With the talk of a new producer, I wonder...

[U2girl]

...could it be that some parts of the new album will be produced by Lillywhite and that they will keep some of Thomas' work? A co-produced album? (maybe even a couple of songs or so produced by Lanois)

I know Lillywhite talked about "starting" an album, and setting up the mikes etc... but if the album is out in the Autumn, surely he won't start producing from scratch? McGuiness did say Thomas did some great work and it wasn't like starting over...


(ps: the Lanois/Lillywhite combo, with all the guitar talk, reminds me of AB for some reason)

 

[victor_f]

u2, don't start over...
they really like starting things!

 

[U2DMfan]

What I took from the new Billboard article is that the band want to record more with a different producer. Lillywhite has engineered AB, JT, ATYCLB but hasn't produced since War, I believe.

My guess is that they recorded some good stuff with Thomas but there weren't enough great tracks to make the album they wanted to make.

If they have 7 or 8 really great tracks, maybe they want to try and get the other 3 or 4 to be just as great and sort of "hit the wall" during the previous recording sessions.

McGuniess was complimentiary of the bands work with Thomas in the article from u2.com, maybe they just felt like they needed one of the "old hands" in to help and that Lanois is certainly busy lately and Eno, well who knows, he's not really a guitar guy anyway.

I think its great news in terms of what the album is going to end up sounding like, but at this point, who the fuck knows when this album will come out?

Maybe the end result was that when it came time to select album tracks and finalize the album that they just weren't comfortable with an outsider like Thomas and wanted to turn back to a familiar ear.

I think ultimately it could make the album better, we won't know until more is said about the albums recording process (i.e. which songs that make the album were recorded when and with which producer etc.)

I think that the band have more songs in them and are wanting to explore those ideas rather than leave them on the drawing board like the last 3 albums.

One thing we should know is that U2 have gotten to the point where they will only release an album every 3 or 4 years. If it takes another 6 months or so of recording to make this album worth the wait, then I think it's a good thing.

Really there isnt much of a difference in releasing the album now or in 8 months other than appeasing us fans. But wouldn't we all rather wait for something special than to get an album that was not as good as it could have been?

One thing looks for certain. We will all have more time to save money for the tour.

 

[Salome]

they probably will just add a couple of songs to the work they've done with Thomas
my guess would be that right now they feel the collection of songs they have doesn't work as an album yet
and that they need a few songs with a slightly different feel to them

if they were to throw away the work they did with Thomas and start all over again then there's no doubt in my mind that they would have waited for Eno / Lanois to help them out
since that hasn't failed them yet it would be the safest bet to ever getting an album finished

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

I want to add something to U2DMFan's comment about U2 being a band who produces albums every 3 years or so. It is a fact U2 are an older successful band. Most young bands put out albums every other year, because it is necessary to capitalize on their popularity at the time, and keep them in the public eye. U2 did the very same early in their career.

That being said, U2 is at a point in their career where they are so successful that they can work at a their own pace and not be pressured by the record company to produce new product. Also, when you are young and your passion for music is so great that you only eat, drink and sleep it and you have no other distractions (family, other businesses, causes, money) your musical output will be much more proficient. I realize everyone is blaming Bono's glad handing as the cause for this delay, but that may not be the only reason, it may be the BIGGEST reason, but not the only.

U2 were on fire at the end of Elevation, but remember unless they planned specifically on being out on the road or had a set deadline for a record (i.e. Pop) then the euphoria wears off after a while and leaves them. Other distractions pop up and the fever slowly dies down. I am sure the 6 to 8 songs they have recorded are very good at worst, I think they want them to be brilliant and want to work with Lillywhite to get them there. I think they'll get there with Steve.

 

[Numbology]

Reggie,I'll drink to that

 

[STING2]

REM and Pearl Jam are roughly the same age as U2, yet they are able to come out with albums every other year. It doesn't have to take over a year to make an album. I think a year is more than enough time. If the band has other things they want to do outside the band and family then thats fine, but age and family are no excuses as REM and Pearl Jam show.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

oh here we go again...

pearl jam have released the same number of albums in their first 12 years of existance as u2 did... when pearl jam's been around for 20+ years, let's see if they're still popping 'em out at the same pace.

pearl jam and r.e.m., all be it bands that i like, haven't had a relevant album since the early 90s. they also don't care about being relevant, thus they don't take as long to finely tune each and every song.

i'm not arguing this again... it's stupid.

u2 doesn't have an excuse for taking long to put out a new album, nor do they need one.

 

[Bono's shades]

There's a thread over at the Velvet Rope website where they are discussing this issue. I think you will find a post by someone named Darren particularly illuminating.

http://www.velvetrope.com/ubbthread...=424668&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

By the way, a lot of people who post there work in the music industry, so I think you can be reasonably sure these folks at least have some idea of what they are talking about.

