U2 Reflect on Troubled 'Innocence' Release: 'These Songs Have Staying Power''

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The Edge: Lots of people, including me, don't read the instructions. When you select automatic download on iOS, you're signing up to be pushed free content. It's not exactly small print, it's just a box you tick or don't. I understand how and why people got annoyed. But really, with all that's going on in the world. . .come on.Apple and U2 were genuine about this whole thing.Apple were being generous and we were trying to do something different to get through the noise. There's always a few teething problems when you're in new territory. . .One of which was that people thought we were giving the album away, that we'd suddenly become all about free music, when the opposite is true. We fervently believe all artists should be paid for their work. But we, like every musician, have to look at other models of getting paid. We were in the position where we can take a chance like this and weather the storm. There's some phrase about breaking eggs and omelets that's probably appropriate here.

Read more:http://www.rollingstone.com/music/f...ngs-have-staying-power-20150226#ixzz3Ss2npY2E
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The last time i heard this much confidence from anyone, there was a random guy on the street who was breathing into a paper bag and holding an imaginary gun to our heads, demanding the fresh oranges we had just purchased at the market.

We didn't give up our oranges to this man, because, well we didn't want the terrorists to win. Also - imaginary guns only kill you in your sleep.

Way to go u2! Don't give in to imaginary guns! Stick to your oranges from the market!! :up:
 
Somebody stepped inside your phone
Somebody stepped inside your phone
Little by little these songs auto downloaded
Until you unchecked auto downloads
 
More importantly

"It'll be a battle to be match fit for May 14th," Bono confesses, referring to the opening date in Vancouver of U2's impending tour. Asked to describe the state of his health after the bicycle accident in New York last November that left him with multiple injuries, including a facial fracture, the singer says, "My southpaw is a bit tricky, but my right hook is ready to rumble for sure." As for the shows, dubbed the Innocence and Experience tour, with alternating set lists each night, Bono promises, "We've got something beyond incredible planned. And I'm ready to fight for it."
 
U2girl said:
As for the shows, dubbed the Innocence and Experience tour, with alternating set lists each night, Bono promises, "We've got something beyond incredible planned. And I'm ready to fight for it."[/I]
Click to expand...


That's a big statement.

Perhaps if you bought a ticket you get to vote on the addition of 5 songs to the set list?? Okay, probably not but now I'm even more curious!



Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
U2 tours are essentially always beyond incredible, and I don't doubt that this will continue the trend. I'm very much looking forward to it.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
Somebody should take this...

Bono: It sounds boring, but our drug of choice at the moment is songwriting, and trying to take U2's to the next level. I know craft can be a dangerous thing. . .but we have been a bit prone to relying on the magic in the room when we play together.
Click to expand...

...and discuss it in the SOI autposy thread. Because it is EXACTLY what is wrong with SOI and I've said as much - it has no magic in it, because of the way they are choosing to write songs as opposed to the way they used to do it. And here is Boner outright confirming it right down to using the word "magic". Though he's clearly not saying this change is a bad thing - I am. And it sort of has been since ATYCLB but only now - with SOI - it is more deliberate than ever. Right down to musical ideas not surviving unless they can be put across on an acoustic guitar. That's how the most basic songs are written. From nursery rhymes to the latest sloganeered pop or country tune.

It's a bad thing for U2, not because it's necessarily producing bad music, but because it's not producing anything special and unique in the magical way U2 used to be unique and special. They are now writing songs in the classical way. There is nothing distinctly "U2" about them compared to the songs from the 80's and 90's. Remember many moons ago when Bob Dylan said nobody could play their stuff? Now, anybody can. This is precisely why SOI feels like U2 karaoke...but admittedly done really well. Lots more to say about this stuff but I don't feel like belaboring this point.

On the release, the only difference between U2 dodging all the mess and what ended up happening is covered right here:

people thought we were giving the album away, that we'd suddenly become all about free music, when the opposite is true. We fervently believe all artists should be paid for their work. But we, like every musician, have to look at other models of getting paid
Click to expand...

All of this came about because they wanted to get paid and getting paid otherwise would have rested on the risky idea of old...the idea that people might not buy it. Both cases are directly impacted by the abating of risk. Creative risk, financial risk, which are more or less one and the same here.
 
It's just good to see the band so confident, still believing in those songs, still holding on to them, in spite of what some fans (yes, fans) say about the album being dead and over. The "autopsy" thread is one of the worst things ever to appear on this forum. SOI is a beautiful album with beautiful songs and I'm sure it's a very special thing for the band to take these songs on tour.
 
The songs have staying power. They're right. I like NLOTH a lot and only Magnificent has that power too , unlike it's other songs (maybe Unknown caller) imo. The songs from SOI still sound fresh to me and could be completely on the new setlists.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using U2 Interference mobile app
 
U2DMfan said:
Somebody should take this...



