I Don't Get It!!!

[new orleans]

A YEAR OR SO AGO CHRIS THOMAS IS NAMED PRODUCER AND THE ALBUM IS SAID TO BE RELEASED IN EARLY OR SPRING OF 04. NOT THAT LONG AGO I READ THE ALBUM WAS FINISHED AS FAR AS RECORDING AND ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS ALBUM COVER, MASTERING ETC. TODAY I READ THAT STEVE LILLYWHITE IS COMING IN TO PRODUCE THE ALBUM AND THAT U2 IS GOING TO FRANCE OR SPAIN (I FORGET) FOR A STUDIO TO RECORD IN. WHAT IS THE DEAL?? WHEN U2 WAS TOURING ATYCLB BONO WAS TALKING HOW THEY WERE ON FIRE CREATIVELY AND WERE GOING TO GET AN ALBUM OUT SOON. IT'S NEARLY 5 YEARS LATER. YOU WOULD THINK A ROCK AND ROLL BAND PUSHING 25YO AND THE MEMBERS ALL GETTING CLOSE TO THEIR MID FORTYS WOULD DO THEIR BEST TO GET THE RECORD OUT ASAP W/OUT LOSING ANY ALBUM QUALITY OF COURSE. AT THIS RATE WE WILL BE LUCKY TO GET 2 MORE ALBUMS OUT OF THESE GUYS AND THAT'S A DAMN SHAME. AFTER THIS ONE IS RELEASED IN LATE 04 (THAT'S WHAT I'M READING NOW) AND THEY TOUR FOR A YEAR AND A HALF THE NEXT ONE WON'T BE OUT UNTIL 2009 AND THEY'LL BE PUSING 50.

IF ANYONE HAS NEWS ON STEVELILLYWHITE REPLACING C. THOMAS PLEASE LET ME READ IT.

 

[Swan269]

Full Billboard story:
Mercury U.K. joint managing director Steve Lillywhite has left his role with the label to return to his roots in record production. Lillywhite tells Billboard.biz he will take no time off and will begin producing an album by U2 next week. The as-yet-untitled set is due from Interscope/Island later this year.

?It?s the first time I?ll have gone in to actually start a record with them in 20 years,? says Lillywhite. ?I worked on ?The Joshua Tree,? ?Achtung Baby? and ?All That You Can?t Leave Behind,? but this will be the first time I?ve really set up the mikes and done everything for a long time.?

Lillywhite also oversaw the band?s first two albums, 1980?s ?Boy? and 1981?s ?October.? He adds, ?I?ve heard some great songs. The Edge is playing some really great guitar.?

The new U2 album will be the follow-up to 2000?s ?All That You Can?t Leave Behind,? which debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 4.1 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set was named best rock album at the 2001 Grammys and placed three tracks in the top-10 of Billboard?s Modern Rock Tracks airplay chart: ?Beautiful Day? (No. 5), ?Elevation? (No. 8) and ?Walk On? (No. 10).

Lillywhite, one of Britain?s top rock producers, has a list of credits that includes the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, Morrissey and the Dave Matthews Band. In 2002, he was brought to Universal U.K. by chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge.

?I?ve had two great years, and I?ve loved a lot of it,? says Lillywhite, ?but really I wasn?t that made out for getting up early in the morning. That?s 25 years of producing records. I got more and more of an urge to be in the studio, so Lucian and I had a chat and decided it was best that I return to that.?



caps are unnecessary

 

[new orleans]

that doesn't answer the question, i've already read that, but thanks

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Okay, here's the deal, take it or leave it...

U2 began writing and doing some recording with Chris Thomas sometime in 2002. They were really digging the "punk" rock vibe at the time, and wanted Thomas to help them out with that. With Thomas, they wrote a few exceptional songs....but when it came time to recording them, they weren't happy with the results... and so they have called in Lillywhite and are now in the process of re-recording much of the album from scratch. The songs are there, for the most part.... but it's not quite what they were after, production wise. U2 know what they want. Thomas didn't give it to them. Lillywhite will. End of story.

I know nothing, of course.... take it with a grain of salt.

 

[bono_man2002]

GET YOU CAPS LOCK BUTTON FIXED WHILE YOUR AT IT

 

[t8thgr8]

what i dont get is how u2 could tour the entire country and not go anywhere near new orleans for elevation.

 

[mikal]

GET YOU CAPS LOCK BUTTON FIXED WHILE YOUR AT IT

exactly.

i refuse to even read the original post. it hurts my eyes.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

GET YOU CAPS LOCK BUTTON FIXED WHILE YOUR AT IT

that's you're!

 

[EPandAmerica]

no it would be your.

you're = you are.

