Steve Lillywhite On U2's 'No Line'

[sue4u2]

Good audio (no video) on NPR with Steve Lillywhite talking about Magnificent, Crazy Tonight and Unknown Caller. They play all 3 songs.

Steve Lillywhite On U2's 'No Line' : NPR Music

 

[cypress]

Excellent interview. Thank you so much for posting it.

 

[erik_1099]

Thanks!

 

[achtung-man]

Thanxs

 

[standrums]

I can't hear it - can anyone let me in on the general gist?

 

[alanah]

Thanks for posting.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Interesting interview. I can't help but feel that the further we get from the early 80s, the more and more I think of Steve Lillywhite as a big turd. I like Don't Go Crazy, but in the context of the album it's just as silly as Boots. I wonder what it would be like for U2 to produce a unified album these days without all the meddling from interlopers. It's pretty impossible, though, considering the music business these days.

"Express the chorus"...did anyone else wince when he rattled off that one-liner? I'd rather Steve go party it up on a never-ending coke-fueled Virgin Atlantic flight with Adam Curry when they do the next record, to be honest.

 

[AndrewCowley]

Interesting interview. I can't help but feel that the further we get from the early 80s, the more and more I think of Steve Lillywhite as a big turd. I like Don't Go Crazy, but in the context of the album it's just as silly as Boots. I wonder what it would be like for U2 to produce a unified album these days without all the meddling from interlopers. It's pretty impossible, though, considering the music business these days.

"Express the chorus"...did anyone else wince when he rattled off that one-liner? I'd rather Steve go party it up on a never-ending coke-fueled Virgin Atlantic flight with Adam Curry when they do the next record, to be honest.

That's pretty harsh. The guys obviously have a huge affinity with the man.

 

[U2girl]

Well, Lillywhite is the devil. Ever since HTDAAB.

 

[ultraviolet7]

Well, Lillywhite is the devil. Ever since HTDAAB.

He's been working hard at digging his own grave.
"The original idea of the album was toward Moment of Surrender, Unknown Caller, the Moroccan Fez thing..."

 

[monsieur fly]

"The original idea of the album was toward Moment of Surrender, Unknown Caller, the Moroccan Fez thing..."

"Until I tried to turn it into HTDAAB 2" Haha. Fortunately he failed.

 

[chrissybaby]

"...Express the chorus..." actually made me laugh out loud... I wonder how Eno felt having these songs meddled with at the last minute. I don't wanna get into all that experimental debate on this thread, but I can't help but feel that Eno is genuinely a bit put out and is hiding it behind humour because of the need to promote the record that he has credits on...

 

[purpleoscar]

I like Steve Lillywhite. U2 have made a good combo of egos with Eno/Lanois on one side and the band themselves and Steve on the other. Steve helped out on Achtung Baby as well.

 

[U2girl]

Putting sarcasm aside, agreed.

He worked on arguably the song that was loved by everyone the fastest (Crazy tonight - bizzare story how it got the chorus on that interview), and on what some call the best song on the album (Breathe). I always thought he should have produced Bomb alone instead of all those producers.

 

[lazarus]

Yeah, Lillywhite helped on Achtung Baby, but that was when he stuck to mixing a few songs.

He really doesn't have what it takes to get the best out of these guys in the producer's chair.

I just don't understand the rationale behind having your album produced by more than one team. It's just ridiculous and is the enemy of a cohesive artistic statement.

 

[chrissybaby]

i just don't understand the rationale behind having your album produced by more than one team. It's just ridiculous and is the enemy of a cohesive artistic statement.

qft

 

[purpleoscar]

I just don't understand the rationale behind having your album produced by more than one team. It's just ridiculous and is the enemy of a cohesive artistic statement.

According to the Rolling Stone interview they weren't necessarily looking for complete cohesiveness:

With No Line on the Horizon, we wanted to really push the combo format.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/26692262/u2_in_their_own_words/3

 

[lazarus]

That's not how I read "combo". Bono seemed to be talking more about mixing organic instrumentation with electronic, not how many hands were in the production.

And when he says it above in regards to Pop, he says "we made neither a dance album nor a combo album". That has nothing to do with the studio crew.

 

[ahittle]

I know some people don't dig him, but I enjoy interviews with this man. You can just tell that he is a positive force in the studio and that he can motivate people through hard times.

Seems like a lovely human being.

