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JamietheEdgefan said:
I'm speaking only in commercial terms. I think NLOTH was a great album as well, but they definitely need to bounce back from it (or at least they feel the need to). No singles caught fire - in fact the lead single is generally loathed - the album didn't sell as well as others, and it is generally regarded as a failure by the public (even though it didn't do that poorly).

They want to be 'relevant' etc, so of course, having another album that is received like NLOTH is against their interests. They were 'big' in the last 3 years only in terms of touring, and as we can see with the rolling stones, merely touring isn't enough to be musically relevant. They have to have popular, successful music out there competing with other bands.

I definitely agree with your last statement. You can't manufacture a successful album. They just have to write great songs, and they will do well.
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Well let me remind you of this:

The TOP TEN SELLING ALBUMS OF 2009 WORLDWIDE

01. Susan Boyle - I Dreamed A Dream - 6,0 million copies
02. Lady GaGa - The Fame (Monster)- 5,9 million copies
03. Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. - 4,6 million copies
04. Taylor Swift - Fearless - 4,2 million copies
05. Michael Jackson - Thriller (25th Anniversary Reissue) - 4,0 million copies
06. Michael Jackson - Number One - 3,6 million copies
07. U2 - No Line On The Horizon - 3,5 million copies
08. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night - 3,5 million copies
09. Michael Bublé - Crazy Love - 3,3 million copies
10. Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce - 3,2 million copies


Looks VERY relevant to me. If Michael Jackson hadn't died, No Line On The Horizon would have been the 5th biggest selling album of the year around the world. Thats huge.
 
The only way they'll break up is if their "embarassment of riches" is false or doesn't turn into anything that can be finished for a record. If anything this "NLOTH is the last album" crap is calculated because the Danger Mouse sessions produced better music than the NLOTH leftovers so they've already moved on earlier this year and know they have lots of music to choose from. In fact they've even decided the direction already after dropping RedOne to go with Danger Mouse precisely because they got the most from him.

1) They know who they are doing their record with this January.
2) They have lots of material they can turn to that is on the back burner.
3) Bono even is quoted as saying he would still like to work with Danny and Brian again.
4) Bono himself even said it wasn't likely.

The band would be stupid to quit at this point. To have an album named No line on the horizon and then to put a horizon on that album doesn't make any sense for a legacy. :lol:
 
Maoilbheannacht said:
Well let me remind you of this:

The TOP TEN SELLING ALBUMS OF 2009 WORLDWIDE

01. Susan Boyle - I Dreamed A Dream - 6,0 million copies
02. Lady GaGa - The Fame (Monster)- 5,9 million copies
03. Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. - 4,6 million copies
04. Taylor Swift - Fearless - 4,2 million copies
05. Michael Jackson - Thriller (25th Anniversary Reissue) - 4,0 million copies
06. Michael Jackson - Number One - 3,6 million copies
07. U2 - No Line On The Horizon - 3,5 million copies
08. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night - 3,5 million copies
09. Michael Bublé - Crazy Love - 3,3 million copies
10. Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce - 3,2 million copies


Looks VERY relevant to me. If Michael Jackson hadn't died, No Line On The Horizon would have been the 5th biggest selling album of the year around the world. Thats huge.
Click to expand...

Look, i'm not saying NLOTH was unimpressive. I think it's a great album, and selling almost 4 million copies is nothing to be laughed at. However, that's not how u2 have viewed it. They're obviously disappointed that it didn't sell as much as they'd hoped, that it didn't take off live, and that there wasn't a hit single off it. What's more, there are now journalists citing NLOTH as a disappointing (or even bad) album, based on these facts.

If what u2 want is relevance, popularity, and lots of sales, then they have to make sure the next album does sell as much as they hope, that it does take off live, and that it does have hit singles. So in that sense, the next album would need to be a 'comeback' from NLOTH.
 
That headline is exactly what U2 (or at least Bono) want.