 

[Salome]

You would think a rock and roll band pushing 25yo and the members all getting close to their mod fortys would do their best to get the album out asap

I don't really understand this part
seems to me that especially a band that has been around for so long would take their time to release a new album

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

no it would be your.

you're = you are.

so it would be you're

 

[Angela Harlem]

khan and ep are both right. the sentence should be:
get youR caps button fixed while you'RE at it.



/dork

I guess it depends on the band, and what they feel like doing re: hurrying an album up or taking their sweet time.

I dunno. None of us know.

 

[Riddler]

I don't really understand this part
seems to me that especially a band that has been around for so long would take their time to release a new album

Salome,

it makes perfect sense. I'm a big fan of theirs....but the longer they take to record each album, the closer to 50 they get. If they got album out in '03, they could have toured it that year and been 43,43,42,41 years old.......quite young..... with this new release date (Sep'04) ....they'll be 44,44,43,42 and then tour in '05 when Bono and Clayton will both be 45.....

My point is? ....Credibility.

MTV audience.

And all you guys who say...'oh...I dont care if the kids dont like em'....' ...thats bull. Cause you can be damn sure they DO. And I DO. I want them to be as popular as possible, and Age in Rock is the only certain Death. And 50 is buried. Not necessarily as a solo artist as much, but as a group? ...definitly.

They should NOT be taking this much time. They're gettin too comfortable. White Stripe recorded Elephant in a few weeks.
Instant Classic. Their 4th Album.

...just an example...dont look into it too much with statistics and crap.

They should NOT be taking 4 years. Not when they went back into the studio in 2001.

Thanks.

 

[U2girl]

IMO, they wanted to have the album out by late 2003/spring 2004 but they weren't sure about some of the songs/mixes and that's why they called Lillywhite in.

True, being 50 is pushing it agewise in rock and today's ageist society (then again, Bruce Springsteen had a huge hit with The rising and the tour and he's 50 isn't he? Also, I don't see age hurting Stones' touring success).
But who knows, maybe they can be (as far as I know) the first band to have critical and commercial success, with relevance in 3 decades. Surely that would be worth sacrificing some time for albums. Maybe after this one we won't get another one till 2007 or 2008, or maybe they will hurry it up and it might come in 2006 after the tour.

 

[new orleans]

Okay, here's the deal, take it or leave it...

U2 began writing and doing some recording with Chris Thomas sometime in 2002. They were really digging the "punk" rock vibe at the time, and wanted Thomas to help them out with that. With Thomas, they wrote a few exceptional songs....but when it came time to recording them, they weren't happy with the results... and so they have called in Lillywhite and are now in the process of re-recording much of the album from scratch. The songs are there, for the most part.... but it's not quite what they were after, production wise. U2 know what they want. Thomas didn't give it to them. Lillywhite will. End of story.

I know nothing, of course.... take it with a grain of salt.

That makes a lot of sense, where did you get your info. Too bad they didn't start with Eno/Lanois or Lillywhite we'd have a new album by now. I realize they were probably looking for a new or different sound, but time is now a factor for them and U2 fans.

 

[new orleans]

GET YOU CAPS LOCK BUTTON FIXED WHILE YOUR AT IT

What's your problem w/ CAPS?

 

[new orleans]

what i dont get is how u2 could tour the entire country and not go anywhere near new orleans for elevation.

I couldn't agree more!!! I had to go to Atlanta to see them. I think they still have their feelings hurt with the poor # of ticket sales to POP MART. But many people had a problem with POP and tickets sales were not what was expected all over the US. They skipped over New Orleans for Zoo too. That would have easily sold out here. I had to go to Dallas to view that one. The JT tour was in Baton Rouge and it was a hard sell out, but where didn't that show sell out.

 

[new orleans]

I don't really understand this part
seems to me that especially a band that has been around for so long would take their time to release a new album

I'm 45 years old and have followed rock&roll bands since I was 12 or 13 and U2 is the only band I've ever known of to still be writing relevant, excellent, and timeless music 25+ years later. How long can it keep up? How long can they stay relevant? Hopefully a long time, but the percentages are not on their side. So, I just hope to get as much music out of them before that day comes.

 

[new orleans]

Salome,

it makes perfect sense. I'm a big fan of theirs....but the longer they take to record each album, the closer to 50 they get. If they got album out in '03, they could have toured it that year and been 43,43,42,41 years old.......quite young..... with this new release date (Sep'04) ....they'll be 44,44,43,42 and then tour in '05 when Bono and Clayton will both be 45.....

My point is? ....Credibility.

U2 is not the type of band to do an album in a few weeks or months. I don't think they have the creative genius of Lennon/McCarney etc to write and record albums in a few weeks. I believe a lot of their greatness comes from them 4 being in a studio and God blowing through the room. Bono's words not mine. But 4 years is a bit long. Much of has to do w/ Bono and saving the world. They need to get in the studio and not come out until it's done. Maybe every 2 years we would have a new album.

MTV audience.