 

[IndyShade]

So, what, we're blaming Steve Lillywhite for U2's downturn now? Eno/Lanois refined U2 in the mid-eighties; Steve BUILT them. The one constant thread that connects all U2 albums is - U2. So, how about we start blaming the band? The real problem is that U2 can't agree on anything with any one producer - they can't decide what THEY want - and end up calling in old friends to help them piecemeal an album together because they wandered into the studio with no clear ideas. If they did an album only with Eno and Lanois, it probably wouldn't be any better or worse than if they did an album only with Lillywhite. If the BAND could just agree on a vision for an album (and write some songs before going into the studio) they'd be a lot better off. This is apparently impossible for U2 now. The funny thing is, more often than not, it's Lillywhite who ends up pulling Eno/Lanois' fat out of the fryer, even if it's just a mix job. We need look no further than The Joshua Tree for that.

 

[ndmaxfield]

If U2's aim was to give high-quality samples of the entire range of styles they've perfected, squeezed into an 11-song album, NLOTH (and the combination of producers) did it. There are certain U2 sounds Lillywhite helped the band perfect; and his outsider status seems to keep him "true" to those sounds. I don't think he's a good PR man, but his production is definitely critical for maintaining those elements.

 

[U2girl]

Is this the first time he's produced on a U2 album that had Eno/Lanois/Lillywhite team ? He only mixed songs on JT, AB and ATYCLB ?

 

[lazarus]

So, what, we're blaming Steve Lillywhite for U2's downturn now? Eno/Lanois refined U2 in the mid-eighties; Steve BUILT them. The one constant thread that connects all U2 albums is - U2. So, how about we start blaming the band? The real problem is that U2 can't agree on anything with any one producer - they can't decide what THEY want - and end up calling in old friends to help them piecemeal an album together because they wandered into the studio with no clear ideas. If they did an album only with Eno and Lanois, it probably wouldn't be any better or worse than if they did an album only with Lillywhite. If the BAND could just agree on a vision for an album (and write some songs before going into the studio) they'd be a lot better off. This is apparently impossible for U2 now. The funny thing is, more often than not, it's Lillywhite who ends up pulling Eno/Lanois' fat out of the fryer, even if it's just a mix job. We need look no further than The Joshua Tree for that.

I don't agree with this at all. U2 did have songs (for the most part) before going into the studio once. That was ATYCLB. Some loved it, some didn't. I think it's a good album, but not the band doing what they do best--there's a lot of gray area between following a muse or a sound in the studio to develop material, and overcooking stuff because you're trying to fashion a hit single. The trick is having someone behind the board who knows where to draw the line.

Unfortunately Lillywhite doesn't have enough power or vision to stop them from indulging their worst tendencies. Eno does, and had they listened to him, we might have wound up with a much-improved Winter on the album, and minus a song that they were taking way too much time on, like Stand Up Comedy.

So in short, I think it's bullshit that they would get a similar result with either Lanois/Eno or Lillywhite.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Stever Lillywhite has only produced some of the best songs of U2's career...('Pride', 'With or Without You', etc). Imagine if he hadn't been around? U2 would have had far less hit singles, far different albums and, as such, would be a totally different band.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Just everyone be very fucking thankful we didn't get a Rubin/Lillywhite album.

 

[mikal]

Just everyone be very fucking thankful we didn't get a Rubin/Lillywhite album.

and here's the #1 song in America:

"AAALLLL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN WAAAIIITING FOR!"

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Let me guess: Starts off quiet, but Bono is howling into the chorus at full belt within the first 20 seconds. You wouldn’t really even call the first verse a verse it happens so quick. He’s screaming the second verse while Edge behind him is giving up all his juice. Into the second chorus really quickly again. Bono is all over the knees and love and soul and heart on this one – classic Bono. Masterpiece lyrics. Then everything drops really quiet again. Really quiet. Ooh-aah-ooh-aah. Then Edge soars with something that sounds vaguely like everything else he’s ever done!!!! Stadium classic! And here comes Bono for a big finale! Masterpiece! Classic! Recorded way too fucking loud! Sounds like a million U2 rip-offs! Awesome song!!!!! #1 hit single for sure! U2 just re-applied again!!!

 

[mikal]

thinking about that song makes me so grateful that we got songs like MOS, FBB, and UC on this album.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Yeah, those Rubin beach clips terrified me. Sounded like we were going to get a whole album of poor Walk On knock offs. How to Dismantle An Atomic Walk On.

 

[AtomicBono]

and here's the #1 song in America:

"AAALLLL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN WAAAIIITING FOR!"

hey I like that song ...

not more than NLOTH though