New album talk - Album coming SOON to a galaxy near you!!!

[gvox]

But especially if nearly every idea you come up with is met with incredulity by the drummer that likely doesn't know an A-minor from a hole in the ground.

You were doing great at dispelling the stereotype up till this point - on what facts do we base this assumption that Larry fucks up all Bono's ideas, or is even the Voice of Negativity in the studio? You've swung too far the other way here.

Besides, there is quite definitely an A minor in Yahweh...and Larry played it repeatedly..live, even!

 

[mikal]

You were doing great at dispelling the stereotype up till this point - on what facts do we base this assumption that Larry fucks up all Bono's ideas? You've swung too far the other way here.

Besides, there is quite definitely an A minor in Yahweh...and Larry played it repeatedly..live, even!

Larry rocked on that song! I was for sure in the first row fist pumping like I was at a Pitbul concert.

 

[gvox]

At least you weren't reading a book!

 

[djerdap]

If Bono had gotten his way, we'd all have been listening to 'Songs of Ascent' for a good while now.

Except we can surely say by now that when Bono hears a chord progression, he thinks of it as a song. That's what I still believe was hidden behind the Songs of Ascent fiasco. I certainly doubt there was anything close to a full album there. Remember that quote about having 100 songs during the All That You Can't Leave Behind sessions? The guy obviously suffers from overenthusiasm and over-eagerness, which may have annoyed the other band members so much they keep him on a tight leash for this record. Larry is especially delighted about this aspect of Bono's personality:

U2 Larry Edge Interview - Songs of Ascent - 2009 - YouTube

 

[Reg McGowan]

Far be it from me to be the one to defend Boner but I will...

Bono has been, for quite some time now, the one guy in this band eager to get new music out to his fans. I think he's on our side more than the others in that regard. If Bono had gotten his way, we'd all have been listening to 'Songs of Ascent' for a good while now.

Part of me thinks he avoids the studio (if he does) for his own sanity. I can't imagine being a highly creative person and trying to appease those guys. But especially since Edge has seemingly joined up with the Crew Cuts.

All subject to change, but I don't think so. Bono was talking about SOA publicly when Adam was talking about being a long way from it. Bono seemed excited about the simplicity of busking in the streets. Next thing you know, all they are talking about is "perfect pop songs". Bono assumes the mantle of spokesperson for the U2 Democracy. What they collectively decided to do. That doesn't mean he's doing exactly what he wanted to do.

As a musician, songwriter and general creative person myself, I can imagine it's frustrating for him to have to concede a lot of that artistic end. And that has been my impression over the years. And so at that point, if they are going to do the BIG superhuge U2 thing (of which, I am sure Bono doesn't mind one bit) then it might as well be 10-11 tracks that require no argument at all within the room. So it takes a while.

Bono said it himself "three weeks is all it should take", and he's right. The best songs just arrive (One, for one). You shouldn't have to toil on them for months and months, and if you are, they probably aren't that great to begin with (Stand Up Comedy, we're all looking at you). And if the songs aren't arriving, believe me, it doesn't do any good to lock yourself up in the studio. But especially if nearly every idea you come up with is met with incredulity by the drummer that likely doesn't know an A-minor from a hole in the ground.

That was a wise comment and carefully written. There is a lot of truth and sense in your post. What is your take on this whole charade ? Certain things don't make sense or add up to what has been going on...

a) The alleged "wrap" party and album listening session on the studios rooftop last june. Then they're off for 2 months on vacation.

b) Lanois, Gavin Friday and Lillywhite have all HEARD the new album (in which state, we don't know)

c) Bono telling the Gay Byrne show crew that he doesn't want to talk about the new album to avoid cross-publicity for the album this fall

d) Bono's recent comment on Irish Radio show that he'd "like" to think there will be a U2 release in 2014.

Do you think they would hold off the release that long if the album was done ?

 

[mikal]

At least you weren't reading a book!

Or on my cell phone.

 

[gvox]

All that too!

