MERGED ----> Making the album in Morocco?

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I'm fairly confident the target date for the next album is Fall 08. The only way it would change is if there is some type of major snag in the recording process (IE as in what happened with Bomb) or some unforseen event with family. However I dont see the producer snag problem happening if they are working with Eno and Lanois. Recording album delays for that reason only seem to occur only when they try other producers (IE POP and Bomb).
 
I'm thinking that just hearing this news means they're slightly ahead of 'Bomb' Schedule. Bono seems to be a little more focused this time, as well. I'm guessing Spring '08, too.
 
Rich79 said:
I'm thinking that just hearing this news means they're slightly ahead of 'Bomb' Schedule. Bono seems to be a little more focused this time, as well. I'm guessing Spring '08, too.

The only way that is happening is if they dont plan to tour. I dont think they are hitting the road next year at all. Just a "hunch". :wink: Plus others have said this before but McGuiness has been quoted as saying they always shoot for a fall release for marketing and sales.
 
From the latest U2.com article (for those who haven't seen it).

The U2.Com team have just returned from Fez, Morocco where the band have been songwriting with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Throughout June, we’ll be bringing you some stories from inside the U2 Riad. Although working with long-time friends and producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, it was a new slant on this relationship. Larry seemed to be enjoying the experience, ‘It’s the first time we’ve worked with Brian and Dan in a purely songwriting capacity,’ he said. ‘So it’s very different, quite experimental and kind of liberating because of that…’ But as far as where these new songs will go - the message is clear - it’s early days and there is no definite plan about where and when this music goes next. “We have no plans for the music yet,” Bono told us. “We’re just going to make it until we can’t not put it out!"

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like anything concrete is happening, but who knows how quickly those six guys can come up with something?
 
Maybe I'm just seeing the glass as half-full, but is an XMAS 07 release all that far fetched.

Bear in mind, if they do recycle songs from BOMB sessions and if they were more productive in EZE and ABBEY ROAD than first thought, then should there be regular sessions in Morocco through til August, they could almost certainly have enough material for an album.

The question is, would a NOV 07 release be somewhat rushed, and would it detract from the innovative nature and potential classic-ness and remarkability of LP12?
 
I know I'm gonna get comments on this one...

I think it's not all that unreasonable to think of Fall '07, just uncharacteristic of U2 in recent years. I would speculate that they will have a decent amount of material by this fall, and I would hate to think they'd just sit on it for a year, but who knows.

and on the subject of rushing...POP is always claimed to have been rushed and it is both innovative and classic. So, lets have the album before Christmas, guys. Why not.
 
intedomine said:
Maybe I'm just seeing the glass as half-full, but is an XMAS 07 release all that far fetched.

Bear in mind, if they do recycle songs from BOMB sessions and if they were more productive in EZE and ABBEY ROAD than first thought, then should there be regular sessions in Morocco through til August, they could almost certainly have enough material for an album.

The question is, would a NOV 07 release be somewhat rushed, and would it detract from the innovative nature and potential classic-ness and remarkability of LP12?

There is absolutely no good reason on earth for why they couldn't do exactly that - except that this is U2.

They're not going to release an album unless they're going to put the mammoth tour right behind it. 00s era U2 will not release an album unless it lends itself to a mammoth tour either, so....

My point is: U2 will not release an album at the end of this year unless they think it's not too soon commercially or personally to put the U2 show back on the road, or unless we have their 00s attitude pegged completely wrong and they actually wouldn't mind releasing something without a ridiculously huge tour behind it. I think they will either sit on LP12 until they're good to tour it, which would probably be the end of next year, OR release not really LP12, but LP11.5, something like Zooropa or Passengers, that doesn't really require the huge global tour.

Of course that 2nd option is born in dreams of U2 being an innovative and creative band focused on the music, but reality says a big 'no', and that they're working on LP12, and that they won't release it till they can maximise it's commercial impact, and that includes the touring so it won't be till the end of next year at the earliest.

This is U2 - the brand overules the band.
 
Earnie Shavers said:


They're not going to release an album unless they're going to put the mammoth tour right behind it. 00s era U2 will not release an album unless it lends itself to a mammoth tour either, so....


You make it sound like that's any different from any other era. The only 2 albums that haven't got massive tours since they've started doing massive tours is Zooropa and R&H and that's because they were a result of or in the middle of a massive tour...
 
I dont see it as the brand overules the band. U2 are known for their live act as much if not more than there albums. I guess I dont understand why putting out an album and then wanting to do a big tour to support it is a bad thing? They have pretty much always done that. The exception would be Lovetown. But Lovetown was basically to make up for the Joshua Tree dates that were suppose to happen in Australia and were cancelled. The thing about that tour is that they were miserable on it. I remember an interview with Adam that basically said that they didnt want to do that type of tour again because when they felt they just got rolling playing the songs, it was over. Thats not a question of brand, its more of what works for them as musicians and human beings. I think their theory is that if the are going to gear up and play live dates they might as well go full board at it.

Could they do an album and not tour? Obviously they could. I dont think they want to though, not at this stage. They are all still healthy and capable of doing a large tour. Might as well continue to do that while you can. Because eventually its probably not going to be the case.

Would your preference be for them to release an album and not tour? Then we would probably be waiting another 3 or 4 years before we would get to see them live again. I dont think most U2 fans would care for that. Maybe its just me though.
 
Something in my stupid bones tells me that they are somehow going to break the recent pattern of fall release/tour/etc.

I don't know how.
 
I dont think it will be 2007. Sounds like the band arent even recording an album. They are just making some music in preparation for recording an album. This album will be made with Rick Rubin after Morocco I by the looks of things. As he said, he wants actual songs from them when they go into the studio.

