U2's quest for the 'perfect pop song' -- new album talk continued

[Nick66]

Geddy Lee > Adam Clayton
Neil Peart > Larry Mullen Jr.
Alex Lifeson > Edge

U2 > Rush

 

[Globo14]

Rush again?

 

[Nick66]

Rush again?

Like Clockwork.

 

[mama cass]

But mama caaaaaasss

 

[Jive Turkey]

Rush again?

His earlier attempt to bring back an old trolling was ignored, so I guess this is the next step

 

[Nick66]

His earlier attempt to bring back an old trolling was ignored, so I guess this is the next step

Um, yeah. Because no one ever mentions Rush here.

You're funny.

 

[jay canseco]

I'm starting to miss Bono's silly statements about four albums being worked on. The silence is kind of worrisome to me.

 

[Jive Turkey]

You're funny.

oh you

 

[corianderstem]

I'm starting to miss Bono's silly statements about four albums being worked on. The silence is kind of worrisome to me.

Ugh, no. The last thing we need is more questionable comments on a weekly basis, sending us all into another useless tizzy every time he opens his mouth, having the same damned circular discussions over and over until we've turned into butter.

The silence is butter better.

 

[The_acrobat]

Geddy Lee > Adam Clayton
Neil Peart > Larry Mullen Jr.
Alex Lifeson > Edge

U2 > Rush

Great post. Also, it should be said that :

BONO >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GEDDY LEE (singing)

 

[cobl04]

What about his voice? How did it get so high? Do you reckon he speaks like an ordinary guy?

 

[ryancoke71]

Every time I come to this thread it is about Rush!

 

[theedgeu2]

Rush bores me. Talk about something interesting.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

We should talk about me.

 

[Salome]

you have become predictable, stagnant and have lacked any experimentation since the end of the 90s
I await your future output with just enough anticipation to be disappointed with it yet again
if only you would return to producing the kind of stuff I prefer

 

[Vlad n U 2]

It's saddening that my time as a toddler was also the time of my highest peak of musical experimentation.

 

[Steved1998]

you have become predictable, stagnant and have lacked any experimentation since the end of the 90s
I await your future output with just enough anticipation to be disappointed with it yet again
if only you would return to producing the kind of stuff I prefer

U2 need to stop being so predictable. They need to channel their feedback days and maybe rush an album out. They need to resist the temptation to play it safe. Even if they get one single that charts they may be able to claim one little victory that will make it all worthwhile. I don't even know why they're so worried, they usually have hit singles in like half the world. At they rate they're moving we won't see an album in 2013. Hell we won't see one until 2112. They need to make it their mission to get something out or they'll fade away.

 

[lemonfly]

They definitely need to release a new album THIS year, otherwise relevance go bye-bye. If they wait until the end of 2013/14, nobody outside the fanbase, Rolling Stone and Q magazine is going to give a shit. They may as well hand over the baton to Coldplay or whoever and then sail off into the sunset. I really believe the next five months will decide whether U2 will be an ongoing musical concern or relegated to has-been status. They need to deliver now or retire. Simple as that. Their favored strategy of delaying, delaying, delaying and then releasing a (largely) mediocre album isn't gonna cut it any longer I'm afraid.

 

[nielsgov]

So you'd rather want U2 to retire than release music which gets a bit less attention than normal?

 

[Von Schloopen]

They definitely need to release a new album THIS year, otherwise relevance go bye-bye. If they wait until the end of 2013/14, nobody outside the fanbase, Rolling Stone and Q magazine is going to give a shit. They may as well hand over the baton to Coldplay or whoever and then sail off into the sunset. I really believe the next five months will decide whether U2 will be an ongoing musical concern or relegated to has-been status. They need to deliver now or retire. Simple as that. Their favored strategy of delaying, delaying, delaying and then releasing a (largely) mediocre album isn't gonna cut it any longer I'm afraid.

These things don't concern me at all.

I'm more worried about whether I'll have a good supply of weed when I give the new album it's virgin spin, and what kind of beer I'll be sipping.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Yeah, I think the ship has sailed on the whole U2 being relevant thing... Im more interested in good music at this point.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

They definitely need to release a new album THIS year, otherwise relevance go bye-bye. If they wait until the end of 2013/14, nobody outside the fanbase, Rolling Stone and Q magazine is going to give a shit. They may as well hand over the baton to Coldplay or whoever and then sail off into the sunset. I really believe the next five months will decide whether U2 will be an ongoing musical concern or relegated to has-been status. They need to deliver now or retire. Simple as that. Their favored strategy of delaying, delaying, delaying and then releasing a (largely) mediocre album isn't gonna cut it any longer I'm afraid.

