Larry speaks about new album

[JamietheEdgefan]

There's no reason to be negative about any of this news. Larry said SOA still exists, they have a lot of music (as opposed to only six songs), they want to follow an AB/Zooropa release pattern, and Will.I.Am is not working with them! I like how he said that they want to record a lot at once and have enough for a second release in the near future instead of having to go back and record some more. He said that's why it's taking so long and that there's lots of music. Hooray!

Here's another link to listen: Larry Mullen Jr en The Dave Fanning Show - Larry Mullen Jr - goear.com

Wow yeah, i just listened to the interview, and it really does sound like the idea of multiple releases is more of a real plan than a vague aspiration.

I still think this could all change - they could just end up taking the best songs from these sessions, and releasing them in one album, in an attempt to avoid 'filler', maybe being proud enough to play every song live. With Bono's emphasis on having '10 reasons to exist, and right now having 6 of them" (if that does indeed refer to songs), maybe they'll just end up spending the next 8 months making an album where every song is one they love, rather than filler.

But yeah, as for now, it sounds from what Larry's saying that they are actively attempting to plan out 2 albums. It would explain why they've been working with danger mouse since 2010 and still haven't released anything.

I'm a little surprised though - i figured after NLOTH they'd be concerned with just getting the one album out. I thought they'd be thinking they couldn't afford to mess up again, so they'd concentrate on just 1 great album.

Maybe the 2 releases will be quite different, so there's more chance of success - as in, if 1 genre fails, the other might be better received?

Then again, Larry said they wanted to get as much music out there as possible - maybe they didn't like releasing NLOTH, their first album of 5 years, with no b-sides, no extra tracks (except a revised title track), no quick follow up despite lots of promises, and now another 4 year wait.

Maybe they feel they'd be more relevant if they were releasing music more often - sure, releasing a single every month might take away from the gravity and special feeling of a u2 release, but perhaps an album every half a decade is too far in the opposite direction, and puts them out of the spotlight for too long.

 

[dan_smee]

It says to me that they won't be doing this forever and they want to have two releases for the one tour. Maybe they will always make music, but touring takes so much out of them, and they all have other aspirations too.

 

[trevgreg]

I still think this could all change - they could just end up taking the best songs from these sessions, and releasing them in one album, in an attempt to avoid 'filler', maybe being proud enough to play every song live. With Bono's emphasis on having '10 reasons to exist, and right now having 6 of them" (if that does indeed refer to songs), maybe they'll just end up spending the next 8 months making an album where every song is one they love, rather than filler.

But yeah, as for now, it sounds from what Larry's saying that they are actively attempting to plan out 2 albums. It would explain why they've been working with danger mouse since 2010 and still haven't released anything.

I'm a little surprised though - i figured after NLOTH they'd be concerned with just getting the one album out. I thought they'd be thinking they couldn't afford to mess up again, so they'd concentrate on just 1 great album.

Maybe the 2 releases will be quite different, so there's more chance of success - as in, if 1 genre fails, the other might be better received?

Then again, Larry said they wanted to get as much music out there as possible - maybe they didn't like releasing NLOTH, their first album of 5 years, with no b-sides, no extra tracks (except a revised title track), no quick follow up despite lots of promises, and now another 4 year wait.

Maybe they feel they'd be more relevant if they were releasing music more often - sure, releasing a single every month might take away from the gravity and special feeling of a u2 release, but perhaps an album every half a decade is too far in the opposite direction, and puts them out of the spotlight for too long.

For me, I'd personally prefer the two releases over the one, just because it gives us more music to enjoy and gives us more chances to find songs that we do love. One album without 'filler' would be subjective anyway, since what they like could be something that we're not entirely happy with and vice versa. It's quite possible that by the time making decisions comes around, they have enough songs that they love to fill up two albums. I say bring it on!

Like you and dan_smee said too, it might be that they just want to put more music out there too without the long breaks between releases. Considering the fact that they brought out a few new songs on the 360 tour that weren't featured on NLOTH, that would make plenty of sense to me.

