HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Reggie Thee Dog
This is turning into some sort of strange game. I?m referring to the wait for the next studio album by U2. Since the fall of 2003, fans have been hearing from sources ranging far and wide that the new U2 album was just days or weeks from completion, and to look forward to a new set of songs and a full-scale tour to follow in early 2004. So, why is it April of 2004 and we are no closer to this album than we were last fall?
There are many opinions on this last question. A fervent few on the Interference Forums have a lot to say about this and are not shy about sharing their feelings. The camp is broken into two separate groups; those who are angry that the new album has been seemingly delayed and are anxious for new music, and those we feel that U2 have earned the right to create an album at their own pace. There are two sides to every argument and here they are:
Where?s My Album?
It seems that a few fans on forums across the Internet don?t understand why the new U2 album didn?t drop in October/November of last year. They are hungry for new music and believe that they?ve been misled. Why do these fans feel this way?
The answer is quite simple really - at the end of the Elevation Tour, Bono talked about how the band was on ?fire? and that new music was practically flowing out of the pores of their skin. They might release a new album in late 2002, or at the latest, early 2003. The band spoke of new songs and dropped song titles (old and new) like leaves from a tree in autumn. The Edge spoke of a new commitment to the organic sound of the electric guitar, which excited fans like never before. Would this be the ?all-out? rock album that U2 has always hinted at but never delivered?
It?s no wonder that fans are disappointed. What happened to the momentum built up from the tour and success of ?All That You Can?t Leave Behind?? Isn?t it incredulous that the band has taken so long to deliver?
Hands Off My Band!
On the other side of the fence are those fans that loyally give the band leeway and space, and are not critical of the time it has taken to work on the next album. They believe that U2 should have all the time they need to produce a body of work that stands up their (both U2?s and the fan?s) standards.
These fans do not necessarily see Bono?s campaigns for ?Drop the Debt,? feeding the hungry and preventing AIDS in Africa as distractions from recording the new album. These are necessary causes, brought forth by a man who really cares. Who else is high profile enough to carry these important messages and get results?
The main gist of this argument is; hasn?t U2 earned the right to produce albums at their own studied pace? We have 10 studio albums (if you include the nine songs on ?Rattle and Hum?), and numerous other singles and B-sides to tide us over until the next batch of songs arrives in an album format. Haven?t the band given us their blood and bared their souls for us during the past 25 years? How can we demand more of them? This band has given themselves away on many occasions, who?s to fault them for striving for something that meets their, and our standards?
Let?s Get The Story Straight
Let?s start with the quotes and stories that Bono gave us at the end of the Elevation Tour. His pronouncements of new material, and quicker release schedules are nothing new. He?s been promising this for years. Scan through the ?Rattle and Hum? movie; do you recall the scene at the press conference right before the Graceland segment? His statement is ?the band is on fire at the moment.? Bono has been giving this spiel since the end of the Joshua Tree Tour right up until today. The problem is that some fans take Bono for his word, and really believe that a new album is around the corner. What they don?t realize is that being a Rock Star is also mixed in with being a husband and father, and while such ideas are great at the end of a fantastic tour, reality sets in. Even U2 wants to spend time with their families.
The abundance of new (read: rumored) song titles also give fans the false sense that a new album is quickly on the way. The actuality of these titles is nothing more than that, titles. Let?s take for example Bono?s statement about a new song the Edge brought in which he called ?Full Metal Jacket.? Bono called it ?the mother of all rock tunes,? but did that mean that it was fully fleshed out and ready to mix? No, most likely it meant the Edge had a great riff, chord structure, maybe even some lyrics, but that?s all. The band probably went into the studio and began morphing it into a ?real? song. Now we are lead to understand this song is now called ?Native Son? (sounds more like a Cult song), so who knows how much it changed from that first pronouncement, and how ?done? the song was at the point Bono first announced it.
There are fans that feel that U2 have given us so much that anything at this point is gravy. Yes and no. Sure, U2 have put themselves in a position to record at their leisure, however how can fans not get worked up when members of the band are constantly talking about recording quicker and more often. The forums in U2 ?Internet Land? have been rife with possible release dates and tour schedules. It has been amazing to see the boards flood with activity every time a possible release date has been (unofficially) announced. It?s enough to drive a casual fan mad.
Early January of this year was a prime example; the forums on Interference.com were teaming with expectation the new album dropping in March. Some fans were convinced that a new album was due (I was one of them) and were very excited. Other fans (rightfully so) doubted that anything was imminent and were vocal about it. It is interesting to see a band who has been around 25 years still command such ardent debate among its many fans. Especially since some fans are insisting that U2 lacking of new product is actually causing the band to lose fans. That?s not likely to happen because U2?s fan base is consistent and still strong. Still, the writer makes the point that the longer U2 take to put this album out the more the shine of their impressive album ?All That You Can?t Leave Behind? and Elevation Tour fades.
Where does this leave the new U2 album? Well certainly both types of fans are die-hards and are anxiously awaiting their new album and will gobble it up on its release date. We all want new music and as soon as possible. And you know, no matter whether you think they have taken too long, or you can forgive their lengthy recording sessions, if the music is great on this album it will be a monster. And then everybody will be happy once again.
