Next Album Rumours Thread III - The Gospel of Adam

[JamietheEdgefan]

Wasn’t all that about re-recording etc just a cover story for Bono’s health issue? SOE would have been a Fall ‘16 release, except B spent the first half of the year nearly dying and then recovering, and then they had to go on the road in ‘17 to fulfill their Livenation contract, so they dreamt up TJT17, which pushed things back even further.

God, I'd forgotten about that! I guess things were a little out of their hands in that case. I also remember hearing that they actually got extremely close to a 2016 release (even arranging promo shows etc) before pulling out. And that they apparently recorded the bulk of material in 2016 too.

So maybe they really are capable of making an album quickly, at least in theory.

Maybe that, combined with what I mentioned about the pandemic already delaying things by a couple of years, could inspire them to work a little faster than they have done in the past (though I won't believe it until I see it!)

 

[doxxer]

Absolutely 100%. This combined with Edge being awol is what irks me about SOI and to a lesser extent SOE. The songs sound sterile. It’s a bit like listening to an IEM bootleg.

I have to agree, although what gives me consolation is that (even with their flaws) SOI & SOE are still more complete albums than anything post-1997. Their nothing outstanding, but I think individually they are solid, respectable efforts for a band into the 5th decade of their career. I don't think it's entirely realistic to expect another Achtung Baby, Joshua Tree, or 'POP' at this point in their career.

For a start, they (Innocence & Experience) have the least skip-worthy tracks of the band's 21st century output:

SOE (2): American Soul, The Showman.

SOI (1): Song For Someone.

NLOTH (4): Crazy, GOYB, SUC, White As Snow.

HTDAAB (3): LAPOE, One Step Closer, Yahweh.

ATYCLB (3): Peace On Earth, Wild Honey, Grace.

POP (1): Miami.

Of course, this is all subjective but that's my take on it.

 

[pacemaker]

SOE: The Showman

ATYCLB: Wild Honey

I really like both of these songs, but obviously in the context of the records they're on they don't fit. If we can't have moody, dark, soundscapey-U2, these bouncy, "acoustic" tracks are what I wish they'd write more of in lieu of the radio pop-rock vein they've been chasing.

Seems like as good a time as any to re-opine - and re-accept it never happening - that they should try putting out EPs instead of, or alongside/in the wake of, a full length. They'll likely never mess with nontraditional releases ever again, though.

 

[doxxer]

I really like both of these songs, but obviously in the context of the records they're on they don't fit. If we can't have moody, dark, soundscapey-U2, these bouncy, "acoustic" tracks are what I wish they'd write more of in lieu of the radio pop-rock vein they've been chasing.

Seems like as good a time as any to re-opine - and re-accept it never happening - that they should try putting out EPs instead of, or alongside/in the wake of, a full length. They'll likely never mess with nontraditional releases ever again, though.

U2 are a pretty boring acoustic band, so for me, if they're going to go 'acoustic' make it acoustic lead guitar, but with layers of background electric guitar & psychedelic fuzz - like Staring At Sun (Studio version - not the live version!), with that dense, full & luscious production..

I would prefer it if the band fully embraced studio trickery, instead of trying to hide from it (as they've done post-1997), with the lads constantly pursuing a more stripped-down approach - which in my opinion, doesn't really produce interesting results for this band.

It works for many other bands, but doesn't really suit a band like U2's particular minimalist style where the production really enhances the parts, almost fills-in-the-gaps, and makes genuine 'mountains out of molehills'. and with those individual elements combined (when fused together appropriately...) everything becomes greater than the sum of it's parts.

The reason U2's 80s and 90s records worked so well is the production helped to make mountains out of molehills.

Those records were genuinely - 'greater than the sum of their parts...' as one would express it.

 

[mikal]

I have actually always enjoyed Wild Honey. For whatever reason, it has always reminded me of something Tom Petty would release, which is always a good thing.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Wasn’t all that about re-recording etc just a cover story for Bono’s health issue? SOE would have been a Fall ‘16 release, except B spent the first half of the year nearly dying and then recovering, and then they had to go on the road in ‘17 to fulfill their Livenation contract, so they dreamt up TJT17, which pushed things back even further.

they've never actually admitted to this - there's still so much that's up in the air about B's mysterious brush with death - but I do think that this is what happened. I don't buy the "we went back to rerecord because of the election" line whatsoever. the album isn't overly political, american soul aside.


i do think there's a chance we see some new music soon. perhaps not at the end of the year - but by spring.