 

[gvox]

Except we can surely say by now that when Bono hears a chord progression, he thinks of it as a song. That's what I still believe was hidden behind the Songs of Ascent fiasco. I certainly doubt there was anything close to a full album there. Remember that quote about having 100 songs during the All That You Can't Leave Behind sessions? The guy obviously suffers from overenthusiasm and over-eagerness, which may have annoyed the other band members so much they keep him on a tight leash for this record. Larry is especially delighted about this aspect of Bono's personality:

U2 Larry Edge Interview - Songs of Ascent - 2009 - YouTube

I honestly don't read much of your conclusions from Larry's comments in that interview at all, actually. He pointedly says they had at least an albums worth of material that the recordings went great and there was some great stuff there. Edge says they had oodles of material. In the end, though, they felt it was not the direction that they wanted for the next album, that it might have been a better fit on Bomb.

 

[gvox]

a) The alleged "wrap" party and album listening session on the studios rooftop last june. Then they're off for 2 months on vacation.

b) Lanois, Gavin Friday and Lillywhite have all HEARD the new album (in which state, we don't know)

c) Bono telling the Gay Byrne show crew that he doesn't want to talk about the new album to avoid cross-publicity for the album this fall

d) Bono's recent comment on Irish Radio show that he'd "like" to think there will be a U2 release in 2014.

Do you think they would hold off the release that long if the album was done ?

We've been thru alot of this already, but just to clarify there hasn't been, that I know of, a valid source who has stated that they had an album wrap party in NYC in June.

In fact people who were allowed to listen were told that there was still elements to be added to some/all songs.

Finally, a photog who was working on what U2 actually *was working on in NYC stated that he was told that they were "nowhere near" ready to do final mastering.

I don't think Bono told Gay Byrne that he didn't want to talk about the album, he wanted to get the interview out of the way so that the topics discussed in the interview wouldn't potentially interfere with the projected album marketing campaign. My read on that was he was trying to be considerate of his bandmates in not wanting personal issues/topics that Byrne wanted to cover becloud any marketing the band might be trying to do in the future.

As it is there has been word that there were staffing/logistical concerns with doing what they wanted to do, which was release and follow hard on the heels of the release with a tour. Hence spring 2014.

 

[djerdap]

I honestly don't read much of your conclusions from Larry's comments in that interview at all, actually. He pointedly says they had at least an albums worth of material that the recordings went great and there was some great stuff there. Edge says they had oodles of material. In the end, though, they felt it was not the direction that they wanted for the next album, that it might have been a better fit on Bomb.

What is crucial, and what I was getting at, is his very telling first reaction to the question. After that they're just lawyering up, so to speak (especially when he mentions the Superbowl which was in 2002). And they talk about the Rick Rubin material how it would have been a fit on The Bomb. Would you really expect them to say "He's a liar and we barely have any material"?

There were definitely sketches and outtakes, a couple of more or less fully fledged songs (Every Breaking Wave for one), but nothing even close to what Bono had in mind.

 

[gvox]

Would you really expect them to say "He's a liar and we barely have any material"?

There were definitely sketches and outtakes, a couple of more or less fully fledged songs (Every Breaking Wave for one), but nothing even close to what Bono had in mind.

I think I need to turn that question back around. Larry said that they had an album or more of material, and that it was great stuff. So, he was lying then?

His split second facial expression is more annoyance at having to answer a question about an album title he probably wouldn't have gone for, I'll give you that, but the expression quickly disappears and he goes on to explain at some length.

 

[djerdap]

I think I need to turn that question back around. Larry said that they had an album or more of material, and that it was great stuff. So, he was lying then?

Call it lying if you want, I call it trying to answer a touchy question in the vaguest possible way. The key word is "material", which can mean a lot of things. I'm positive there were barely any complete songs, but lots of ideas and riffs, which they have after every album session, since many of their songs come out of jams and improvisations. It is also telling that not even a year after that they announced they were working with Danger Mouse on 12 new songs. If they really had an album worth of songs, I'm pretty sure we would have had something by now.

But there is an Adam Clayton interview out there that basically confirms my suspicions. He says very openly that when Bono hears two chords, he hears a song. But I'm too lazy to dig that out now.