I hesitate to be too cynical about it, though, because I think it comes from a good place. Bono really IS questioning their relevance. This band has too much drive to be content with the kind of success NLOTH had, no matter how underappreciated it may or may not have been. And I think he really does think it would be better to quit than to be irrelevant. On the other hand, U2 are clearly still capable of great music. The magic will happen again. Just a matter of whether it's a game-changer/another classic or a mere commercial success. One thing I'm sure of: they won't be back till they have a sure-fire huge single. And I'm OK with that. They don't have one huge single I don't like quite a lot, and probably not one I don't love. If they're working with Danger Mouse, they will have a huge single. It's just a matter of how huge, and how quality.

I have absolute faith in this band, especially paired with Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse aspires to huge sounds but loves simplicity and intimacy. He won't let them go too mindless. For instance, I can't imagine SUC happening on his watch (the only NLOTH song I think is irredeemable).

Also, Every Breaking Wave is a fucking classic song. That's enough for me. They'll be back, if only to get that song right.
 
i did say it a couple weeks ago. i do have this weird gut feeling that NLOTH was U2's last album. i have no factual evidence that i could provide Nick66, it's just a gut feeling.
 
mikal said:
i did say it a couple weeks ago. i do have this weird gut feeling that NLOTH was U2's last album. i have no factual evidence that i could provide Nick66, it's just a gut feeling.
Click to expand...

How thoughtful of you to mention my name.

I can only say that since all of us want U2 to stay together, that I hope you're as wrong on this "gut feeling" as you were about the remaster.

Again, thanks for thinking of me. :)
 
I think that IF they will indeed break up, they'd do it more silently, not with so much fuss like Bono is creating right now. It's almost like the more he talks like that, the more unlikely a break-up will become.

I think he's just talking and it doesn't seem like the other band members are necessarily sharing his opinion. I think they still love to make music together, and they still have a contract with Live Nation. I don't see them ending it now, the whole "relevance" debate is so laughable.

And the Guggi story doesn't tell us anything new, it's just comments and quotes taken out of context.
 
Unfortunately Bono only needed to make those kinds of comments a few times, probably when he was in a crappy mood, and of course the media is the one who will repeat and recycle it endlessly, making it seem like Bono won't shut up about it. He even cancelled his interview with Neil McCormick, a personal friend, and gave the exact reason as being that he's embarrassed by the amount of focus there is on him, as well as being flat out exhausted.
I really don't see all this as a fuss Bono has created, so much as one the media has, as usual.
 
bonocomet said:
Unfortunately Bono only needed to make those kinds of comments a few times, probably when he was in a crappy mood, and of course the media is the one who will repeat and recycle it endlessly, making it seem like Bono won't shut up about it. He even cancelled his interview with Neil McCormick, a personal friend, and gave the exact reason as being that he's embarrassed by the amount of focus there is on him, as well as being flat out exhausted.
I really don't see all this as a fuss Bono has created, so much as one the media has, as usual.
Click to expand...

Well, he DID a couple of interviews saying the same stuff over and over again. Maybe he realised then that it wasn't such a great idea, but it was too late. A couple of months ago, all this break up/relevance issue wasn't discussed. The band had a great, very successful tour and Bono always sounded very optimistic about the future and didn't sound like U2 was about to go anywhere anytime soon. I don't know what happened since the tour ended but obviously he hasn't been himself lately. I still don't feel there's much to worry about since they have a contract with Live Nation, so I guess they'll be around for at least one more album and tour. They're healthy and love to make music together, so I don't see why they shouldn't. I just decided not to be impressed by Bono's talking too much, since Edge and Adam both didn't agree with him in recent interviews. I'm a little more concerned about Bono not being too well because he doesn't really sound like himself lately. Maybe he's just exhausted, maybe a little depressed, but I hope it's nothing more and he will get himself together very soon, take some time off, relax and gain new energy - and positive thoughts. We all go through phases like that :)
 
Right, like I said, maybe a few times. However we've seen it recycled endlessly. :shrug:

And yeah he's definitely tired and needing a break, it's obvious, and he's said that himself.
 
I honestly don't think there's much reason to fear for a break-up right now. I would say all the signs are against it. Edge and Adam certainly seem excited about the collaboration with Danger Mouse in interviews, a bunch of new songs have been introduced during the tour, and they've been quite active musically for the last few years, not only releasing NLOTH and staging the biggest tour ever, but also playing Glastonbury and writing the soundtrack for Brothers and Spiderman. They were even planning on releasing an album mid-tour, Zooropa-style.

