Daniel Lanois quote in EW

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Headache in a Suitcase said:
no.

get on your boots didn't make it because it was strange, not because people thought it was vertigo part deux. it didn't make it with the casual listener because it made the casual listener go "huh? wtf was that?"

while i've grown to like get on your boots, it was the first time in my u2 fandom that i heard a new song for the first time and went "ummm... okay" instead of "woooo rawk :rock: fuck yea!!" the song is strange, not just in content, but in structure. it should have NEVER been a single. it should have been on the album, at which point i think it would have become a cult favorite among fans as they got used to the strangeness of it. but releasing it as a single was simply a bad move.

and while i agree that moment of surrender would have done better than boots, i still don't know how a 7 1/2 minute song would have faired.

one of the poppier songs on the album would have been the best choice for a first single. i still say breathe would have done the job, but the absolute best single, as far as getting the "casual listener" involved, would have been I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight; the album version, not whatever the fuck they played live.
Click to expand...

No.

I know a lot of people who thought GOYB sounded like Vertigo part II. You may be the first person I've heard express the thought that the song was challenging! :ohmy:
 
I would've done this:

1 - Double Release:
Free Mp3: Moment Of Surrender
Radio: Magnificent

2 - NLOTH release

3 - Double Release
Free MP3: No Line On The Horizon 2
Radio: Breathe

4 - Double Release
Free Mp3: Winter
Radio: GOYB

5 - Radio: FEZ/Being Born
 
Niceman said:
No.

I know a lot of people who thought GOYB sounded like Vertigo part II. You may be the first person I've heard express the thought that the song was challenging! :ohmy:
Click to expand...

yes, it was a little weird... more weird than Vertigo II
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
apparently you were in a coma when the song came out then.

and i didn't say challenging... i said strange. which it was.
Click to expand...

No, I wasn't in a coma. I was actively involved in discussing the music on this board and off. Every casual listener I spoke to said that the song sounded just like Vertigo.

Did I think that? No. But I listen a lot more closely than most of them.
 
Vertigo has grown on me. If I pretend Bono's singing in a different language that i can't understand all of a sudden it becomes kind of fun (with an emphasis on kind of).

Boots is the better song, I'd say, but I'd prob like it more if Vertigo didn't exist, and vice versa.

I think everyone here has brought up a good theory on why NLOTH didn't have a huge hit single. I think the only real answer is "because no song was strong enough". Sadly, CT was prob the only contender, the only one with a catchy pop chorus. But still, I don't think really anything U2 does at this point will have an effect on radio. They are an old band and the audience they are targeting are youngsters who dig LMFAO-type club songs, teen idols and hip hop songs about clubs and shortys. Trust me, I DJ parties and this is what the kids like. Know what? Maybe a club album aint a bad idea, after all. But it would have to be a very incognito U2.
 
I think Boots is pretty strange as a lead single because it doesn't have a catchy chorus and because it sounds like a few different songs thrown together in 3 and a half minutes. Vertigo has a big riff and a big hook. Boots only has the former. At first listen I also didn't really like Boots. I only started liking it after a fair few listens and that's not the purpose of a lead single.
 
It is possible, as long as they don't keep playing by the rules that worked in 2000 and 2004.

I would have liked NLOTH or Breathe being opening singles. Better fitting to the current radio, after that the obvious Magnificent and wrapping it up with MOS.
 
They can always get airplay on modern rock stations, but as far as a huge across the globe phenomenon, I don't think it's very likely. But hey, anything's possible. I think it would take something extremely new from them to make an impact.
 
nielsgov said:
I think Boots is pretty strange as a lead single because it doesn't have a catchy chorus and because it sounds like a few different songs thrown together in 3 and a half minutes. Vertigo has a big riff and a big hook. Boots only has the former. At first listen I also didn't really like Boots. I only started liking it after a fair few listens and that's not the purpose of a lead single.
Click to expand...

If they had kept the song title as "sexy boots" it would have fared better in the mass media but U2 would have lost all credibility.
 
pepokiss said:
I would've done this:

5 - Radio: FEZ/Being Born
Click to expand...

i really don't understand why people think Fez BB could have been a radio single. Its a good song, but not single material. If people were scratching their heads going "wtf" at GOYB, what do you think would have been the reaction to Fez BB?
 
