New Music Rumors and Such, Continued

[BVS]

He gives no reasoning as to why that plan wasn't followed through.

Three words: Larry Mullen Junior

 

[Aygo]

Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Do You Feel Loved

All keep the tempo up fast enough throughout and have a kind of dance groove to them.

I could see these in clubs without remixes.

Never thought U2 was that danceable anyway, still don't.

But whenever I go see my local tribute band Joshua Tree(they are awesome) the dance floor/dance area is always packed and not just with people who know U2.

So what do I know?

Add "New Year's Day" - it gets played a lot in clubs that play 1970/80's music and dancey-rock-revivals.

 

[BEAL]

This is my negative opinion but here's what will probably happen.

The Euro shows will end, U2 will bunker down to record. They'll magically produce hundreds of songs, so many in fact that they won't be able to choose 11 for the next album so they'll put it on hold, let the songs age a bit to see how they feel.

We'll be told they'll play a few new songs for the start of the US tour, and we may indeed get a couple new songs. At the end of the tour we get a EP with the new songs that were played.

I still say 2014 for a proper album.

 

[Registered Dude]

more of that Bono interview needs to be posted here:


The setlist in Turin was interesting in that two of the new songs you played, "Return of the Sting Ray Guitar" and "Glastonbury," were total blinders: profane rock & roll kicks inbetween the spiritual-ambition parts of the show. Then there was "North Star," an unfinished acoustic ballad.

Music is a sacrament for us. In that song ["North Star"], I thought, "It's okay to write a love song for the universe." "Glastonbury" was very funny that night– we did a version of that we knew we nailed, and then something happened at the end, I got lost a little bit [grins]. Edge had been hanging out with Jimmy Page [the two guitarists co-starred in the documentary "It Might Get Loud"], and you can't help but have that rub off. So now it's Willie Dixon, all those blues guys. Edge had this big riff. But I hear "Glastonbury" like the Chemincal Brothers, the Prodigy.

The song is about going to this music festival. [U2 were scheduled to headline at the British festival – Bono's surgery forced them to cancel.] It's a pilgrimage. It also turns out there's a white flower that twice yearly blooms at Glastonbury. And the mythology of Glastonbury goes back to Joesph of Arimathea – he's the guy who helped take the body of Jesus down from the cross. He is also said to have gone to Britain, to Glastonbury, where he put his staff in the ground. This big tree at Glastonbury, with this white flower, is supposed to come from that. [Bono recites part of the lyrics to U2's song: "Came to find a flowering rose/The flowering rose of Glastonbury".] And he's supposed to have brought the cup from the Last Supper, the Holy Grail.

This stuff is so Seventies to me [laughs]. I can't believe I'm in it. I'm going to Glastonbury for that. Everyone else is going for the music, being with your friends, hanging out. So we're in this hospital room, I'm on morphine and it's dawning on [manager] Paul McGuiness that we're going to have to cancel all of those [North American] shows. But I went, "Can we do Glastonbury?" Dr. Müller-Whlfahrt goes, "These drugs are stronger than you think." [Laughs]

 

[U2girl]

Three words: Larry Mullen Junior

Or more likely Some Common Sense. I don't see U2 pulling off a double album, not at the best of times and not now.

to "we're not promoting anything right now but we sure will have something ready for America".

 

[purpleoscar]

He gives no reasoning as to why that plan wasn't followed through. I strongly think out of all the material we are most likely NOT to ever hear its SOA, they will have lost the bottle to release it now, and therefore there's all this new 'rock' and 'club' material. Although don't get me wrong I would absolutely love a new 'club-sounding' album

It's possible that the album was more Passenger's like and "unmarketable" in their eyes. I still want to hear this Every breaking wave song that they originally wanted to include into NLOTH.

 

[jphelmet]

This is my negative opinion but here's what will probably happen.

The Euro shows will end, U2 will bunker down to record. They'll magically produce hundreds of songs, so many in fact that they won't be able to choose 11 for the next album so they'll put it on hold, let the songs age a bit to see how they feel.