This is not a band breaking up. They're bursting with life. Perhaps even more than they ever were.
 
JamietheEdgefan said:
Look, i'm not saying NLOTH was unimpressive. I think it's a great album, and selling almost 4 million copies is nothing to be laughed at. However, that's not how u2 have viewed it. They're obviously disappointed that it didn't sell as much as they'd hoped, that it didn't take off live, and that there wasn't a hit single off it. What's more, there are now journalists citing NLOTH as a disappointing (or even bad) album, based on these facts.

If what u2 want is relevance, popularity, and lots of sales, then they have to make sure the next album does sell as much as they hope, that it does take off live, and that it does have hit singles. So in that sense, the next album would need to be a 'comeback' from NLOTH.
Click to expand...

The point I'm making here is that the band is already at the top of the world in terms of album sales. How can it be a disapointment to outsell almost everyone in the industry? Being in the top 10 shows extreme popularity.
 
WalkOn21 said:
I honestly don't think there's much reason to fear for a break-up right now. I would say all the signs are against it. Edge and Adam certainly seem excited about the collaboration with Danger Mouse in interviews, a bunch of new songs have been introduced during the tour, and they've been quite active musically for the last few years, not only releasing NLOTH and staging the biggest tour ever, but also playing Glastonbury and writing the soundtrack for Brothers and Spiderman. They were even planning on releasing an album mid-tour, Zooropa-style.

This is not a band breaking up. They're bursting with life. Perhaps even more than they ever were.
Click to expand...

:up:
I agree with you soooo much...
These guys are at the top of their game!

They had ideas for at least 3 albums worth of material. They often played with an energy I haven't seen in years. They just finished a tour that I think is second only to Zoo TV. How can they not be relevant???
 
last unicorn said:
Well, he DID a couple of interviews saying the same stuff over and over again. Maybe he realised then that it wasn't such a great idea, but it was too late. A couple of months ago, all this break up/relevance issue wasn't discussed. The band had a great, very successful tour and Bono always sounded very optimistic about the future and didn't sound like U2 was about to go anywhere anytime soon. I don't know what happened since the tour ended but obviously he hasn't been himself lately. I still don't feel there's much to worry about since they have a contract with Live Nation, so I guess they'll be around for at least one more album and tour. They're healthy and love to make music together, so I don't see why they shouldn't. I just decided not to be impressed by Bono's talking too much, since Edge and Adam both didn't agree with him in recent interviews. I'm a little more concerned about Bono not being too well because he doesn't really sound like himself lately. Maybe he's just exhausted, maybe a little depressed, but I hope it's nothing more and he will get himself together very soon, take some time off, relax and gain new energy - and positive thoughts. We all go through phases like that :)
Click to expand...

As far as contracts go, the band have not completed the contract they signed in 1993 after Zooropa was released which was for 6 more studio albums of original new music. They have done four, POP, ATYCLB, HTDAAB, and NLOTH, which means they have two more to do to complete that contract that they signed 18 years ago.
 
Maoilbheannacht said:
As far as contracts go, the band have not completed the contract they signed in 1993 after Zooropa was released which was for 6 more studio albums of original new music. They have done four, POP, ATYCLB, HTDAAB, and NLOTH, which means they have two more to do to complete that contract that they signed 18 years ago.
Click to expand...

You're forgetting the best offs. They count for studio albums even though they are compilations. They fulfilled their Island contract with U218. It was in the press back then. And their new contract was with Universal/Mercury, a 12 year deal.
 
That contract is irrelevant since U2 left Island in 2006, and got a new contract with their new label (Mercury?). The Live nation 12 year deal only goes for merchandise, touring and the U2.com site.

Best ofs were a separate contract, which was fulfilled with U218.

I don't think quitting is off limits in the discussions.
 
I don't think U2 would agree on such a long "touring" contract if they were about to quit anytime soon and I don't see them doing a tour without an album. So I still think the Live Nation contract is relevant here.
 
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