U2 Unorganized on the Horizon / The U2 Machinery

[mikal]

i really don't care about any of this. as long as the music is good, i'm happy.

 

[Shaizari]

u2 website in 2001 or the ATYCLB was the best one ever. It was so refreshing and so cool back in those days.

Now, its just confusing.

Is LIVENATION taking care of all that stuff as part of a deal?

Can't remember...

 

[Airseven]

I don't get the complaints about the website design. It's standard for a band to change its format on the day the album is released.

 

[Saracene]

I agree that U2 could mix up their hits better. But I also think that, if the crowd reaction at the concerts I go to is anything to go by, people do prefer to hear the familiar stuff.

 

[djerdap]

The thing I don't understand with static setlists is how in God's name these musicians don't get bored shitless with playing the same set over and over again.

When you look in retrospective, Popmart Tour is (mostly) considered a success. If it came out now, it would have been crucified. Setlist parties would be cancelled after the first 15 shows or so, because there would be no point to them. Vertigo was by far the most interesting tour setlist-wise since Lovetown, but even that became too safe as time went by. U2 has so much potential in their vast catalogue (and the number of big hits is huge so they can do some interesting variety in there - a song like With or Without You would become so much more interesting to hard-core fans if it would be a tour rarity) to make some amazing variable setlists, which would satisfy both the casual and the hard-core fan.

The big summer stadium tour will probably have less variety than Vertigo, purely because of the rumoured enormous production. It would be really a treat to go to a couple of U2 shows with expecting at least 8-10 different songs.

Ah... Pearl Jam...

 

[Y2K]

I'd love them to dig out older singles like A Sort of Homecoming, Fire, Unforgettable Fire etc or great album tracks like Rejoice, Hawkmoon 269, God Part II, Ultra Violet. I'm happy to keep the staples (One, SBS, BTBS) but rotate the others much more often.

A Sort of Homecoming was not a single.

 

[ramblin rose]

As a serious fan since 1990, hearing Bono brag over the years about U2 harnessing technology, and having paid this band major bucks to buy their products, see their concerts and join their fan clubs...I agree they need to do things much more professionally. Bottom line: They're gonna make some major bucks like they always do. Fans need to be happy with the music, but we also need to be able to enjoy being fans (or else it isn't entertainment...I'm not a U2 fan because I like to be annoyed by U2...I want to be able to relax and enjoy U2). Some people defending U2 on this thread act like the band (and band's management) were born yesterday. U2's team has repeatedly orchestrated some of the biggest, amazing, most successful, worldwide concert tours in history. They have plenty of resources to roll-out new albums in a much more coherent manner. As fans like me mature, I guess our expectations get a little higher, and I don't think that's unreasonable. U2 already stutter-stepped last Fall. Staying up 'til 3:10 a.m. the other night was fun, but I worried the whole damn time that Dave Fanning would cut the internet feed because there was no clear information on what was going to happen. People gripe about U2's musical choices on the past few albums - I personally love just about anything they produce musically - but I think it was some of their business decisions that tarnished U2's reputation over the past decade (such as the ticket debacle). It IS confusing to read that a single will be released February 15 and then be able to download it January 20. It IS annoying to renew my fanclub membership early-Fall, in anticipation of a new album after a summertime of hype, and then learn the band isn't releasing the album until March. Etc...etc... The website should have been updated with the announcement of the new album release (I paid my fanclub dues, the announcement came out, I do expect new promotional material the day the album is announced). Maybe they should hire Sicy or some of the other moderators on this forum, who seem to be much better organized in anticipation of forthcoming U2 events than the U2 web team. We'll see what happens with the rest of the new album roll-out and tour, but things do feel disorganized right now.

I agree with you 100%.

The whole u2.com membership renewal thing, year after year is a debacle, album or no album. I still don't understand why they can't be ready. I understand possibly the first year it was all new and they were ironing out the problems. But then the next 4 years they have the same problem? And then they blame the people who signed up early? Even this last weekend, they criticize the people who renewed when they were prompted to do so. Now they say "they were testing the system, you should have ignored the prompt". Who the fuck tests their system in production? If you're going to do that why don't you at least put that in the popup?

I'm pretty sure they, as well as, the companies they hire just don't have the cream of the crop working for them. It's a shame for U2, because those people are a reflection of them.

It's mostly fine, until it somehow affects you. Let's see how the tour goes. It will be funny to hear the complaints when the whole ticket sale goes to shit. Seeing how nothing has changed I don't expect things will run to smoothly early on. If there's a major fuck up then U2 will probably have to get involved again to save their reputation.

