Q Magazine - U2 in October 2008 - In the studio

[The John Tree]

I am about to commit U2 fan treason. Here goes:

I hope the album is delayed until 2009.

Because why not? I feel like more time on the album can only make things better. If ATYCLB was rush-released, we would have missed out on Beautiful Day and been stuck with Always (which I like, but I don't think it's as good a tune as BD).

I'd rather be patient and wait and receive a great album rather than get a mediocre album in time for Christmas.

I wonder if the band "split" is the usual Hats vs. Hairdos. The Hairdos seem to know what they're talking about most of the time, so I hope Bono and Edge hear them out.

 

[buzzkill27]

P155 of the latest Q magazine has a quick chat with the Edge.

Confirmed tracks:

Get on Your boots
Breathe (Massive live rocker!!)
Moment of Surrender (8 minutes long!!!)
No Line On The Horizon

Album my be out in 2009 though!!!

No frigging way the album will be out in 2009......first of all this info comes from a magazine....and magazines always are months behind when it comes to providing information because they have to go into publication early and as someone said here before....they will want to get the album out before Christmas for sales purposes....last album they released in the spring was POP and you know how that album sold compared to ATYCLB and HTDAAB...they are superstitious.....ain't gonna happen

 

[sony]

2009

 

[DoctorMacPhisto]

2009?!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

 

[last unicorn]

Just get a subscription to Q magazine which you get a few days before it hits the shop!!

Just thought I'd share this news a little earlier for non sunbcribers...........

I believe you. Everyone can go and buy the mag to check themselves. U2 have always spoken to Q, so I'm sure it's a real Edge interview. The only thing that may be true is that it is a couple of months old and things might look different in the meantime.

I agree with those who say they prefer a great 2009 release over a "just" good 2008 release.

 

[bono83]

anyone have the total interview...
i don't find it...

i hope that is a fake...

 

[innocent_eyes]

Although, I think HTDAAB sufferred from the delay.

I like Native Son better than vertigo, Xanax and wine better than fast cars, and thought smile would have been one of the better tracks, had it been included. Not to mention, appearantly, Mercy was on the tracklisting till it was dropped last minute.

Either way, the song descriptions sound very cool, no doubt we will have a few special songs on this disc, regardless of when it comes out!

 

[U2girl]

Huh. I was wrong about Vertigo (well, actually, it's already been confirmed that a video was made for NLOTH, but since the article was not on U2.com, it must not count).

For everything else, we're still on track, unless it's September 30 today, not August 29.

Hey I'm hoping we get some news quick too, but I don't see them coming up with date/title of the single, several confirmed song titles (even if you want to count these Edge comments as official) and date/title of the new album, all by Sep 14. That said if 2009 release is what it takes to make the all-time best U2 album...so be it.

True, mikal, but would they do a mere album promo and use Corbijn ? I still think that was the video. Maybe the special effects are so fancy it will take a little longer to finish it...

 

[ozeeko]

Don't forget, taking too long to release the album could be a bad thing. It might cause them to second-guess a bulk of the recordings, and wha-la! What you then get is something close to the Bomb.

Then again, what the hell do i know. POP would have benefitted from more studio time, but that's only cuz they didn't even finish recording the goddamn songs, where as with Bomb they gutted everything that was already finished because they felt it didn't live up to U2 standards (translation: Massive Radio Airplay and Grammies)

 

[Rob33]

oh wow I missed it..haha...well...seems like 2009 is pure speculation, everything else is good...I'd rather "For Your Love" instead of "Love Is All We Have Left" in terms of titles....at least "For Your Love" is a little more concise, and the cheese is contained....and it's actually the least cheesey out of all those love titles probably...so I guess thats a good thing...seriously they should just use any title that doesn't have the word "love" in it...there are so many better options!

anyway...MOS sounds like it's gonna be epic...so thats good..hopefully it's another Bad

this album is going to be great...I don't think there are going to be any duds on it...it sounds like they have written so much quality material which is leading to a hesitant release date...

 

[DevilsShoes]

Some of this news is very exciting and the 8 minute MOS sounds brilliant, the band doing something really expansive and sprawling, the taut and economical nature of ATYCLB and HTDAAB meant that the epic side of U2 got lost a little sometimes.

However 2009 seems too long, they finished the songs around July didn't they? Its an awful long time to sit on them until early 2009, unless they're still going to tinker with them, which I'm not sure is necessarily a good idea.

It'll also mean that this would be the longest album gap in the bands history, 5 years.

Still, as others have said, best to wait for offical confirmation on all this.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Rick Rubin? Dammit!! Get ready for more LOUD production.

 

[U2girl]

It'll also mean that this would be the longest album gap in the bands history, 5 years.

That's assuming they would wait until Fall 2009. I think Spring 2009, just before the next tour, is more likely.

It's odd though, after Pop and Bomb, another delay. (and didn't they have some problems with ATYCLB too?) Here's hoping it benefits the album like in 2004.

 

[BVS]

Why isn't anyone asking Loris?

No faith?

 

[Rob33]

Rick Rubin? Dammit!! Get ready for more LOUD production.

why? he isn't producing, he was just around when they made those songs...but with Danny and Eno producing the new record...they will do whatever they want with them...if this record is loud, it doesn't have to do with Rick Rubin

 

[Peterrrrr]

I realy hope for this year, might be overproduced instead. Fast done albums is great, just listen to Zooropa!

