August 2008 Archives

A Dutch U2 fan put tracks from their new album on the internet after overhearing them being played at Bono's French home

John Burns, Sunday Times

THEY seem stuck in a moment they can't get out of. The launch of every U2 studio album since 1991 has now been preceded by a leak or theft of music, resulting in snatches of songs being posted on the internet or circulated on bootleg tapes.

To lose one album would be unfortunate; to lose six smacks of carelessness. As well as being the wealthiest band in the world, U2 may also be the unluckiest. They have been the victims of a bizarre medley of mugged couriers, German chambermaids and light-fingered French studio operators, as well as Dutch and Spanish eavesdroppers.

In the latest episode, excerpts of four tracks from the Dublin band's next album ended up on YouTube after Bono blared them at high volume from his house in Eze-sur-Mer in southern France. Ben van Riemsdijk, a Dutch fan, recorded the material on his phone and shared it online with other U2 enthusiasts.

Posted by Steven Musil, CNet

The next time U2 manager Paul McGuinness wants to rant about music piracy on the Internet, he may have to add his own boss to his list of targets.

Four songs from the Irish rock band's forthcoming album found themselves on the Internet after U2 front man Bono was caught playing the songs a bit too loudly on his stereo at his villa in the south of France, according to a report in The Sun. An alert passerby on the beach is credited with recognizing the iconic singer's voice and recording what he was hearing. He then supposedly posted the recordings to YouTube, but the tracks don't appear to have stuck around long on the video-sharing site.

The songs--thought to come from a forthcoming album called "No Line On The Horizon"--include the title track, "Sexy Boots," "Moment Of Surrender," and "For Your Love."

SANTA MONICA, Calif., (UPI) -- The Irish rock band U2 is set to release its 1983 concert video, "Live at Red Rocks," on DVD next month, Universal Music Enterprises announced Monday.

The DVD will be released by Interscope/Island/UME Sept. 30 in the United States, along with the accompanying live album, "Under a Blood Red Sky."

Recorded at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado June 5, 1983, "Live at Red Rocks" will be available for the first time on DVD, and will include five previously unreleased songs and a director's commentary.

The remastered "Under a Blood Red Sky" album was originally released in November 1983, and consists of live recordings from three shows on the band's War Tour through Europe and the United States.

Rolling Stone,

This could be the greatest comment on RollingStone.com ever: U2's Bono was reading David Fricke's review of the new reissue of Boy, and was moved to respond. Unfortunately, he maxed out our word limit in the comments section, so we're just going to post his text in full here. We're not going to attempt to boil it down, except to say that he does mention that the band is presently attempting to finish their most "complete and radical album yet." Without further ado:

Bono

Entering the blogosphere, a review of BOY from the singer who was one at the time of recording... We the members of said post punk combo are very complimented by DAVID FRICKES 4.5 star review of our debut, an album we always believed in. I remember now a generous JON PARELES review from the VILLAGE VOICE in 1980, a line something along the lines of "this is peter pan, I hope they break up before they grow up." Anyway, as my band mates and I attempt to finish our most complete and radical album yet, here's my why and what i think is right and wrong about BOY having listened to it for the first time in over twenty years if you start from the pseudo british accent and the little reported fact that the singer sounds like a girl, things don't look too promising ...the annoying gene is present in self consciousness and self immolation... you do want to give the singer a slap for lots of reasons but let's start with the pretentiousness....the singer has obviously been listening to SIOUXIE AND THE BANSHEES, JOY DIVISION and a few others whose combined archness and artfulness was just too much for the freckled face teenager from northside of DUBLIN.... neither fully protestant or catholic, IRELAND had left the boy with a face like a baked bean and in search of a nonregional identity...a theme that continues to the present.