Songs of Songs, Books & Fat Puns - New Album Discussion #8

[lazarus]

2026 it is.

 

[JWR1992]

If we don’t get anything within the next couple of hours then I guess the next sensible time frame would be after the book tour.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i think you can pretty much count out today already.

 

[iota]

God this band. I love them but damn. So much disappointment comes with loving them.

 

[DaveC]

I Threw Up Hairballs on a Window

 

[lazarus]

Is it safe to say that Paul McGuinne$$ would have made sure physical copies of a reworked greatest hits album were in stores by Black Friday?

“Well, I guess I’ll buy this new Bruce Springsteen CD for my dad instead.”

 

[JWR1992]

Yeah who knows with this band. You’d think both the book and album would be on display together right now in stores for max physical sales opportunities but whatever. [emoji854]

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

To be fair to the band - they never announced anything.

You can't really delay something you never actually announced a release date for.

My guess remains the Friday before the Kennedy Center Honors - Dec. 2.

The TV date for the event is December 22.

Oh hey, by the way, why don't you check out Songs of Surrender, available now on all your favorite streaming platforms.

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

I mean from what I heard I wouldn’t put it against them for shelving it…

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

The more I think about it, the more I think it makes sense to refrain from launching Songs of Surrender until after Bono's book promo work is done.

Initially I had thought that because they're both thematically tied together as retrospective works, and share the same name, they'd surely release together.

But ultimately one is a very personal project centred around Bono, and the other is a full band U2 project.

I imagine they'll end up promoted as such - i.e. very separately.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

I mean from what I heard I wouldn’t put it against them for shelving it…

My interest definitely diminished after hearing the snippets (still hugely appreciate Dan sharing them though!). Not that I think it sounds bad, but acoustic-U2 just isn't for me. (And of course we only hear intros/outros, but there's a clear consistency of centering most of the tracks on acoustic guitar.)

However, part of me hopes that what we've heard are certain mixes that are intentionally stripped back to be more appropriate for an audiobook, i.e. mellow, calm, focused. Perhaps the album edits will be a little more interesting...

I mean, the new version of WoWY sounds incredible, it would be crazy not to use that! (But then, it's based on cellos, harps and synths precisely because Edge, Adam and Larry aren't involved, so maybe we it's unlikely we get that version on SoS)

 

[dan_smee]

My interest definitely diminished after hearing the snippets (still hugely appreciate Dan sharing them though!). Not that I think it sounds bad, but acoustic-U2 just isn't for me. (And of course we only hear intros/outros, but there's a clear consistency of centering most of the tracks on acoustic guitar.)



However, part of me hopes that what we've heard are certain mixes that are intentionally stripped back to be more appropriate for an audiobook, i.e. mellow, calm, focused. Perhaps the album edits will be a little more interesting...



I mean, the new version of WoWY sounds incredible, it would be crazy not to use that! (But then, it's based on cellos, harps and synths precisely because Edge, Adam and Larry aren't involved, so maybe we it's unlikely we get that version on SoS)

I think it’s really important to remember that in the credits of the book they talk about the editing of the music. There are moments where they isolate new vocals, moments where instruments later in. I am 95% certain that the spare acoustic arrangements are not all there is to those songs. WOWY in the book seems far more sparse than the Colbert performance.

 

[dan_smee]

Songs of Songs, Books & Fat Puns - New Album Discussion #8

Also weird that U2songs posted to Facebook just to remind everyone of their website and social channels. They haven’t done that in years.

Only weird because they did it on the day they suggested a possible surprise album drop, around the time that would have made sense for it to happen.

 

[JWR1992]

I thought that was odd too. I’m curious to see what updates we’ll get from them now that the rumored November 1st and 18th dates they suggested were duds.

 

[Registered Dude]

Also weird that U2songs posted to Facebook just to remind everyone of their website and social channels. They haven’t done that in years.

Only weird because they did it on the day they suggested a possible surprise album drop, around the time that would have made sense for it to happen.

I think that’s due to the potentially imminent collapse of twitter

 

[Nate Dogg]

Maybe it will be next years U2.com gift?

 

[wolbersu2]

Maybe it will be next years U2.com gift?