--bono's memoirs are supposedly coming out this fall. they've been delayed a few times - so who knows - but if they are, you'd think they'd want to capitalize on the moment - let the book breathe for a bit - which if it's good could go a long way to help revitalize the band's image - and then come through with a new album in the spring

--we're not hearing as much in the media about the band recording - but this isn't the glory days. a new u2 album is not the huge event it once was, so i wouldn't expect the news to be as plentiful as it was in the past. plus, ya know, there aren't crazy U2 fans out and about because of the pandemic. so nobody's hanging outside the usual studio spaces or french villas looking for scoops.

--2022 is going to be a huge year for touring - and one that is desperately needed for the industry. popular relevance aside - U2 are still a touring powerhouse. if they aren't the biggest live draw in the world, they're certainly on the list. this also leads to the idea that new music could be in the works - although i don't discount the possibility of a tour without an album (maybe the Zoo30 or whatever tour, or maybe just a greatest hits tour) - with the new album being pushed to 2023 or 2024.

--mortality was a huge theme on SOE after Bono's health scare (maybe we'll finally learn more in the book) - and the pandemic certainly made a lot of people think about what we had/have and how easily it can be taken away. so to that end - yea, I think they'll want to get out there again sooner rather than later knowing full well that their time to do so is not infinite and is quickly running out.


so i'm not discounting a late 2021 or (more likely) spring 2022 appearance from the band - whether that's with an anniversary tour next year or with new music.

 

[Hollow Island]

According to U2 Songs, there won't be a Zoo TV tour.

 

[zoopop]

I have actually always enjoyed Wild Honey. For whatever reason, it has always reminded me of something Tom Petty would release, which is always a good thing.

Haha. It does sound like a Tom Petty song.

I've always liked it too. Simple acoustic number that has Daniel Lanios hand prints all over it.

 

[mikal]

According to U2 Songs, there won't be a Zoo TV tour.

U2Songs is very reliable.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

According to U2 Songs, there won't be a Zoo TV tour.

I don't recall them saying that and don't see it on their site. Do you have a link?

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

Bands nowadays make their money touring. Covid obviously impacted that. They will want to tour when they feel people are fully ready to go to gigs. A new album will have to revolve around that fact.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Bands nowadays make their money touring. Covid obviously impacted that. They will want to tour when they feel people are fully ready to go to gigs. A new album will have to revolve around that fact.

people are ready.

if anything recent live events have shown that perhaps we're a little TOO ready to get back to normal.

 

[DaveC]

before the pandemic i put the odds of a ZooTV 2022 tour at less than 5%, now i'll be very surprised if they don't put one together just to get back out on the road.

like GR2U said, there's no money to be made in new albums anymore, it's all in touring. obviously the band members don't need the money, but i'm sure livenation will be putting heavy pressure on all their big artists to start touring ASAP, regardless of whether they have new music to promote.

 

[mikal]

One thing to remember is that these guys are in their early 60's. Don't be surprised if they're enjoying life without a big tour or album being imminent for a change.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

About a zoo TV tour, per u2songs (https://u2songs.com/news/upcoming/):

"We are told by a number of reliable sources that there will not be any tour to celebrate the Zoo TV anniversary. These sources have previously been very accurate in advance tour information.
We have been told that the band are working on a new album (see above) and would like to have that ready prior to whatever tour comes next.
The band may still mark the anniversary with a broadcast or a release, but our sources have been clear that a tour is not planned."

They seem pretty confident a ZOOtv tour won't happen.

And to be fair, didn't the JT tour only really happen because they'd committed to touring SoE, which ended up being delayed? i.e. it was a unique situation the band aren't in right now.

