Bono talks 3 albums again

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BVS said:
The difference between a band and a solo artist is like that of a married man and a single man, the single man is going to have much more freedom to go out, buy things, or do things without discussion.
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amen! :sigh:



:wink:
 
Hollow Island said:
You're missing out! Check out Murray St. It's their most anthemic, exuberant album with guitar playing that equals Marquee Moon. It's their "classic rock" album.

I'm sure a lot of people would be surprised that Springsteen still puts out albums.
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i'm sure there would be people who exist that are surprised springsteen still puts out albums, sure.

but, um, yea. i'm guessing that number is a tad smaller than those who even know who sonic youth are, not to mention that they're still recording.

last i've heard from sonic youth was when i saw them open for pearl jam in 2000 :shrug:

and that's not meant to be an insult to sonic youth. apples and oranges. microsoft vs. al's computer store.
 
if U2 were to release Pop under a different title and have DYFL as the first single, it would probably sell 7M units.

music fans are interested in breaks, beats and bass more than any time in the last decade.
 
Maybe a bit too far subnet. I agree with you on DYFL, but mostly because it sounds to me like one of - if not the - most finished songs on the album,and it's full out. I don't know if songs like Discotechque or Staring At The Sun would work right now, to be honest. Mofo probably would!
 
They've made more money than they could ever spend in a lifetime and aren't getting any younger. Its never been easier to release music quickly, directly and cheaply to your fan base, something they seemed very excited about and willing to embrace in the 90s when it was in its infancy, but they don't seem interested in deviating from how bands released music back in the 80s.

I just thought they might start becoming more willing to experiment with different sounds and release stuff more frequently without their need to seemingly over-think everything in the search for the perfect album comprising 10 hit singles.
 
ascender_RS said:
I just thought they might start becoming more willing to experiment with different sounds and release stuff more frequently without their need to seemingly over-think everything in the search for the perfect album comprising 10 hit singles.
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In this, you are not alone...
 
digitize said:
Maybe it would make them magical and immortal, like David Bowie.
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Once upon a time, i was a govt operator working in a remote village observing my subjects. I grew my hair out very long and knocked out several of my teeth to try and look the part. I grew drugs and got involved in the trade. It was a cover for something much deeeper...anyway....I ran wild into the winds of the dirty violent underworld. I thought i was i immortal, truly fucking untouchable. Uncharted waters. After my assignment was up, i had a hard time coming up for air. I ended up on an exotic island in the middle of nowhere, just me and some "locals". I was really into the smoke, but then i got deeper and deeper into the snake bite and i was doing hard time poison and asphalt 24/7. I could shake it if i wanted to, but i thought i was immortal. I spoke with the ghosts and i even watched their horses when they would dismount. I can still smell the fresh blood flowing near the fire pit and hear the sounds of sacrifice and the tribal beats...
 
Mrs. Garrison said:
Once upon a time, i was a govt operator working in a remote village observing my subjects. I grew my hair out very long and knocked out several of my teeth to try and look the part. I grew drugs and got involved in the trade. It was a cover for something much deeeper...anyway....I ran wild into the winds of the dirty violent underworld. I thought i was i immortal, truly fucking untouchable. Uncharted waters. After my assignment was up, i had a hard time coming up for air. I ended up on an exotic island in the middle of nowhere, just me and some "locals". I was really into the smoke, but then i got deeper and deeper into the snake bite and i was doing hard time poison and asphalt 24/7. I could shake it if i wanted to, but i thought i was immortal. I spoke with the ghosts and i even watched their horses when they would dismount. I can still smell the fresh blood flowing near the fire pit and hear the sounds of sacrifice and the tribal beats...
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And OU still sucks. :wink:
 
ascender_RS said:
I just thought they might start becoming more willing to experiment with different sounds and release stuff more frequently without their need to seemingly over-think everything in the search for the perfect album comprising 10 hit singles.
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....That will get them played on the radio

:laugh:

"the radio"

:laugh::laugh:
 
LemonMelon said:
2005 - nothing
2006 - nothing
2007 - nothing
2008 - nothing
2009 - NLOTH
2010 - nothing
2011 - nothing
2012 - probably nothing

There has been 1 album released in 7 years. You attempted to compare this drought to 1993-1997, which had three releases from the band. I can't help but agree that U2 have dug themselves into a hole by following a release schedule that allows them too much creative freedom to remain vital. U2's most creative material was recorded in haste, and it takes new material to remain in the minds of the public, so I don't understand the apologists anymore. U2 needs to release music at a faster pace, for their own good.
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Halleluyah! :applaud:
 
The Panther said:
It may be the case that U2 are quite democratic and fight tooth-and-nail every step of the way, but I still don't think your point is valid. Just because it's a democracy doesn't mean you get a free pass to produce nothing, and solo artists like Bruce have to write all the songs themselves, without collaborators.
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Sorry, it's valid. The solo artist makes the final decision. It's quicker to write on your own than collaborate. Also, there are fewer variables (families and other commitments) to affect the recording process.

If Edge writes a song, he has three guys, plus the producers, wanting to fiddle with it. If Paul Weller, or Bruce, or Ryan Adams, or any other solo artist writes a song, it is done. He has final say. He's the songwriter. It's his thing.

If Bruce was in a democratic band I doubt he'd be putting two records out a year. I have a feeling that if Bono made all the decisions for U2 SOA would have been out, that they'd put out records and NOT tour them. If Bono wanted to put out a record of ambient, chilled out "hymns", he'd do it. But because other people don't want to, he has to respect that if he is unable to convince them...and who knows how long the arguing goes on for. Because Adam is adverse to releaseing a record and not touring, every record they put out has to be filled with a particular type of song. If those kinds or songs aren't what comes naturally, it slows the process down. And the process has already slowed because of their age. How many bands their age put out records every 2 or 3 years? How many bands, period?

