MERGED ->U2 to re-record Pop!+ Bono talking out of his arse!+Wait,what's this remast

[Zoots]

really, it's gotten to the point that bono doesn't deserve to be bono anymore.

someone stole bono and put some loser/idiot in his place. this is not the same bono i thought was the coolest man alive only a few years ago.

Even though your comment may cause nothing but trouble, I couldn't help laughing or thinking the same thing. What happened to the Bono that didn't care shit about what type of music would sell as long as he pursued his/the band's creative thought process?

By the way, I'm all for remastering Pop just to see what the hell Bono means by 'it was unfinished and we didn't intend it that way'. I mean, whats the worst that could happen? If you don't like it, you can always go back to only listening to the 1997 album. But I hope they don't re-make the songs. 2005's U2 trying to redo and recapture the serious U2 of 1997... only sounds like disaster in the making.

 

[starvinmarvin]

Don't fret - they will never re-record Pop. The remizes on the Best Of album is a s close as they'll get.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Don't fret - they will never re-record Pop. The remizes on the Best Of album is a s close as they'll get.

That is very true. I wouldn't mind a different version of a good album. It'll be like U2 covering themselves. The problem is they will probably spend too much time doing that and won't release new music in a long while.

I wish U2 were more prolific. Or at least come up with an album every 2 years...

 

[Iskra]

Why is it a month will do things that years haven't?
They had a lot of time to do those remixes for the greatest hits and I wasn't impressed.
The album is fine, let it go!!!
Go make NEW music.
I can't even get a decent b-side from fave band!!!
Plus he made a comment that OOTS needs to be remixed to get it on the radio.
That is the last thing we need!
Leave everything alone!

 

[ShellBeThere]

guys, guys...I don't think there's really a huge need to get panties in bunches over these quotes. Bono only brought up Pop in reply to Kot's bringing it up, with something rather provocative like "seems to me you only didn't like Pop because it didn't sell"....
even if indeed there is still talk in the band of playing with Pop, it's not like he's out there announcing this kinda shit...
it was in reply to a question about it, and I think it was meant as a hey-i-actually-liked-pop-too sort of vibe. it just still clearly bugs him that they let it go before finishing it is all.

those who liked it should be happy, imho...if they think they had the bones of a great album and are maybe contemplating getting back in there, perhaps they'll take the ideas and make some new stuff out of it, or let the spirit of "pop" reinhabit them for a while, right?

cheerio...

 

[ultraviolet7]

Even though your comment may cause nothing but trouble, I couldn't help laughing or thinking the same thing. What happened to the Bono that didn't care shit about what type of music would sell as long as he pursued his/the band's creative thought process?

I'm not sure that Bono/U2 are now making the type of music they are with sales as a main goal. From what Bono states in the Kot interview this change was brought about by the need to address a larger audience - basically "communication at a wider level" to put it in Bono's words. It's really a thin line since this move has meant a shift well into the mainstream market and judgement as to whether this move was really the result of an artistic necessity will lie with believing or not in the good faith of the band. In any case, personally this sort of judgement is completely irrelevant to me - I'm more interested in the final result i.e. if the songs speak to me or not, than in the motives that brought about the said result. Now a different argument altogether is whether this necessity could really have been covered by other means i.e. in the way U2 has always done: by avoiding the safe bet.

By the way, I'm all for remastering Pop just to see what the hell Bono means by 'it was unfinished and we didn't intend it that way'. I mean, whats the worst that could happen? If you don't like it, you can always go back to only listening to the 1997 album. But I hope they don't re-make the songs. 2005's U2 trying to redo and recapture the serious U2 of 1997... only sounds like disaster in the making.

I really don't think that the eventual result of a present reworking of Pop would have anything to do with what they could not finish in 97 and would have emerged after the infamous "extra month" that the band's envisioned version of Pop seemingly required.

 

[aussiedge]

i love pop the way it is. i don't understand U2 though, they have a chance to rework any of the fantastic songs on the album and play them live on the Vertigo tour, but they don't seem to of made any effort at all. Gone was fantastic on the last tour. I'd love to see Last Night on Earth played again. They have the chance to make these songs 'great' in thier words, by playing them live the way they wanted the songs to orginally be. Bugger going back into the studio to toy around with an 8 year old record.

