New U2 Album June 2010

U2 make fans’ Christmas as they reveal plans for their next album

The biggest band in the world is planning a release by June before taking to the road on tour, writes Niamh Horan

IRISH rockers U2 have delivered a late Christmas present to their loyal fans this weekend by promising to release a new album by June.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Independent at Leopardstown Races yesterday, U2 frontman Bono revealed the band had been working hard on new material in the run-up to Christmas and are hoping to have a new chart-topping album on shelves before the summer.

Speaking about the upcoming release, Bono described how the band had been putting in the hard work in the studio in recent weeks: “We are working away and we have a couple of yearlings in the stables that could really turn out to be thoroughbreds in the future,” he said.

“As a band you are always trying to work on new material and we had some unfinished material from the last album.

“I would love to elaborate a bit more but unfortunately it is a democracy — and sure isn’t that the world that we live in?”

One person who had no problem elaborating, however, was U2 manager Paul McGuinness.

The legendary music mogul described how the world’s biggest rock group are confident of having the album released by June.

“I have heard some of the stuff the guys have played and, yeah, it is great. Bono is always an optimist but he seems confident of getting a new record out by the end of the next six months. They’re talking about June. By that time we will be ready to go back on tour and I think that will give it a different flavour.”

Mr McGuinness also described how sales of concert tickets “have been incredible” for the band — despite the current recession.

“Most of the shows left are either sold out or close to being sold out, which is terrific. We’re defying gravity at this stage — it’s incredible.”

He also took some time out to offer his support to bassist Adam Clayton following reports last week that he is involved in a court case with his former housekeeper who has allegedly misappropriated €1.8m.

“It is very upsetting for him, especially because it is someone that he trusted and let into his life and his home. I didn’t council him or advise him or anything like that.

“For Adam to discover that someone he had trusted had let him down like that… well, it is disappointing.

“I suppose though that is life and it could happen to anyone. But I can’t really say too much about it because of the legality of it but that the courts are dealing with it.”

Meanwhile, speaking about his time off over Christmas, Bono said: “We have had a really great Christmas, very homely and lovely and we had a great time. In fact, we have just had the most amazing year.”

The Irish rocker was continuing what has become an annual tradition for him an his pals, by spending St Stephen’s Day at Leopardstown races with his wife Ali.

“I did have one bet today but it was more of a sentimental flutter for the year that is ahead of U2.

“I put some money on a horse called Happy Reunion but unfortunately it was no good so I can only hope that we will have a bit more success.”

Dusting ‘Em Off: U2 - Three

Editor Note: Reposted from Original Story

By Joe Marvilli on December 26th, 2009

This is where it all began. 30 years ago this past September, four Irish teenagers — Bono Vox, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. — recorded three songs in Windmill Lane Studios for their first official release. Titled Three and sold exclusively in Ireland under CBS Records, the EP represented the first step on the path of success for U2.

By this point, U2 had already been together for three years and were steadily building a reputation in Ireland. It seemed like they were set to take off when the band won a talent contest in 1978 that offered a prize of studio time to record a demo. Unfortunately, when the session began, no one in the band knew what the hell they were doing. Edge put his guitar at an incredibly low volume, Bono had adopted an awful English accent, and a young Larry Mullen, Jr. was pulled out of the studio by his father because he had exams the next day.

While it was a squandered opportunity, U2 luckily got another chance a year later. This time around, they were a little more prepared. During the interim year, the group landed Paul McGuinness as their manager, gained support from Hot Press Magazine, and opened for punk rockers The Stranglers. They caught the attention of an A & R scout from CBS London named Chas De Whalley, who came in with demo money and produced the EP despite a lack of experience. Although the band still wasn’t playing very well, the songs they wrote were strong enough to support their weaknesses.

“Out of Control” was chosen as the A-side for the EP by listeners on the Dave Fanning Rock Show on RTE station. Almost as soon as the track starts, it has “U2 anthem” written all over it. By this point, Edge had gotten his Memory Man Echo Unit and had started to develop his trademark sound. In this case, it really makes the song since the rest of the band were still finding their feet. Mullen, Jr, had trouble playing in time, Clayton’s bass was extremely simple, and Bono… well, let’s just say his singing voice wasn’t all that yet. But the song has a real kick to it and a boundless amount of energy that feels contagious. Bono’s lyrical exploration was already moving in an introspective direction. Written on his 18th birthday, he said the song was about hitting that age and “realizing… the two most important decisions in your life have nothing to do with you — being born and dying.”