...and discuss it in the SOI autposy thread. Because it is EXACTLY what is wrong with SOI and I've said as much - it has no magic in it, because of the way they are choosing to write songs as opposed to the way they used to do it. And here is Boner outright confirming it right down to using the word "magic". Though he's clearly not saying this change is a bad thing - I am. And it sort of has been since ATYCLB but only now - with SOI - it is more deliberate than ever. Right down to musical ideas not surviving unless they can be put across on an acoustic guitar. That's how the most basic songs are written. From nursery rhymes to the latest sloganeered pop or country tune.

It's a bad thing for U2, not because it's necessarily producing bad music, but because it's not producing anything special and unique in the magical way U2 used to be unique and special. They are now writing songs in the classical way. There is nothing distinctly "U2" about them compared to the songs from the 80's and 90's. Remember many moons ago when Bob Dylan said nobody could play their stuff? Now, anybody can. This is precisely why SOI feels like U2 karaoke...but admittedly done really well. Lots more to say about this stuff but I don't feel like belaboring this point.

On the release, the only difference between U2 dodging all the mess and what ended up happening is covered right here:



All of this came about because they wanted to get paid and getting paid otherwise would have rested on the risky idea of old...the idea that people might not buy it. Both cases are directly impacted by the abating of risk. Creative risk, financial risk, which are more or less one and the same here.
Click to expand...

Very good observations and conclusions. When I heard SOI for the first time, I thought, it sounds nothing like U2. There is not their signature on the record. It´s like some other band´s tunes. Maybe this is the main reason the album is not accepted by the public. Because it is very new and innovative for U2, but not so much in general terms of a random music listener. But for me as a fan of the group it is very exciting to hear the band in this territory, it is a fresh experience to discover this side of U2. I think they suceeded with their goal. The songs stand out and the album as whole is very cohesive.

Nevertheless, these Bono´s words are the most important he has said in years: "I know craft can be a dangerous thing. . .but we have been a bit prone to relying on the magic in the room when we play together."
 
I would disagree if im honest,theres a few tracks that are vintage 2000 u2. Miracle,California,cedarwood road and iris all fall into that category.

Song for someone and EBW weve heard before,volcano and raised by wolves sound like war/uf era

Sleep like a baby sounds like something off pop

The last two id say are fairly new.

Im not having a dig at the album by the way becasue i love it
 
U2DMfan said:
Somebody should take this...



...and discuss it in the SOI autposy thread. Because it is EXACTLY what is wrong with SOI and I've said as much - it has no magic in it, because of the way they are choosing to write songs as opposed to the way they used to do it. And here is Boner outright confirming it right down to using the word "magic". Though he's clearly not saying this change is a bad thing - I am. And it sort of has been since ATYCLB but only now - with SOI - it is more deliberate than ever. Right down to musical ideas not surviving unless they can be put across on an acoustic guitar. That's how the most basic songs are written. From nursery rhymes to the latest sloganeered pop or country tune.

It's a bad thing for U2, not because it's necessarily producing bad music, but because it's not producing anything special and unique in the magical way U2 used to be unique and special. They are now writing songs in the classical way. There is nothing distinctly "U2" about them compared to the songs from the 80's and 90's. Remember many moons ago when Bob Dylan said nobody could play their stuff? Now, anybody can. This is precisely why SOI feels like U2 karaoke...but admittedly done really well. Lots more to say about this stuff but I don't feel like belaboring this point.

On the release, the only difference between U2 dodging all the mess and what ended up happening is covered right here:



All of this came about because they wanted to get paid and getting paid otherwise would have rested on the risky idea of old...the idea that people might not buy it. Both cases are directly impacted by the abating of risk. Creative risk, financial risk, which are more or less one and the same here.
Click to expand...

Great post. Ultimately, I feel the strategy they've implemented is nothing new, only this time the intangibles are there to an even lesser degree than before. Individual moments of brilliance from the members of U2 are in short supply, except for a couple of standout Adam riffs.

Edge contributes little that we haven't heard before. Bono seldom leaves the realm of overt autobiography, which is not what his best works traditionally stem from (The Fly, Running to Stand Still, One Tree Hill, A Sort of Homecoming are fiction inspired by a real-life event), Larry is whatever.

So they're addicted to songwriting now. They're seeing the big picture. You can play any of these songs on a mandolin, banjo, in a different language, in reverse, whatever. It will always sound OK. That's the power of THE SONG. The thing is, anyone can write a song. But not just anyone could create the sounds that they used to make. The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby...these albums are loaded with incredible band moments and superior production that set U2 apart from anyone else.

SOI sounds like U2, but it's never felt like them to me. At least on NLOTH I could tell they were letting the music go where it needed to on occasion. It's how we got Moment of Surrender. Now that's classic U2 at its very genesis. So much of SOI sounds it had been beaten to death in rehearsal before we ever had a chance to hear the magic at work.
 
Last edited:
last unicorn said:
It's just good to see the band so confident, still believing in those songs, still holding on to them, in spite of what some fans (yes, fans) say about the album being dead and over. The "autopsy" thread is one of the worst things ever to appear on this forum.
Click to expand...

tumblr_lwhu1bIoLG1r6aoq4o1_500.gif
 
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