(01-30-2006) A Very Fresh Sound -- U2.com*

[dsmith2904]

A Very Fresh Sound

'Right now, a band playing guitar, bass and drums on a stage with very little else going on is a very fresh sound.' Edge talks to Rolling Stone about 'resurgent rock & roll' ahead of the 2006 Grammy Awards.

Here's a couple of extracts.

RS: You guys have more Grammys - seventeen - than any other rock band. Where do you keep all those trophies?

EDGE: Half in the office, half in my house. Luckily enough, they're fairly small, so you don't have to worry about them taking up too much space. They fit nicely on the shelf, and they look cool. I haven't run out of room yet.

RS: All That You Can't Leave Behind was seen as a huge comeback for U2. How
hard was it to have to follow it up?

EDGE: Coming off that tour carried us into the songwriting for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. It was always in the back of our minds as we were working on the songs -- playing them live. We really started becoming the band we are onstage. The best place to learn what your songs are like is to try them in front of the U2 crowd.

RS: Atomic Bomb is even truer to the idea of All That You Can't Leave Behind: "four guys playing a room."

EDGE: Yeah, that's probably a fair thing to say. We had been spending most of the Nineties trying to obliterate the core idea of what a band is. With this last couple of records, we've really found ourselves being inspired again by what a rock & roll band can be. Right now, a band playing guitar, bass and drums on a stage with very little else going on is a very fresh sound. Just looking at the other Grammy nominees -- the Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire -- it feels like rock & roll is resurgent. And that's a really great feeling....

Check the whole interview out here.

--U2.com

 

[Slipstream]

Rolling Stone - How about plans for the next record?

The Edge - Well, I've been working a lot on material during the tour, and I have a lot of ideas that I think are very promising, so I'd be trying to work on a record in early 2006, developing the material. Then we'll just see where that takes us. I've got some definite ideas.


This sounds promising!

 

[Carek1230]

Promising indeed....don't you think they are ALWAYS working on new material tho? That's how musicians and creative artists work.

 

[elciojg]

simple.

math.

2004 + 4 = 2008

let's wait...say...2 years and a half...

question dismantled

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

unless they put out a record in mid 2007, and then release another record in 2010... a new album for a new decade. They could hold off 'til 2011 a la Achtung Baby though

whatever the release date, it's nice to know that the mastermind that is Edge has some ideas.

 

[Zoomerang96]

yawn.

those bands are not fresh, and "the sound of four men playing in a room" has been the same stupid thing they've said since 2000.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Edge is the man...... more and more.....he's doing everything as far as music is concerned..... WORK HARD AND FAST!!!!

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

yawn.

those bands are not fresh, and "the sound of four men playing in a room" has been the same stupid thing they've said since 2000.

In Edge's defense, the 'four men in a room' statement was brought up by the RS interviewer when he stated that "Atomic Bomb is even truer to the idea of All That You Can't Leave Behind: 'four guys playing [in] a room.'." He probably read up on past interviews, remembered that statement and rehashed it again.

 

[popacrobat]

yawn.

those bands are not fresh, and "the sound of four men playing in a room" has been the same stupid thing they've said since 2000.

and ironically, the same remarks have come from you about the bands latest work

 

[AtomicBono]

and ironically, the same remarks have come from you about the bands latest work

BOOM CHA!

I'm glad Edge is working on new ideas. I'm optimistic we'll see an album before 2008. I doubt 2006, but 2007 is, I think, a real possibility.

 

[Zoomerang96]

and ironically, the same remarks have come from you about the bands latest work

how is that ironic? i call it the way i see it.

and for the record, i should have made it clear that arcade fire are far and away way better than the other bands listed there.

the killers, coldplay, foo fighters? the future sound of rock?

bah. rubbish.

and i'm pretty sure grammy's are almost never an indication of a band at the top of their game.

did achtung baby win album of the year?

who did?

exactly.

the grammy's make me furious, i wish franz ferdinand, arcade fire and beck weren't even nominated.

 

[lady luck]

Winning an Award doesn't mean that album is The best in the world, but that it's the best for who voted --and I dunno how this works...

Anyway, 2008 sounds cool!!

 

[mkdominatr]

and for the record, i should have made it clear that arcade fire are far and away way better than the other bands listed there.

the killers, coldplay, foo fighters? the future sound of rock?

bah. rubbish.

and i'm pretty sure grammy's are almost never an indication of a band at the top of their game.

the grammy's make me furious, i wish franz ferdinand, arcade fire and beck weren't even nominated.

Are you kidding? So what are the best rock bands of the year then?

 

[Zoomerang96]

arcade fire, broken social scene, stars, wolf parade, rogue wave, to name but a few of the best "rock" bands.

is feist even nominated for anything? what a shame.

 

[sue4u2]

arcade fire, broken social scene, stars, wolf parade, rogue wave, to name but a few of the best "rock" bands.

is feist even nominated for anything? what a shame.

With all due respect.. whoever expected U2 to ever! win Grammy's at this stage of the game?

You seemed to be the type of person who doesn't need the validation of some award show to know what good music is.
and I'm sure you know how these things work or don't work.
anywho
I haven't ever cared one way or the other if the Grammys give anything to U2. Even though I am thrilled when they do win.
last year was promising for a new direction for the Grammys and I hope it happens sometime for feist, wolf parade and rogue wave, etc.. who quite frankly, I have never heard.. (i don't think?)
which means nothing. but that willl change soon

 

[Zoomerang96]

i understand what you're saying sue, and it's totally fair.

but i think award shows, be it for music, movies, whatever are ridiculous and shameless pat on the backs for people's work that got the most attention - and certainly not necessarily for the best in their category.

 

[babyman]

Everytime when Edge speaks about music I feel like there's a man you can trust each and every word he says about