Christ if your gunna go into the studio at least work on new stuff, it took long enough for HTDAAB to come out, how long would it take for the next album if they went back and fixed up Pop?

 

[typhoon]

That'd be funny if they spent a bunch of time and money re-recording all the Pop songs and then still never played any of them live.

(Not far from the current situation, actually.)

 

[aussiedge]

I can't even get a decent b-side from fave band!!!

Bloody oath, whats with releasing shit remixes, songs from 12 years ago live (City of Blinding Lights single) and the same songs (Streets on both the Walk On and Electrical Storm singles) as b-sides?

Maybe if they hadn't flogged all that stuff on Itunes as 'rare and unreleased' we could have got a few of those songs are b-sides (Levitate, Flower Child, etc)

 

[bathiu]

From HTDAAB DVD:

Q: - When do you know the album is finished? (or something like that)

A: (from Adam) - ...*thinking for a while*... when it's in the shops !

...now, I remember buying POP in one of the music stores... so I guess it IS finished.

...and if by 'reworking' they mean, changing it like the (totaly ruined) Best Of versions with (what's even worse) new vocals, then I wont buy it!!!!!
Those that don't like the album already have single versions and "new mix" versions and 30 other remixes... no need to destroy those songs more.

 

[aussiedge]

i could definatly go with a new mix of discoteque to complement the other 600 versions I already have...

 

[bathiu]

I had to buy POP once again,... and it's no longer 'PolyGram' on a CD, it's 'UniversalMusic'...

Is it possible they sold everything released in 1997 and made new copies with "UniversalMusic' printed on the CD?
If yes, than it would mean the final numbers for POP - after, now, 8 years - might be at least aliitle bit bigger than those 7-8mln everyones guessing... maybe even biger than ATYCLB's... wich would not be that strange because new fans from ATYCLB era would probably also buy the 'previous' to ATYCLB album... right?

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Umm, Seagrams (owners of Universal Pictures) bought Polygram Music in 1998 (owners of the Island label that U2 are/were on). They already owned MCA Music, merged the two and called it Universal Music. They then sold both Universal Music & Pictures to a French company, Vivendi, in ?2001? Vivendi have since off loaded Universal Pictures to GE (merging it with NBC TV which they already owned), and there are strong rumours that Universal Music is about to follow...

What this means for albums is absolutely nothing. Manufacturing and sales keep ticking over and adding up, regardless of the owner at the top and the logo on the CD. The total you see today includes both the Seagrams & Vivendi ownership, and will continue with whoever swallows Universal Music next.

 

[Aardvark747]

Pop -

 

[Miggy D]

Bono needs to team up with George Lucas and make Special Editions of all the old U2 records, complete with special effects, and Jar Jar Binks rapping in the background of every song.

Fuck the past, Bono! Kiss the future!

 

[Pero]

Pop -

Finally someone!!
MMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOO!!!

 

[ShellBeThere]

i love pop the way it is. i don't understand U2 though, they have a chance to rework any of the fantastic songs on the album and play them live on the Vertigo tour, but they don't seem to of made any effort at all. Gone was fantastic on the last tour. I'd love to see Last Night on Earth played again. They have the chance to make these songs 'great' in thier words, by playing them live the way they wanted the songs to orginally be. Bugger going back into the studio to toy around with an 8 year old record.

Christ if your gunna go into the studio at least work on new stuff, it took long enough for HTDAAB to come out, how long would it take for the next album if they went back and fixed up Pop?

Good point...I too would love to see Gone or some other Pop stuff on the tour, and they would thusly have a chance to rework them for us to hear.
But don't you think it would be hard to work in to the feel of the show as they have it organized now?
The only thing I could envision is a set maybe maybe to replace or add into the mix of the zootv encore set. Maybe for Europe who liked Pop more anyhow they'll do such a thing? It's just that Pop has such a vastly different thematic feel to what they're on about now. THe ZooStation/Fly/MW thing works okay with it, but I'm having a harder time imagining Pop.

Someone in this thread was it? brought up how they think U2 is stretched to its creative limit when Bono is so busy saving the world outside the studio too. They've implied at times lately how his being gone from the mix changes things...Bono saying that the boys asked him how important this is to him and he said very very so they were willing to sacrifice, to take longer (specific quotes re that) to finish the album, and probably to deal with the critical fallout from his reaching out on his issues. Perhaps its not just time but also creative process that's necessarily affected. I'm not saying that I don't like the current stuff or think it's *less than*, but perhaps some of the differences do indeed come from less time with the whole crew slogging it out in the studio together on a consistent basis. Let's all petition our respective governments to move on their Africa initiatives so Bono can take a break and we can see what comes of it musically!
And he really doesn't need to spend anymore time breakfasting with music critics I think!

cheers...