 

[gvox]

Call it lying if you want, I call it trying to answer a touchy question in the vaguest possible way. The key word is "material", which can mean a lot of things. I'm positive there were barely any complete songs, but lots of ideas and riffs, which they have after every album session, since many of their songs come out of jams and improvisations. It is also telling that not even a year after that they announced they were working with Danger Mouse on 12 new songs. If they really had an album worth of songs, I'm pretty sure we would have had something by now.

But there is an Adam Clayton interview out there that basically confirms my suspicions. He says very openly that when Bono hears two chords, he hears a song. But I'm too lazy to dig that out now.

You're positive they barely had any songs, what? Lol

Why is it so hard to believe that they in fact probably did in fact have 12+ songs/material/whatever that could have been worked into something that they ultimately decided they didn't want to go forward on? It wouldn't be a first in the history of music..

Larry wasnt vague or unspecific at all. He was quite clear on it, his gaffe on the timing of when they did the Superbowl notwithstanding.

I mean, "Bono lies" is kind of the joke, right? Not what we actually believe? Lol

 

[Babyface82]

found this on twitter

https://twitter.com/tsscband/status/381770643731009536

so was Larry in Nice yesterday?!?!

 

[djerdap]

Larry puts Rick Rubin material as an analogy in that interview. Some of those songs have seen the light of day. Window in the Skies. Boy Falls From the Sky on the Spider-Man musical. There's the beach clip of that crappy Bon Jovi-like All My Life track (if I'm lucky we won't see that song ever in an official form). So there's plenty of evidence there was something concrete done there, since two songs have been released to the public. But again, hardly an album's worth of material, or so it seems.

Outside of Every Breaking Wave, there is zero evidence of these mythical 12 songs. Nothing has been released since 2009 when this album was "announced" in that infamous interview. Songs that were played live were composed either before or after those sessions, with the exception of EBW. There were countless articles months before No Line on the Horizon came out about those sessions and not a single extra song, apart from EBW, was mentioned. There was Tripoli which was confirmed as Fez-Being Born. There was a video with a board of unfinished songs where Every Breaking Wave was the one that didn't make it. There were plenty of clips that were showing riffs and ideas though, but there wasn't a single hint the band has loads of songs ready to be released - until Bono started blabbering about Songs of Ascent.

But let's be gullible and think of a mythical 12-song album lying on a shelf that is unreleased because... Because why exactly?

 

[gvox]

By the criteria you just outlined above, then, there is also now zero evidence that there is any remote possibility of an album on the even distant horizon. What new song titles? Lists? Riffs?

Conclusion: The Band Lies. All of them!

 

[mikal]

found this on twitter

https://twitter.com/tsscband/status/381770643731009536

so was Larry in Nice yesterday?!?!

Hey, making an album is hard work!

 

[Babyface82]

those guys are from Nice, but I dont know if the pic was taken there

 

[djerdap]

By the criteria you just outlined above, then, there is also now zero evidence that there is any remote possibility of an album on the even distant horizon. What new song titles? Lists? Riffs?

Conclusion: The Band Lies. All of them!

The analogy doesn't work with this record. They're keeping these sessions under a tight leash. Both Bomb and Horizon were covered very thoroughly in the press - song titles for The Bomb were known years before the album came out. Ditto Horizon. But the assumption here is there was an another album - or a number of songs worthy of an album - ready for a late 2009 release, with songs being worked during the same sessions as Horizon. With the kind of press coverage Horizon got months and months before it was released, where there was no mention of so many songs being worked on, with the other band members trying to back away from Bono's statement after the fact about an album ready to go in the most painless way possible, with zero songs actually being released in four years, and with this excerpt of an interview:

Sun Media: Bono told me there is another album coming, with the working title, Songs of Ascent, the more ambient songs done with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, from the sessions for your latest album No Line on the Horizon?

Clayton: Some of it, I'm sure, is true, especially for Bono. And those are great aspirations. I'm a little bit more nuts and bolts and until there are 10 songs finished, mixed and on a shelf, then that's not definite for me. It takes us a long time. When Bono hears two notes together he hears a song complete. When anyone else hears two notes together, we hear a starting point.

I rest my case.

