There are currently 3 or 4 threads about the same things...the delay, pr disaster, etc. Everyone is chiming in with wither disgust and anger (frustration is understandable, but it's up to them to take on the consequences of the delay. so many "marketing experts" that know what's best for the band and their "relevancy.")
The band is not four morons. Guy Oseary is no fool. They know the details inside the camp. Maybe the band is holding on by a thread, so allow them the chance to sort it out. Maybe they are so close to a great album(s), so let them get there. Maybe this is their "Collapse Into Now" (sorry for all of the REM analogies lately, but they fit.) So, they want to go out big.
Yes, more albums would keep them more visible and "relevant" (like Coldplay), or maybe what Bono means by relevancy is different than popularity. They don't need to establish their name, but they need to be sure that each album they put out maintains their legacy (even if it's 5-10 years). I feel too many people on here who are having a fit, are in a spot where they need their investment in this band to be proven. They need their knowledge of birthdays and back stories...the international tour travels...to be justified. Don't be defined by your fan expertise. Even the band is made up of four individuals with their own things going on. They've lost relationships and so forth, and now, maybe they try to balance or switch things up more.
As a creative person, I know how it is to feel you've created something brilliant--while you are in the heat of the bubble. After a good night's sleep, with a fresh mind, you see what you created, instead of what you imagined. There's body dysmorphia...and the pressures on the band could have them second-guessing what they've created or what they've intended. The process has almost broken them up several times, and that was when they had more drive and inertia. Being in the band isn't as essential anymore. They are rich and famous. Let them chill out, sort it out, and get it together on their own terms.
Yes, it's fine to try and predict. Yes, it's fine to suggest what they need to do. It's great to try and put a voice to the collective hopes of the fans...but we are outside of the walls. Despite all of the research and U2 books that one can read, that doesn't put us in the recording studio or in their bedrooms.
In summary. I'm happy with 3/4ths of No Line. It's a much better sounding album than Bomb. I don't believe the guys are washed up. I would love a double album, but I suspect it's double in the old sense of 12 songs/45 minutes. In the days of CDs, it went to double that. With digital, it could be presented any possible way. They talked about presenting the next album in a non-traditional way, and I believe Guy could help with that. I am a fan of Dangermouse and PLEASE, understand the difference between ONE DIRECTION and ONE REPUBLIC (who they are working with now. That collaboration doesn't excite me, (but neither did Michael W Smith)...and people keep complaining about one DIRECTION (the boy band.)
In summary, I have hopes and expectations, but I have to have other things in my life besides this band. As an artist, I want people to appreciate my work. I'm flattered when someone I admire "gets it"...but I also think the fan thing is creepy (unless you crave attention.) Critique more, obsess less.
Though I did try to stay well out of that thread once the news broke. Holy smoke.
Exactly! That post was one of the most sad things I've ever read. If you're dying, being with your family will be more important than a U2 concert. Secondly, when you're dead it's not like you'll remember anything about anything including the U2 songs you did hear. If he believes in a heaven then surely in heaven he'll get to listen to all the U2 albums (including the ones that were never made).
