mama cass

that's just your opinion LU

Zooropa is one of U2's greatest in my opinion... it's up there in my top 4 (along with Pop)...

last unicorn

That's true, but then HIS statement is also only based on an opinion and he states it as fact. OK, in my opinion, Zooropa is their worst album. I cannot even get myself to pull it out and play it. Pop is a good album in parts, there are songs I absolutely love on that one. But NLOTH is an album I keep coming back to at the moment, along with Unforgettable Fire. These two are my favourite U2 albums.

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schnumi

The album isnt too challenging to real U2 fans, just to the casual pop radio listeners it is.

And thank god for that, now create another POP, Achtung Baby album and stop being afraid of what the radio listeners say about it.

U2 has been around for so long they should do what they enjoy now and stop tweaking songs around just to get into the pop scene. It only makes songs worse.

BGD75

totally agree.... To please every single fan is impossible, we all know that. Some love POP, some love HTDAAB. But for the pure reason that success is unfortunately measured by the number of records sold etc. I hope that the band doesn't get cold feet and stops making music they want to make (mind you, even tho the singles haven't performed well on the radio charts, the overall album sales haven't been that bad). I like to think they are (like you mentioned) too smart for that.

DevilsShoes

I'd be inclined to agree with this. As soon as I read that part I felt that Bono was talking about the public at large, or at least the fans they'd acquired since 2000, rather than the more long term-followers, whom he knows have had to swallow some fairly demanding stuff in the past.

Lots of smart comments on here. I do think that perhaps unrealistic expectations played a part here. The band seemed to believe they were making a landmark album so it's no surprise they're a little disappointed with the outcome.

U2 have always tended to react well to (perceived) failure in the past, it's a real incentive for them to prove themselves next time around. I hope this gives them back their focus as well as their fire.

roy

I completely agree with this.

The COMPLETE and utter mess they made of promoting the singles was IMO a critical reason for the album's average sales.

That and the fact they're seen as too old now.

last unicorn

Really? I thought they reacted the same to the mediabacklash that came with Pop and Rattle and Hum?

I understand the frustration. You believe in your work and then you feel it isn't reaching the audience like it's supposed to.

For me, U2 haven't lost anything. In fact I feel they've gained or re-gained a lot in recent years, and NLOTH is a great example of their new focus. I have been really proud of them for making that album and I'm still happy with it. But for a band like U2 who is used to being big and reaching a huge audience, it is understandably frustrating if their latest work isn't a commercial success. On the other hand, NLOTH is an album acknowledged by many critics to be one of their best. I think that should say a lot about it.

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guill

They should not give up, this album can be what UF was to JT, there are some very good ideas in this album but not perfectly executed (uselessly complicated sometimes or too simple. NLOTH, WAS and Cedars are well balanced imo. Magnificent, MOS, UC, Fez, Breathe could be more simple, the tunes are good, there are good riffs, nice lyrics but it's missing simplicity. Perhaps they wanted to make something too different from Bomb but lost the plot a little bit, which is normal after 8 years in the comfort zone.

DevilsShoes

I know that for Bono, failure is where he gets much of his inspiration from. People who are successful tend to just get on with enjoying being successful, but as we know very often great work emerges from struggle and strain. They were upset by the backlash to both R & H and Pop but it worked in their favour because it re-focussed them and spurred them on to recapture both creative and commercial ground. Where we differ is that I think the overall vision for NLOTH seems a little obscure or vague. It's reaching for something but I'm not quite sure what.

The huge success of AB speaks for itself but I still believe that ATYCLB is a strong album. I think on balance I'd still rather listen to BD, Walk On, Kite, IALW and New York than I'll Go Crazy, Boots, SUC or Breathe, I just think they're stronger and more inspired songs.

I mean, I love Magnificent, UC, WAS and COL but ultimately I do think that ATYCLB has a clarity and a spark that much of NLOTH lacks.

U2opra

If I was to describe what albums I hear in NLOTH, I would say TUF, HTDAAB and ATYCLB rolled into one, which is great but it doesn't allow many people (casual listeners) to take notice because to them it's not drastically different enough. For example there's no denying GOYB is the bands attempt of Vertigo 2.0 as some have already mentioned, making casual listeners immediately think "it's ok, but vertigo was better".

Speaking to my dad who is a casual U2 fan (who's favourite album is The Joshua Tree), he said he likes about 3 songs off NLOTH which are Crazy tonight, Magnificent and MOS. He told me all the others songs to him were too vague and hard to get into. He likes more simplistic songs that get to the point, while still disliking dumbed down lyrics from songs like GOYB and Vertigo. Example of songs that he says are good examples of really great U2 songwriting, are: ISHFWILF, WOWY, WTSHNN. He tells me, when he's listening to a new U2 album those are the types of songs he's looking for, that throw him into the song and allow him to imagine he's on some kind of spiritual journey with the band. He thinks ATYCLB and HTDAAB captured that concept for him more than NLOTH with songs like: BD, Walk On, Kite, COBL, SYCMIOYO. But before those albums he didn't 'get' Pop, Zooropa and he only enjoyed 2 songs from AB, those being: One and Ultraviolet.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but I think criticism is good. I hope it will drive U2 into working even harder, and coming up with new ideas. You see, I feel when U2 are in their safe zone of "this is great, we've got rave reviews and top selling numbers" they feel inclined for their next album to replicate that again - I certainly noticed it with GOYB and Crazy. But there's a flip side to all this (Which some of you have been saying) as it may push U2 into making songs that are aimed at doing well in the charts, and more dumbed down lyrics. I hope it goes the other way though, and it really pushes them to go even more experimental. For now though, it could go either way.

BonosSaint

Yep. Bruce too.

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Zoomerang96

Wow. You've lost it. You are u2fan2004! Aren't you? At the very least you're a new version of u2girl.

gman

I love how many try to explain the "failure" away. for me GAF is on the money. It is simple......all things considered....see below for explanation



regardless of what you think of NLOTH, the above is true, Sadly! And many long term fans will probably agree with this. I dont think anyone who has discovered u2 this decade can really understand.

Zoomerang96

u2 are like the tv show's 'extras'. Most of us are Andy millman and the rest are the bbc and the dumb public at large who want nothing but stupid catchphrases.

coolian2

depending on which u2 album is your favourite, you could have been potentially saying that since 1980.

if they've lost it, how come no line on the horizon is rated by so many fans here as being better than at least their last two albums, plus a fair whack of the rest of the catalogue?

or is it my opinion is fact day and i've missed it?

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