 

[wolbersu2]

About a zoo TV tour, per u2songs (https://u2songs.com/news/upcoming/):

"We are told by a number of reliable sources that there will not be any tour to celebrate the Zoo TV anniversary. These sources have previously been very accurate in advance tour information.
We have been told that the band are working on a new album (see above) and would like to have that ready prior to whatever tour comes next.
The band may still mark the anniversary with a broadcast or a release, but our sources have been clear that a tour is not planned."

They seem pretty confident a ZOOtv tour won't happen.

And to be fair, didn't the JT tour only really happen because they'd committed to touring SoE, which ended up being delayed? i.e. it was a unique situation the band aren't in right now.

These are my thoughts too.
Although I think they should release something to celebrate this legendary tour. And by that I don't mean another Sydney- release, but an indoor pro-shot ofvthe Zoo TV tour, like Stockholm. And yes.... not only on streaming platforms, but on physic media too, like blu-ray WITH nice book including nice artwork!

 

[zoopop]

These are my thoughts too.
Although I think they should release something to celebrate this legendary tour. And by that I don't mean another Sydney- release, but an indoor pro-shot ofvthe Zoo TV tour, like Stockholm. And yes.... not only on streaming platforms, but on physic media too, like blu-ray WITH nice book including nice artwork!

I'm thinking a Box Set with 2 new shows? They have some pro shot material that hasn't been released. They can also include tracks from vairous shows. Give us something to mark the anniverssary of their most popular tour.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

About a zoo TV tour, per u2songs (https://u2songs.com/news/upcoming/):

"We are told by a number of reliable sources that there will not be any tour to celebrate the Zoo TV anniversary. These sources have previously been very accurate in advance tour information.
We have been told that the band are working on a new album (see above) and would like to have that ready prior to whatever tour comes next.
The band may still mark the anniversary with a broadcast or a release, but our sources have been clear that a tour is not planned."

They seem pretty confident a ZOOtv tour won't happen.

And to be fair, didn't the JT tour only really happen because they'd committed to touring SoE, which ended up being delayed? i.e. it was a unique situation the band aren't in right now.

thanks for sharing.

i still stand by my thought that they will want to tour next year, one way or another.

 

[tommycharles]

Conceptually, TJT was easier to do an anniversary tour with than Zoo TV, because even though the original TJT tour was well received, it didn’t exist as an object unto itself the way Zoo TV did. Anything they did would be a pale imitation.

I would most like a new album, but if they don’t have one, any sort of standalone tour would also probably be fine.

 

[pacemaker]

A ZooTV boxset that focused on non-Sydney content - blu-ray, vinyl, merch...

I would employ the very best of my financial illiteracy to splurge on the right kind of release and related items.

Glad they won't be touring in honor of the anniversary, though a one-off broadcast or whatever could be cool. It could be logistically tough to keep up with the message(s) of the original tour when technology, media, politics etc. change so much faster than in 1992. I recall reading - in Until The End of the World, maybe? - how big of a pain in the dick it was keeping up with current events and adapting the show on a nightly basis back then.

In the careful-what-you-wish-for category, a big tribute show would also be cool. It'd surely be a crapshoot of talent, but I bet most bands or artists would kill to be able to romp around on a ZooTV like stage while playing something from AB/Zooropa.

 

[DeVaul]

Yeeaaah, I can still see it happening in some fashion. It has only been about a year since their last public statements. Music historian/critic Steven Hyden mentioned it more recently - probably the most positive “indie press” the band has had in forever.

Demand is there and a stadium tour gets them in front of the most people with the least wear & tear while putting them in position to reclaim their cool period. Win-win-win. Moreso than an arena tour for an album only the hardcore will check out. The only viable alternative, then, is a “celebrating being with our audience again” narrative for a de facto Greatest Hits tour which - let’s be honest - would absolutely fucking destroy. Think about the energy across the opening 7 songs of JT30 extended for 2.5 hours.

I could, however, believe their is no tour planned of any sort if they want to get a new album in the can first.

 

[mikal]

Yeeaaah, I can still see it happening in some fashion. It has only been about a year since their last public statements. Music historian/critic Steven Hyden mentioned it more recently - probably the most positive “indie press” the band has had in forever.