“Stories for Boys” has more of a groove to it than the A-side. Containing a fully expressed sense of excitement, the song deals with escapism from the everyday. While not fully developed, it technically shows more promise than either of the other two songs. Whereas “Out of Control” feels mostly like Edge was in charge, “Stories for Boys” is the sound of the band clicking and playing as a cohesive unit. “Boy-Girl” is the least memorable track on the EP. Dealing with the relationship between (no surprise here) a boy and a girl who are maturing into adults, the song is more like a rough sketch than a fully thought out track. The lyrics don’t go anywhere and the instrumentation is just average at best. It’s not shocking that when U2 were re-recording songs for their first album, Boy, it was the only one out of the three to not make the cut.

Limited to 1,000 copies for Ireland, the EP made a surprising splash in the Irish Singles Charts, peaking at number 19. Sadly, CBS UK passed on U2, only offering a record deal if they fired Larry Mullen, Jr. The drummer was still having trouble playing in time but the rest of the band stuck by him. The EP did help them increase their fanbase in their home country even more and was followed by a tour in England. The resulting success of that tour led to a deal with Island Records. The rest is history.

Even though the music isn’t really there, the potential of U2 can be heard in all three songs. Well… okay, not “”Boy-Girl”. But “Out of Control” and “Stories for Boys” would go on to be very good album cuts for their debut in 1980. “Out of Control” has been an occasional part of the band’s set list, all the way up to this decade. The sound made on Three isn’t that of one of the world’s biggest bands. It’s the sound of a group that had endless enthusiasm for their music and knew success was within reach.

U2 Songs That Celebrate the Season

U2 is made up of a batch of Catholic Irishmen, which means that the rock band can somewhat be considered a Christian band and ATU2 compiled a list of the “Top 6 U2 Christmas References” leading up to the holiday … although don’t expect “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” from Bono & Co! At No. 6 is U2’s (never officially released) cover of John Lennon’s classic song “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” U2 once performed the song on the Irish Late Late Show.

“If God Will Send His Angles” comes in at No. 5, with the line, “And the love? What’s that you say to me? Does love light up your Christmas tree?”

In reviewing the song ATU2 says the song is “as delicate and beautiful as anything they’ve ever done. The whole song has a cold, shimmering feel to it, like a Christmas night where the narrator is outside of the house in the snow, looking through the window at the warmth on the other side.”

“Jesus, sing a song you wrote. The words are sticking in my throat. Peace on Earth. We hear it every Christmas time, but hope and history won’t rhyme so what’s it worth. This peace on earth,” are the words to “Peace on Earth,” in which Bono lists people that died in the Omagh bombing and asks why. No. 3, “Miss Sarajevo” is similar to the past two songs, with the lyrics, “Is there a time for typing ribbons, a time for Christmas trees? Is there a time for setting tables and the night is set to freeze?” No. 2 is”Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home).”  U2’s cover of Greg Lake’s “I Believe in Father Christmas” ranked at No.1 for being “the best cover song U2 has ever done”

Dave's Fab 50

Legendary DJ Dave Fanning gave U2 an early Christmas present after naming them as having the best single of all time.

The fast-talking presenter has revealed how their world-renowned track One emerged victorious after a long-running poll among his listeners to find their favourite hit.

In Fanning’s Fab 50, the foursome managed to beat off competition from some strong contenders to come out on top.

Other anthems in the final included Kings of Leon’s Sex On Fire, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven and The Killers’ hit Mr Brightside.

But our own Dublin lads claimed three of the top ten places with One, Bad and With or Without You.

Now in it’s 29th year, Fanning’s poll has been calling on his listeners to name their favourite all-time hits over the past few weeks.

U2 have always dominated Fanning’s Fab 50 with One in particular topping the charts over the past few years, said Dave.

“I’ve seen them been challenged from the likes of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths and Radiohead but, regardless, U2 are always there or thereabouts. Every year, the top ten has featured numerous U2 tracks and yet again it’s great to see that their following in Ireland is as strong as ever.”