 

[Swan269]

I have heard Larry say in the making of the Joshua Tree that ,"Steve really focuses on the guitar, while Danny and I connected because he is a rythem guy."...Steve is a good thing for all guitar lovers out there.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

I hope you are right on the guitar thing... maybe Lilywhite will help make U2 the Dave Matthews recrod they've always wanted...

 

[JOFO]

new album: December 2005.






no seriously......the album, as good as it will be in its finished form, will be a disappointment at this point.

why?

because it will be, by far, the longest wait in between albums for them. so unless it's the greatest album they've ever done (I'd really, really, love that), it will be disappointing, because it means that we just have to wait longer for a "good" u2 album as opposed waiting shorter for an incredible u2 album (i.e. JT & AB)

 

[JOFO]

and you know what? that's fine. if they've given me JT and AB in my life, that's good enough.
but stop with the comments like "you don't know what's it's gonna be like" and "it could be their greatest ever".
stop.
because as of now, they're not relevant any more. radio doesn't play "beutiful day" or "stuck in a moment" any more; POP tunes? forget it...never were played....same with zooropa.
best you get is one or mysterious ways. most likely you hear WOWY or NYD or ISHFWILF.
just put it out so we have something to listen to....because it's gonna sound the same tommorrow as it does 8 months from now.

sorry.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

JOFO, you're asking us not to make grand statements, and then you go and make the same sort of statements you just asked us not to, albeit of the negative nature. Does it make the Beatles less relevant, because Top 40/Pop radio doesn't play "Hey Jude" anymore, or Zeppelin less relevant because they stopped playing "Stairway"?

And so, I'm figuring what you mean is that U2 is "less" relevant in today's market, right? Even though in the last 4 - 5 years they are one of the few "rock" groups to put out a relevant, best selling, highly decorated album, and that the music industry is looking towards their new album to help pull the industry out of its funk and maybe, just maybe usher rock back to the top of the charts. You know most bands are only as relevant as their last single...so put a lot of groups/singers in that "less" relevant category at the moment. But U2 is among the greatest rock bands of all time, maybe not the greatest, but easily the longest lasting and most influential of all time. Name me 5 bands that have never had a lineup change in 20 + years and still continued to chart records in the Top 10 in that whole time period. I didn't think you could.

 

[U2DMfan]

"because it's gonna sound the same tommorrow as it does 8 months from now. "-JOFO

That's correct. But if a song does not currently exist, how can it sound the same as it did now in 8 months?

I really think they are just chasing down ideas with an old friend because the current group of potential tracks didn't add up to their expectation.

Hell if the next 8 months only produces 2 songs, then it might be worth the longer wait, depening on the qulaity of the songs of course.

That's why I say, if it takes them 8 months or so longer, then what really is the difference? There is PLENTY of other music to listen to. If they think there are good enough ideas to continue to record, then they might be really good ideas.

I for one, had wished that they did this on the last 2 albums, I don't like delays anymore than anyone else, but once an album is in the can, it's done and then they can't go back from there. Even though the band has tried to retool POP lately, had they not booked the tour and recorded for several more months it could have changed everything about the perception that the album received.

But essentially, I agree with what you are saying. I just think that maybe one of those late bloomers can come about. There is a long list of great U2 songs that arrived right at the end of the studio recording. Because usually they are working on new creative ideas trying to spurn those last few songs.

They may very well give us 15 tracks on this album, but I wouldn't count on it. But at least there will be a nice bevy of B-sides, you'd think.

 

[nick_u2]

I think this new album will be something no one expected. They're bringing out the old guns on top of Chris Thomas. It's like the all-star team of producers. This album will blow us all away

 

[Trevor]

I think either they've become overly obsessed with trying to make the perfect record or that there is serious internel friction. I wouldn't be suprised if years from now this is described by the band as another one of those times they almost broke up.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

I would be really pissed if this album was only 10-11 songs long.... I could only accept those amount of songs if each song was truly a single. Real singles and not a bunch of Peace on Earth's mixed in...

 

[Salome]

since there has never been an announced release date there hasn't been a delay yet either

unless not meeting expectations & speculations can also be considered a delay

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Exactly Salome, I've made that same point during several of these type of threads.

 

[ZigZag]

You know what? I really, really liked Peace on Earth...

But that's besides the point.

There will not likely be a 15 song album. There will not be a double album or anything like that. The band will simply release the best 10-12 songs they have. As an experimental photographer, I know the feeling of being frustrated with work and producing mass ammounts of material, sorting through the best of each and wishing this and that was a bit better. With some work, the variables are out of control, so I have to just shoot and shoot and shoot and hope I get lucky to get a "breakthrough" shot.

I sometimes wonder of songwriting, especially perfectionist song writing like Bono and The Edge endulge in, is the same way. Regardless, if they want to strengthen the line up of songs all the way through, let them. I did the same thing to one of my 20 picture albums, and it came out drastically better.