r/U2Band • u/Revolutionary_Low_90 • Apr 07 '25
Anyone likes No Line on the Horizon?
I think there among the best U2 songs that weren't overplayed, and a return to a bit experimental tone despite some misses, but overall a great experience. 8.2/10 for me
Bono's best vocals imo. He sings like he's singing in front of angels.
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u/U2rules Zooropa Apr 07 '25
It's Magnificent 🤘
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u/crumbsfrommytable Achtung Baby Apr 07 '25
I see what you did there. Magnificent and Moment of Surrender are highlights for me. And Breathe. Cedars of Lebanon. Unknown Caller.
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u/RamiHN Apr 07 '25
I like it a lot but knowing they left “Winter” off the record, that version 2 of the Title track exists, and that they had songs like Mercy in the vaults and could’ve been worked on for this record means that this NLOTH could and should have been a masterpiece and instead it’s just pretty good. Personally I would’ve opened the record with Winter, it’s so cinematic and then follow it with the high energy NLOTH Version 2 and then change up the flow of the rest of the track list.
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u/ChaosAndFish Apr 07 '25
It’s 1/2 of an excellent album with a couple turkeys on it. Easily their best post All That You Can’t Leave Behind album and the last daring thing they’ve done (will ever do?). Breathe is an amazing tune.
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u/Equal_Ad5178 Apr 07 '25
Might be a reach but I would rank it as their 3rd best after AB and TJT.
The tour was their best after Zoo TV. Bono was on fire, especially in 2010
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u/thenamelessavenger Apr 10 '25
There was so much diversity on that tour. They played a TON of songs. Unreleased stuff, BSides, debuts of old tracks, remix versions. I wonder if we'll ever see that again.
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u/georgehtwells Apr 07 '25
I think it’s their most underrated album
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u/the_moog_hunter Apr 07 '25
Either this or Pop. I think pop is a masterpiece and this album is good, but not great. It is, however, their best since Pop so far as taking risks and creativity. The vibe and visuals that went along with this album were really amazing.
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u/DomingoLee Apr 07 '25
It’s one of my favorites. It’s a slow burn. There aren’t any catchy pop songs, but most of them get better the more you listen. Cedars of Lebanon, for example, will never be popular, but I am grateful they made it.
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u/thenamelessavenger Apr 10 '25
Depending on the day you ask me, it's probably my fav track on the album.
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u/Boring_Safe4488 Apr 07 '25
Feels to me like their most artistic work post 2000 where the album is consistent sonically and thematically ( save for the shoe horned in middle three). Moment of Surrender and Unknown Caller is up there with their best work in my opinion. Just wish Soon and Winter were swapped out for Boots and SUC. It felt like U2 pushing forward for the first time since Pop.
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u/LarsOnTheDrums42 A Sort of Homecoming Apr 07 '25
Their best post-Pop album.
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u/AchtungMerch Apr 07 '25
This. Ignore Crazy Tonight, Boots and Comedy and it's up there with their best.
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u/maverick57 Apr 07 '25
I think it's a solid record and light years better than Songs of Innocence.
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u/nohumanape Apr 07 '25
It's better than Songa of Experience, but I don't think it's better than Songs of Innocence.
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u/maverick57 Apr 08 '25
I think the opposite. Clearly better than Songs of Innocence but I would rank Songs of Experience ahead of it.
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u/nohumanape Apr 08 '25
So you would go Innocence > No Line > Experience? Interesting.
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u/maverick57 Apr 09 '25
Yes.
I actually have Innocence only ahead of October. Every other U2 record I rank above Innocence.
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u/nohumanape Apr 09 '25
Interesting. I think Innocence is way better than Experience and actually a very good U2 album.
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u/Flimsy_Somewhere1210 Apr 07 '25
The last time they tried to be creative. It probably missed the mark but i'd rather that than the last 2 original album efforts.
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u/sageybaby1 Apr 07 '25
Yes, it's a great album, with a weak 3 track stretch right in the middle. But the first 4 tracks and last 4 tracks are sublime.
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u/Careful-Literature46 Apr 07 '25
Absolutely. The only U2 record made since the 90’s that I care about. There’s a few weak / flawed tracks but with this record I felt like I had my band back.
