Here's what you need to know before I start the song-by-song section. I've been a fan since War, and nothing they've ever released has immediately made me completely happy. Since The Unforgettable Fire, I've been saying that U2 need to find someone other than Eno/Lanois for production. Those guys just implant themselves on the music too much, I can hear them. "No Line" is no different in this regard... Eno/Lanois are more up front in the mix than ever before, and it's not just The Edge doing the background vocals. Much of the time the vocals are not really that far in the background, and sometimes they even make up the bulk of the song.
I think they've learned all they need to know from Eno/Lanois. I'm waiting for the stripped down album, 4 guys in the "loud room", and no additional overdubs/weird soundscapes that have come to define U2's sound. Someday...
All that said, I am a huge U2 fan... I believe! This album has at least two songs that are all-time golden nuggets, and it holds up altogether as an album better than recent efforts. For good and bad, you can tell they took their time with this puppy.
The album is getting some great reviews (5 stars from Rolling Stone, for instance), and some poor ones (Time?....they also call "Wild Honey" a hit). Some folks have just given up on U2.... you know, the folks who can't like something once it becomes popular? Some bloggers, when mentioning what albums came out on March 3rd, didn't even mention the new U2 CD, or put them in the Top 10 list of Best Albums of '09 SO FAR. Only two months in.... shush now!
So here's my personal take on the "Line", song by song:
No Line on the Horizon: I heard the b-side version first, so this slowed-down, soundscaped, Eno-wierdened version left me flat, especially toward the end with the too-sweet chimes. Great line: "Time is irrelevant, not linear/Then she put her tongue in my ear". Bono is oh-so-Bono with his "Whoa-o-o-o-ho", a good example of his willingness to throw himself into a song without fear of being uncool. It works here. The b-side version has a much more raw, live in the studio feel, and I prefer it by a mile.
Magnificent: A big song. The 10CC-like counter melody annoys me. Has some good moments with Edge/Larry, but doesn't really hit the mark for me. I didn't like "With or Without You" at first, either. The live version is better.
Moment of Surrender: Wow, that's a lot of sing-along. This song reminds me of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (read: somewhat boring). The verses and chorus go on forever. Game-saving guitar solo by the Edge sounds like he lifted it from a song off "Layla" called "I Am Yours". Not sure if that's Duane Allman or Eric Clapton, but that's good company. Wish the rest of the song was up to that level...
Unknown Caller: Beautiful long intro, then Danny (somebody tell me I'm wrong here) sings "Sunshine, Sunshine", ah this is a good place. The Eno Chorus here is one of the bright spots on here from me, the computer-like commands are fresh and remind me of Ernie Maresca's "Shout, Shout (Knock Yourself Out)". As much as I rag on Eno/Lanois, this gem is a diamond. The real mind-blower is the ending....a Beatles-like synth/horn thing followed by the Edge's Greatest Guitar Solo Ever. That's right. Is that Styx? Naaaaah
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight: I call this the Abba song. This will be a single, it's not as bad as the title suggests, I'd like to hear Elvis or Bob Marley sing it, especially the chorus "it's not a hill, it's a mountain...."
Get On Your Boots: Space-age rocker melds Vertigo with Discotheque in a disjointed manner. Interesting, long, slow chorus and abbreviated guitar solo are at odds with the fast pace. They overworked this one (who? U2? overwork a song???), but it does have an undeniably great riff.
Stand-Up Comedy: I had seen this compared to Zeppelin, and that was way off the mark. This song tries to be funky, and Bono is oh-so-Bono in the verses, the chorus belongs to David Bowie....background vocals are great. It has good moments, but I don't love it even though it's a rocker. Odd song may grow on me and should be much better live without all the trappings of the studio and years to work on it.
Fez - Being Born: Eh, long, boring Eno intro kicks in to a completely different sound/song. Once again, Bono's "verses" detract from the song, but the "Oh-aaaaaaaaaho" parts sound great. Incomplete/missed opportunity. Tried to make it weird and lost the song in there...
White As Snow: A slow reminder of "Peace on Earth", the melody is nice enough, but this kind of U2 is not why I fell for the band. Some folks love this side of U2, and it has it's place.
Breathe: The second "Great" song on "No Line", I think Eno called this the most U2-ey song ever, and if he did, he's on the mark. I really like Bono's fast-paced delivery of the verses, it all seems so natural, with the band in full-soaring mode. Sounds great live. Folks, we have a winner!!
Cedars of Lebanon: Another slow one, Bono so serious and self-aware. Not uplifting at all, in fact the album ends with the notion that your enemies "are gonna last with you longer than your friends." How comforting!
So how does it stack up against past efforts? It's too early to tell, but it seems to me that this record was well-manufactured, I'm still hearing new sounds and feeling my way, much like the best of U2's records.... they take more than a listen or two or even few to get under your skin. 3-4 songs that I really dig on any album is doing pretty good by me. I'm used to not getting exactly what I want from U2, and I'm sure that's part of what still makes them interesting today. I can look back at all the U2 records and pick out 3-4 standouts that I like best, and other fans will pick a different set. It's all good.
"No Line" is more challenging than the last two records which went down easier. Hopefully that means it will endure the test of time. Undoubtedly, I will find more satisfaction in rougher b-sides like the stuff off the Digital Box set from the past two albums. Oh, and the live music... yeah, they're knocking "Breathe" out of the park.
"Unknown Caller" and "Breathe" I can latch onto as Great U2 Songs. They both induced spine chilling reactions on multiple listens. For a fan who prefers the stripped down and raw U2, I'm surprised how much I like this record, 'cause it is anything but stripped down. It's filled up.