What did you know about Dublin Sessions ?

In February 1991, U2 resumed the album’s sessions in the seaside manor “Elsinore” in Dalkey, renting the house for ₤10,000 per month. Lanois’ strategy to record in houses, mansions, or castles was something he believed brought atmosphere to the recordings. Dublin audio services company Big Bear Sound installed a recording studio in the house, with the recording room in a converted garage diagonally beneath the control room. Video cameras and TV monitors were used to monitor the spaces. Within walking distance of Bono’s and The Edge’s homes, the sessions at Elsinore were more relaxed and productive.The band struggled with one particular song—later released as the B-side “Lady With the Spinning Head”—but three separate tracks, “The Fly”, “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” and “Zoo Station” were derived from it. During the writing of “The Fly”, Bono conceived an alternate persona based on a pair of oversized black sunglasses that he wore to lighten the mood in the studio. Bono developed the character into a leather-clad egomaniac also called “The Fly”, and he assumed this alter ego for the band’s subsequent public appearances and live performances on the Zoo TV Tour.

In April, tapes from the earlier Berlin sessions were leaked and bootlegged. Bono dismissed the leaked demos as “gobbledygook”, and The Edge likened the situation to “being violated”. The leak shook the band’s confidence and soured their collective mood for a few weeks. Staffing logistics led to the band having three engineers at one point, and as a result, they split recording between Elsinore and The Edge’s home studio. Engineer Robbie Adams said the approach raised morale and activity levels: “There was always something different to listen to, always something exciting happening.” To record all of the band’s material and test different arrangements, the engineers utilised a technique they called “fatting”, which allowed them to achieve more than 48 tracks of audio by using a 24-track analogue recording, a DAT machine, and a synchroniser. In the June 1991 issue of U2’s fan magazine Propaganda, Lanois said that he believed some of the in-progress songs would become worldwide hits, despite lyrics and vocal takes being unfinished.

During the Dublin sessions, Eno was sent tapes of the previous two months’ work, which he called a “total disaster”. Joining U2 in the studio, he stripped away what he thought to be excessive overdubbing. The group believes his intervention saved the album. Eno theorised that the band was too close to their music, explaining, “if you know a piece of music terribly well and the mix changes and the bass guitar goes very quiet, you still hear the bass. You’re so accustomed to it being there that you compensate and remake it in your mind.” Eno also assisted them through a crisis point one month before the deadline to finish recording; he recalls that “everything seemed like a mess”, and he insisted the band take a two-week holiday from working on the album. The break gave them a clearer perspective and added decisiveness.

After work at Elsinore finished in July, Eno, Flood, Lanois, and previous U2 producer Steve Lillywhite mixed the tracks at Windmill Lane Studios. Each producer created his own mixes of the songs, and the band either picked the version they preferred or requested that certain aspects of each be combined. Additional recording and mixing continued at a frenetic pace until the 21 September deadline, including last-minute changes to “The Fly” and “One”. The Edge estimates that half of the work for the album sessions was done in the last three weeks to finalise songs. The final night was spent devising a running order for the record. The following day, The Edge travelled to Los Angeles with the album’s tapes for mastering.

U2's Bono named Dubliner

Irish rock singer Bono has just been nominated Dubliner of the Year. The U2 singer, no stranger to awards, claimed he was blindsided but delighted by the title and said being named Dubliner of the Year was the perfect way to wrap up a banner year for the Irish band.

“Dublin is a state of mind and a place. What’s being a Dub? I don’t know, but I am one and proud of it through and through. The messy head, all the earnest conversation, our spunkiness and punkiness, our sense of fun, the self-deprecating over-confidence.

“We are so many contradictions. Dubliner of the Year crowns a great year for me and the band, not everyone’s experience I know. I’m feeling very blessed and grateful, and deep down in my gut, I know this city has what it takes to be a world-beater once again. It already is, in my head.”

Paul Trainer the Editor of The Dubliner, the publication behind the award,  told the press that Bono was the natural winner for the 2010 title.

“Bono has inspired many of the articles we have published over the last ten years. Wherever he goes, he takes a bit of Dublin with him and in the last year he has taken our city to every corner of the earth. He is a Dubliner who makes us proud to be The Dubliner,” he said.

Fellow Dubliner Danny O’Donoghue from rising new Irish band The Script praised his hero as a success story which should be celebrated.

“Bono has got what most musicians search for all there life, heart. His belief changes others. He made it possible for Dubliners to dream, to think ‘what if?’ His belief and drive as a Dubliner got him to where he is today and we all need to be reminded that we drink the same water. So I congratulate Bono and say well done, keep flying the flag for Dublin and Ireland,” he said.



U2 Plays Horsens

Tweet U2 play tonight in the CASA Arena Horsens n the fourth concert of  the U2 World Tour 360. The setlist will include 23 songs, and probably again come up with previously unplayed songs such as “North Star” and “Glastonbury”.

