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much props and that guitar rant clawgrabber said

"is that a guitar?"

indeed.

as for a bono solo album?

See robert plant.
 
DevilsShoes said:


I'm sure there are several songs that Bono has written which don't fit with the band, but I don't see the idea of a solo album becoming a reality anytime soon. The main reason being Bono himself, he has said in the past that his worst nightmare would be to be a solo artist and be in the studio with a group of session musicians who were all under his employment. The bouncing of creative ideas off on one another is one of the things he enjoys most about being in a band. They're a democracy and are as such are all on equal terms, its a level playing feild, which almost certainly wouldn't be the case if he made a solo album, this creative stimuli would be lost, he'd be dictating what he wanted to the rest of the musicians rather than being inspired by a collective of ideas. The members of U2 will fight for what they believe in which I don't think could ever happen with a group he himself has assembled, in all liklihood they'd listen to his instructions and play whatever he wanted unquestioningly because he's 'superstar singer Bono from U2' and they're just glad to be in the same room as him. I don't think this would be a good atmosphere with which to produce a creatively fresh and interesting album, and I'm pleased he's so reluctant to do it.
My two cents.

I said Bono and a guitar. I didn't say anything about session musicians or putting together another band. I didn't say that he had to be totally divorced from the input of the usual suspects either. I am talking about Bono singing and playing the guitar himself. Bono has written quite a few songs totally on his own. Major example Silver and Gold written by Bono in a hotel on his own with the band not even in town. But that being said again I didn't say he had to create in a vacuum. Bono and Edge frequently do work together or individually outside U2. The only part of what I am talking about that hasn't already happened is Bono recording the songs as an individual playing guitar himself. Hell I don't care if Edge and Lanois play on it too. The point I am making is that there is a type of song that Bono is fantastic at writing which does not seem to go over gangbusters with U2 fans, but are wonderful in their own right and I for one hate the idea that these wonderful ballads end up scrapped because they don't fit U2. We're lucky that some of these songs have come out in other ways but who knows how many more are out there. Bono demo's lots of songs for the group but not all of them get worked on. This would be an outlet for them. I don't think at this point that doing this would in any way threaten the other guys, since I am talking about stuff that doesn't make the U2 cut. Just because it doesn't work for U2 doesn't mean its crap. You know he doesn't have to do a solo tour just because of a solo album, and what Bono is talking about being scary is a solo career. I am NOT talking about that, just a record with only Bono. Do you honestly think that I believe for a minute that the guys would not be right there supporting him with this if he wanted to do it? Come on.

By the way at Christmas in the interview with Jo Whiley I think, Bono talked about being very interested in doing songs with just voice and acoustic guitar. By definition that would at the very least leave out Adam and Larry. I don't think anything like that would end up on a U2 album because if all four aren't playing on it then it isn't U2 so he may actually be thinking in terms of a side project. This is not a band that is threatened by what the individual do outside the group. On the contrary they have all talked about the fact that the outside projects benefit the group. It is more healthy for Bono to have an outlet for things that don't fit with U2 than it is for him to constantly put aside work that doesn't fit with the group. He finds outlets for some of this stuff and all I'm saying is maybe there is more material that hasn't found an outlet that would fit with a solo album.

Interesting things Bono has written that haven't made it to a U2 album:

She's a Mystery Girl
Wild Irish Rose
Falling at Your Feet
Stateless
Ground Beneath Her Feet (only as a bonus track and yes I know the words are Rushdie's but the music was Bono originally)
Conversations on a Barstool
Slow Dancing
Two Shots of Happy
North and South of the River

Not generally appreciated in the fandom (some just not appreciated live):

Love Rescue Me (written with Dylan)
When Love Comes to Town
So Cruel
Babyface
Stay (although it does have it's followers)
Some Days are Better Than Others
The First Time
The Playboy Mansion
Grace
A Man and a Woman
One Step Closer

Dana

Interesting tidbit - Love is Blindness was started during R&H era as a song he wanted to write for Nina Simone and later reworked for AB. Bono says that when an artist really moves him he writes songs for them. Maybe he doesn't always send those songs off to the people he writes them for.
 
rihannsu said:


I said Bono and a guitar. I didn't say anything about session musicians or putting together another band. I didn't say that he had to be totally divorced from the input of the usual suspects either. I am talking about Bono singing and playing the guitar himself. Bono has written quite a few songs totally on his own. Major example Silver and Gold written by Bono in a hotel on his own with the band not even in town. But that being said again I didn't say he had to create in a vacuum. Bono and Edge frequently do work together or individually outside U2. The only part of what I am talking about that hasn't already happened is Bono recording the songs as an individual playing guitar himself. Hell I don't care if Edge and Lanois play on it too. The point I am making is that there is a type of song that Bono is fantastic at writing which does not seem to go over gangbusters with U2 fans, but are wonderful in their own right and I for one hate the idea that these wonderful ballads end up scrapped because they don't fit U2. We're lucky that some of these songs have come out in other ways but who knows how many more are out there. Bono demo's lots of songs for the group but not all of them get worked on. This would be an outlet for them. I don't think at this point that doing this would in any way threaten the other guys, since I am talking about stuff that doesn't make the U2 cut. Just because it doesn't work for U2 doesn't mean its crap. You know he doesn't have to do a solo tour just because of a solo album, and what Bono is talking about being scary is a solo career. I am NOT talking about that, just a record with only Bono. Do you honestly think that I believe for a minute that the guys would not be right there supporting him with this if he wanted to do it? Come on.


You're right there are some wonderful ballads around and it is a real pity that several of them don't see the light of day, I'd like to see them released as much as you. I know you weren't referring to him having a solo tour it's just that when you said solo album I just presumed it would actually be solo, i.e: without input from the band otherwise it may as well be a U2 song. I'm sorry if my post caused any upset or frustration, that was genuinely not its intent. Just giving an opinion. :)

Incidentally, I'm a big fan of Love Rescue Me, When Love Comes to Town, So Cruel, Stay (this is very popular on this board), The First Time, The Playboy Mansion (one of my favourite Pop songs)
and A Man and a Woman.
 
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silvrlvr said:
Bono wrote My Wild Irish Rose?

Huh.

Hah, Hah, no but he did write Wild Irish Rose which was inspired by the name of the rotgut booze the denizens of the Million Dollar Hotel (the real one) drank which was called Wild Irish Rose.

Dana
 
DevilsShoes said:


You're right there are some wonderful ballads around and it is a real pity that several of them don't see the light of day, I'd like to see them released as much as you. I know you weren't referring to him having a solo tour it's just that when you said solo album I just presumed it would actually be solo, i.e: without input from the band otherwise it may as well be a U2 song. I'm sorry if my post caused any upset or frustration, that was genuinely not its intent. Just giving an opinion. :)

Incidentally, I'm a big fan of Love Rescue Me, When Love Comes to Town, So Cruel, Stay (this is very popular on this board), The First Time, The Playboy Mansion (one of my favourite Pop songs)
and A Man and a Woman.

Sorry if I seemed snappish there, just wanted to clarify. I guess I should have specified that I meant solo in terms of performance. Bono has written solo before so I figured it would be clear that what would be new would be actually recording solo. I do hate that the common reaction to talk of an artist doing something solo seems to be that it is a threat to both fans and bandmates but I don't think U2 have any problems about that. They have all done stuff solo (as in outside of U2) without any problems ever coming up so I see no reason for Bono not to do this if he wants. Since he mentioned an interest in voice with just acoustic guitar that would be unlikely to end up on a U2 album so a solo album seems a possibility.

I get frustrated too seeing all the comments about live performances that seem to think any song that is not up-tempo is a drag, energy killer, plodder, etc. There seems to be a large faction out there that thinks every single song has to be a balls to the wall rocker. Personally, I like to take a breath now and then and I really wouldn't want to see Bono have heart failure on stage. It's ridiculous to expect him to go full out for the entire concert but that's what some people seem to expect.

Dana
 
Pop Pius V speaks the truth. Rubin is like a theater director with the way he produces. He doesn't sit in the studio like ENO and cowrite licks and tracks. He waits for the song to be finished, then sits down and listens to it with the band (see SHUT UP AND SING for a direct look into how he works ... note: that is the Dixie Chicks movie, yeah. And it is really good.)