Demand is there and a stadium tour gets them in front of the most people with the least wear & tear while putting them in position to reclaim their cool period. Win-win-win. Moreso than an arena tour for an album only the hardcore will check out. The only viable alternative, then, is a “celebrating being with our audience again” narrative for a de facto Greatest Hits tour which - let’s be honest - would absolutely fucking destroy. Think about the energy across the opening 7 songs of JT30 extended for 2.5 hours.

I could, however, believe their is no tour planned of any sort if they want to get a new album in the can first.

The only thing with that, literally every artist is going on tour, so there's a lot of noise around "Playing in front of our fans" already so I don't know that starting a summer tour in 2022 would really have that vibe anymore when concerts have already resumed for almost a year prior.

I think the fact that there is literally zero chatter about a tour, it's not happening. And we are very far out from the typical pre-album news cycle. Things would have to ramp up quickly to have any hopes of an album within the next 2 years at this point. Normally we have song titles, quotes like "we have 20 albums worth of material". The news is pretty slow other than a random Steve L comment. I wouldn't get your hopes up for anything before 2024/2025.

 

[The John Tree]

Good. The idea of another nostalgia tour is the beginning of the end, for me. As long as the band's eyes remain forward and not towards the past, there's always hope.

 

[DeVaul]

The only thing with that, literally every artist is going on tour, so there's a lot of noise around "Playing in front of our fans" already so I don't know that starting a summer tour in 2022 would really have that vibe anymore when concerts have already resumed for almost a year prior.

It will still hold for individual fanbases, I think. For example - Springsteen’s next outing will be met excitedly, regardless of it’s 2022 or later. There’s something to be said for celebratory communal atmospheres that certain artists are able to conjure up.

I also think 2022 already being booked up is going to extend the big headliner tours into 2023. There’s stuff from 2020 that still hasn’t landed with new dates yet. When they land, the audiences will be there waiting.

 

[AndrewCowley]

One nostalgia tour to break the ice easily becomes another. Who’s to say that the new album doesn’t stall like SOE did which then prompts a Zoo TV anniversary tour as a Plan B.

 

[jay canseco]

One nostalgia tour to break the ice easily becomes another. Who’s to say that the new album doesn’t stall like SOE did which then prompts a Zoo TV anniversary tour as a Plan B.

You think they might get cold feet? Surely you jest!

 

[DeVaul]

One nostalgia tour to break the ice easily becomes another. Who’s to say that the new album doesn’t stall like SOE did which then prompts a Zoo TV anniversary tour as a Plan B.

Commercially, it’s gonna stall. But it doesn’t matter. No one is selling records anymore; it’s streams and ticket sales. Shitty pop playlists are not and should not be the gauge of a successful established rock band. They make the money on ticket sales, and U2 has not had much of an issue with those in a very long time.

So how should they measure success? IMO, the best they can hope for is a critical hit [Rolling Stone automatic 5 Star Fricke doesn’t count] embraced by their existing fanbase, with maybe one song that gets solid rotation on indie-oriented alternative/eclectic radio (think WFUV in NY). Basically an old people album that Stereogum and Pitchfork will review well and the diehards will dig. Relevancy for a band of 60-somethings is when they stop looking and sounding stupid and desperate and instead do what they do best, better than nearly everyone.

 

[mikal]

One nostalgia tour to break the ice easily becomes another. Who’s to say that the new album doesn’t stall like SOE did which then prompts a Zoo TV anniversary tour as a Plan B.

There’s no album to stall right now. And the tour isn’t happening. Gonna be a while.

 

[BEAL]

I think all that exists right now are some riffs and lyrics

To Bono that means it's nearly a completed album
To Edge, he doesn't like the tone of his guitar so needs to get lost in the music some more
Adam, he'll play whatever Edge gives him
Larry, no one knows what Larry is doing

 

[zoocarolina]

There has been a lot of Achtung Baby/Zooropa love over the last several tours especially during the tail part of 360/Glastonbury then SOE with a dedicated set of songs towards the end and the surprise of the return of Dirty Day so I think those songs have been well represented to say the least without a dedicated tour to support them/celebrate ZOOTV. At 60+ now I think they’ll be focused on new material/new tour before probably a grand nostalgic revisit goodbye tour maybe late this decade and then a true vault opening.