U2s breaks between albums are the norm for bands that have been around for as long as they have, maybe even a bit better. Some 2000-2012 stats:
AC DC have two albums
Rush have three, and and EP.
Tool have 2.
REM have 4.
Wilco have 5.
The Cure have 2.
Depeche Mode have 3.
ZZ Top have 1.
Primal Scream have 4, but only 2 from 2003 onward (same as U2).
Radiohead have 5, with three in the last decade, and 2 after 2004 (same as U2 from 2004-jan 2012).
U2 have 3. That's not so abnormal, is it?

Here are some solo artists:
Paul McCartney has 9.
Paul Weller has 7.
Bruce has 6.
Billy Corgan (basically a solo artist) has 6, plus a shitload of unreleased stuff and songs only played live.

Ryan Adams has 13, and that's discounting all the unreleased albums. He's younger, yeah, but if he was in a democratic band there is NO WAY he'd have released seven albums in five years, while recording at least six more unreleased albums during that same time.

Damon Albarn has 11 from all the different projects he's lead, and he could have called them all solo albums save "Think Tank." That's the freedom someone who isn't a band has.

Solo artists have more freedom in what they record, what they release, their work schedule, if and how long they tour for, and so on. The song is finished when they finish writing it, not after three other people take it and play around with it, adding and subtracting. They direct what the musicians do, as opposed to a band where dictating what bandmates play is usually problematic.

Also, it's not like they're doing nothing. They're playing gigs! They tour for a really long time. Their shows are really spread out, so they're on the road for a year and a half or two years. And then when they get off the road they probably want to take a bit of a break...though their schedule is basically a vacation with the odd performance thrown it, isn't it? And then when the break is done, the long process of making an album begins again.
 
^ Yeah, everything HI said. I thought it was common knowledge solo artists generally have a substantially greater output than groups...?
 
Bruce isn't any more relevant than U2 to the average guy. Both had one last mega surge of popularity right after 9/11. Though Vertigo is a bigger hit than anything Bruce's put out since that surge. And majority of his output is still with the E street band, which isn't really any major risk by itself. And the day U2 comes out with a studio album loaded with covers hopefully never comes.

And when Bruce has a legitimate extra job, 3 other guys to negotiate the music with, and medical issues prolonging tours, then we can talk comparisons.
 
After releasing Tunnel Of Love in 1987, Bruce's next three studio albums were...

* Lucky Town
* Human Touch, both released on the same day in 1992. Neither record was particularly well-regarded, with the general consensus being that Bruce probably should've just released one album taking the best from each disc.
* The Ghost Of Tom Joad, released in 1995. An acoustic, very dark, moody, solo record accompanied by a theatre tour.

Then, nothing until The Rising in 2002 when Bruce was back with the whole E Street Band. So that's a 15-year gap with three albums, none of which were hits by any stretch. Bruce's current output is very busy even for him, and while I love the Boss, none of his recent records can be counted among his best (though they all have 2-3 songs that are as good as anything Springsteen has ever done).

This all being said, I'm not sure Bruce & the E Streeters and U2 are a perfect comparison. As other posters have mentioned, Bruce is a solo act --- he can record as much as he wants, and since the E Streeters are all hard-bitten musical lifers, they'll tour as much they want (though they're entering another new era given Max's health issues and Clarence Clemons' passing). Bruce's upcoming album is supposedly somewhat of a departure for him musically and sounds really cool.

U2, however, are a four-man unit, with each man given an equal say in how things operate. Until all four are on the same page in regards to the quality of music, nothing gets released, it's as simple as that. Also, because U2 is specifically 'all four of them,' Bono and Edge couldn't do (for instance) an acoustic album or tour since then they're essentially breaking up the band.
 
I'm going to jump in, go off topic, disagree, and make you look at me like I'm crazy when I say that I truly love Working on a Dream and I do feel it's a great album. Totally besides the point, but I just had to throw that little IMHO in.

Anyway, I agree with the overall point you're trying to make. A solo artist can pretty much release records at will whereas with a band, Bono has to make sure his schedule aligns with Edge's, Adam's, and Larry's. Another band who this is an issue for is Metallica, whose career parallels U2's in many ways. The four founding members all have families of varying stages of development. While Bono's children are reaching an age where he can go away for extended periods of time without significant impact on his kid's upbringing, Adam has a baby at home.

It's more than just their schedules that have to align: they have to agree on content. Bruce's new album, "Wrecking Ball", is clearly inspired by the current political and economic climate in America (titles include "This Depression", "Easy Money", and "Death to My Hometown"). Bruce can, in essence, watch an hour of Fox News to work himself into a frenzy, knock out 10 quick songs, record it, call the E Street Band and hit the road. It's his show. Bono can write 10 songs about the end of AIDS, but if Larry doesn't feel like stamping his name to an album full of those songs, it ain't coming out.

Another example of the solo artist vs. band production argument is Ryan Adams. He was incredibly prolific (some would argue over-prolific) as a solo artist. Once he teamed with the Cardinals, his output decreased significantly (he stated in interviews that The Cardinals edited him and would whittle down a list of 30-40 songs to make an album of 12). It's just easier as a solo artist.
 
In all honesty, I have no problem whatsoever with Bono spending a lot of time working on his charity concerns. I think it's pretty admirable.
 
Yeah, and he's been on tour for three years. So I don't think it's unfair that he's giving his other goals some time now.


Besides, my wallet needs longer to recover. So please Bono, by all means, enjoy working for your causes and whatever, us fans can wait a year. ;)
 
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