He guides them through the process and then does what Pop Pius VIII (whatever his name is) said: he pulls the "this chorus is weak, it needs work. Put the bridge here. Go more nuts with the solo" etc...

this is why he is able to produce so much:
 
shart1780 said:
Eno = Good

Lanois = Bad

you have to be kidding..

man, I'll never understand the bad reputation Lanois has here. Ultimately, I argue that he is most responsible for the moments of brilliance we find on the eno-lanois produced records. it's his earthy prodution that grounds the joshua tree.. gives it that unique sound, where roots music becomes drenched in atmospherics. you can hear this same sound on his own albums, and in the work he's done with lucinda williams, willie nelson, emmylou harris, and most singificantly dylan.

and if you'll note, he gets primary production credit on JT, Achtung, and ATYCLB, over Eno. simply put, he brings more to the table...
 
Dorian Gray said:


you have to be kidding..

man, I'll never understand the bad reputation Lanois has here. Ultimately, I argue that he is most responsible for the moments of brilliance we find on the eno-lanois produced records. it's his earthy prodution that grounds the joshua tree.. gives it that unique sound, where roots music becomes drenched in atmospherics. you can hear this same sound on his own albums, and in the work he's done with lucinda williams, willie nelson, emmylou harris, and most singificantly dylan.

and if you'll note, he gets primary production credit on JT, Achtung, and ATYCLB, over Eno. simply put, he brings more to the table...

I think he is seen by some on here as ending the flawless Chris Thomas sessions. :shrug:
 
I agree with the description of Rick Rubin's working style. He's more like an executive producer than an actual producer, an overseer of sound rather than a seamstress of sound. His work with Johnny Cash is another good example. He didn't have to teach Johnny how to phrase; they went through a list of songs, he suggested some that Johnny might not have thought of for himself, and others that Johnny wanted to sing (some of the more-traditional ones, for example.) Then Rubin made sure the arrangements were clean and simple so they showcased Johnny.

The key phase there is "list of songs." It's entirely possible that once this stage is done, Rubin will come back in, go through the 20-30 that U2 and the others have concocted, and start putting the album together. But if the band is brainstorming and writing, we aren't there yet.
 
silvrlvr said:
I agree with the description of Rick Rubin's working style. He's more like an executive producer than an actual producer, an overseer of sound rather than a seamstress of sound. His work with Johnny Cash is another good example. He didn't have to teach Johnny how to phrase; they went through a list of songs, he suggested some that Johnny might not have thought of for himself, and others that Johnny wanted to sing (some of the more-traditional ones, for example.) Then Rubin made sure the arrangements were clean and simple so they showcased Johnny.

The key phase there is "list of songs." It's entirely possible that once this stage is done, Rubin will come back in, go through the 20-30 that U2 and the others have concocted, and start putting the album together. But if the band is brainstorming and writing, we aren't there yet.

Exactly. This will provide U2 a chance to write with people they're comfortable with, and still have a chance to change up their sound a bit. :up:
 
Thank you, LemonMelon. I happen to think Rubin will be good for the band, but he must have told them, "Come back when you're ready" otherwise I don't think they would have taken the step of jetting off to Fez to work with Eno and Lanois.
 
Well, I think Larry's "songwriting" emphasis on these Eno/Lanois Fez sessions may just be the answer to what the first post in this thread is asking:

1. Get good songs ready with the aid from Eno/Lanois. As in, songwriting by U2+Eno+Lanois. They never said they are producing the album, remember ?
2. Once you have the songs ready, put the best stuff down with Rubin. He did tell them to get back once they have the goods delivered.

Yup, ATYCLB II step 1: get the same producers. :happy:
 
Eno would like U2 to be minimalist like he is and write elevator music, if anything Lanios was the one that added the rock element to the albums that they were both involved in. Id prefer to see U2 work with some different producers but Eno and Lanois are a crutch they always go back to.
 
Considering we are all fans of whatever material U2 has put it no matter the producer, can we just accept the bands choice to use Rubin at some point in the production process?
 
We still don't know if that will happen or not, I'm not going to write them off in anger if they do go to him, but I hope they don't, man can you imagine what producing a U2 LP would do for that man's ego.
 
Yahweh said:
Id prefer to see U2 work with some different producers but Eno and Lanois are a crutch they always go back to.

I know this might look like U2-dependance on Eno/Lanois but you can't argue they didn't produce U2's best albums. If Eno/Lanois is what it takes to make a great U2 album...
 
:hmm:

My top five U2 albums:
The Unforgettable Fire
Achtung Baby
War
ATYCLB
TJT

:hmm: Eno/Lanois on four of five, looks like I would have no problem at all with them producing the album, or at least working on it, what I'm trying to say is, they do some of their best work with the two of them, I don't see how this could be a bad thing :shrug:
 
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