 

[Morgoth321]

i really don't care about any of this. as long as the music is good, i'm happy.

The music's the most important thing, but since you can't be a true Interferencer without a bit of moaning, here's what I'd like to know:

- any international variations to the recently-announced tracklisting (bonus tracks etc).
- when / where the tour starts.

 

[last unicorn]

Isn't U2.com run by Live Nation now? Maybe they'll handle things better.

Honestly, I don't care about the website, I hardly ever go there. I'm not a member and don't plan to become one, so I don't expect anything from them and cannot complain. I prefer to safe my money for other things.

Still I think all those things mentioned are minor. Annoying, maybe, but still no big deal. We notice it because we are fans. God knows what goes down with other artists and bands. I'm sure most of them don't get their stuff together as well, there are always mistakes. With U2, I've seen more things that work than things that don't work.

 

[ramblin rose]

Maybe you should check out the way Pearl Jam handles things, even down to the merchandising.

 

[elevashn_hj]

Oh it is not really nit-picking is it? I mean nit-picking would be pointing out the use of the word expediently when you clearly meant to use exponentially.

 

[Chizip]

Let's not forget how they handled the GA lines last year. They waited until the day of the first show to announce the GA and lottery procedures, after people had been waiting in line for hours. Then after announcing that there would be a lottery they changed their mind and said there wouldn't, only to come back later and change their mind again. They then changed the procedures for the second show, it was as if they were coming up with the rules on the fly rather then having a plan well ahead of time and communicating it clearly to the fans.

so while a disorganized website is a minor thing, there are times when their disorganization can really have an adverse effect for the fans.

 

[david]

The album that originally used that photograph for its cover was only limited to 1,000 copies and also it was on an album of experimental sound records to be played and used in a museum during a showing of that artists photographs.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Zoo99,

My advice to you would be to let events unfold first. I've got a feeling the best is yet to come.
Patience is your friend.

 

[santiago]

Hi Santiago,

Good post and you answered some of my points well. The question about the physical single release and the B-sides came about because no one knew that iTunes USA would leak(!!) the song on Monday morning, in the UK i couldn't get it. So, has the single actually been released? What are the B-Sides? Are they remixes, I dunno and I do want to pre-order. I also don't know how I can get all of the songs that the album release brings with it? Can I get them all by pre-ordering the box? Do I have to pre-order the iTunes album to get another track? You must admit, it is a bit confusing?!

What would be wrong with all this being sorted out in one clear electronic press release like everyone else does?

Don't get me wrong, there isn't smoke coming out of my ears as i write this, it doesn't bother me hugely, it's just a little bit ramshackle. But then again, if they were an incredibly slick machine I'd probably think that it was all a bit inhuman!

Hi, I have to say I agree broadly with what you say. I'm in the UK too, so on Monday morning I was trying to download GOYB from Itunes but could not find the song, which was annoying.

I will get really pissed-off myself if we do not know enough about which version to buy when the album comes out, or if I take the plunge for the expensive UK version only to find out I'm missing out on the alternate NLTH take or any other Itunes exclusive or NTLH material.

I think apart from U2 disorganisation the problem is that these things (single, alternate tracks, Itunes) are still organised at country level by Universal.
And country-level in these days does not really work anymore. So we get conflicting information from different countries and it's hard to know what is going on. In order to get down to business U2 should

My bet is that the alternate NLTH will be in the CD single in the UK, a bonus track in Australia and one of the Itunes bonus tracks in the US. Also, the DVD might have some additional songs or instrumentals that did not make the album.

I'm a bit ambivalent on denouncing the U2 misorganisation (as opposed to Universal or Paul McGuinness misorganisation) as a lot of it comes form the unpredictable recording process. Although it would have been good to have the album in November, if the band and their producers decide they want to delay the release date to keep working on the album, that's fine with me. I think the lack of info on the single, video, etc.. comes from that in a great measure.

Anyway, we'll see what happens.

Santiago

PS: GA lines were really well organised at Twickenham on the last tour. I'm not sure whether it's U2 who were responsible for that, rather than the Twickenham stadium people, but anyway.

 

[ramblin rose]

I've got a feeling the best is yet to come.

Did you mean to say the "worst is yet to come"?

 

[zwervers2]

like the great poet Jon Bon Jovi once said
"keep the faith, keep the faith, oh you gotta keep the faith"

 

[purpleoscar]

I wonder what casual fans outside of interference think.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I wonder what casual fans outside of interference think.

they probably don't care...

refreshing, isn't it?