Along with the Heartland movie, SOA, and the never released docu about I&E..... pfffff

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think it’s really important to remember that in the credits of the book they talk about the editing of the music. There are moments where they isolate new vocals, moments where instruments later in. I am 95% certain that the spare acoustic arrangements are not all there is to those songs. WOWY in the book seems far more sparse than the Colbert performance.

Agreed. They clearly spent a lot of time producing the audiobook beyond just simply plopping a few new tracks in.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

I think it’s really important to remember that in the credits of the book they talk about the editing of the music. There are moments where they isolate new vocals, moments where instruments later in. I am 95% certain that the spare acoustic arrangements are not all there is to those songs. WOWY in the book seems far more sparse than the Colbert performance.

Oh that's interesting, so the credits reference the song snippets as being altered by editing in some way?

 

[DomCobb]

Even if what we hear in the audiobook hasn't been edited to remove other instruments, etc, you can tell from the snippets that these versions are far more robust than simply acoustic versions. Some of the shortest snippets sound like it, maybe, but especially the ones where you hear more of them you can tell it's hardly an unplugged/raw sound. Lots of atmospherics, instruments, and interesting new arrangements. Even the acoustic guitar itself often sounds like it's been processed. It's not the usual U2 sound, but it's also not the usual U2 acoustic sound.

I'm very curious to hear the album, whenever it happens. Even the lyric changes are interesting to me. While Bono's idea of "finishing them up" or whatever is ridiculous, the bits we hear in the audiobook sound a lot like lyrical changes that make the songs fit more in line with the story Bono is telling. A fun alternate to accompany the whole autobiographical look back.

 

[Hewson]

Maybe it will be next years U2.com gift?

So we'll receive it in like 2027. (They have 6 weeks left for this year's gift to actually arrive during the calendar year)

 

[dan_smee]

Oh that's interesting, so the credits reference the song snippets as being altered by editing in some way?

Bono refers to music editing and mixing by the producers of the audiobook in the credits over 40. We know the original album providers were the music producers for the SOS album. If it was just clips it would be referred to as music editing, not editing and mixing - implies the individual tracks of the song themselves have been altered in some way.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

Bono refers to music editing and mixing by the producers of the audiobook in the credits over 40. We know the original album providers were the music producers for the SOS album. If it was just clips it would be referred to as music editing, not editing and mixing - implies the individual tracks of the song themselves have been altered in some way.

Interesting! Thanks for explaining. That makes me more intrigued for the final cut

 

[Hollow Island]

Bono refers to music editing and mixing by the producers of the audiobook in the credits over 40. We know the original album providers were the music producers for the SOS album. If it was just clips it would be referred to as music editing, not editing and mixing - implies the individual tracks of the song themselves have been altered in some way.

The editing and mixing probably just refers to editing and mixing music with the spoken word - cutting the portion of the song we hear, balancing it with the speaking and whatever sound effects are added, like muffling it to sound like it’s coming through a wall.

 

[DeVaul]

Along with the Heartland movie, SOA, and the never released docu about I&E..... pfffff

And the E&I concerts they shot with 360 cameras for VR…

 

[ascender_RS]

I just assumed the editing and mixing was a standard production credit for this sort of audiobook. I wouldn't read anything in to it other than that tbh.

For the most part, the arrangements in the snippets in the book seemed to be what you'd expect from a band going "unplugged" in the traditional sense, lots of acoustic guitars and pianos. I've only listened to the book though, I've not downloaded the snippets of the songs themselves.

Contrast that to the arrangements in Bono's shows which were clearly something very different altogether.

Anyway... where's the album!?

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

The Las Vegas Sphere dates are supposed to be announced early next year. The rumour for SoS was that the physical edition has been pushed to early next year too.

If the album isn't released digitally in December, I wonder if they'll just hold off on the whole thing until it can be announced/released alongside those tour dates as a more effective means of promotion?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

if Vegas is Achtung Baby - centric, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to tie the announcement of those dates to the SOS album.

then again - late stage U2's marketing team.

 

[mikal]

Yeah very strange. We basically know that the album exists. It's done. It's pressed. It has an album cover. We just don't know when. Could be today, could be next February or anytime in between.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i'm still under the assumption that they're merely waiting for the promotional tour for the book to end - and will ramp promotion of the album up just in time for the band's first public appearance together since, like, before the Rona.