 

[Rafiennes]

I thought one of the points of the POP album (although it probably wasn't intended at the time) was a merging of rock and roll and dance/techno vibes. In essence, POP is a techno-punk album. The rawness of punk with the gloss of techno. You've got some rough sounding guitars and vocals complimented with some slick sounding beats and production.

It's an under-appreciated album that will only get better in time. So give it time Bono. Give it time.

 

[MumblingBono]

Bono refuses to recognize that it was his shitty vocal performance, not some "hurried" schedule, that ruined POP.

He seriously needs to stop talking about POP in interviews. It's their "Black & Blue", it flopped, and should be left alone. MOVE ON

 

[Lil'Bono]

Thats a load of crap, if Bono said it i find it hard 2 believe.
When the edge says it then i'll believe it!!

 

[JOFO]

I think for once we're all in agreement; re-doing pop is a terrible idea.

so many things to say on this but I will let it go......

 

[U2Kitten]

I'm not going to stick up for Pop, but is this the Chicago Tribune article that has everyone I know calling him an 'ass' and a 'dick' and very pompous? I tried to log in but it wouldn't work for me. What else does he say?

 

[RobH]

I enjoy the fact that Bono acknowledges POP for being the creme de la crap of their catalog. It's the best validation that we POP-haters could possibly have. We're not some crazed population that "didn't understand" it. We saw it for the shite that it was, and apparently, so does he. I know that's not exactly what he said--but look at the facts: They don't play ANY of it, ever, anymore. He wants to 'remake' it--translation: Get a 'do-over'. As in a crappy tee-shot that skids ten yards into the woods. To me that says it all. There'll be no remake--unless it 's like a "Let it Be" type thing 30 years later.

 

[indra]

That'd be funny if they spent a bunch of time and money re-recording all the Pop songs and then still never played any of them live.

What would really be funny is if they spent a bunch of time and money re-recording Pop and then no one bought it.

 

[Ellay]

Perhaps the Europe leg of the vertigo tour will ONLY consist of songs from pop and zooropa.. That would surprise a few people.

 

[bathiu]

They don't play ANY of it, ever, anymore.

Want some facts and numbers?
On ElevationTour, 1 tour after POP era they were playing: Discotheque, Staring At The Sun, Gone, Please (accoustic) and Wake Up Dead Man... 5 songs...
Now on VertigoTour, 1 tour after the ATYCLB era they are playing "a huge" number of 2 ATYCLB songs... (1 to many if you're asking me)

You're good at "translating" so I wont "translate" that fact to you!

 

[rjhbonovox]

really, it's gotten to the point that bono doesn't deserve to be bono anymore.

someone stole bono and put some loser/idiot in his place. this is not the same bono i thought was the coolest man alive only a few years ago.

My sentiments exactly.....I used to think Bono was the coolest guy on the planet but now I have got sick of seeing him on the telly sucking up to the same politicians he used to take the piss out of in his cool days.

 

[mikal]

why can't Bono be who he wants to be without everyone fucking complaining about it all the time?

do you have people complaining to you because you're different than you were 10 years ago?

 

[nathan1977]

As far as U2's prolific-ness over the past couple of years....

2000 - they released ATYCLB, with BD and a few new B-sides
2001 -- they toured Elevation; released three singles with new B-sides, live material, and remixes
2002 -- they released The Best of 1990-2000, which included four new mixes of songs and two new songs; released the Boston Live DVD; and released the Best of 1990-2000 DVD, with videos, documentaries, and commentaries
2003 - they recorded HTDAAB, which was supposed to be released at the end of the year until they realized they didn't have enough songs; released Slane Live DVD
2004 - they released Vertigo as a single with a few new B-sides; released HTDAAB; released their I-Tunes catalogue with a motherlode of new and remastered material.

Considering how involved they are with each of their releases, I hardly think you could accuse them of not being prolific

 

[dizzy]

Just leave it alone. Pop's fine. Make a lovely new record instead.

I love Pop.