I'd say thats what Morocco is all about.
 
If it were this fall, there would be plenty of signals by now. Amazon already lists 1,035 future releases after July -- some of them are even Christmas albums -- and the U2 PR machine would be gearing up with interviews, photo shoots, etc., for the magazines that have long lead times. There would be emails and other material sent to retailers.

An album like this would probably start rolling out about four months ahead of a release date, first with a leak of a single, then with quotes dropped here and there to build anticipation for it.

Given that The Bono has been on some of the most visible shows in the States just in the past two days, like Oprah and Nightline, and he's selling Vanity Fair, not laying the groundwork for an album, I think you can write off 2007.
 
silvrlvr said:

Given that The Bono has been on some of the most visible shows in the States just in the past two days, like Oprah and Nightline, and he's selling Vanity Fair, not laying the groundwork for an album, I think you can write off 2007.

But if he goes on show like that hinting about a possible album.
People would think he is just there to advertise his band when he is supposed to be there to talk about Africa, DATA, Product (RED) etc.
 
i still think a March '08 release is possible. sure, Pop was a disaster -- and, i'm sorry, but as interesting as that album can be and as much as i loved it at the time, it simply does not hold up in the way that nearly all other U2 albums do, and if people think Pop is U2 being daring, then they probably missed the whole electronica/rave/Prodigy/Underworld bandwagon U2 were trying to hitch their star to -- but Joshua Tree was a total success.

and i just have this feeling that Bono wants to be on tour in the U2 in 2008 to get people thinking about his causes when they go to the polls in November.

one of the great things about recent U2 is the reemergence of their politics and unabashed politicking in their shows. only it's smarter and savvier. i remember a Joshua Tree bootlegg where Bono announces that Amnesty was in the house that night, and "THESE ARE GOOD PEOPLE!"

it's much smarter to have the whole cell phone/text thing function as a part of the visuals of the show than an admonishment from high above.

but, anyway ...
 
^^^^^^^^^

good post. i wouldn't want to rule out spring of '08 either for that very reason. but i just don't see the band being completely finished by then, unless they really are working hard at the new album right now.
 
Anything is possible. Certainly they could do a spring release if they wanted. I just dont think they do. They are not even saying the current sessions are for a particular project (of course it probably is) and those sessions JUST started. For U2 to complete an album, get the marketing set up, get the themeing and photography, have the tour planned, get the theme of that and show design worked out, takes a minimum of a year if not longer. So best case scenario would be Summer 08 if they just rushed through it and left themselves no leeway. We all know they know put leeway in there after the POP experience. They have even said they would never let that happen again. So Fall 08 seems like the most logical and likely for many reasons to me.

I would be willing to bet money there is no new full fledged U2 album of brand new studio in 2007. I'm honestly a little surprised its still being suggested as a possibility here.

I guess we will just have to wait and see. At least they are working on "something" at the moment.
 
"The U2.Com team have just returned from Fez, Morocco where the band have been songwriting with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Throughout June, we’ll be bringing you some stories from inside the U2 Riad. Although working with long-time friends and producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, it was a new slant on this relationship. Larry seemed to be enjoying the experience, ‘It’s the first time we’ve worked with Brian and Dan in a purely songwriting capacity,’ he said. ‘So it’s very different, quite experimental and kind of liberating because of that…’ But as far as where these new songs will go - the message is clear - it’s early days and there is no definite plan about where and when this music goes next. “We have no plans for the music yet,” Bono told us. “We’re just going to make it until we can’t not put it out!"


the "U2.com team" was just in Fez w/ the band and this is all they've got for us! oh well.
 
Wouldn't you do a spring release primarily if there were a tour scheduled for summer, fall and beyond? Any sense on whether they would be likely to tour that soon?
 
Shame about that leeway. I'd love to have the POP experience all over again...The band at their coolest, a heavier, experimental record that I love and everyone else seems to hate for no particularly good reason...

Despite all that, I still don't totally rule out Spring of '08, something tells me we're going to hear some really different material. So, to go along with that, maybe they'll release it at a less predictable time of year (alright, it's a reach, but I can dream)
 
Edge, Bono, Eno, Larry's seat, Adam, Lanois. Is the beardy guy between Bono and Edge Rubin?

"It’s the first time we’ve worked with Brian and Dan in a purely songwriting capacity." So the credits will be Music by U2, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno?
 
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U2girl said:
Edge, Bono, Eno, Larry's seat, Adam, Lanois. Is the beardy guy between Bono and Edge Rubin?

"It’s the first time we’ve worked with Brian and Dan in a purely songwriting capacity." So the credits will be Music by U2, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno?

The guy between Bono and Edge?
I suppose you mean the guy between The Edge and (probably) Daniel Lanois?

I've talked to some other people about this photo and they seem to think that it's Flood actually.
Not unlikely as he's been doing some work together with U2 and the dynamic duo earlier.

I've made some notes here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55416248@N00/526707115/
 
Yes, Edge and Lanois. I had another look at the picture.

Flood mixing and not producing :up:
 
Tah-Tonka said:

the "U2.com team" was just in Fez w/ the band and this is all they've got for us! oh well.

I think we might give the u2.com team some credit here. How in God's name would anyone have heard about what they were doing otherwise? They've told us that Eno and Lanois are there to songwrite with the band AND given us a couple of brilliant photos. So credit where credit is due I think.

Anyway, exciting times.
 
PookaMacP said:


I think we might give the u2.com team some credit here. How in God's name would anyone have heard about what they were doing otherwise? They've told us that Eno and Lanois are there to songwrite with the band AND given us a couple of brilliant photos. So credit where credit is due I think.

Anyway, exciting times.

But I think they could've told us so more and given us a few more pictures.
 
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