 

[DevilsShoes]

That's assuming they would wait until Fall 2009. I think Spring 2009, just before the next tour, is more likely.

That is more likely, its just that having an album gap from 2004-2009 sounds like a reeaally long time.

 

[ChargedVT]

Yeah I'm going to stay positive and say it will be out this year. All signs are pointing towards a tour starting around April next year, and ideally you want a reasonable gap between album release and tour, not like the Pop/Popmart fiasco, where tickets went on sale before the album came out. Even if this album is really released in 2009 I couldn't see it being any later than January. Besides, apparently we might be hearing something on Tuesday so let's cross our fingers.

 

[trucdfou]

what's the point of all this speculation?
this article was done in the last days of the HQ sessions....it 's all over now

album is done, blasted at full volume in Bono's house all summer long, 1st video clip was shot

Universal desks in Europe have the album sheduled for mid-november

the reason why there is not an official announcement now, is most likely because they re still thinking how they gonna release it in 2008 fashion

 

[chrissybaby]

what's the point of all this speculation?
this article was done in the last days of the HQ sessions....it 's all over now

album is done, blasted at full volume in Bono's house all summer long, 1st video clip was shot

Universal desks in Europe have the album sheduled for mid-november

the reason why there is not an official announcement now, is most likely because they re still thinking how they gonna release it in 2008 fashion

Spot on! I've been reading Q for years and years, these interviews are done way in advance, this album is now finished IMO. I think that they are trying to come to terms with news ways of releasing albums. I honestly believe that this album will be 2008.

 

[bathiu]

what's the point of all this speculation?
this article was done in the last days of the HQ sessions....it 's all over now

album is done, blasted at full volume in Bono's house all summer long, 1st video clip was shot

Universal desks in Europe have the album sheduled for mid-november

the reason why there is not an official announcement now, is most likely because they re still thinking how they gonna release it in 2008 fashion

so, any news about this (RED) store?

 

[u2search]

so, any news about this (RED) store?

Good point. I signed up for news but I havn't yet seen a single email.
Speculation: concurrent launch of this new service and the new album?

 

[bram]

I am about to commit U2 fan treason. Here goes:

I hope the album is delayed until 2009.

Because why not? I feel like more time on the album can only make things better. If ATYCLB was rush-released, we would have missed out on Beautiful Day and been stuck with Always (which I like, but I don't think it's as good a tune as BD).

I'd rather be patient and wait and receive a great album rather than get a mediocre album in time for Christmas.

I wonder if the band "split" is the usual Hats vs. Hairdos. The Hairdos seem to know what they're talking about most of the time, so I hope Bono and Edge hear them out.

I hope Bono and Edge don't listen to Larry. After reading U2 by U2, Larry sounds like the single biggest impediment to the talents' (Bono and Edge) creativity. And he hates some of their best and most inspired work.

 

[U2girl]

The P albums ? None of the above, and unlike some other members of U2 (the obligatory hype captains on the guitar and vocals), he's capable of being critical of the band's work.

 

[bram]

The P albums ? None of the above, and unlike some other members of U2 (the obligatory hype captains on the guitar and vocals), he's capable of being critical of the band's work.

Edge and Bono are critical. Ever read Edge's liner notes or Bono's quotes in U2 by U2? And Larry isn't intelligently critical, he's just blunt and obstinate.

And I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but Passengers definitely has some of U2's most inspired (and certainly experimental) work.

 

[BoyOnTheHorizon]

No frigging way the album will be out in 2009......first of all this info comes from a magazine....and magazines always are months behind when it comes to providing information because they have to go into publication early and as someone said here before....they will want to get the album out before Christmas for sales purposes....last album they released in the spring was POP and you know how that album sold compared to ATYCLB and HTDAAB...they are superstitious.....ain't gonna happen

The Joshua Tree also was released in the spring... actually summer over here... after all the world has kinda round shape...

 

[U2girl]

Edge and Bono are critical. Ever read Edge's liner notes or Bono's quotes in U2 by U2? And Larry isn't intelligently critical, he's just blunt and obstinate.

And I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but Passengers definitely has some of U2's most inspired (and certainly experimental) work.

I did not read U2 by U2. I did, however, read plenty of "this album's great" talk by both guitarist and especially singer for the last four albums. It was the bass player and the drummer that actually said "wait...this isn't cutting it" in 2003.

Bluntness may not be diplomatic but it's the best attitude against hype and self-mythology that particularly Bono is prone to.

It is experimental but not by any stretch of the imagination their "best", and AB and Zooropa are more experimental than Pop (also better).

 

[U2girl]

It's not that he's critical, it's that he's critical about the wrong albums.

 

[bram]

Well, criticism pre- and post-album is different, and most things said behind closed doors pre-album are unavailable. And to again reference U2 by U2, while Bono may be the hype-master, he is also the task-master who gets in each member's face if he thinks they aren't delivering. He demands greatness, and I honestly think he and Edge have a better idea of what greatness sounds like, while Larry is more worried about image and alienating fans. And Adam and Larry tried as hard as they could to sabotage Achtung Baby. Think if they had gotten their way and we got the Joshua Tree 2.

And as someone else has mentioned, I think it is a VERY open question whether or not the 2003 album would have been better than Bomb.

 

[bram]

It's not that he's critical, it's that he's critical about the wrong albums.

Who? Bono? He's the one who came out and said that Bomb doesn't hold together well as an album. Spot on.