hopefully they do not try and water it down and make it more mainstream and "poppy' due to the failure of NLOTH to make a splash on the airwaves.

    If they have more songs like UC, Being Born, WAS, Winter and MoS it'll definitely be better than NLOTH.

    But I must say I don't believe the band will ever entirely recapture the magic of their late 80s early 90s studio work. And don't expect a new JT or AB or even a Pop or Zooropa.
  8. Originally posted this article in the MoS thread, thought it was an interesting read and so am reposting here (where it belongs).

    You might find it gives the album a new lease of life:
    http://www.atu2.com/news/listeners-guide-to-no-line-on-the-horizon.html


    Listener's Guide to No Line On The Horizon
    by Mark Stevens for @U2.com

    In a hectic, sped-up culture, and with iPods ruling so many of our lives, we often miss details in all of the background noise. So, dear music lovers and fellow U2 fans, here's a quick guide to the more subtle parts of the musical onion known as No Line on the Horizon. This is a list of some of the less obvious and sometimes densely interwoven sonic gems that await anyone who has a good set of speakers or headphones (meaning a closed-back, non-Walkman/iPod pair). Your guide is a musician who's been a fan of the band's recorded work since 1981 and its live shows since 1983.

    First, a suggestion: Listen to the album before reading this. I'd hate to spoil your adventure in musical exploration. This record is also particularly intense when listened to in a darkened room; no chemical or liquid supplements are needed, just your undivided attention.

    Here we go!

    "No Line on the Horizon"

    Larry really shines here; pay close attention to the intricate tom-tom fills appearing in the right channel at 1:13-1:52. He later shifts to a nice, military-style snare fill (that time in the Artane Boys Band was well spent), also in the right channel, at 3:33-3:48.

    "Magnificent"

    Several details in this one. Hand claps in the right channel and tambourine in the left at 0:46-1:09, and beautiful interaction amongst Larry's hi-hat (right channel) and Adam's bass (center) at 1:15-1:51. Edge double-tracked his main riff in left and right channels, and the result is spectacular. Edge also differentiates the parts at 2:25-2:59, where he's playing some subtle melodic stuff in the left channel and rhythm guitar in the right (unless of course he's playing with Lanois, in which case it's anybody's guess who's playing what). Bono lends some lovely light vocal support to the keyboard part at 4:12-4:27.

    "Moment of Surrender"

    There's a nice organ in the left channel and piano in the right at 0:47-1:14. Adam has a wonderful bass wind-down to the song at 6:41-7:14.

    "Unknown Caller"

    There's a sound collage at 0:21-0:58 composed of several instruments that almost seems like animals waking up. There's even what sounds like a high-pitched processed guitar sound reminiscent of a "digital butterfly" flitting by in the left channel at 0:38-0:41 and again at 4:35.

    "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

    Hear the rising whirr from 0:00-0:02, very much like the intro to "I Will Follow" -- perhaps intentional, perhaps not. Interesting rhythmic acoustic guitar parts are in the right channel at 0:12-1:02; could be Lanois. The double-tracked guitar part at 3:03-3:19 is a nice surprise.

    "Get On Your Boots"

    Listen for percussive electric guitar bursts from Edge in the right channel at 0:20-0:25, 0:39-0:48, and 1:27-1:35, and for cool, double-bass kick drum work from Larry at 2:31-2:36.

    "Stand Up Comedy"

    There's wonderful variation in parts on this one. Adam's bass is a real treat in the verses. Edge appears to have unleashed what could only be called a "giant wasp attack" at 2:47-2:58. (I now can't hear this part without imagining him running around the studio in a bee costume singing the rare Who b-side "Wasp Man" at the top of his lungs.)

    "Fez - Being Born"

    It begins with market sounds and some hand drums, and at 0:19-0:22 two different voices appear in the right channel, speaking in what sounds like an Arabic language. (Can someone out there translate?) Larry plays a variation of his "No Line" drum part at 1:03-1:34. At 1:45-1:53, an odd cross between a moped engine and a sitar crosses from left to right, and appears again at 2:55-3:02. A classic Eno synthesizer break -- very reminiscent of his '70s solo work -- appears at 3:06-3:26. Eno again interjects with some nice variations at 4:26-4:50. Edge adds some nice, mellow riffing in the right channel at 4:53-5:12.

    "White As Snow"

    There are backwards guitar loops in the left channel from 0:00-0:25. A fingerpicked guitar in the left channel starts at 0:31, with another alternating-bass style guitar part in the right channel; an educated guess tells me it's Lanois on the left and Edge on the right. A gorgeous, eerie mandolin part arrives in your right ear at 2:28-2:52 and, at least for me, really strengthens the emotional tenor of the song. Hear the beautiful two-part harmony vocals at 3:56-4:23.

    "Breathe"

    There are lots of harmony vocal overdubs all over the song. Mixed low at 2:22-2:33 is some nice, Elton John-style piano chording in the right channel. There are massed background vocals at 3:54-4:12. There are some slurred cello parts throughout the song in the right channel, a la "I Am the Walrus."

    "Cedars of Lebanon"

    This begins with a sample of Eno's and Harold Budd's "Against the Sky" from their wonderful record, The Pearl, and then builds on it with hip-hop snare shuffles from Larry, fingerpicked arpeggios from Edge in the left channel, and even some infinite guitar at 2:51-3:07. (Has it really been 22 years since "With or Without You"?) A vocal sample appears throughout the song, maybe in an Arabic language again?

    I do hope this has given you a nice taste of "active listening" and an enhanced experience of one of U2's most creatively and sonically diverse records. In the 28 years I've been listening to this band's recorded work, No Line on the Horizon stands out as a wonderful surprise that blossoms under scrutiny and repeated listening. It is well worth the time to sit back, relax, and soak up the sounds in a distraction-free environment such as the darkened room I mentioned before. Enjoy!
  9. Originally posted by Remy:Some folks were gonna leak tonight if the album didn't leak, some good news for those people because here it is: No Line On The Horizon. U2's 12th studio album! This thread discusses something about the new album, we take this opportunity to point you one more time to our house rules. If you violate them, our crew will take action immediately, so take the time to review them.

    If you intend to share songs in public, it's not allowed!
    Please read our house rules before you post.

    Also please read our Achtung Baby announcement regarding this leak.

    If you want to listen to the album and you can't find your way into the illegal download circuit, you have to be patient. Please don't request files in this topic. Please read our sticky NLOTH threads.

    Enjoy, and thanks!


    Happy tenth anniversary to the leak of NLOTH

  10. Wow, a decade has gone by already. Incredible. I remember those days very dearly, we had to patrol the forums up and down, night and day to avoid download links getting published
  11. I resisted and waited until the proper release date! I'm kind of old school in that I always buy the physical CD of release for first listen. Crazy, I know!
  12. Originally posted by EthanD:I resisted and waited until the proper release date! I'm kind of old school in that I always buy the physical CD of release for first listen. Crazy, I know!
    Wow, that's crazy indeed - but admirable Most of us caved in instantly