Daniel Lanois weighs in on SOI/Apple

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“U2 are obviously revving things up to tour. I think that they are amazing live — they raise your spirit and take you on a journey,” Daniel Lanois said during an interview with The Vancouver Sun. “I didn’t work on (Songs of Innocence) and part of me wanted to call them up and say, ‘Don’t make a record.’ Just say to your fans, ‘We’re working on some new music and we’re going to play it live.’ That might have been the most rebel thing to do.

“It’s harder and harder making a record and being somebody that’s breaking ground. I know they have a huge appetite to do special things, and that’s why they spent as long as they did (recording the album).

“In regards to the campaign with Apple and the release: I don’t really care, to be honest with you. It’s irrelevant to me whether it shows up on people’s phones or not. The dust has settled on that. Whether it worked for them or against them, that’s up to them to decide.”
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What's most interesting about this, of course, is what he doesn't say...i.e. anything good about the new record. Though the fact that he thinks they should have skipped making the record altogether probably tells us all we need to know about what he thinks about it. I'd guess Eno feels much the same way.
 
Probably still wounded from the NLOTH sessions IMO


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There were indications of some bad blood between U2 and Dan following No Line, weren't there?


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I´m so happy Lanois wasn´t on board for SOI. He is responsible for the most predictable and boring tunes on the last records he participated with the band. His primetime was Fire and Joshua and that was it.
 
Nick66 said:
What's most interesting about this, of course, is what he doesn't say...i.e. anything good about the new record. Though the fact that he thinks they should have skipped making the record altogether probably tells us all we need to know about what he thinks about it. I'd guess Eno feels much the same way.
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He didn't say anything good about Dylan's album either, probably tells us all we need to know about what he thinks about it.

See, we can all try too hard to stir shit...


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BVS said:
He didn't say anything good about Dylan's album either, probably tells us all we need to know about what he thinks about it.

See, we can all try too hard to stir shit...
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I don't care what he thinks of Dylan's record.

But he has a very long, and important relationship with U2. If he liked the record, it would have been very easy to offer words of praise and support for what they did. But the guy is still and artist, and has some integrity, so it looks like he chose the high road and went with "If you can't say anything nice..."
 
thavidesco said:
I´m so happy Lanois wasn´t on board for SOI. He is responsible for the most predictable and boring tunes on the last records he participated with the band. His primetime was Fire and Joshua and that was it.
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600.jpg
 
Nick66 said:
I don't care what he thinks of Dylan's record.



But he has a very long, and important relationship with U2. If he liked the record, it would have been very easy to offer words of praise and support for what they did. But the guy is still and artist, and has some integrity, so it looks like he chose the high road and went with "If you can't say anything nice..."
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He has a long relationship with Dylan as well, I'm just applying the same logic.


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He also doesn't say anything good about Neil Young's Pono.
So, bottom line, Daniel Lanois doesn't like other artists' projects.
:)
 
Lanois is responsible or partly responsible for some of the most amazing U2 we ever had and made a great contribution to their success, so I would never knock the guy. He is an immense talent and I would like to think that he only adds value to U2 when he is involved. However, they went a different route without him and the result was awesome.

With that said, I don't know if you could put words in his mouth if he didn't compliment the album.


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As a general non-fan of SOI, I am reminded that U2's best works almost always has involvement from at least one of Eno and Lanois. I think that the inspiration that they provided for No Line was fantastic, regardless of how the final record is. And I think that U2 could have done much better than the rather bland record that they created under Danger Mouse, Ryan Tedder, et al. under Eno and Lanois, but I could be wrong.

So, under that feeling, it is tempting for me to read the same thing that Nick is reading into Lanois's comments. It would fit into a narrative of Lanois being annoyed with U2 for the past six years or so. They made NLOTH too commercial-sounding at the last minute and hurt the record, then they made a bland record to try to be popular, et cetera.

But I honestly have no idea if that's what he was saying or not.


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Lanois says nothing about the album = He hates it.
Lanois says he loved the album = He is lying.
Lanois says he hates the album = See, Daniel Lanois agrees with me

:hmm:
 
digitize said:
And I think that U2 could have done much better than the rather bland record that they created under Danger Mouse, Ryan Tedder, et al. under Eno and Lanois, but I could be wrong.
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No, you're not wrong. Every U2 + Eno + Lanois album is more creative and rewarding than SOI. Tellingly, Eno/Lanois didn't receive writing credits for the Trilogy of Terror on NLOTH, but they did for NLOTH, MOS, Fez and basically every track people enjoy from the album.

That being said, I think trying to divine anything conclusive about Lanois' stand on SOI from a few offhand comments (or lack thereof) is ridiculous. Downplaying his legacy over it, even more so. Lanois may very well love the album (or hate it) and that says nothing about his skill as a producer.
 
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LemonMelon said:
No, you're not wrong. Every U2 + Eno + Lanois album is more creative and rewarding than SOI.
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You might not like SOI and it is fine, but it is certainly a record that leads U2 out of their comfort zone and discovers new teritorries. Which is something ATYCLB and NLOTH lacked.
 
If you think SOI is a brazenly creative album and a record with NLOTH, MOS, Unknown Caller, Fez, White As Snow and Cedars is lacking moments where the band went out on a limb, I don't think we're going to agree.
 
It feels like "discovers new territories/experimental" is synonymous with "a U2 album I like" on Interference.
 
Considering Zooropa and Pop are my favorite U2 records, I think that's actually true for me.
 
LemonMelon said:
If you think SOI is a brazenly creative album and a record with NLOTH, MOS, Unknown Caller, Fez, White As Snow and Cedars is lacking moments where the band went out on a limb, I don't think we're going to agree.
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Yeah, if anything SOI sounds very much like U2 in their comfort zone. :lol:
 
thavidesco said:
I personally can´t imagine his part was major for this record. I remember Edge saying, that he came to the studio one day in Berlin and he heard Lanois playing a song that sounded like from JT, Edge was so disgusted he immediately left the studio...
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He was the major producer for the album, he was the lone producer on a third of the tracks, The Fly for example. If anything it was Eno who took the back seat.
 
According to Flanagan's book, Lanois was so on the outs with the band during Achtung Baby that they roughed him up a bit in an alley behind the Clarence Hotel.
 
You're thinking of Larry. I didn't save Danny's life...on the contrary, he might have saved mine with Acadie.

Danny, along with Brian, has influenced everyone's life on this site because without Danny and Brian there is no U2 as we know them today. That's indisputable. U2 are a different, lesser band without them. Take away SOI, Pop, and Bomb and U2's stature is essentially untouched. Take away the records that Eno and Lanois are on and you have the Simple Minds...i.e. U2 as an interesting 80's band that generally only gets heard on Sirius channel 08 and various 80's nostalgia stations.
 
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