U2 may change musical direction on next album

timmyjoe42 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:36 pm

Quote:

NEW YORK (Billboard) - With its monster-selling Vertigo world tour complete, U2 may be ready to rock less, according to frontman Bono

"Our band has certainly reached the end of where we've been at for the last couple of albums," the newly dubbed honorary knight said during a BBC Radio interview earlier this week. "I want to see what else we can do with it, take it to the next level; I think that's what we've got to do."

Asked if that might mean a move away from rock 'n' roll, Bono replied, "We're gonna continue to be a band, but maybe the rock will have to go; maybe the rock has to get a lot harder. But whatever it is, it's not gonna stay where it is."

He said he's like U2 to explore compositions featuring just voice and acoustic guitar. "I would like to do a couple of tunes in that direction, with just a lot of space around the voice," he said. "I'd like to strip things down; that's something I'd be very interested in at the moment."

U2 is expected to get busy in the studio after the New Year, with an eye on releasing a new album before the end of 2007. Bono said casual fans were the target for the recently released compilation "U218 Singles," which includes two new songs.

"We've never been much of a singles band," he said. "But we did it because we have a very young audience coming through, and we wanted to, you know, just be very available for people who want to check us out, you know? We wanted to have something they could check us out very easy on."

"Rock less", bwahahahaha

FT · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:40 pm

none less rock

shiv · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:41 pm

suck more.

no guru · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:50 pm

"Oh you haters..." (fag slap)

harry · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:52 pm

1. Fuck all y'all. U2 live can still blow away most bands on any of Obner's precious alternative Top 20 lists (including my own).

2. Bono, although having his heart in the right justice-seeking place, is a pompous ass... and would be well advised to shut the fuck up.

3. "Changing directions" is a good move, or a bad move, but a reasoned move for music icons. Note Bob Dylan's recent foray into Tin Pan Alley american jewish soundscaping, re: Irving Berlin or a Texas swing band, in Modern Times, was... to put it bluntly, a good move.

no guru · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:55 pm

Since I found their last two albums to be sterile and failry dull, I welcome any change in direction so long as they don't try to "rawk." Rock is fine, but they suck at rawk.

HaqDiesel · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:46 pm

Summary: U2 set to release Pop and Zooropa remasters.

harry · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:50 pm

HaqDiesel Wrote:

Summary: U2 set to release Pop and Zooropa remasters.

Wouldn't mind some Achtung Baby remasters... still sounds fresh.

neuroboy · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:39 pm

Quote:

He said he's like U2 to explore compositions featuring just voice and acoustic guitar. "I would like to do a couple of tunes in that direction, with just a lot of space around the voice,"

yikes.

splates · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:57 pm

the few listenable U2 songs are all from the likes of Achtung Baby, Pop and Zooropa

harry · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:04 pm

splates Wrote:

the few listenable U2 songs are all from the likes of Achtung Baby, Pop and Zooropa

You've heard Boy? War? Unforgettable Fire?

Prince of Darkness · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:41 am **Posts:** 11048

harry Wrote:

splates Wrote:

the few listenable U2 songs are all from the likes of Achtung Baby, Pop and Zooropa

You've heard Boy? War? Unforgettable Fire?

Hell they're a great band, but why all the judicious silence about The Joshua Tree, which, last i checked, is still a motherfucker of an album.

splates · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:13 pm

harry Wrote:

splates Wrote:

the few listenable U2 songs are all from the likes of Achtung Baby, Pop and Zooropa

You've heard Boy? War? Unforgettable Fire?

yeah, they were my dad's favourite band when i was growing up

to me those albums are pretty boring

I only like the stuff most U2 fans dont, 'Lemon' and shit like that

alongwaltz. · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:17 pm

Rock less?

Coldplay watch out.

fuse · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:20 pm

He is a fulltime bullshit artist and should probably not talk nearly as often as he does. The man speaks in soundbites like a politico. Somewhere around these quotes he probably also said, 'The Edge is really on fire" and something about being "punk rock from venus" or something. But any change from the tepid last couple would be welcome. Agree with Harry, Boy is a damn fine debut record.

fuse · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:33 pm

fuse Wrote:

He is a fulltime bullshit artist and should probably not talk nearly as often as he does. The man speaks in soundbites like a politico. Somewhere around these quotes he probably also said, 'The Edge is really on fire" and something about being "punk rock from venus" or something. But any change from the tepid last couple would be welcome. Agree with Harry, Boy is a damn fine debut record.

