Daniel Lanois interviewed on 102.1 The Edge
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Vlad n U 2
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I agree with all of what you said except for "call it a day" bit.
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
With U2 release dates, pessimistic is always much closer to realistic. They care about the fans' contentment, but they care about the quality of their discography much more. Perhaps too much.
It looks like too much if Lanois is just blowing off what they decided. It's almost like he wants to mix the rest of the album and go "See? It's good." Then band say "Thanks Danny. Let Get on our boots."
This is good news!But I do have a question...
Lanois says he's mixing half of the new album (that's what he says on this link). Does this mean that the other half of the album has yet to be written? I know nothing about mixing, so I have no idea if they mix as they go, or if they wait to start mixing only after a final set of songs has been chosen???
I interpret this to mean that U2 is still working on perfecting the other songs, which is good. Don't stop working 'til it's great!
Mixing can't begin until everything is right in terms of composition and lyrics. Tweaks take a long time, right. Of those 50 to 60 songs, most are probably duds -- b-side quality that has yet to be polished. I don't want another Zooropa (though Numb, Lemon and Stay were a-side quality, though not my favorites) full of b-side stuff and half-assed melodies.
Well, remember that the most innovative song of the HTDAAB sessions was recorded only on the last day of recording. Some pretty great stuff can happen at the end. I hope U2 keeps working hard and innovatively and doesn't dumb things down.
pacemaker
Refugee
I think generally, mixing a record is done all at once. However, I would say mastering is the only thing that NEEDS to be done to EVERY song on the record, at the same time. And I do agree about your statement on continuity. Sadly though, U2, and the words "recording" and "continuity" have not gone together in a long time. While I am jealous of them for being able to globe hope to record parts of one record in many different studios in many different cities, I've always been baffled by the approach. This also has to do with producers (multiple producers is another "WTF U2?" point for me), studio, etc.
What I'm getting at, is that until it comes to mastering, artwork, packaging and physical/digital release, U2's approach to recording is so non-linear that its really hard to ever get a gauge on how, when or what they're working on, thus unorthodox methods in the interim (i.e. Lanois mixing half the record) are used to produce the product they want.
I would LOVE it, however, if U2 booked 4 months of time at an unfamiliar studio (something a bit more inviting than Hansa Ton, yah?), and WORK ON and RECORD an album and then RELEASE it. Less time to think about the album as a product, and a lot of focused time to just work an an ALBUM.
Mastering process
Why is that? I know nothing about the proces, so please explain, if you can?
What exactly happens with mastering, and why can't you master a song and a week later another etc?
Why is that? I know nothing about the proces, so please explain, if you can?
What exactly happens with mastering, and why can't you master a song and a week later another etc?
Hoodlem
War Child
mastering is the process that determines the volume level (among other things such as EQ and compression) of each track in relation to the rest of the tracks, to give the album a continous sound or feel.
buzzkill27
War Child
Very well said....yes the new U2 record as with any record has to be mastered all at the one time and since Danny's mixing half the record right now I doubt U2 will wait too long before giving him the second half of the record to mix or have Steve Lillywhite/the band do the second half.
Vlad n U 2
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We're halfway there. 
I would love if they would let Bono go off for the rest of the "tour" year. (all of 2006 while they weren't touring, for example - or take out the next year if the tour ends late in the year, ie 2002 after Elevation) Then reconvene after New Year's, and make an album by the end of summer and release it in autumn.
Thanks for explaining!
gvox
Ghost of Love
^
^
I have come to the conclusion that very few, if any, know what the fuck they are talking about.
^
I have come to the conclusion that very few, if any, know what the fuck they are talking about.
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
If you get Here is what is documentary you can see how Daniel Lanois uses the faders and different sound formats it almost looks like he's playing it as an instrument.
YouTube - Daniel Lanois in Studio part 2
Thanks. That wasn't on the original film in the cinema. I guess it's an extra. I've wanted to know how does he choose between a musical idea for U2, since he's been helping compose, versus keeping it for his own work, since he's now an artist and not just a producer. I'm not saying he would try to cheat U2 of his best work, but, subconsciously, how does he not have difficulty thinking, "this is so good, I should save it for when I'm doing my next solo album."
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I think he wants to rush the album out because he has song writing credits and he would be able to collect album royalties sooner. Eno and Lanois both have a vested interest in the success of this album.
Please....
They're both quite well off, though. A better album means a work to be proud of. I don't get the sense that they're so money-driven. They seem quite artistic and not complete sell-outs. If they made another HTDAAB, it would probably sell more copies than an artistically superior album; just look at Achtung Baby not selling nearly as much.
The better the album is, the fewer copies it will sell, I suspect. It's not a perfect inverse corelation, but I sense it's largely true.
I hope they don't do that bonus track on the UK/Japan version, though, unless it's a bad song. I had to fork over $28 -- and it was on sale! -- for the UK version of HTDAAB because I wanted the printed lyrics for "Fast Cars".
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
?? Achtung Baby has sold around 9-10 million copies in the US, second only to the Joshua Tree, The Bomb sold 12 million worldwide, 3 million or so in the US, so in the case of U2 their two most critically acclaimed and two successful albums are the same.
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
It fits even with his arm twisting of the band to include small snippets in his movie Here is what is.
"Aw come on, throw me a bone."
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Some of you have gone off the deep end...
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Danny's got to eat.
Rob33
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Anyone saw atu2.com's off the record column ? They also mention Lanois's "half album mix" news , and they also heard "double album" talk earlier this year.
....didn't we all hear double album talk earlier this year? I didn't think this was anything new...
Vlad n U 2
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I don't remember them talking about a double album. 
I was under the impression that all the double-album talk simply started with boring "what if" thread titles in this forum. The only snippet even close to a double-album that I remember was when someone close to the band mentioned the U2 album and the Passengers 2 album idea.
The_Edge89
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
They were seperate ideas (could still be though) just like the Rubin Sessions and the Eno/Lanois sessions were seperate projects.
Now Edge admitted that some of the Rubin stuff is still around for the new album so who knows anything these days, really?
My personal thought at the moment is that the two ideas has now meshed together or at least influenced one another. Steve Averill mentioned the U2/Passengers 2 projects in public a little over a year ago. (Zwei Alben und Reissue des gesamten U2-Backcatalogues.)
It doesn't neccessarily mean that the next album will consist of two CDs of course.
Now Edge admitted that some of the Rubin stuff is still around for the new album so who knows anything these days, really?
My personal thought at the moment is that the two ideas has now meshed together or at least influenced one another. Steve Averill mentioned the U2/Passengers 2 projects in public a little over a year ago. (Zwei Alben und Reissue des gesamten U2-Backcatalogues.)
It doesn't neccessarily mean that the next album will consist of two CDs of course.
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