U2 working with pop songwriter for new album

[jay canseco]

I wish they would collect all the good music from their 'projects' and let Danger Mouse produce it. Then they can release 2 ep's. One a dance remix ep and one a club mix ep. All their crazy wishes accomplished.

 

[doctorwho]

and as long as it's nothing like that excruciatingly-embarrassing-uncle-at-the-disco Crazy Tonight remix

But I liked the remix of that in concert! If you take that away, then I have absolutely no use for the song. There are about 10 or so U2 songs (maybe less) that I wish I never heard. Take away the remix of Crazy - the only good thing about it - and it joins the list.

I think the real delay isn't so much that U2 are trying to find the mainstream or influence the mainstream or even f*ck up the mainstream - I think they are trying to find THEIR sound right now. It's not a loss of talent. It's them trying to find if they have that "magic" again - where they have powerful lyrics, great melodies, anthemic music and will sell. Now, what direction will that take? What more is there for Bono to say? How many more anthems are left? U2 aren't really known for their hits - but they have had some big ones. Can they generate more? And that's probably where they are struggling. Should they try more "pop", more rock, more techno/dance? What is feasible for them in terms of image and where they are as a band? And, as Bono said, does the world even need another U2 album?

I argue that not only does the world need a U2 album, it desperately does. It needs some JT/AB era U2 - mixed in with modern touches. NLOTH was close, but a few weak songs hurt an otherwise brilliant album. Create another NLOTH but with the hit making sound of JT and AB and there ya go!

Of course, that's infinitely easier said than done.

 

[Niceman]

"U2 aren't known for their hits?"

Seriouslies?????

 

[JoRu]

Every band, artist or Bieber in the history of mankind who has ever become popular are known for their hits. That's why they became popular in the first place. Heck, even Radiohead are known for their hits (Creep etc.).

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Every band, artist or Bieber in the history of mankind who has ever become popular are known for their hits. That's why they became popular in the first place. Heck, even Radiohead are known for their hits (Creep etc.).

Yea...

And every hater of any band always says "they haven't done anything since [insert old hits]" as their talking point.

Why? Cause all bands are known first and foremost by their hits.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

And every hater of any band always says "they haven't done anything since [insert old hits]" as their talking point.

Eh... half of them these days don't get past 'I don't like Bono' or something along those lines these days.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

true enough.

 

[doctorwho]

"U2 aren't known for their hits?"

Seriouslies?????

Sorry - wrote too fast. I meant to write, U2's big claim to fame aren't necessarily their singles. Yes, they had some big hits, but a lot of their songs - that we all consider classics - either weren't released as a single or did not chart very well. It's really U2's albums that have propelled them.

Whew. That'll teach me to think.

 

[powerhour24]

I'd agree with that claim, outside of a few outsize hits in the JT/AB era, their album sales, and live performances are what have made them so enduring & well known. Even in their radio big days pre-superstardom & their radio big days in the ATYCLB/Bomb era they never really had crossover singles with the exception of Pride & BD respectively, their singles were popular on alt rock & then more adult contemporary but outside of JT & AB they never really charted high in the pop charts.

 

[powerhour24]

There is certainly a mainstream and U2 is bedded in it. It's just that a lot of modern rock, or at least the more credible (artistically) is absolutely niche.

And these opinions, at this point, are like fans wondering, wishing and hoping when Michael Bay is going to stop being Michael Bay. U2 are who they are. I've echoed the above sentiments for years and years. At some point you just have to accept who U2 have become...and currently are.

At least attempting to fuck up the mainstream is a path to a more favorable outcome given their stated goals concerning relevance. If you're going to try to have "hits" (which I certainly don't care about), if you're U2, you might as well try and do something unique or interesting with it. I'm not talking about any of our fan idealism. So while I agree in principle with all of the above about what U2 could do, let's be real here. This is something U2 covets and these kinds of opinions won't change their minds.

U2 are the biggest rock band in the world. Maybe, by far.
Everything they do is mainstream. They just had the biggest concert tour in history...with an album that had zero hits and one that didn't sell particularly well. You can only do that being a mainstream staple.

They do a Broadway musical (and who gives a shit about those outside of a niche community?) and all of a sudden it is punchline fodder everywhere.

So yeah, while I agree with the fan idealism in spirit, I'm not deluded enough to think U2 is going to make their version of 'King of Limbs' or whatever. Hopefully they will...but I severely doubt it. It's going to be more of the same in a lot of respects, and if so, it might as well try to echo Zooropa, rather than ATYCLB.