Ha! I saw the article elsewhere and I got really close to Sir Bono's script.

QUOTE:
Something happened on the tour with Adam Clayton, that’s for sure. I think you might call it… rediscovering your mojo. [laughs] I don’t what it was, but he is really on fire. And that’s very interesting because Adam’s the sort who — it’s like catching lightning. He’s the one that decides the pace we move at, and I don’t know how that is or why that is, but if he’s on fire it bodes very well. Edge is determined to reinvent the electric guitar and find his place in the pantheon of guitar players that have inspired him. So that’s good.

bort · **Posted:** Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:42 pm

eh, i dunno. i tend to think i have a pretty keen ear, but sometimes i hear artists say "new direction, different approach, experimenting with our sound" etc, but really it doesn't sound any different at all. maybe they do one off-style song on the whole album, and maybe use some instrument like xylophone or something. i think artists tend to go the "its new and different" route because for whatever reason saying your album is "the same old stuff" isn't cool.

again this goes back to my initial feelings toward U2, and that is that they are just a regular pop/rock band that are ok/good at what they do. has their lineup changed in 20 years? have they done anything outside of the pop/rock genre in 20 years? if no, then i don't expect the new stuff to be significantly different. i could be wrong, but i don't expect to be.

Flying Rabbit · **Posted:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:09 am

Wow, I knew people on the board resented Bono, but I didn't realize U2 was such a hated band.

Harry/Phil--I agree with both of your sentiments, and I'll throw in this statement that will no doubt be of the flaming fodder: What's the difference between U2 and the Rolling Stones, which garner so much praise on this board? Look, both bands creating a hubbub early in their careers, put out stellar mid-career albums, and have kind of coasted along since and thusly become touring monsters releasing albums once every couple of years.

U2 is still an amazingly talented band, and methinks that if Bono had kept his mouth shut a couple more times, would be heralded more. Also, it should be said that most bands/musicians would kill for the career U2 has had.

no guru · **Posted:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:51 am

Plus I got all that platonic manlove fr The Edge.

If I had to be some other dude, one could do worse than being Ol' Dave.

Finch Platte · **Posted:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:11 am

frosted Wrote:

Plus I got all that platonic manlove fr The Edge.

If I had to be some other dude, one could do worse than being Ol' Dave.

Please change your avatar. Everytime I see it, I think you're Dusty Chalk.

no guru · **Posted:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:18 am

Grinch Platte Wrote:

frosted Wrote:

Plus I got all that platonic manlove fr The Edge.

If I had to be some other dude, one could do worse than being Ol' Dave.

Please change your avatar. Everytime I see it, I think you're Dusty Chalk.

So he's been a baby emu before?

paladisiac · **Posted:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:23 am

weren't they going to reRECORD Pop?

Prince of Darkness · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:41 am **Posts:** 11048

Flying Rabbit Wrote:

Wow, I knew people on the board resented Bono, but I didn't realize U2 was such a hated band.

Harry/Phil--I agree with both of your sentiments, and I'll throw in this statement that will no doubt be of the flaming fodder: What's the difference between U2 and the Rolling Stones, which garner so much praise on this board? Look, both bands creating a hubbub early in their careers, put out stellar mid-career albums, and have kind of coasted along since and thusly become touring monsters releasing albums once every couple of years.

U2 is still an amazingly talented band, and methinks that if Bono had kept his mouth shut a couple more times, would be heralded more. Also, it should be said that most bands/musicians would kill for the career U2 has had.

The difference is that the stones have had way more and way bigger duds over the course of their career, and U2, comparatively have been more consistent, given their considerably shorter career.

Consider this please, when the stones fail, they fail at being the stones because that box is only so big. When U2 failed, it's because they willingly tried something different enough to lose a sizable portion of their fanbase for the better part of a decade.

Yeah, I can't blame U2 or The Stones for "the formula". People don't want different, they want Exile Pt. 2, or Joshua Tree Pt. Whatever.

FT · **Posted:** Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:51 am

Flying Rabbit Wrote:

What's the difference between U2 and the Rolling Stones, which garner so much praise on this board?

GIMME A "J"!

GIMME AN "A"!

GIMME AN "I"! ...

Prince of Darkness · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:41 am **Posts:** 11048

fucking put them in jail already, never let them out, and tattoo some titties on the backs of those prison bitches so that Demetreyo and Duwayne have something to grab onto.

U2 may change musical direction on next album

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