They're working on new songs!

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Zootlesque said:


But HTDAAB isn't perfect. Neither is ATYCLB. Actually, neither is Pop because Please (single) was better than the album version, at least IMO.

...and live Pop was much better than the studio. As was live ATYCLB in some part and live Bomb for most part.

I'd say none of the post-AB albums were perfect, but by perfectionists I meant they work and work and work in the studio to get the perfect sound, including changing producers, and maybe that shows on the overall output and the spontaneous part of the music (on the last three albums). Zooropa was more spontaneous but, maybe because of that, I felt it is uneven if you look at it song-for-song. I'd like maybe a bit less focus on the craft/single method on the last two albums, and something with a major theme to connect the album. And I'm sure they can make something really good in less than a year.

They worked on the albums much faster in the 80's and that is still considered by most to be their best decade. :shrug: It could be they just peaked in the 1983-1991 (Rattle and Hum aside) years though and we won't get another JT or AB or UF or War. I also think Lillywhite or Eno and Lanois can't bring out a great album in them anymore. I'm all for someone else getting a chance to work with them. If that means a quicker album, more power to Rubin.

"mixing, choosing the titles of the songs, the order of the songs and the design of the album alone last 6 months" as Sam O Sullivan said. :huh:
 
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Adam: We worked through the summer and coming into autumn 2003 we had recorded an album's worth of material. Jimmy Iovine had heard the tracks and was saying 'You've got a record, we're ready to release it.' But there was unease within the band

Larry: It just wasn't there. The songs had a lot of things going for them but they had no magic, that thing that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. It's hardd to put your finger on but the songs just weren't ready. It was a very difficult thing to say to Bono and Edge. Bono was really pushing for us to release those songs. He was unhappy when we didn't agree with him. This is not a conversation you have with your mates, who are working very hard, unless you feel sure you are right.

Larry :banghead:
 
I think that if they are actually going to work up the songs before they go into the studio with Rubin we can have absolutely no idea how long this is going to take, since we have no idea when they started working on the songs. If they had a few ideas ready last October, how long did they take off, etc? The only thing that is for certain is that if they do go down this route, the studio time will in all probability be much much shorter than what they're used to, since there'll be very little need to do the kind of work they usually put in. They'll be back in a 'Boy' situation where all they've got to do is go in with the tracks, lay them down, and tinker with bits and pieces of the sound with the producer.

Sounds good to me and it's extremely encouraging to hear that they're still ready to try a different approach after all these years. They mustn't have been overly pleased with how HTDAAB was made, or perhaps they've just got bored with the whole jamming thing.
 
PookaMacP said:
They mustn't have been overly pleased with how HTDAAB was made, or perhaps they've just got bored with the whole jamming thing.
One thing that some members of U2 said about HTDAAB in the book U2 by U2 was that the album lacked a musical cohesion that most of their previous albums had.

While I like a lot of the music on HTDAAB, that's kind of how it struck me as well.

To me, it almost felt like a collection of between album singles more than an album. Musically, IMO, it felt forced rather than inspired, like they assembled a bunch of random songs together because it was time to make another album rather than because they were genuinely inspired with a direction that the album should go.

Maybe they've decided that they want to have some sort of a gameplan before they go into the studio this time similar to how a writer will make a plot outline before beginning a novel.

That way, no matter how lost they feel on any particular track, they'll always have an underlying theme that they can return to whenever they lose sight of the big picture...
 
DreamOutLoud13 said:


But don't forget, when we're talking about how long HTDAAB took, they really only worked on it for a little over a year. They worked with Chris Thomas from March 2003, through the summer, and "finished" in time for a Spring release, and then they worked with Steve Lillywhite for six months. Add those two figures together, and you get about a year, maybe a little longer.

I don't mean to be difficult but that album didn't start with Chris Thomas' arrival.
.........................
U2 Are Back in the Studio Again

WENN, December 20, 2001

Irish supergroup U2 are back in the recording studio again -- just a couple of weeks after finishing their mammoth world tour.

The "With or Without You" band are already recording in a rundown nightclub in the south of France, not far from singer Bono's holiday home.

Bono says, "We've started our album and it's going to blow your mind. It's real punk rock, with some great guitar sounds and some beautiful melodies. The band is so tight coming straight off tour.

"I think we've really hit form. We were here to write a ballad, but we just keep knocking out these hard rock tunes."



...........
These sessions produced All Because of You and what would become Native Son and then Vertigo. Maybe even a third song I can't remember at the moment.




You just can't discount all of 2002 either.

From U2.com

U2 Recording, Possible Release 2002

U2.com, March 20, 2002




U2's manager Paul McGuinness issued a short statement today, revealing that the band are in the studio and working on new material.

U2 would like to clarify that, contrary to certain speculation in the press, they will be neither touring Europe this summer, nor splitting up, said the statement. Instead, they are spending time in the studio working on new material for a possible release later this year.

That's all for now, more as we get it.

................................

U2 Album Due Out Next Summer

Edge talks about the new album, Bono scoops MusiCares award and guests on Elvis tribute TV show

Hot Press, October 10, 2002


U2 have revealed that they're aiming to have their new album completed and in the shops by early next summer.