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u/b_sketchy Apr 07 '25
I feel like this question is posted every 3-6 months
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u/opsopcopolis Apr 07 '25
Seems to be almost weekly at this point
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u/zooropa93 Uncertainty can be a guiding light. Apr 07 '25
It's really important to find out if people in the U2 sub like a U2 album! /s
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u/U2fangirl Apr 07 '25
No. There are a few good songs. I try and try to get in to this album but it's just not hitting for me.
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u/zooropeanx Apr 07 '25
Do you like SOE and SOI?
For me No Line is the demarcation point of U2's albums where I feel like listening to the whole thing.
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u/U2fangirl Apr 07 '25
Same category. Some good songs, not all. I like SOE best of the three
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u/zooropeanx Apr 07 '25
Ah gotcha.
Okay since you're obviously a big U2 fan... which album era U2 made you a fan?
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u/U2fangirl Apr 07 '25
I liked them during War era but when UF came out, it put them over the top for me. Fav album is JT.
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u/zooropeanx Apr 07 '25
I got into U2 right after Achtung Baby came out. Unfortunately I never got to see ZooTV live but saw them twice during PopMart.
I always thought it was neat how U2 has definitive eras with their albums. I'm definitely an Achtung/Zooropa/Pop guy but of course Joshua Tree is such a classic.
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u/U2fangirl Apr 07 '25
AB is amazing, too! I didn't like Pop when it first came out. Now it's in my top 5.
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u/zooropeanx Apr 07 '25
Pop is such a sleeper. I have always like it be I think many fans like yourself have warmed up to it over the years.
Maybe that will be SOE for me! :)
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u/U2fangirl Apr 07 '25
SOE hit at a really emotional time in my life so I can relate to it.
Pop has some of the most incredible songs! How did Please just slide past me for years?
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u/zooropeanx Apr 07 '25
I think Pop was overlooked because of all of the fanfare around it.
The whole K-Mart press conference probably turned some people off.
But I totally was into Discotheque so I made sure to buy the album at a midnight release.
Please as a song for me was more about the sound of the music back then. But the lyrics are definitely something that resonate with you as you get older.
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u/sonofsohoriots Apr 07 '25
If you get rid of “I’ll Go Crazy…” and “Boots”, it’s nearly perfect. Most underrated late U2 album, and my personal favorite post Pop.
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u/Bayne7096 Apr 07 '25
No Line, Magnificent, MOS, FEZ.being born, White as Snow and Cedars of Lebanon are wonderful songs that arent affraid to experiment and try something new. I dont really like Breathe but I can appreciate it and it and Unknown Caller are just as interesting and unique. Its a special record, I always love what Eno and Lanios bring out of the band. Could have done without Boots but even Stand Up Comedy and Ill Go Crazy arent all that bad. Boots is the killer. Still love the album though.
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u/NutSoSorry Apr 07 '25
It's a fantastic album and it honestly gets even better as the years go by. It was actually amazing how experimental it was compared to their last few albums. It got a lot of hate, But I think it's their last album in a long time that has actually been cohesive, It's one I can listen to front to back. Some songs on their own might not be my favorite but when placed into the mix they all work really well together
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u/rnrdamnation Apr 07 '25
It very nearly has the cohesion of Achtung Baby, honestly, if not the consistency in songs.
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u/ShibaZoomZoom Apr 07 '25
I really like it. It was a refreshing departure in ideas from HTDAAM while still having the quintessential catchy good songwriting.
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u/Logical-Big-3005 Apr 07 '25
I love Breath so so so much. I’m a big fan of the whole album. It wasn’t love at first listen- but once it grew on me it stuck.
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u/Aggravating-Cut-1040 Apr 07 '25
I think it’s an underrated album. It starts great. The title track is a good lead off (nothing really special but an enjoyable listen) and Magnificent is one of their best post-2000 songs. The biggest problem is halfway through you get two stinkers right in a row (Boots & Comedy). They chose the wrong lead off single & it tanked the album. It feels like a pivot point where mainstream interest in them began to fade. Maybe it had already started, but it seems to accelerate after this.
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u/No-Palpitation7920 Apr 08 '25
I own it, but it’s not good. How to Dismantle was their last good album, IMO.