And all you guys who say...'oh...I dont care if the kids dont like em'....' ...thats bull. Cause you can be damn sure they DO. And I DO. I want them to be as popular as possible, and Age in Rock is the only certain Death. And 50 is buried. Not necessarily as a solo artist as much, but as a group? ...definitly.

They should NOT be taking this much time. They're gettin too comfortable. White Stripe recorded Elephant in a few weeks.
Instant Classic. Their 4th Album.

...just an example...dont look into it too much with statistics and crap.

They should NOT be taking 4 years. Not when they went back into the studio in 2001.

Thanks.

 

[new orleans]

IMO, they wanted to have the album out by late 2003/spring 2004 but they weren't sure about some of the songs/mixes and that's why they called Lillywhite in.

True, being 50 is pushing it agewise in rock and today's ageist society (then again, Bruce Springsteen had a huge hit with The rising and the tour and he's 50 isn't he? Also, I don't see age hurting Stones' touring success).
But who knows, maybe they can be (as far as I know) the first band to have critical and commercial success, with relevance in 3 decades. Surely that would be worth sacrificing some time for albums. Maybe after this one we won't get another one till 2007 or 2008, or maybe they will hurry it up and it might come in 2006 after the tour.

True about the Sones tours but they haven't written anything relevant in a long, long time.

 

[mikal]

you know, if you reply to everyone's quotes seperately like that, you'll have more posts than me by the end of this week.

 

[Swan269]

you know, if you reply to everyone's quotes seperately like that, you'll have more posts than me by the end of this week.

you're right, I never thought of trying that before

 

[t8thgr8]

I couldn't agree more!!! I had to go to Atlanta to see them. I think they still have their feelings hurt with the poor # of ticket sales to POP MART. But many people had a problem with POP and tickets sales were not what was expected all over the US. They skipped over New Orleans for Zoo too. That would have easily sold out here. I had to go to Dallas to view that one. The JT tour was in Baton Rouge and it was a hard sell out, but where didn't that show sell out.

wow they skipped over for zoo and jt?!?!? ive always read how much they are fascinated with new orleans. thats pretty lame. i have a pop mart concert poster for the superdome show didnt know it was a flop, i wasnt into u2 back then. that would be crazy to see them on bourbon street walking around the day b4 a concert

 

[mobonofo]

Well, 2004 is flying by...at least I think so.

We'll have that sucker soon.

 

[new orleans]

wow they skipped over for zoo and jt?!?!? ive always read how much they are fascinated with new orleans. thats pretty lame. i have a pop mart concert poster for the superdome show didnt know it was a flop, i wasnt into u2 back then. that would be crazy to see them on bourbon street walking around the day b4 a concert

the crowd at pop in new orleans wasn't that bad, somewhere around 27k

 

[Michael Griffiths]

That makes a lot of sense, where did you get your info. Too bad they didn't start with Eno/Lanois or Lillywhite we'd have a new album by now. I realize they were probably looking for a new or different sound, but time is now a factor for them and U2 fans.

Simple deduction. U2 do not invite a big name player (Lillywhite) into the fray to record songs from scratch (which Lillywhite addmitted he will be doing) if all was going nice and smoothly with Chris Thomas. It just doesn't work that way. They weren't happy with the results. This is not the same as Steve coming in to simply mix songs as he has done in the past. In regards to Chris Thomas, my take is that U2 said something like this to him: "Thanks Chris....we wrote some fine songs together...but that's about it, mate...thanks for the songs....there's the door....I give you MTV, demographic. Good luck." Enter Steve Lillywhite....

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

In regards to Chris Thomas, my take is that U2 said something like this to him: "Thanks Chris....we wrote some fine songs together...but that's about it, mate...thanks for the songs....there's the door....I give you MTV, demographic. Good luck." Enter Steve Lillywhite....

That's tough stuff...if it was said.

 

[mikal]

i want howie b back, personally.

pop=u2's greatest album.....well......besides achtung baby of course!

 

[Michael Griffiths]

That's tough stuff...if it was said.

Don't worry...I'm sure they didn't say that. I was using hyporbole. I'm sure they were much nicer to Chris Thomas than that... but I'm also quite convinced they weren't completely happy with how the material sounded with him at the helm. It just wasn't quite what they were after. Why else would they get Lillywhite to basically come out of retirement to record (at least part of) the album from scratch (setting up mikes, etc)? This early on production is something Lillywhite hasn't done in years...and decades with U2. That's a very bold move....which wouldn't have come about without a good reason.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Michael, they picked Lillywhite because he produced the albums that they feel had the 'harder edge' rock sound they are looking for. Steve's great with the guitars. Hopefully he'll make Larry and Adam sound fat and balanced too. One thing for sure, we're guaranteed to hear Bono howl a lot more than on previous albums. That's what Lillywhite brings out of Bono.