Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
In your opinion.
Songs of Songs, Books & Fat Puns - New Album Discussion #8
- Thread starter Headache in a Suitcase
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
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mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Sounds like the planning is in motion! What always helps me is that before I plan on having plans, I sit down and plan on what that planning would look like, and then plan for it.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Maybe focus more on the “no new information” part. The writer’s rep in this case is irrelevant because there’s nothing there to add beyond what we learned from the interview and the interviewer’s clarifications on Twitter.
So what’s the point of posting it?
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OP
OP
Because it's a tuned in reporter confirming that the plans (or planning of plans) are, as of this moment, still a go - and there was just 24 hours of semantic nonsense over whether they'd dare do such a horrifying thing?
Or maybe I just felt like conversing with you in a lovely manner.
Could be either. Not sure. Will confirm once I'm done planning.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Because it confirmed that the band is planning to play sans Lawrence Mulliniks El Junior in 2023.
gweeps
War Child
They've played live without Larry before. And Bono, too.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Weird that they seem to be more sure of what's set to happen than Larry himself, but ok. "Plans have reportedly not changed" means nothing to me, sorry.
I'll repeat what I said before, you're more than welcome to come back and say "I told you so" if it happens. But I don't think the band will put business before a unified front, and won't believe it until it's officially announced. You can dunk on Hollow Island all you want, I think some of their very well-reasoned points are being dismissed unnecessarily.
There is a difference between a one-off appearance and a curated, months-long residency in a high-profile state of the art venue. Absolutely pointless to bring up those previous isolated incidents. Larry and Adam playing in Automatic Baby and recording the Mission:Impossible theme is not precedent for suspecting the possibility of them forming a new band without Bono and Edge in the future.
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ascender_RS
Refugee
beLIEve.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Ooooh, good one. Haven't had one of those posts in some time.
OP
OP
Congrats on posting an interference meme that merely regurgitates stuff we already know, with no new information from reputable sources.
ascender_RS
Refugee
For a band who are so careful about what information gets released to the press and how its released, its been interesting to see the whole U2 fan community collectively losing their shit over a few lines in a Washington Post piece.
gvox
Ghost of Love
Everything you know is wrong
Source?
Source?
OP
OP
Multiple sauces can confirm
Achtung Ya'll
War Child
It's all coming full circle. I just finished Bill Graham's... mini-book... U2: The Early Days and they talk about Larry's absence from the band early on because of his day job. There's even several full on promo photos without Larry in them - with Guggi taking his place in a few.
OP
OP
confirmed roooomer - boner, edge, adam and guggi to play cocktail lounge at the sands
ascender_RS
Refugee
Who could be a suitable replacement, a guest drummer for them? Someone who encapsulates all the unique qualities that Larry brings to the band? 
pacemaker
Refugee
Who could be a suitable replacement, a guest drummer for them? Someone who encapsulates all the unique qualities that Larry brings to the band?
There are lots of great drummers out there that could do the job, but I think Josh Freese's overall style and discipline would probably work the best for mimicking Lawrence.
IF they do anything without Junior, I could also see them employing a handful of drummers per show to tackle different parts of the setlist. Larry could even be there to bang on his cocktail kit or shake a tambo or sing backup on Numb.
I still haven't listened to any of the new arrangements out there, but Bono's solo shows could allude to a willingness for an expanded line-up on stage in the future, if only for whatever the Vegas shows might turn out to be. Weren't they fiddling with a string section in the lead up to the I+E or E+I tour?
zoocarolina
Refugee
zoocarolina
Refugee
SOS 3/17/2023.
. Would be nice to get some promo shows/appearances for it, but doubt full blown if Larry is recovering from surgery(ies), and how are they going to record the balls to the wall rock album without Lawrence?? Jee Scoobs, it’s a mystery and why not have yourself rebuilt like the bionic man last year Larry?? And on top of all this Bono tells us he’s fully ready to re-commit to the band in Surrender. Talk about not so great timing on all of these situations.