 

[BVS]

I get the "website/fanclub isn't ran well" and hopefully the ticket/GA debacle is behind us, but all these other complaints don't make a lick of sense to me...

The single is going to be released different times in different countries, that's just how it is, that's how it is for all bands, so some of you grabbed on to a quote from Bono about a release date and because it wasn't correct for your country you're whining? I don't get that...

The album cover thing is a joke, people sell the rights to their photos all the time, the cover is different than the previously released one AND there were only 1000 pressed, 700 of which are still probably in the guys basement.

I really haven't seen any legitimate complaints in here...

 

[BVS]

Shouldn't this be merged with the other thread?

Unorganized on the Horizon.

The setlist thing will always pop up and there is no way everyone will be pleased, so I expect that one...

But bitching about the Mercy thing, that's just hilarious.

 

[ElectricalVoice]

I agree that U2 could mix up their hits better. But I also think that, if the crowd reaction at the concerts I go to is anything to go by, people do prefer to hear the familiar stuff.

That is true. Casual concert goers wants to hear the hits, while people going to multiple U2 concerts want more rotation and rarer songs. I have several times heard casual concert goers saying that the concert was great but that they missed this and this classic.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Mercy sucks.

 

[corcovadosong]

the artwork thing? not a big deal, as has been stated on the boards already. Bono knows the photographer, they have worked together before, and obtained the rights legitimately. People are spazzing out over this cover, how bad/illegal it is... sometimes I think people become so enraptured in their fanhood that they think they're in the band.

in terms of the bonus tracks thing: I pre-ordered the super-expensive ginormobox version. I expect that, as of right now, those bonus tracks will not be in it. I'm glad that they aren't on the same CD as the album (as that is my biggest criticism of iTunes and digital downloading. if you've got bonus tracks, list them under a different album heading or something so when I'm playing through this perfect album there isn't some shitty dance remix slapped on the end). If there isn't an extra CD or something like that, a download code or something, I'm going to download them from the internet as soon as they become available. a.) they should be available to me anyways, as I am lining U2's pockets with cash by buying this thing, and b.) if nothing else it's going to be a fascinating way to start listening to the album - if one of the tracks is the alt. version of NLOTH and the other is every breaking wave, then it's only going to make more interesting comparisons with the album. I'm kind of excited.

lastly, my biggest problem with U2 business-wise (and a lot of the stuff people are complaining about I think are small things) is he fan club and their relationship with the fans. This includes the website being ancient, the lack-of-incentive to join the fanclub (pre-sales are all well and good, but useless if the system is broken), the fact that they charge to join their fanclub (i'm members of fan clubs for lots of bands - easy way to get free stuff and quick tickets, and U2 is the only one who charges, for less content, less ease of use, and less incentives). And the fact that McGuinness is so strongly in favor of after-market ticket auctions like stubhub, etc, should point you in the profit direction:
Paul and perhaps the band do not care if the fans get into their shows, do not care if their fans all have equal access. It's about a buck, and it's about knowing that if they cut a deal with these auction places (essentially a well-dressed scalper website) they can make MORE PROFIT off of these tickets than they normally would. That's what's wrong with the band.

Wow, that was an enormous rant. sorry!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

they did change the webpage.... just look at it

nolineonthehorizon


radical

 

[bram]

Why is this in the new album forum?

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

they did change the webpage.... just look at it

nolineonthehorizon


radical

now with TEXT!

 

[bram]

While the issues brought up by the OP mostly don't bother me, I have to say I'm surprised that these have come up. Presumably Universal has learned from not only past U2 releases....but from all of their other major releases? And U2 definitely needs to fire Sebastian and any other people working for them who got into the machine via connections. They should run their shit like Obama-- not like W.

 

[mikal]

I get the "website/fanclub isn't ran well" and hopefully the ticket/GA debacle is behind us, but all these other complaints don't make a lick of sense to me...

The single is going to be released different times in different countries, that's just how it is, that's how it is for all bands, so some of you grabbed on to a quote from Bono about a release date and because it wasn't correct for your country you're whining? I don't get that...

The album cover thing is a joke, people sell the rights to their photos all the time, the cover is different than the previously released one AND there were only 1000 pressed, 700 of which are still probably in the guys basement.

I really haven't seen any legitimate complaints in here...

my favorite complaint was when someone said they had been "ripped off" because there are only 11 songs on the album. LOL!

 

[bram]

my favorite complaint was when someone said they had been "ripped off" because there are only 11 songs on the album. LOL!

That has been said by a lot of people so far. If you're not happy with an hour-long album, then you were never going to be happy.