U2 Album Delayed: Does Anyone Care Anymore?
I am a huge U2 fan. I’ve followed them in some way, shape or form since 1980. Despite my fandom I get annoyed. I know it doesn’t matter what we think. They are long past the point where they needed to answer to anyone, including their fans.
Adam Clayton was doing an interview on RTE, related to one of charity endeavours called Walk In My Shoes when this exchange occurred (courtesy of atu2.com):
Adam: We’ve been working on a record and we’ve been humming and hawing on whether it’s finished or not. We’ve decided it’s not finished — we’re going to work up until Christmas.
Shay Byrne: That’s the beauty of being successful. You can go, You know what, record company? We own it. We’re not finished. We’re gonna keep going.
Adam: I wish we were a little bit more definite about our scheduling because people have been expecting it. But it’ll be out next year — maybe March/April. That’s the plan, but I’m not confirming it.
If the band cares about new fans at all, I think they are going about it all wrong. They will always do well live but name a hit song from the last 10 years. This quest for perfection only matters to them and that’s fine. I’m curious if they realize that. Personally, I wish they’d embrace the new world and work on a song and release it. As long as they wanted to. Anyone one else feel this way or is just me?
Heresy alert: I lost the plot with U2 when The Joshua Tree was released. I wasn’t the only one — I remember talking about it with someone at the time, and they said they only liked “Red Hill Mining Town” which was about my opinion as well.
Yeah yeah, that’s the album that made them huge in the USA, so it sounds like snobbery, but still.
Since then, it’s felt like there are U2 fans the way there are Rolling Stone fans — you’re a fan because you’re a fan, and there are enough of you to keep the band big. It’s not that they don’t write good songs anymore — I love “Beautiful Day” — but it doesn’t match the fandom.
Or, at least, the fans are hearing something I can’t, because I bought the album “Beautiful Day” came from and wound up giving it away.
I love U2 – my fav band for sure. I would agree that the last couple of albums have been anticlimactic… and – it’s been horrible luck that Bono’s had some type of crazy accident around tour time, which has seemed to have a negative (?) affect on the momentum of the release.
Ugh, the old “relevancy” argument again. If they were truly irrelevant, you wouldn’t be writing articles on them. And regarding hit singles, Song for Someone was their most successful single since Vertigo. Prior to that they had a single that was nominated for an Academy Award, and followed it up with Invisible, which was downloaded 3 million times in the first 24 hours.
Personally, I think their last 2 albums have been their most exciting since Pop.
Nonetheless, to answer your question, “Does anyone care anymore?” Yes, in fact, millions do. Like the 30 million that downloaded Songs of Innocence in the first month. Or the 90 million that streamed it. Or the 1.3 million that sold out all 36 North American dates on the Innocence + Experience Tour.
Achtung Baby was the last U2 album I really paid attention to. Since Pop was released, I think they’ve kind of lost the plot. Don;t get me wrong, I still like the band, and they’ve had some great songs over the past 10-15 years or so, but nothing has really grabbed me.
And why don;t I follow this new album much now? Because when it’s really, it’ll probably just show up on my computer. Like the last album.
My favourite U2 albums are their earliest ones, up until “The Joshua Tree,” which is still an amazing listen. When “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” came out, I took it on a road trip and played it almost non-stop for two or three days. It just fit in so well with the northern Ontario landscape and feeling, and it was a pleasure to drive to. Since then they have released some good songs, but nothing that has really stuck with me. Two or three good tracks on each new album, and a lot of forgettable stuff. The band is still great. I saw them play in a bar in Buffalo for the “October” tour when they were around 20 years old, and they were amazing. I’m always willing to give their new stuff a listen, as I know there will be at least a couple of good songs. More than that – an album as good as their older stuff – would be a great big bonus.
All that you can’t leave behind was nominated for album of the year. How to dismantle an atomic bomb won the Grammy for album of the year. Rolling stone named No Line On the Horizon best album of the year. Millions of fans all over the world know they are relevant. One of the best bands of all time!!!
U2 are so preachy and they preach to the converted. Favourite song? Streets Have No Name—-by The Pet Shop Boys!!!
The “name any hit single from the last ten years” argument is flawed.Popular radio doesn’t play novelty acts’ new material.Heard a new hit from Madonna or Mariah Carey lately?
I rest my case.
Absolutely irrelevant to Americans now. They spit in our faces. Some fans are stubborn enough to vote the way Bono says to. Now he’s the Establishment…bffs with everyone in the DNC, U2 probably knows where some of the bodies are buried too – they seem very scared of Donald Trump winning. I’m looking for their names to come up in the WikiLeaks
Janet you’re an idiot..you dont speak for all Americans.Just the idiots who vote for an oranged con man.
Yes. I care, like many, many others.