OP
OP
well based on Terry Lawless's post about going to Dublin - and Bono's idea about getting a single or EP out there instead of a full album - I'm guessing that they'll be recording from mid next week through Christmas in hopes of finishing something up for release in 2023 - with the idea that some of the songs will be played at the Sphere in late 2023 (with or without larry).
of course they have no plans right now. just planning to have plans.
of course they have no plans right now. just planning to have plans.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Makes me wonder if these plans include planning their planning process. You can't really plan until you plan for the planning of the plans.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Yeah the "rock" album has me a little confused. Bono made it sound like SOA had been shelved for a later release, but they were well into another album of new music. He then says, what they really want to do is make a fuck off to the pop charts, unreasonable guitar rock record. I'm assuming this is the non-SOA album he was talking about, but he also is talking about it like it's something they WANT to do, which could mean they don't already have Edge-centric unreasonable guitar songs as of yet???
I truly hope they don't just release one song. That would be so disappointing and frankly useless for a band like U2 to do. I could live with an EP. 4 or 5 really strong tracks, full on rock, Edge pushing new rockier sounds. I'd rather have that than a full album that is watered down.
My only other thought is that Bono realizes that Larry can't come back in to finish recording, so they may have to go with songs that already have the drums done, and just go back in to do some overdubbing or different vocal takes.
If there is a rock album or EP, It really will lay at the feet of Bono for the songs to be great. If Edge is truly focusing on unreasonableness in his guitar work, I hope Bono can lyrically back it up. This has been an issue with their more recent more rock type songs.
I truly hope they don't just release one song. That would be so disappointing and frankly useless for a band like U2 to do. I could live with an EP. 4 or 5 really strong tracks, full on rock, Edge pushing new rockier sounds. I'd rather have that than a full album that is watered down.
My only other thought is that Bono realizes that Larry can't come back in to finish recording, so they may have to go with songs that already have the drums done, and just go back in to do some overdubbing or different vocal takes.
If there is a rock album or EP, It really will lay at the feet of Bono for the songs to be great. If Edge is truly focusing on unreasonableness in his guitar work, I hope Bono can lyrically back it up. This has been an issue with their more recent more rock type songs.
OP
OP
You know what they say. The best laid plans of mice and men cause U2 to play trashy Las Vegas cocktail lounge with the drummer from Nickelback.
I think it was Steinbeck.
david
ONE love, blood, life
Songs of Songs, Books & Fat Puns - New Album Discussion #8
Terry is getting together with Bono, Edge and Adam to record a charity holiday cover of Little Drummer Boy to raise awareness that Larry is broken.
Terry is getting together with Bono, Edge and Adam to record a charity holiday cover of Little Drummer Boy to raise awareness that Larry is broken.
JamietheEdgefan
Refugee
Yeah, I'm a little unclear too. There are a lot of unknowns.
Maybe Bono was only thinking out loud and a single/ep is unlikely. But if they do that, it does raise questions about what happens to the album they had apparently nearly finished this year. Is it scrapped? Was it Songs of Ascent? Is it a distinct project that will become 'the next proper U2 album' in 2024, after the EP and sphere shows in 2023?
Or, like U2songs implies, are they taking songs from the recent studio sessions of 2019-2022 and making them more rock and roll, in the same way they took SoE in late 2016 and made it sound more live with Steve Lillywhite (and to - apparently - reflect the 2016 elections)? This is more likely to me, given U2songs reliability, but also Bono talking about wanting to make a fuck-off rock album since 2019. He may be talking about doing it in the future tense simply because it's not yet complete, or they're refining it with new sessions.
I do think that if they make an EP, and it's truly focused on an 'unreasonable' guitar sound that deliberately rejects pop chart success, then it may be quite liberating for them as they won't have to commit to a full album and the risk/temptation to dilute that sound due to album-related obligations ("we need at least one 'classic U2 ballad", "how do we build a world tour around this" etc).
A bit of a digression, but I think you've just stumbled upon something here. Zooropa can probably be labeled as the only freely creative album of their career because of those factors. Wasn't it originally supposed to be a quick EP? And the tour was still ongoing; so no need to have that in mind. I also didn't get the impression getting more hits was on their mind and that the album was just a nice bonus/companion to where they were at the time.
To bring it back full-circle, I don't think they can get to that liberated place of songwriting again if the dominating thought in the room is always "Yeah, but how do we play it live?" (and of course, the infamous "Where are the singles/anthems?") Zooropa occupied that unique space that was more like "Well, we've already got the shows. If one of the new songs can work on the tour, we'll fold it in; but if it doesn't, we won't necessarily cut it."
However, a more strict guitar-focused record would already lend itself to the live format in most cases. So, what do I know. Perhaps it will be more free, natural, etc.
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