This is turning into some sort of strange game. I?m referring to the wait for the next studio album by U2. Since the fall of 2003, fans have been hearing from sources ranging far and wide that the new U2 album was just days or weeks from completion, and to look forward to a new set of songs and a full-scale tour to follow in early 2004. So, why is it April of 2004 and we are no closer to this album than we were last fall?
There are many opinions on this last question. A fervent few on the Interference Forums have a lot to say about this and are not shy about sharing their feelings. The camp is broken into two separate groups; those who are angry that the new album has been seemingly delayed and are anxious for new music, and those we feel that U2 have earned the right to create an album at their own pace. There are two sides to every argument and here they are:
Where?s My Album?
It seems that a few fans on forums across the Internet don?t understand why the new U2 album didn?t drop in October/November of last year. They are hungry for new music and believe that they?ve been misled. Why do these fans feel this way?
The answer is quite simple really - at the end of the Elevation Tour, Bono talked about how the band was on ?fire? and that new music was practically flowing out of the pores of their skin. They might release a new album in late 2002, or at the latest, early 2003. The band spoke of new songs and dropped song titles (old and new) like leaves from a tree in autumn. The Edge spoke of a new commitment to the organic sound of the electric guitar, which excited fans like never before. Would this be the ?all-out? rock album that U2 has always hinted at but never delivered?
It?s no wonder that fans are disappointed. What happened to the momentum built up from the tour and success of ?All That You Can?t Leave Behind?? Isn?t it incredulous that the band has taken so long to deliver?
Hands Off My Band!
On the other side of the fence are those fans that loyally give the band leeway and space, and are not critical of the time it has taken to work on the next album. They believe that U2 should have all the time they need to produce a body of work that stands up their (both U2?s and the fan?s) standards.
These fans do not necessarily see Bono?s campaigns for ?Drop the Debt,? feeding the hungry and preventing AIDS in Africa as distractions from recording the new album. These are necessary causes, brought forth by a man who really cares. Who else is high profile enough to carry these important messages and get results?
The main gist of this argument is; hasn?t U2 earned the right to produce albums at their own studied pace? We have 10 studio albums (if you include the nine songs on ?Rattle and Hum?), and numerous other singles and B-sides to tide us over until the next batch of songs arrives in an album format. Haven?t the band given us their blood and bared their souls for us during the past 25 years? How can we demand more of them? This band has given themselves away on many occasions, who?s to fault them for striving for something that meets their, and our standards?
Let?s Get The Story Straight
Let?s start with the quotes and stories that Bono gave us at the end of the Elevation Tour. His pronouncements of new material, and quicker release schedules are nothing new. He?s been promising this for years. Scan through the ?Rattle and Hum? movie; do you recall the scene at the press conference right before the Graceland segment? His statement is ?the band is on fire at the moment.? Bono has been giving this spiel since the end of the Joshua Tree Tour right up until today. The problem is that some fans take Bono for his word, and really believe that a new album is around the corner. What they don?t realize is that being a Rock Star is also mixed in with being a husband and father, and while such ideas are great at the end of a fantastic tour, reality sets in. Even U2 wants to spend time with their families.
The abundance of new (read: rumored) song titles also give fans the false sense that a new album is quickly on the way. The actuality of these titles is nothing more than that, titles. Let?s take for example Bono?s statement about a new song the Edge brought in which he called ?Full Metal Jacket.? Bono called it ?the mother of all rock tunes,? but did that mean that it was fully fleshed out and ready to mix? No, most likely it meant the Edge had a great riff, chord structure, maybe even some lyrics, but that?s all. The band probably went into the studio and began morphing it into a ?real? song. Now we are lead to understand this song is now called ?Native Son? (sounds more like a Cult song), so who knows how much it changed from that first pronouncement, and how ?done? the song was at the point Bono first announced it.
There are fans that feel that U2 have given us so much that anything at this point is gravy. Yes and no. Sure, U2 have put themselves in a position to record at their leisure, however how can fans not get worked up when members of the band are constantly talking about recording quicker and more often. The forums in U2 ?Internet Land? have been rife with possible release dates and tour schedules. It has been amazing to see the boards flood with activity every time a possible release date has been (unofficially) announced. It?s enough to drive a casual fan mad.
Early January of this year was a prime example; the forums on Interference.com were teaming with expectation the new album dropping in March. Some fans were convinced that a new album was due (I was one of them) and were very excited. Other fans (rightfully so) doubted that anything was imminent and were vocal about it. It is interesting to see a band who has been around 25 years still command such ardent debate among its many fans. Especially since some fans are insisting that U2 lacking of new product is actually causing the band to lose fans. That?s not likely to happen because U2?s fan base is consistent and still strong. Still, the writer makes the point that the longer U2 take to put this album out the more the shine of their impressive album ?All That You Can?t Leave Behind? and Elevation Tour fades.
Where does this leave the new U2 album? Well certainly both types of fans are die-hards and are anxiously awaiting their new album and will gobble it up on its release date. We all want new music and as soon as possible. And you know, no matter whether you think they have taken too long, or you can forgive their lengthy recording sessions, if the music is great on this album it will be a monster. And then everybody will be happy once again.
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Very well written.
To me, that's how it is with our lads.