I had thought this at one point, but is it really true? What difference will a year make? Do we really know that if the gap between NLOTH and the next album is 4 years instead of 3, if the album comes out 2013 instead of 2012, that it will ruin u2's chances for relevance?
And on top of that, how do we know these delays "won't cut it" anymore? It's worked fine for the past few albums...

I actually hope they do have the mentality that they should get something out faster, not just to have new material, but to get them back in the spotlight. And i had thought at one point that waiting until 2013 after NLOTH would be a bad idea. But really, it's just 1 year, and is there really evidence that one year is going to make or break the album?
I'd guess it's about content. I think u2 probably view it as better to have an album made with care and precision as a 'comeback' to NLOTH, rather than something quick, made up of leftovers, to get themselves in the spotlight again.

I do think sooner rather than later is best, but that's negligible compared to the quality of the album that comes out. If getting the best material means waiting another year, that's probably what they'll prioritise.

And for what it's worth, i doubt a 2012 album will happen anyway. The killers and muse already have new songs out promoting their autumn albums. U2 not only have no singles, but not even confirmation of a 2012 release, let alone a release date or anything. If there is an album coming out, then they must have completely redeveloped their game plan, to allow for a stealth release. But i really doubt it.

 

[Registered Dude]

I really hope that one day soon I'll do a search for U2 on Google News, and it will be about a U2 album and not U2-related theft trials, LA mansions, Aung San Suu Kyi awards, IMF talks, Bill Corgan blah blah blah

 

[LuckyNumber7]

^^^

That a million times.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

I really hope that one day soon I'll do a search for U2 on Google News, and it will be about a U2 album and not U2-related theft trials, LA mansions, Aung San Suu Kyi awards, IMF talks, Bill Corgan blah blah blah

 

[U2DMfan]

The problem with an album in 2013 (or later) does not have anything to do with relevance or lack of patience or any of that bullshit.

It's that whatever they have right now that excites them - whatever music they have that is really firing them up in the studio - will have a full year to be overcooked.

And if they don't have enough shit right now (relatively speaking) then what. the. fuck?

Surely they have plenty of music for a 2012 album. How much more tweaking will they need? Can they really keep Brian Burton around for another year? Or will he split in 4 or 5 months and then U2 will have the entire first half of 2013 to go back and change what they are making right now, as we speak? They need to get their balls back via having enough confidence in their material to just let go of it a lot sooner.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

Well, to be fair, do we really know that they're fired up in the studio? Sure, Bono's said a lot of great stuff, but... well, it is Bono, after all...

I too am worried about them overcooking the new songs. From the NOTH studio clips (and some end results), i'd guess that they overdid the songs, particularly getting rid of more abstract/eno-esque tunes and creating more 'standard' ones. Seems NLOTH's delay very possibly could have made the album worse.

But achtung baby is proof that taking their time and taking songs beyond their initial stages, to a point where they're near-unrecognisable can be a good thing. I think most people would agree that even if the salome/Hansa studio tapes were interesting, they were no match for the finished AB album. I think Always (vs Beautiful day) is another example (but that one's probably relatively more disputable).

It's hard to know which way it could go this time (will spending extra time on the album 'overcook' it?)... i'd be more inclined to say they'll go the NLOTH route and iron out the more experimental stuff the longer they dwell on it, simply because, obviously NLOTH is the more recent example.
Plus, there's the danger that Danger Mouse will simply leave the project (or be fired) if u2 aren't satisfied enough for a 2012 release, meaning that they almost certainly will work with someone else to get the songs where they want them, and erase the spirit that danger mouse gave the music.

However, i maintain that it's possible that they simply haven't gotten that much work done, that danger mouse could be willing to work a further year (possibly because they've only been dabbling), and that they're planning to work in earnest next year, and use this year just to play around and experiment before settling down on a direction/sound.

 

[popacrobat]

However, i maintain that it's possible that they simply haven't gotten that much work done, that danger mouse could be willing to work a further year (possibly because they've only been dabbling), and that they're planning to work in earnest next year, and use this year just to play around and experiment before settling down on a direction/sound.

I hate to pick on just this one paragraph, but there's nothing to suggest that they've just been dabbling. Danger Mouse was spotted recently in Dublin at a pub in the past couple of weeks, was he not?

And that's besides the point really. The fact is that U2, if not for Spider Man, would have released a record last year. They had previously been working with Danger Mouse in 2010, 2011. If Bono and Edge didn't have to go back and re-do Spider Man, there would have almost certainly been a 2011 album.