We'll be told they'll play a few new songs for the start of the US tour, and we may indeed get a couple new songs. At the end of the tour we get a EP with the new songs that were played.

I still say 2014 for a proper album.

hate to say it, but this really is the educated guess for anyone that has followed the band for a long time.

 

[Registered Dude]

first real news we've heard on the new music in a long time and the thread is quiet.. go figure..

 

[corianderstem]

What? There's been four pages of new posts since yesterday morning.

Or, if that doesn't qualify as "a lot," then I guess we've just all become numb to any news. We'll believe it when we actually see it.

 

[BVS]

hate to say it, but this really is the educated guess for anyone that has followed the band for a long time.

If you've followed the band for a long time you would know that U2 has never been in this situation. They've never been on a tour that has extended this long, with such long breaks, in a market where albums sales only last a few months. We've never heard this much about albums, different directions song names, etc... And we've never had a tour that has had this many new songs in what? 20 years?

So honestly, I really hate to say it but there really is no educated guess at this point. The best speculation is we'll get something next spring, 1. because they've mentioned it, and 2. they almost have to. With such a long break coming into the US without anything new would suicide.

This band doesn't have the momentum or stamina to wait until 2014 release something and tour like they have been.

Mark my words we will see a change in the every 4 years routine that we've been used to, they really have little choice.

 

[purpleoscar]

Mark my words we will see a change in the every 4 years routine that we've been used to, they really have little choice.

Exactly. They're not spring chickens anymore and Bono even mentioned that he wanted this tour to be big because he wasn't sure if they would be able to do it again. Hopefully their health holds out for this tour and another in the future.

 

[Registered Dude]

What? There's been four pages of new posts since yesterday morning.

Or, if that doesn't qualify as "a lot," then I guess we've just all become numb to any news. We'll believe it when we actually see it.

yes but they're not happening when I'm online.

 

[jphelmet]

If you've followed the band for a long time you would know that U2 has never been in this situation. They've never been on a tour that has extended this long, with such long breaks, in a market where albums sales only last a few months. We've never heard this much about albums, different directions song names, etc... And we've never had a tour that has had this many new songs in what? 20 years?

So honestly, I really hate to say it but there really is no educated guess at this point. The best speculation is we'll get something next spring, 1. because they've mentioned it, and 2. they almost have to. With such a long break coming into the US without anything new would suicide.

This band doesn't have the momentum or stamina to wait until 2014 release something and tour like they have been.

Mark my words we will see a change in the every 4 years routine that we've been used to, they really have little choice.

i hope so. I am cautiously optimistic, but for all their talk of wanting to be cutting edge (as far as marketing, releasing music, new ideas for record industry) they are not in any way shape or form. they are actually well behind the curve in this regard.

i think there is a good chance we will see something new in the next year, but all this talk certainly doesn't make it a given. the tour itself doesn't need anything out to sell tickets (not many casual fans were going to see u2 b/c of nloth on the first us leg). it would certainly help some, and the tour would help album sales, but they can continue to tour without putting anything new out.

I still think its a possibility they finish out the tour as a greatest hits, and then finish the album after (taking possibly years) and they don't do the huge tour thing anymore. all the larry quotes, and the new way of touring (the spread out dates, and homes bases) makes it seem like its become somewhat of a chore. i think they are prolonging this whole thing, because they know this may be the last giant stadium type tour. if that is the case, they don't have to worry about long lay-offs.

 

[lazarus]

I have to agree with BVS.

And back to the interview stuff, it worries me that Bono considers No Line to be so "difficult". If he's viewing it as something they had to get out of their system instead of a directional creative choice, is the follow-up going to be something aiming too much at the mainstream again?

 

[Sicy]

New thread please.

 

[Screwtape2]

In that sense, we're not as 21st Century as we think we are, because we'd be putting out more new songs online, involving our audience in the choice – if we were really modern.

Why don't they? Is that such a bad idea if the band has no clear plan for these songs? If the fans had a choice in the songs and tracklisting of a new U2 album it would certain get a lot of media attention. Bono has a great idea here and the band should seriously consider it.