This is going to be a quick on the fly, not really drafted or thought about.... Its more so just to let everybody know that I'm still maintaing the blog!.....and finally, something non-Charlie sheen related!
No Line On The Horizon is the 12th album released by a little rock and roll band out of the little country of Ireland ....U2. I love this album to pieces now (maybe not every piece)But it took a hell of a long time.....(and the album release, as well....humph)
I must admit it took my several listens before I fell for NLOTH. I knew “Get On Your Boots” and had been playing it over and over, not quite as much I’ll admit as I was playing a 10 second snippet of Vertigo recorded off the radio in late 2004. But enough. I liked the song, but it was sort of sounding more of the same. Elevation Part III or Vertigo part II....but still with a good rockin tune.
I still couldn’t wait for the album to be either released, or since we are living in 2009 (or so we were at the time) to leak online. Our U2 Christmases did come early, and straight after work...or maybe I even downloaded it AT Work (It has been done before) 4 years of U2’s blood sweat and tears had been downloaded in about 2 and half minutes.
The exact number of listens before I er “got” NLOTH I couldn’t tell you. But I could be sure it was about 2-3 months after release where everything seemed to fall into place. It’s a wonderful feeling. (It’s a musical journey) Which I think it why the album didn’t do well in a commercial sense. Look at the first 5 tracks. Its a little over 27 minutes before you reach the “hit single” ...which it wasn’t really a hit at all but anyway. The average Joe-Music fan’s listening attention time these days is probably about 3 minutes. 3:30 would be pushing it...and don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that at all....I just think that there is your one simple answer as to why No Line On The Horizon tanked big time. (Ok not really big time....you can have a look on Wikipedia that it still ranked very well...but it didn’t have the strong sales worldwide of its predecessor HTDAAB or even ATYCLB...but hey, the industry has changed just a little bit since 2000.) It takes nearly half an hour to get up to some “easy to get into” rock and roll tunes. HTDAAB? Vertigo. Bam. Straight off the bat, here we go!. I didn’t like this approach by U2 at first. But like I’ve been saying, it grew on me.
I heard a few of the songs live from be it bootlegs or television....the awesomeness that is "the claw" and the 360 degree world tour. The songs had taken a whole different live in the live setting. Just look at "Crazy Tonight" I personally already liked the studio version from the early days of listening....but in the live setting, its an absolute fucking monster! But I think that not always but most of the time is the case for a lot of U2 songs. from what is just rubbish on the studio "Elevation" to the really cruddy production of "All Because Of You" (ouch my ears, especially at the very beginning)...those are just two examples, I mean how much better are those songs live? I'm getting a little off track.
By the time the 360 tour started, I'd completely gotten into NLOTH. I knew all the words, If they were Tori songs, they'd be my new best friends. Magnificent is classic U2 stadium anthem, with plenty of doubt its my favourite track on the whole CD. The only song that I've still not had interest in to this day is "White As Snow". I'm sorry, but for some reason this little quiet song about a solider dying in Afghanistan (thanks wikipedia) doesn't belong. Its NLOTH's "Peace On Earth" except its really out of place. All is not lost, I know people who love the track, and can't stand songs like "Stand Up Comedy" (which eh, I don't mind.)
In summing up, to the average music fan, nobody is going to be able to digest and love this album from the very start. It takes time. You have to wonder if it was released by a young up-and-coming band dressed in hipster clothing, and not a bunch of old blokes in their 50's who no longer sport mullets or afro's, would this album have been better received around the world? The tour has certainly been received very well, which goes to show the brand that is U2 is still as strong as ever.
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