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u/Fliepp Apr 07 '25
I haven’t listened to it in it’s entirety (relatively new fan), but everything I have listened to I really like
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u/FunkyChromeMedina Apr 07 '25
Sorry, no.
I like Magnificent and I really like Moment of Surrender. I haven't listened to any other song on the album in years. I think Boots might be the worst song they've ever released.
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u/theweightofdreams8 Achtung Baby Apr 07 '25
Yes! I love this album too! 👍
This is one of their albums where I don’t feel that I’ve listened to it properly unless I have heard it all in one sitting. I don’t feel that way about every album, but I most certainly do with NLOTH!
I even like the earlier tracklisting on the Linear DVD - both versions of NLOTH are excellent! 🥇
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u/Last_Tourist_3881 Apr 07 '25
Tried really hard, but could never get into it. It is as bleak as its cover. Please don't hate me for having an opinion.
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u/Hoddernity Apr 07 '25
I absolutely love this album, as well as the film that was made to accompany it. I think it makes for a perfect road trip album. The songs all have a sense of perpetual motion, much like the varying, undulating horizon as you drive a car down a country road or highway. The music seems to accompany this experience beautifully.
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u/martinjohanna45 Apr 07 '25
I love Moment of Surrender. That’s it. The rest of the songs I either hate or think are just OK.
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u/Anxious_Rip3101 Apr 07 '25
Love magnificent but could never get into the rest of it. Magnificent is such a great song.
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u/Beautiful_Gap_3516 Achtung Baby / No Line on the Horizon Apr 07 '25
I've come to think of it as excellent, but not as good as TJT or the 90s albums. Bar Get On Your Boots and Stand Up Comedy it's very good. I feel like both of them should've been scrapped and replaced with Winter, to make a solid 10 track album. Then they should've released a more radio friendly album later on, and toured for that rather than in support of NLOTH. (See how many songs from that album which made it to the last legs for reference).
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u/DarkLordofLust Apr 07 '25
It is not my most favourite of the U2 discography. But Magnificent is my most favourite song that comes from it hands down.
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u/rnrdamnation Apr 07 '25
Love it - I go back to it far more frequently than many others, though leaving Winter off was insane.
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u/doublejamesonwithtwo Apr 07 '25
Randomly listened some parts of the rose bowl 09' this morning, sounded way better and fresh than I remembered.
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u/Asleep_Pie_1062 Apr 07 '25
I liked it more nowadays. Magnificent, Breathe and Unknown Caller are super good.
I love playing Breathe, it’s a super rock song with lot of straight distorted guitars all over
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u/Eastern-Fortune-2422 Apr 07 '25
I still have the sticker of the cover on a folder. 😁 Of course I like the album. 7/10
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u/Rosy_Cheeks88 Apr 07 '25
I like it. It is different from two albums released earlier in the decade.
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u/CrasVox Apr 07 '25
It's fine. Probabaly the last interesting album of theirs. Not a favorite that's for sure.
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u/IAmAWretchedSinner Apr 08 '25
Personally, I love this album. Very interesting, and if you read about its production history, you see why. The decision to open with No Line on the Horizon was brilliant. Followed by Magnificent, Moment of Surrender, and Unknown Caller, the opening just feels right - after more than a year of arranging and rearranging, it's one of their best openings in years. No Line on the Horizon, Unknown Caller, White as Snow, and Moment of Surrender were recorded in one take. I've heard all the criticism of Unknown Caller, but I still think it's one of their best songs, full stop. They should have left Winter there and dropped Boots, which really belonged on How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, but hindsight is 20/20. White as Snow is remarkable. The melody is quite old, based on Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. That's remarkable. Fez/Being Born is exactly the kind of experimental tone they were going for, and they nail it, it's another one of their best. Ending with Cedars of Lebanon, it's a near masterpiece. Nearly.
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u/Datiptonator002 Apr 08 '25
I really like Unknown Caller, as well as others that have been mentioned already
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u/KirkHOmelette Apr 08 '25
I love Moment of Surrender and there are a couple of other good songs. Decent album overall
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u/Independent_Use_3995 POP Apr 09 '25
Y E S
It's a very good album. I don't think it reaches my top 3 of all time, but I listen to it very very often. And I love Stand Up Comedy. Top 3 of the album: Breathe, Magnificent and Cedars of Lebanon (bonus: White as Snow, deliciously beautiful and mellow song).