The U2 classics such as One, Moment of Surrender or elevation will find their way into the setlist of four from Dublin.

On Monday, 8.16.2010 It is then in Horsens in the CASA-Arena crack then again properly, because the four are from Dublin will give their second concert in front of more than 40,000 fans. In the CASA-fit arena purely for the 34,000 spectators, but then there are the popular indoor places (where soccer is usually played) is expected to clear more than 35,000 enthusiastic fans.

U2’s largest Germany website will be reporting and streaming the show. This should be very interesting expect to get audio and video from their site. Visit them directly at U2TOUR.DE

Ww wish them good cheer, to stream a U2 show is hard due to the millions of fans around the world. So lets enjoy the show.

What time is it in Horsens ? Local Time is

Expect the the boys to take the stage around 8:45 PM

Bono and Edge brave weather

Bono and The Edge enjoyed a rare boys’ night out in Dublin - but were late because of the bad weather.

The U2 pair attended a special preview charity screening of Davis Guggenheim’s film It Might Get Loud at Temple Bar’s Irish Film Institute last night. The stars joined long- time friends, singer Gavin Friday and U2 manager Paul McGuinness, among others, to mark the involvement in the production of U2’s very own sculptor in sound, The Edge. To celebrate his achievement dad-of-five David Evans, better known as The Edge, took to the stage before the screening to officially open the film. Wearing his trademark black hat, the legendary musician paid a special tribute to his bandmates and friends of over 30 years.

“Obviously without Bono, Adam and Larry I couldn’t have done it at all so in their own way they are the wind beneath my wings,” he said. “It was great being involved and I was very proud to be invited to take part, I think it turned out very well. It’s great to be back in Dublin and I really appreciate so many people coming out in the bad weather to support me.” 

The film examines the interplay between three talented guitarists; modern traditionalist Jack White of The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin’s legendary Jimmy Page and, of course, our very own The Edge. The director of An Inconvenient Truth, Guggenheim’s aim was to show the three diverse artists’ attitudes towards music and their philosophies through various group and individual interviews and footage of the trio. But, according to The Edge, the three were more alike than he had first suspected, explaining that he had forged a close bond with his co-stars during filming. Speaking about White, The Edge described him as “a great showman”, revealing that the star had worn six-inch platform heels throughout filming.

He also joked with manager Paul McGuinness — who was seated in the audience — that he had yet to be paid for the charity venture, laughing that “we’ll have to discuss that later”. The star paid special tribute to his children during his speech, including model daughter Holly Evans, who was seated next to Bono. Showing his lighter side, the singer, wearing his signature dark glasses, gave his friend’s daughter a thumbs up. The Edge also gave some teachers from his former secondary school, Mount Temple Comprehensive School a special mention. “They were the leading force in getting the band going in the first place,” he told the packed cinema theatre. His words were met with rapturous applause as he left the stage to take his seat between Bono and Holly to watch the film. Other big names who stepped out to attend the special screening in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, included artist Guggi and designer John Rocha.

Dublin Rockers Bring it Home

Half of Dublin 4 decided to sup with the Devlin last weekend. Nothing strange about that you think, but no, this wasn’t the Devlin you know (Peter, husband of Lorraine), it was his younger brother, Colin. So half of Dublin 4 had to take their long spoons to LA last weekend.

Ostensibly, it was for the little matter of a U2 concert. But it was really to help Irish actress Sonya Macari surprise her fiance Colin with a party at the Bar Marmont of the Chateau Marmont last Saturday night.

Pop star Colin turned up thinking he was going for a drink with Sonya. Once there he was surprised by the assembled throng of Irish glamouratti.

U2TOURFANS 2009My fingers would bleed from typing if I told you all the names but they included Pamela Flood (can anyone tell me what she does now?) and her boyfriend, Town Bar & Grill boss Ronan Ryan; magician Keith Barry; Dunnes heir Andrew Heffernan (who was at the Barcelona opening night and the recent New York show too — is this what heirs do?); and PR whizz Tara O’Leary. Former RTE star Caroline Morahan was also there (she is, I’m told, getting on great with her acting classes over there in La La Land) as was Olivia Tracey. Ms Tracey, who has gone down a storm in Hollywood, could probably give Caroline acting lessons by now.

U2 were staying in the Chateau Marmont, apart from the Edge who stayed in his house in LA. The following night, Sonya et al went to the U2 concert and, naturally the VIP pre-party reception — which turned out to be a who’s who of Hollywood and Ireland’s best talent: among them Colin Farrell, Pierce Brosnan, Cindy Crawford and hubby Rande Gerber, David Beckham (sporting a beard), Ewan McGregor, Bono, Irish classical music composer Patrick Cassidy (who is doing a giant concert in Rome next summer) and Teresa Carr’s favourite diner, Orlando Bloom.