U2 Scores Rolling Stones top album/song 2009

Rolling Stone put out their best of 2009 and U2 score the tops on both Album and Song of the year (“Moment of Surrender).

Aiming for rock glory, Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. explore dark places (“Moment of Surrender”), find modern twists on their classic anthems (“Magnificent”) and uncover blindinglight soul (“Breathe”). The result was an album with a sense of drama that no one could match all year — more proof that a band that isn’t busy being born is busy dying.

In “No Line on the Horizon,” it is the combination of garage-organ drone, fat guitar distortion and Mullen’s parade-ground drumming, the last so sharp and hard all the way through that it’s difficult to tell how much is him and how much is looping (that is a compliment). The Edge takes one of his few extended guitar solos at the end of “Unknown Caller,” a straightforward, elegiac break with a worn, notched edge to his treble tone. “White as Snow” is mostly alpine quiet — guitar, keyboard, Bono and harmonies, like the Doors’ “The Crystal Ship” crossed with an Appalachian ballad. “Cedars of Lebanon” ends the album much as “The Wanderer” did on Zooropa, a triumph of bare minimums (this time it’s Bono going in circles, through wreckage, instead of Johnny Cash, who sang “The Wanderer”) with limpid guitar and electronics suggesting a Jimi Hendrix love song, had he lived into the digital age.

 “I was born to sing for you/I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up,” Bono declares early on this album, in a song called “Magnificent.” He does it in an oddly low register, a heated hush just above the shimmer of the Edge’s guitar and the iron-horse roll of bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. Bono is soon up in thin air with those familiar rodeo yells, on his way to the chorus, which ends with him just singing the word “magnificent,” repeating it with relish, stretching the syllables.

But he does it not in self-congratulation, more like wonder and respect, as if in middle age, on his band’s 11th studio album, he still can’t believe his gift — and luck. Bono knows he was born with a good weapon for making the right kind of trouble: the clean gleam and rocket’s arc of that voice. “It was one dull morning/I woke the world with bawling,” he boasted in “Out of Control,” written by Bono on his 18th birthday and issued on U2’s Irish debut EP.

 

U2's Show must go on !

Dave Long/U2TOURFANS 2009U2 – who released their twelfth studio album ‘No Line on the Horizon’ earlier this year – are always striving to do better and don’t understand why other bands are not as ambitious.

Guitarist The Edge said: “It matters to us that we still make music that connects, and we are still capable of potentially doing our best-ever album.

“It’s not a foregone conclusion that our best work is behind us. That still makes it really exciting.

“We get that. Sometimes I think, ‘Why has it been so difficult for people in the past to maintain that?’ We’re still learning. We’re still ambitious creatively, in terms of where we can take the band. There’s an awful lot there for us.”

The ‘One’ hitmakers insist their view isn’t “arrogant” but because they don’t feel any limitations or restrictions on their creativity.

The Edge added to Rolling Stone magazine: “We all genuinely believe it. It’s not arrogance. It’s because we are still hungry. There’s no reason why we can’t do this. You think about other art forms and artists — filmmakers, painters, sculptors. It doesn’t follow that your best work is done in your late twenties, early thirties, and then it’s downhill. Unfortunately, that’s the way rock ‘n’ roll has panned out.

“Our only limitation is our ability to apply ourselves, to be hard-minded on our work. We push and push until we get to those special pieces of music, those lyrics. And it doesn’t arrive on call. You can’t turn it on.”

Limited Edition 360 Concert Images

We have selected the best photos from our staff photographer, David Long. He has been shooting concert photos for over 10 years and has created some lasting images. This years tour is no exception.

The limited edition images can only be purchased at U2TOURFANS. Working with Dave we have designed two different collages that we feel capture the boys at their best. If you look closely at the image of Bono it seems like he is singing to the heavens and God has shined his light upon him. 

You can purchase any of the images shown within the collage as a single photo.

Your purchase goes towards the support of your site. We arre totally supported by donations and sponsorships. We thank Dave for all his support over the past year and look forward to having him out on the road for the 2010 tour season. 

Dave Long/U2TOURFANS 2009 (A)

Dave Long/.U2TOURFANS 2009(B)

U2 360 Tour Photos