 

[nathan1977]

It's also smart from a business perspective too. While the industry has contracted, U2 can still reliably sell 5-7M copies of their albums, so there's no reason to wait so long between albums to do so. And if they really can only be expected to do two more mega tours (Larry's health has been a subject for the last few tours, and Bono's been having back problems since at least 2003), they no doubt want to create as many possible revenue streams as possible.

You also wonder if legacy starts to become an issue. The band has been more reflective on the past recently than they've ever been (Bono's In Conversation book, The Complete U2, U2 By U2, the deluxe editions of their albums, From the Sky Down -- all retrospectives of one stripe or another, all released in the last eight years), so you wonder if they're trying to wrap up their affairs and prepare to go out on a high note by putting as much material out there, as opposed to merely fading away by dwindling out. (Sting, anyone?)

 

[lemonfly]

If I understand Larry's comments correctly, they are presumably working on two albums worth of material with DM. So I guess the obvious question is - why isn't a double album on the cards? Maybe they figure by spacing out the releases they can prolong anticipation (and it is a good opportunity to increase overall sales - why release only one album which will sell 4m, when you can release two and ratchet that up to 8m).

 

[cobl04]

I can't believe people are happy will.i.am is not involved. He's one of the greatest artists of our generation, and the frontman of the greatest hip-hop/r&b group in history.

If there's anyone who can make U2 everyone's #1 again, it's him.

 

[dan_smee]

It's hard to point to any double album (20+ songs) in the recent past that has been a major success. RHCP release Stadium Arcadium and the lasting criticism of that album has stood up - why release 28 songs when 14 of them are genuinely bad when they could have released a GREAT 12-14 track album?

I think U2 have a more consistant quality than RHCP, so I don't think they will suffer the same fate.

I also think they really enjoyed mixing up the live show with the new tracks last time out, and if they actually release an album full of material mid tour, they can do it properly next time around.

 

[dan_smee]

I can't believe people are happy will.i.am is not involved. He's one of the greatest artists of our generation, and the frontman of the greatest hip-hop/r&b group in history.

If there's anyone who can make U2 everyone's #1 again, it's him.

will.i.am - Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears - YouTube

Case closed.

 

[cobl04]

It's hard to point to any double album (20+ songs) in the recent past that has been a major success. RHCP release Stadium Arcadium and the lasting criticism of that album has stood up - why release 28 songs when 14 of them are genuinely bad when they could have released a GREAT 12-14 track album?

I think U2 have a more consistant quality than RHCP, so I don't think they will suffer the same fate.

I also think they really enjoyed mixing up the live show with the new tracks last time out, and if they actually release an album full of material mid tour, they can do it properly next time around.

Flaming Lips' Embryonic and Chromatics' Kill for Love were both successful, though the latter is not technically a double album.

 

[Galeongirl]

I can't believe people are happy will.i.am is not involved. He's one of the greatest artists of our generation, and the frontman of the greatest hip-hop/r&b group in history.

If there's anyone who can make U2 everyone's #1 again, it's him.

I do not want him to make U2 everyone's #1 again.

I just want them to be my #1. And if they go the hiphop/pop way, that's quite likely not my cup of tea.

So I'm fuckin' glad they picked Danger Mouse instead.

 

[cobl04]

will.i.am - Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears - YouTube

Case closed.

This has better lyrics than Unknown Caller.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I can't believe people are happy will.i.am is not involved. He's one of the greatest artists of our generation, and the frontman of the greatest hip-hop/r&b group in history.

If there's anyone who can make U2 everyone's #1 again, it's him.

Are you being serious? I can't actually tell.

 

[corianderstem]

As big a hip-hop fan as Cobbler is, do you really think he likes will.i.am?

Although, ironically, the second part of his post is probably true. He could probably make anyone go to #1 on the charts these days. Not that it would necessarily be anything good, but still.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Blame my morning unawareness for that.

 

[trevgreg]

This has better lyrics than Unknown Caller.

 

[dan_smee]

This has better lyrics than Unknown Caller.

