Yo Jay-Z Did you Delay U2?

Jay-Z has blamed himself for the delay in the release of U2’s long-awaited new album.

Titled Songs of Ascent, it had been set for a 2010 release, and with the band set to tour in May time is running out.

And Jay-Z fears it could be down to something he said.

‘One night I ran into Bono and he told me he’d read an interview I’d done,’ he told The Sun.

‘The writer had asked me about a U2 record [No Line on the Horizon] that had just been released and I said something about the pressure a group like that must be under just to meet their own standards.??

‘Bono said the quote had really gotten to him and he decided to go back to the studio, even though the album was already done, and keep reworking it ‘til he thought it was as good as it could possibly be.

‘I was surprised that at that point in his career he still got anxious about his work.’



U2 will release “Songs of Ascent” in advance

Spider Man finely gets some postive reviews. The boys have to be over the whole Spider man deal, at this point is about saving face. The show seems to be heading in the right direction. However the most interesting news coming out of the interview.

Bono and the  boys will release a new studio album named “Songs of Ascent” in advance to their American tour leg. According to U2 manager Paul McGuinness songs including ‘Mercy’, ‘Every Breaking Wave’, and ‘Boys Fall from the Sky’ from the new U2 album have already been released . 

'Songs of Ascent' lead single live on tour

on August 21, U2 performed a never-before-heard track called “Every Breaking Wave” in concert in Helsinki, Finland. That song - which can now be heard online - is reportedly the lead single from the band’s upcoming album Songs of Ascent.

U2 has already played three new songs on the current European leg of its 360° Tour: “Glastonbury,” “North Star,” and “Return of the Stingray Guitar,” all premiered during the opening concert in Turin.

After performing “Every Breaking Wave,” a slow-tempo acoustic song, lead singer Bono told the crowd, “No one has heard that before - not even us.”

Bono talked about the song to music magazine Rolling Stone in March 2009, saying it had originally been intended for the band’s 2009 studio album No Line on the Horizon but would instead serve as the lead single for forthcoming LP Songs of Ascent, which may be out by the end of 2010.

Bono recently told Rolling Stone that the band has three additional albums worth of material in the works: a rock album, a “club-sounding” album, and the band’s music for the Broadway play Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

 Editor Note

Watch U2’s performance of “Every Breaking Wave”:Video from U2GIGS * We have fan videos too however this really is the best one from the show - Cheers to Matt and Ax -

U2's Club Sound

Bono / U2 360 Tour 2010 In the September issue of the Rolling Stone which hits newstands Friday in North America Bono tells all about a new album with a club sound.

As already reported the band has plans to release a rock album, and SOngs of Ascent a set of songs from the recording session of their 2009 album “No Line On the Horizon” also Bono and The Edge have been busy with Spider- Man the musical.

Bono says he thinks he “could have made a limp work.”

He adds: “There are a lot bigger problems out there than the ones I was facing. … But I came out of it perfect. And I feel incredibly grateful.”

U2 Possible new ablum !

U2 360 Tour 2010A new U2 album is potentially on the cards before the end of the year.

It is the kind of news likely to have the top dogs at Universal Music rubbing their hands in glee. And it has been confirmed to Hot Press by U2 manager Paul McGuinness.

“I hope there will be another record pretty soon,” Paul told Olaf Tyaransen.

Pressed as to how soon might “pretty soon” be, the prospect of an album this side of Christmas was revealed.

“If I was being wildly optimistic, I’d say before the end of the year,” he laughed.

The band have already discussed a work in progress under the working title of Songs Of Ascent, a lot of material for which had been recorded before the year’s plans were disrupted by the back injury that put lead singer Bono out of action and required spinal surgery.

Fans may take encouragement from the fact that U2’s current touring activities will come to an end early in October – opening up the possibility that the final shaping of an album could take place over the following month.

“There’s a mixture of material available now,” Paul McGuinness reveals. “Some of it’s been recorded. Some of it is called Songs Of Ascent, then there’s Spiderman material, then there’s some new stuff. I mean, Bono’s always a bit over-optimistic on these occasions, but I heard him telling an Italian journalist that he had four albums ready. That’s not quite it! But that’s what he was saying [laughs].”

A considerable batch of material was close to being finished in the Spring.

“There was a lot of very strong material already in the can earlier this year,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes confirmed. “They debuted ‘Glastonbury’ last night in Turin, which is a really beautiful song, and a potential single. And also ‘North Star’, which was performed acoustically – it is a classic U2 idea, which has fantastic resonance. And there is a lot more brilliant stuff where they came from.”

Bono came through his first gig back in flying colours, further encouraging speculation that the U2 flying machine is fully back on track.

“The show went extremely well,” Paul McGuinness reflected, speaking from a police motorcade immediately after the show. “It was really superb. No weakness, no mishaps physically. And I thought he sang particularly well. The production performed perfectly. It was kind of a perfect night, really.”

So it’s business as usual for U2?

“Yes… we’re much relieved.”