Mrs. Garrison said:
i really don't understand why people think Fez BB could have been a radio single. Its a good song, but not single material. If people were scratching their heads going "wtf" at GOYB, what do you think would have been the reaction to Fez BB?
Click to expand...

probably the same as numb.
 
Niceman said:
FEZ-BB is one of the best tracks on the album, but would NOT have been a good choice for single.

I am disappointed that they didn't play it live though...
Click to expand...

Agree totally. I love the song and I'm glad it's a little gem for album buyers only. It could've been massive live.

I really can't understand the push for Breathe as a single though. It has no hook and its far less radio friendly than even GOYB.

There probably aren't any classic singles on NLOTH. No novelty value like the "wooohooo" from Elevation or "hello, hello" from Vertigo. And no repetitive chorus some of the older singles (IWF, Streets, ISHFWILF, AoH, BD etc). Maybe NLOTH (song) is the closest? But I kinda like that about the album.
 
and now, an Eno quote...

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere on here yet...

from an article on Independent.ie

"There's a moment in the recent BBC4 documentary on Brian Eno where he shows broadcaster Paul Morley his laptop with backing tracks he's composed for the new U2 and Coldplay albums.

It's a bit dangerous, he admits, having both files on the same computer because he fears he'll end up sending the wrong files to the wrong band. Not that anyone will be able to tell the difference, he adds mischievously."

full article at
The studio genius, U2 and the apollo moon landing... - Music, Entertainment - Independent.ie

What are the boys up to? Eno still working on further U2 recordings at the moment? How many pots do they have on the stove.

(didnt want to create a new thread, so I figured I'd post here since Eno and Lanois are the same person ... have you ever seen them together? No? I told you!)
 
I wonder when that part of the documentary was conducted or recorded, because I think I've heard that quote or something similar from Eno before? Like when he gave both bands the same opening chord sequence and challenged them to come up with their own song? I could be wrong however.
 
Clawgrabber said:
Not sure if this has been posted anywhere on here yet...

from an article on Independent.ie

"There's a moment in the recent BBC4 documentary on Brian Eno where he shows broadcaster Paul Morley his laptop with backing tracks he's composed for the new U2 and Coldplay albums.

It's a bit dangerous, he admits, having both files on the same computer because he fears he'll end up sending the wrong files to the wrong band. Not that anyone will be able to tell the difference, he adds mischievously."

full article at
The studio genius, U2 and the apollo moon landing... - Music, Entertainment - Independent.ie

What are the boys up to? Eno still working on further U2 recordings at the moment? How many pots do they have on the stove.

(didnt want to create a new thread, so I figured I'd post here since Eno and Lanois are the same person ... have you ever seen them together? No? I told you!)
Click to expand...

This is during the production of Nloth and vlv.
 
U2girl said:
It is possible, as long as they don't keep playing by the rules that worked in 2000 and 2004.
Click to expand...

I don’t think they will. I clearly don't think they will. I think reading between the (Bono) lines, and looking at who they’ve got producing, it’s pretty clear that they’ve taken a calculated look at what actually has worked over the past decade, and figured that they could probably elbow their way back into relevance and onto the radio via having another look at something in the electro-dance-pop-rock hybrid realm. Possibly via a fairly dramatic new sound or feel, in both cases.

Obviously, both a Danger Mouse produced album, and something they are calling a ‘club’ album produced by three slick, shiny dance-pop producers both would or could have a really, really wide range, in terms of potential sounds and even categorisation. I mean, the DM album could literally be anything. It could be a fairly straightforward U2 album that is simply well produced ‘with a twist’, or it could be a really very dramatic departure for them. But looking into a crystal ball at what a ‘single’ from this might sound like, I think the best you can do is perhaps look on the one hand (as I said in another thread) at how Bono has namechecked MGMT more than once, always in a highly positive way. I doubt he really thinks that they were some kind of musical revelation, and more likely just sees that they were, to him, creatively clever, and appealing, in a crossover way that he/they might see as a way ‘in’ for them too. And U2 being U2, while I’m sure some of the DM material has been ‘new’ new, created from scratch within those sessions, you can also bet a lot of it has been carried over and reworked from older sessions.