You just made me die a little bit

 

[kingofsorrow]

will.i.am - Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears - YouTube

Case closed.

what the hell was that?

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I think that will become one of the great, mysterious, unanswered questions of the world, kingofsorrow.

 

[cobl04]

Ashamedly, I have to admit I like that beat that comes in after the chorus.

Otherwise, yes, that's an abortion of a song.

 

[dan_smee]

Since whn did brittney become a caricature of a British singer?

 

[Irvine511]

That's particularly bad, and I'm usually fairly sympathetic to these sorts of things. I spend a small amount of time in places that might be deemed "clubs" and I can't imagine a crowd reacting positively to any part of that song other than "Britney, bitch." And this is a crowd that is generally pulling for Britney.

 

[kingofsorrow]

well she's been a caricature of a woman for a while now, so she might as well go international.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

That's particularly bad, and I'm usually fairly sympathetic to these sorts of things. I spend a small amount of time in places that might be deemed "clubs" and I can't imagine a crowd reacting positively to any part of that song other than "Britney, bitch." And this is a crowd that is generally pulling for Britney.

Well said.

I like some of her songs, too (mostly older stuff, but still...)-leftover nostalgia from my teen years and all that.

But I remember waking up to that song one morning and actually having to change the channel because it was annoying the crap out of me and giving me a headache.

 

[U2girl]

It says to me that they won't be doing this forever and they want to have two releases for the one tour. Maybe they will always make music, but touring takes so much out of them, and they all have other aspirations too.

He’s not considering early retirement from the plumbing business, is he?

“Oh, I still want to keep the day job but I don’t want to be sitting around for the six months when were not touring or recording when I could go produce a movie in that time. I do need to be able to do something else creative. Physically, my body has taken a beating. Because we’ve toured for all those years, I’ve had problems from head to toe. If a sportsman is using the same set of muscles he’s lucky to get out with no lasting injuries after 10 years. I’ve been doing this for 35 years.”

He’s rather less keen on the idea of being part of an ageing prestige act.

“You can only do this for as long as your music is relevant and for as long as people still want to hear it. What The Rolling Stones do is exceptional because they have an incredible blues legacy. But if we’re touring at 60 I like to think it’ll be because we’ve put out a record that’s good enough to tour. I don’t want to be one of those musicians who, when someone else in the band passes away, I’m one of the three left standing and wondering: “Well, what are we going to do now?”


There's also the story how Bono had to pep-talk certain members of U2 into touring for 360.

 

[trevgreg]

There's also the story how Bono had to pep-talk certain members of U2 into touring for 360.

What was that story about?

 

[maycocksean]

Interesting to see FYM regulars in here. Its like, oh yeah there's a reason we all ended up on Interference. We all love U2. I forget that sometimes.

 

[U2girl]

What was that story about?

U2's Bono Previews Innovative No Line on the Horizon Tour | Music News | Rolling Stone

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

I may be wrong with their record release contract with their record label for "new" releases but I would not be surprised if these next 2 projects are U2's last...

 

[Axver]

I may be wrong with their record release contract with their record label for "new" releases but I would not be surprised if these next 2 projects are U2's last...

I was wondering when somebody would be first to say this!

Since people have been saying "this might be U2's last" since JT, I'm not exactly going to start expecting them to pack it in, but it's not a new U2 album without some doomsday prophecies.

 

[namkcuR]

I was wondering when somebody would be first to say this!

Since people have been saying "this might be U2's last" since JT, I'm not exactly going to start expecting them to pack it in, but it's not a new U2 album without some doomsday prophecies.

Well...I'm not calling anything doomsday, but, they signed a six-record deal in 1993, after Zooropa. Assuming Passengers doesn't count, they've put out Pop, ATYCLB, HTDAAB, and NLOTH. Releasing two records in close proximity would finish that contract sooner rather than later and leave U2's options wide open. The Best Ofs were on a separate three-record deal(it is believed that U218 was the third of them).

I'm not saying U2 want to quit after two more records, but maybe they do just want to give themselves options.