Bono's vision is preferable to the rest, who seem content to play it more safe ("brick and mortar" is an apt way of putting it, Andrew, I agree. They are old fashioned). But either way, U2 will remain 'mainstream' no matter what they do. They have passed beyond the point of being irrelevant, which is why their goals about relevance are so idiotic...but we can't do much about that at this point. All I hope for is some great music. I think the most plausible path to that, is if they listen to Bono. That's all I'm trying to say.

They will always be hugely well known because they were the biggest stars of the alternative rock-dominate era & retain probably the biggest fan base of any band, but no, their music is no longer mainstream regardless of what they make themselves sound like. Look at the year end charts for the last half decade, rock singles & album no longer place outside of a few outliers that are typically far mor formulaic & radio safe than any of U2's simplest one-off pop songs. Radio hip hop, pop starlets & radio country are all you see on the radio nowadays outside of the occasional successful Coldplay, Daughtry or OneRepublic track.

 

[powerhour24]

Not to bring up Radiohead again but I think that if U2 have non-anthemic music and they want the "small music" to interest home listeners they should debut an album, that won't spark a tour, on YouTube with a live performance of the material like Radiohead have done. Broken bells have some nice live videos. Radiohead is good at dropping new music in intervals to keep interest from flagging. NIN have done a good job promoting new music this way.

I'd kind of agree with this, it's not like U2 hasn't done small music over the years, it's just that they're gun shy with it, sadly I think if they went that route the indie mafia would accuse them of pandering, even though the Passengers & Million Dollar Hotel projects prove this kind of thing is already in their wheelhouse. It also seems in line with what they wanted Songs of Ascent to be, but they were too damn terrified of it not being their next big album. I really think they should have just released it to the fan club, or tied it into a beefed up NLOTH back in fall of 2009 or so with Every Breaking Wave as a single or something, digital only or whatever. With that retail pressure off them they could just let the music stand on its own. The one positive step we have in this direction is that they loosened up on this everything has to have been perfected and promoted before premiering it to the fans mentality with their working rehearsal of material on tour in 2010, in the midst of the biggest stadium show of all time.

 

[MikeyJB]

Every band, artist or Bieber in the history of mankind who has ever become popular are known for their hits. That's why they became popular in the first place. Heck, even Radiohead are known for their hits (Creep etc.).

Not true. The biggest bands of the early-mid 70s were Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd who were the epitome of 'album' bands who didn't have 'hits' as it were.

 

[U2girl]

*coughStairwaytoHeaven/ComfortablyNumb*cough.

 

[Registered Dude]

*coughStairwaytoHeaven/ComfortablyNumb*cough.

Stairway wasn't a single.. It was an album song- one that became huge after so many people bought that album and got stoned to that cut

 

[trevgreg]

Maybe not a single per se, but it did achieve a "hit" status in the aftermath of that album.

 

[lemonfly]

Not true. The biggest bands of the early-mid 70s were Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd who were the epitome of 'album' bands who didn't have 'hits' as it were.

I would definitely describe Pink Floyd as much more of an "albums group" than a "hits group". Sure they have songs that everyone associates them with, but it's their concept albums that they are most recognized and appreciated for. U2 kinda straddle the line between being known for their albums and for their hits. They have a crazy back catalog of hits, but are probably generally revered as an albums group. They are certainly nowhere near "Queen territory" (millions of hits but completely shit albums).

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

U2 became huge on hits in the late 80s and early 90s. They became huge again because of hits in the early 2000s with beautiful day and vertigo. This isn't very hard to figure out.

Music lovers/critics may love albums... the masses love hits. And its the general public that makes a band huge, not people like us. That has always and will always be the case... long before U2, and long after them.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

... lots of hits.

 

[Rachel D.]

I see this thread is off topic and still has no news. So it's pretty normal around here.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

U2 are old. News doesn't move as quickly in a retirement home.

 

[Rachel D.]

Then they need to carefully shuffle their way back to the studio and get something done, maybe after nap and a nice glass of warm milk.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Word is Bono's nurse is actually a ghostwriter who writes all of the material for U2. No Line on the Horizon they say...

 

[Rachel D.]

Lyrics by: Nurse Betty.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Let me in the sound was just something Bono started yelling one day, and she figured it had a nice ring to it.

 

[Rachel D.]

Isn't that how all U2 songs are written?

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I believe for the past decade, yeah.

 

[Rachel D.]

I need to go to bed now.

Spoiler

...Is the title of the first single.

 

[Hollow Island]

U2 are known for their albums...the hit albums that contain hit songs.

 

[LemonMelon]

I think more people would be able to name One if they heard it than the album it comes from.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Absolutely. And I think more people could name The Joshua Tree over Achtung Baby mainly because of the fact that it's got 3 hits on it.