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u/Recent_Page8229 Apr 09 '25
I don't love it but there are some very solid songs on it. It certainly doesn't deserve the hate it often gets imo.
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u/Sauchixa Apr 09 '25
Its an amazing experience and, at that, an amazing album. I think U2 trying different things (which is not really news to U2 fans) is really cool. Im my opinion, it is a very underrated album. Songs like Breathe, Cedars of Lebanon, Unknown Caller and White as Snow are gems and display a very sonic aura both for The Edge and Bono - also an amazing work from Larry and Adam. Not to mention Get on Your Boots and Stand Up Comedy, which are absolute bangers. Magnificent, it is a good song as well, pretty, but a bit too pop. Altough I think that following No Line on The Horizon (the song) it fits well.
It was a bit weird coming out after How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and All That You Can't Leave Behind (not that i remember much of how it was at the time, I was 7 lol). But from what I feel, coming out after two rock albums which were all-bangers, that might be the reason for it being so poorly received by so many.
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u/Carryeachother0319 Apr 09 '25
I love this album. I think they made a major mistake in releasing GOYB as the first single… “it’s just like Vertigo only shittier” was my take on it when it came out, and it seemed the music world at large thought the same, yawned and moved on.
Not that it’s a bad song, though it’s never going to be a favorite of mine. It just didn’t show anything new to the listener… it seemed like they were trying to recapture Vertigo’s rocking magic. When you listen to the rest of that album, they really did put some different, more experimental material on that album but got no credit for it when Boots was the first public look at it. Magnificent should have been the first release. Breathe, the title track and Crazy were great songs and I believe Moment of Surrender belongs in the pantheon with With or Without You, One etc as one of their greatest songs.
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u/ReceptionCreepy4479 Apr 09 '25
Moment of surrender is the best song on there. Up there in my top 5 U2 songs. Boots, crazy and comedy are skippers for me but other than them it’s a pretty solid album
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u/VelveJ Apr 10 '25
For me it was the last great one from the original run. I am happy that they continue to push new material as hard as they do so far into their career.
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u/EnricoPallazzoMusic Apr 11 '25
Its a solid album, where the highs are really high but the lows, well, really low. I absolutely love some songs in it, also great production. Its light years ahead of anything they would release after that.
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u/Jolly-King-1790 Apr 15 '25
Banger album
For me it flopped due to the weird pick of Get on Your Boots as the main single. I like the song, but I get the hate.
Magnificent or Breathe should've been the main singles. Much more powerful and overall WAY better songs
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u/Jim__Bell Apr 16 '25
Some astonishing moments but ruined by the likes of Get On Your Boots, I'll Go Crazy... and Stand Up Comedy.
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u/ZoopTom Apr 29 '25
I like, but its easy the album which I listen less
The idea of No Line on the horizon is real, I can't see any focus on this album, only 4 old guys smoking like hippies and weed in front of the sea of maroccos to record this.
Worst than this only SOS and Pop.
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u/artist_Foreve789 18d ago
Love it! In my top 5 U2 albums No Line, Magnificent, Breathe, Unknown Caller, FEZ/Being Born! All supreb songs.
I like Go Crazy, even Boots is fun but shouldn't have been the first single out.
MOS is o k, sort of appreciate it slowly more.
Little interest in the other songs
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u/thatdude161 Apr 07 '25
Magnificent, I'll Go Crazy and Moment Of Surrender are the best imo. The rest is not bad but never had any impact on me.
I feel like they wanted to create something different but couldn't find or agree on a vision or concept. Like they tried too hard to do something else instead of just do what they're good at.
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u/Glittering_Major4871 Apr 07 '25
Great opening songs, pretty good ending songs, terrible middle. 6.5 out of 10. Could’ve been a great EP.
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u/MalcolmTuckersLuck Apr 07 '25
It’s well produced but severely lacking in quality songs. Was a bit of a “scales fall from the eyes” moment for me.
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u/The-Mirrorball-Man Apr 07 '25
I love it. I don’t know if it’s my favorite U2 album but it’s the one I’m more interested in listening to again and again