 

[gvox]

So then it's Adam who's be the fuckin Negative Ned all along!1!!1

Fuckin Adam

 

[jeevey]

Not only were they on another planet, they were pissed off that night!

Was there a story behind that?

But especially if nearly every idea you come up with is met with incredulity by the drummer that likely doesn't know an A-minor from a hole in the ground.

Ha! Clearly you work in the melody section.

 

[Zoo_Fly]

What is crucial, and what I was getting at, is his very telling first reaction to the question. After that they're just lawyering up, so to speak (especially when he mentions the Superbowl which was in 2002).

I'm assuming he was referring to playing the Superdome with Green Day, which was shortly after the Rubin sessions, and just mixed it up a bit.

 

[PhilsFan]

Far be it from me to be the one to defend Boner but I will...

Bono has been, for quite some time now, the one guy in this band eager to get new music out to his fans. I think he's on our side more than the others in that regard. If Bono had gotten his way, we'd all have been listening to 'Songs of Ascent' for a good while now.

Part of me thinks he avoids the studio (if he does) for his own sanity. I can't imagine being a highly creative person and trying to appease those guys. But especially since Edge has seemingly joined up with the Crew Cuts.

All subject to change, but I don't think so. Bono was talking about SOA publicly when Adam was talking about being a long way from it. Bono seemed excited about the simplicity of busking in the streets. Next thing you know, all they are talking about is "perfect pop songs". Bono assumes the mantle of spokesperson for the U2 Democracy. What they collectively decided to do. That doesn't mean he's doing exactly what he wanted to do.

As a musician, songwriter and general creative person myself, I can imagine it's frustrating for him to have to concede a lot of that artistic end. And that has been my impression over the years. And so at that point, if they are going to do the BIG superhuge U2 thing (of which, I am sure Bono doesn't mind one bit) then it might as well be 10-11 tracks that require no argument at all within the room. So it takes a while.

Bono said it himself "three weeks is all it should take", and he's right. The best songs just arrive (One, for one). You shouldn't have to toil on them for months and months, and if you are, they probably aren't that great to begin with (Stand Up Comedy, we're all looking at you). And if the songs aren't arriving, believe me, it doesn't do any good to lock yourself up in the studio. But especially if nearly every idea you come up with is met with incredulity by the drummer that likely doesn't know an A-minor from a hole in the ground.

The most interesting part of From the Sky Down for me was seeing how active Bono was in the studio. For how much they talk about him disliking rehearsals, I always figured studio work would also be a bore for him and that he only really got into it when there was a crowd. But he's directing everything in the studio. Certainly Edge is the creator of most of the sketches that they turn into songs, but Bono certainly seems to be much more in charge than you would think.

 

[dtc]

Popmart Leeds version of anything should give everybody goosebumps. One of the best U2 bootlegs out there. They have never sounded so heavy.

I was there, Edge's side of the b-stage. I could see the whites of their eyes.

It was awesome.

 

[djerdap]

The most interesting part of From the Sky Down for me was seeing how active Bono was in the studio.

This is also very much audible in the Salome outtakes.

 

[youarenotimmune]

This is also very much audible in the Salome outtakes.

Absolutely. There's this perception that The Edge is the sole creative force of U2, and that Bono is more concerned about his extracurricular activities than making music. But anyone who's even a quasi-serious fan of this band and has followed them over the years, knows just how much U2 means to Bono, and the degree of artistic input he brings to the table in the creative process.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

I guess their getting close to just being a part time band now.

 

[mikal]

Was there a story behind that?

Ha! Clearly you work in the melody section.

I believe George Harrison had made some negative comments about U2 the day before. I don't know all the details though.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

All this lying is clearly Paul McGuinness' fault.

 

[Blue Room]

Absolutely. There's this perception that The Edge is the sole creative force of U2, and that Bono is more concerned about his extracurricular activities than making music. But anyone who's even a quasi-serious fan of this band and has followed them over the years, knows just how much U2 means to Bono, and the degree of artistic input he brings to the table in the creative process.

The same goes for rehearsals, Bono directs a lot of what they do. Even though he hates rehearsals.