"We're on a roll," says the Edge of the Hanover Quay recording sessions. "It's getting more like the early U2 records. Really simple, stripped-down arrangements. That's what we're hungry for Ð music with that lifeforce."

Tracks already in the can include "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own," "Origin of the Species" and "All Because of You," which Bono sums up in two words: "The Who!"

....................

They were a year well into it before Thomas ever showed up.
 
TheFirstBigW said:

One thing that some members of U2 said about HTDAAB in the book U2 by U2 was that the album lacked a musical cohesion that most of their previous albums had.

While I like a lot of the music on HTDAAB, that's kind of how it struck me as well.

To me, it almost felt like a collection of between album singles more than an album. Musically, IMO, it felt forced rather than inspired, like they assembled a bunch of random songs together because it was time to make another album rather than because they were genuinely inspired with a direction that the album should go.

Maybe they've decided that they want to have some sort of a gameplan before they go into the studio this time similar to how a writer will make a plot outline before beginning a novel.

That way, no matter how lost they feel on any particular track, they'll always have an underlying theme that they can return to whenever they lose sight of the big picture...
:yes: Bono also spoke of this in his Rolling Stone interview, regarding HTDAAB:

It's the best collection of songs we've put together -- there's no weak songs. But as an album, the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts, and it fucking annoys me.
 
PookaMacP said:
Sounds good to me and it's extremely encouraging to hear that they're still ready to try a different approach after all these years. They mustn't have been overly pleased with how HTDAAB was made, or perhaps they've just got bored with the whole jamming thing.

I dont think they are bored with the jamming thing. I believe it is still where they get most of their basic new song ideas. They did alot of jam sessions and demos on the Vertigo tour. I think the only thing that "may" change this time out is that they do most of the overworking outside the studio this time and/or before they bring in the producer (if Rubin is even the producer). Instead of going into the studio with a bunch of raw ideas and/or leftovers from other sessions and recording and whittling it down. They will do it without the studio and go in with most of the song ideas down. Doesnt necessarily mean they wont spend a ton of time of the songs before they bring them to the producer or go to record. These guys are creatures of habit, I just dont see them changing their approach that drastically.
 
With all the above said, I think it's fair to say that HTDAAB was probably a year of pre-production and writing and about a year and a half in studio.

Which is very similar to ATYCLB in that respect (studio).
Lanois and Eno were reported to have joined U2 in January 1999 and finished ATYCLB in June/July 2000, which is almost the same time frame. A year and a half basically.

With Rubin being the way he is, there is NO possible way he'd spend that long with them in the studio.

Here's what I got from the Metallica bits I read last night:
Metallica have spent about a year or so writing 25 songs, narrowed it down to 14 and are going to record them with Rubin over a very short period of time both this spring and later this year.

That could be very similar to what U2 and Rubin have worked out.
Perhaps a session to do (record) half the album at one point and half at another. I don't think they are near that point right now.

Lars remarked that (paraphrased) "Rubin wants us to know the songs backwards and forwards, like playing a gig, go into the studio and bang out the best possible versions"

That would be nothing but great for U2, IMO.
 
Inner El Guapo said:
Lars remarked that (paraphrased) "Rubin wants us to know the songs backwards and forwards, like playing a gig, go into the studio and bang out the best possible versions"

That would be nothing but great for U2, IMO.

If anything, it's something different from their usuall approach and gets them out of their comfort zones I hope, so yah, I like the sound of this as well... :up:
 
Inner El Guapo said:
With all the above said, I think it's fair to say that HTDAAB was probably a year of pre-production and writing and about a year and a half in studio.

Which is very similar to ATYCLB in that respect (studio).
Lanois and Eno were reported to have joined U2 in January 1999 and finished ATYCLB in June/July 2000, which is almost the same time frame. A year and a half basically.

With Rubin being the way he is, there is NO possible way he'd spend that long with them in the studio.

Here's what I got from the Metallica bits I read last night:
Metallica have spent about a year or so writing 25 songs, narrowed it down to 14 and are going to record them with Rubin over a very short period of time both this spring and later this year.

That could be very similar to what U2 and Rubin have worked out.
Perhaps a session to do (record) half the album at one point and half at another. I don't think they are near that point right now.

Lars remarked that (paraphrased) "Rubin wants us to know the songs backwards and forwards, like playing a gig, go into the studio and bang out the best possible versions"

That would be nothing but great for U2, IMO.

See, I will get stoned for this, but what is Rubin really adding then with this approach? It would be like the three different versions of Electrical Storm for example. They were all done, all he would do is pick the verion he likes the best and have the band record it. How is that causing a band to push the envelope? How is that driving a band in new directions? U2 might as well produce it themselves under that scenario. Come in, listen to the songs, pick out the 11 or 12 you like best and take producing credits for it? I guess I am starting to get a tad skeptical with the whole Rubin producing idea. It could work, but it has alot of potential for a complete disaster (moreso than what happened with Chris Thomas). If that happens, the album date would get pushed WAY back.
 