So, looking into the crystal ball, I’d say a good guess would be looking at a 'known' thing like Every Breaking Wave - which I would say is a very good bet for being on whatever is next. The original Every Breaking Wave was described as being a heavily electro builder, but that would have probably been a fairly distinctive ‘Eno’ electro. It’s not that hard to picture though, right? The kind of pulsing, atmospheric, building synths and sounds Eno would likely deploy. No doubt the song has been reworked in many structural ways since, but maybe not in that basic way – still a builder on an electro bed. Just via Danger Mouse, very different sounds, or as Bono might say, different colours. Now have a listen to something like Hercules by the Good, the Bad and the Queen. Those darker, more stormy ‘colours’ of Danger Mouse. Imagine that sort of thing swirling and building behind Every Breaking Wave. Different sound, different place. I imagine, if they have gone ‘all in’ with DM, that at one end you’ll have something like that, and at the other, the more lively end, it would be quite snappy, quite crisp. Listen to DM with Beck, for example. Obviously U2 wouldn’t be as snappy and chippy as that, but take not-too-different songwriting from U2, in terms of their poppy stuff of the past decade, shave away the clunkiness, the ‘heavy’ feeling of some of their efforts, and give it some lightness and bounce.

For the club album... over an album it could drift well into ‘oonts oonts’ I suppose, but I doubt any single from it would drift too far toward that, only err on the side of it. I think, here again, it’s a calculated look at what has worked over the past decade, and in this case dance-rock singles have done quite (very) well. But given the producers, it would be dance-rock erring on the side of dance. A rock single that needs no remixing to be played in a club. Meet the remix halfway from the beginning. While it would sound nothing like this example, in terms of the percentage split I’m talking about, something like An Honest Mistake by the Bravery, perhaps. I think that kind of area is where they figure they’ll get their next Vertigo. They bring an energetic, rifftastic ‘new Vertigo’ to the studio, and one of these three brings it to the dancefloor, but it’s still more band than DJ.

Bono wants 'eternal songs' and 'slamming 45s' (or whatever he said.) They'll try and get their next With or Without You (i.e. timeless, ‘eternal songs’ classic) from electro-pop via Danger Mouse, and their next Vertigo (hit single) from dance-rock via these other three.
 
Earnie Shavers said:
I don’t think they will. I clearly don't think they will. I think reading between the (Bono) lines, and looking at who they’ve got producing, it’s pretty clear that they’ve taken a calculated look at what actually has worked over the past decade, and figured that they could probably elbow their way back into relevance and onto the radio via having another look at something in the electro-dance-pop-rock hybrid realm. Possibly via a fairly dramatic new sound or feel, in both cases.

Obviously, both a Danger Mouse produced album, and something they are calling a ‘club’ album produced by three slick, shiny dance-pop producers both would or could have a really, really wide range, in terms of potential sounds and even categorisation. I mean, the DM album could literally be anything. It could be a fairly straightforward U2 album that is simply well produced ‘with a twist’, or it could be a really very dramatic departure for them. But looking into a crystal ball at what a ‘single’ from this might sound like, I think the best you can do is perhaps look on the one hand (as I said in another thread) at how Bono has namechecked MGMT more than once, always in a highly positive way. I doubt he really thinks that they were some kind of musical revelation, and more likely just sees that they were, to him, creatively clever, and appealing, in a crossover way that he/they might see as a way ‘in’ for them too. And U2 being U2, while I’m sure some of the DM material has been ‘new’ new, created from scratch within those sessions, you can also bet a lot of it has been carried over and reworked from older sessions.