There's totally enough material, and even if they've only been dabbling this year, that could be a good thing rather than just a complete overcooking of what they'd done previously. Didn't Bono and Edge go right into the studio or something after the 2009 Rose Bowl show, and come away really excited by whatever they were doing?

There's lots of material, and hopefully, they're just dabbling the old songs and crafting some new ones.

If there isn't an album this year, which is a strong and likely possibility, it's probably for a few reasons. There's the possibility that they feel pressured to tour immediately if they release something, but I don't really buy that...as I've said in the past, they were never on the road for three straight years with 360, it was a few months at a clip. The other possibilities are simple: the band disagrees internally on what direction to go in, or the songs just suck.

I'm doubting the songs suck, and the most likely reason is that 1/2 the band likes it and 1/2 the band does not.

Long and short -- I guess I just hope that they're dabbling after all.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

I hate to pick on just this one paragraph, but there's nothing to suggest that they've just been dabbling. Danger Mouse was spotted recently in Dublin at a pub in the past couple of weeks, was he not?

And that's besides the point really. The fact is that U2, if not for Spider Man, would have released a record last year. They had previously been working with Danger Mouse in 2010, 2011. If Bono and Edge didn't have to go back and re-do Spider Man, there would have almost certainly been a 2011 album.

There's totally enough material, and even if they've only been dabbling this year, that could be a good thing rather than just a complete overcooking of what they'd done previously. Didn't Bono and Edge go right into the studio or something after the 2009 Rose Bowl show, and come away really excited by whatever they were doing?

There's lots of material, and hopefully, they're just dabbling the old songs and crafting some new ones.

If there isn't an album this year, which is a strong and likely possibility, it's probably for a few reasons. There's the possibility that they feel pressured to tour immediately if they release something, but I don't really buy that...as I've said in the past, they were never on the road for three straight years with 360, it was a few months at a clip. The other possibilities are simple: the band disagrees internally on what direction to go in, or the songs just suck.

I'm doubting the songs suck, and the most likely reason is that 1/2 the band likes it and 1/2 the band does not.

Long and short -- I guess I just hope that they're dabbling after all.

Love how you tied the beginning and end of this post together
But yeah, please do pick at it, i'd (obviously) love to be proven wrong about this.

Now sure, there's no hard evidence they've been dabbling. But imo danger mouse being spotted in dublin every now and then doesn't mean he and u2 are hard at work (hence why i believe in the possibility of them just dabbling, not that it's the case, or even more likely). And, whilst i agree they probably would have an album if not for spiderman, i seem to recall around summer 2011 (a couple months after it became apparent there'd be no mid-tour album) Bono stating that they had songs "...just without bass or drums... or guitar"... he implied there hadn't been a lot of progress.

On top of that, most of the 'new' songs they played live weren't exactly new, but were reworkings of older material... that suggests to me they hadn't gotten very far. I think if they had made enough progress, there would have been more all-new songs, less b-sides/rejects, and more full-band work over just-bono-and-edge (though to be fair this could have been to maintain the 'secrecy' of a new album, and not completely reveal new material).

They could have a lot of material, but after all the Bono hyperbole, i just don't think that's likely. Seems to me that from 2010-2011, they didn't really make a lot of progress... at least, not enough for a full album to be close by 2011. And if they have only been dabbling this year (which i suspect is a possibility), then it's even less likely.
I won't say that there's any hard proof that they've just been dabbling this year, but i think it's a possibility... and things like lack of news make it more possible to me. I'm also open to the other possibilities - that they think it's too early to tour, that they don't think the songs are good enough yet, that there are internal disagreements etc.
Those last two sound likely too - that they have been working hard, but haven't really 'found' anything special or that they agree on yet... whatever the case, i just take it from the lack of genuine news that something is happening (or not happening) that is resulting in a lack of progress.

 

[U2DMfan]

I'll make this simple.

From December 2001, U2 began recording the follow up to ATYCLB.
They didn't hire Chris Thomas until around January 2003.
What did they do for the year in between? They dabbled.

You don't dick around with someone else's professional time. That's sort of the idea here.
Maybe and I stress MAYBE, Lanois and Eno but even then, they have their own lives and careers as well. Also take note that Chris Thomas lasted all of 6 months with U2 before they (in their words) "wore him out".

It doesn't take that long to record music, people. It really doesn't. The difference between an album in Fall 2012 and an album in Fall 2013 all comes down to confidence in the material.

Achtung Baby sessions were a walk in the park, in terms of time being bogged down in the studio, compared to the last two albums.

And lastly, yes, there is plenty of material and plenty of reason to believe they are fired up. And by "they" maybe that only means Bono and Danger Mouse but that might be enough if Bono can win the arguments and sell the rest of 'em on a Big Idea.