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I was thinking of throwing the Stones in there but their discography on allmusic looks huge! And since I'm not familiar with most of their work, I have no idea which ones are the main albums and which ones are alternate/live/EPs etc...
 
Stones US Studio Albums

May 1964 – England’s Newest Hit Makers
Oct 1964 – 12 x 5
Feb 1965 – The Rolling Stones, Now!
Jul 1965 – Out of Our Heads
Nov 1965 – December’s Children
Apr 1966 – Aftermath
Jan 1967 – Between the Buttons
Jul 1967 – Flowers
Dec 1967 – Their Satanic Majesties Request
Dec 1968 – Beggar’s Banquet
Dec 1969 – Let It Bleed
Apr 1971 – Sticky Fingers
May 1972 – Exile On Main Street
Aug 1973 – Goats Head Soup
Oct 1974 – It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll
Apr 1976 – Black and Blue
Jun 1978 – Some Girls
Jun 1980 – Emotional Rescue
Aug 1981 – Tattoo You
Nov 1983 – Undercover
Mar 1986 – Dirty Work
Aug 1989 – Steel Wheels
July 1994 – Voodoo Lounge
Sep 1997 – Bridges to Babylon
Sep 2005 – A Bigger Bang
 
:crack:

The Rolling Stones made 25 albums in 41 years. That makes it an average of 1.64 years between albums.

:crack:

Not posting a sheet cos it would be too minute to read what with the gazillion albums now added to it. lol
 
Zootlesque said:


I followed allmusic.com like the bible. They have Passengers listed under other projects or something.

Well, I can respect that. I love allmusic. :wink:
 
Springsteen Albums
1. Jan 1973 - Greetings from Asbury Park
2. Sep 1973 - The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
3. Aug 1975 - Born to Run
4. Jun 1978 - Darkness on the Edge of Town
5. Oct 1980 - The River
6. Sep 1982 - Nebraska
7. Jun 1984 - Born in the USA
8. Oct 1987 - Tunnel of Love
9. Mar 1992 - Human Touch
10. Mar 1992 - Lucky Town
11. Nov 1995 - Ghost of Time Joad
12. Jul 2002 - The Rising
13. Apr 2005 - Devils & Dust
[not counting Seeger Sessions]
So 13 in 32 years or avg 2.46 yrs between albums.
 
Led Zeppellin
1. Jan 1969 - Led Zep
2. Oct 1969 - Led Zep II
3. Oct 1970 - Led Zep III
4. Nov 1971 - Led Zep IV [untitled]
5. Mar 1973 - Houses of the Holy
6. Feb 1975 - Physical Graffiti
7. Mar 1976 - Presence
[Oct 1976 - The Song Remains the Same - Live Concert MSG 1973]
8. Aug 1979 - In Through the Out Door
[Nov 1982 - Coda - outtake collection]
So 8 albums in 10 years or 1.25.
 
Ok, one more for the oldsters...

The Who
1. Dec 1965 - My Generation
2. Dec 1966 - A Quick One/Happy Jack
3. Dec 1967 - The Who Sell Out
4. May 1969 - Tommy
5. Jul 1971 - Who's Next
6. Oct 1973 - Quadrophenia
7. Oct 1975 - The Who by Numbers
8. Aug 1978 - Who Are You
9. Mar 1981 - Face Dances
10. Sep 1982 - It's Hard
So 10 albums in 17 years or 1.7. The latest one would skew it!

11. Oct 2006 - Endless Wire
 
Now back to present day, I think you need to add the Foos to your spreadsheet...

1. Jul 1995 - Foo Fighters
2. May 1997 - The Color & the Shape
3. Nov 1999 - There is Nothing Left to Lose
4. Oct 2002 - One By One
5. Jun 2005 - In Your Honor
So 5 in 10 years so far - not bad.

Nirvana - forgot there were only 3 albums... seems like it was more but alot of singles & compilations.
1. Jun 1989 - Bleach
2. Sep 1991 - Nevermind
3. Sep 1993 - In Utero
3/4 or 1.33.

i may have to start my own useless information... thanks for the idea.
 
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Zootlesque said:

The Rolling Stones made 25 albums in 41 years. That makes it an average of 1.64 years between albums.

If we leave Bigger Bang off, it's 24 albums in 33 years or 1.375 which is a blistering pace. To keep that up as long as they did is pretty amazing.
 
In the Feb 19 issue of Time magazine, there is a article on Rick Rubin, THE DUDE...
On the left hand side of the page there is a list,
that is impressive to say the least, of projects that he is involved with - former, current and I suppose - pending.
Not typing the entire list but the last 11 run like this:

Dixie Chicks - Grammy
Justin Timberlake - Grammy
Metallica

U2 :rockon: :hyper:
( I know, I know it doesn't confirm anything, just sharing)

then
The (Intl) Noise Conspiracy
The JayHawks
Dan Wilson
The Mars Volta
Eagle-Eye Cherry
Masters of Reality
Kanye West
sometime when I'm not so tired I'll type the entire list.
 
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