So, looking into the crystal ball, I’d say a good guess would be looking at a 'known' thing like Every Breaking Wave - which I would say is a very good bet for being on whatever is next. The original Every Breaking Wave was described as being a heavily electro builder, but that would have probably been a fairly distinctive ‘Eno’ electro. It’s not that hard to picture though, right? The kind of pulsing, atmospheric, building synths and sounds Eno would likely deploy. No doubt the song has been reworked in many structural ways since, but maybe not in that basic way – still a builder on an electro bed. Just via Danger Mouse, very different sounds, or as Bono might say, different colours. Now have a listen to something like Hercules by the Good, the Bad and the Queen. Those darker, more stormy ‘colours’ of Danger Mouse. Imagine that sort of thing swirling and building behind Every Breaking Wave. Different sound, different place. I imagine, if they have gone ‘all in’ with DM, that at one end you’ll have something like that, and at the other, the more lively end, it would be quite snappy, quite crisp. Listen to DM with Beck, for example. Obviously U2 wouldn’t be as snappy and chippy as that, but take not-too-different songwriting from U2, in terms of their poppy stuff of the past decade, shave away the clunkiness, the ‘heavy’ feeling of some of their efforts, and give it some lightness and bounce.

For the club album... over an album it could drift well into ‘oonts oonts’ I suppose, but I doubt any single from it would drift too far toward that, only err on the side of it. I think, here again, it’s a calculated look at what has worked over the past decade, and in this case dance-rock singles have done quite (very) well. But given the producers, it would be dance-rock erring on the side of dance. A rock single that needs no remixing to be played in a club. Meet the remix halfway from the beginning. While it would sound nothing like this example, in terms of the percentage split I’m talking about, something like An Honest Mistake by the Bravery, perhaps. I think that kind of area is where they figure they’ll get their next Vertigo. They bring an energetic, rifftastic ‘new Vertigo’ to the studio, and one of these three brings it to the dancefloor, but it’s still more band than DJ.

Bono wants 'eternal songs' and 'slamming 45s' (or whatever he said.) They'll try and get their next With or Without You (i.e. timeless, ‘eternal songs’ classic) from electro-pop via Danger Mouse, and their next Vertigo (hit single) from dance-rock via these other three.
Click to expand...

Bang diggety. You've said exactly what I've been thinking. Bravo.
 
Earnie Shavers said:
Now have a listen to something like Hercules by the Good, the Bad and the Queen. Those darker, more stormy ‘colours’ of Danger Mouse. Imagine that sort of thing swirling and building behind Every Breaking Wave.
Click to expand...
:drool::drool::drool::drool:
Okay, this seriously needs to happen.
 
Mrs. Garrison said:
i really don't understand why people think Fez BB could have been a radio single. Its a good song, but not single material. If people were scratching their heads going "wtf" at GOYB, what do you think would have been the reaction to Fez BB?
Click to expand...

well... i think Being Born could have been a single, but without the Fez.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPFJ315Fw0]YouTube - U2 - Electrical Storm (demo)

YouTube - U2 - Electrical Storm (William Orbit Remix) Full Song

YouTube - U2 - Electrical Storm



the different versions of electrical storm have always fascinated me in their production and arrangement... both have very similar elements, but one is a slow build and one is more guitar driven. it really gives a good look into the internal debate on musical direction that u2 seem to be going through this past decade... and how they just can't figure out which way to go. it looks as if the guitar driven version came more from the demo, but then at some point they thought it needed to be more atmospheric and that's when orbit's version came in. :shrug:
 
AEKU2 said:
This is during the production of Nloth and vlv.
Click to expand...

that was my first thought too, however, this is an interview conducted to promote his new album "Small Craft on A Milk Sea" , if you read the article, the context/time seems very recent.

I don't see Eno giving an interview to a newspaper to promote "Small Craft on A Milk Sea" over 2 years ago before NLOTH and VLV and said paper holding onto the interview until Eno got around to releasing "Small Craft"

Just thinking out loud here. Eno is supposedly in the studio with Coldplay at the moment anyway, so it would make sense that he would have backing tracks for both bands (then again perhaps they are SOA songs and / or he just writes backing tracks for them even if he's not working with them... sort of an "oh that would sound good for U2 when i see them again next year")
 
Clawgrabber said:
that was my first thought too, however, this is an interview conducted to promote his new album "Small Craft on A Milk Sea" , if you read the article, the context/time seems very recent.
Click to expand...

Yes, the interview is very recent. As was the airing of the documentary on BBC4. But that documentary was during the making of NLOTH.
The article isn't that clear, but in my view, those are 2 separate things (the interview for his new album and the documentary).
 
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