June 2012 Archives

by Chad Childers, UltimateClassicRock.com

U2 fan club members have recently begun getting the brand new 'U22′ live albums, which they helped shape, in the mail. The group asked fans to choose their favorite tracks performed during the band's recent U2360° tour, and the results yielded this new two-disc release, which spans their entire career.

Over a three-month period, subscribers had a chance to listen to 46 songs from the run, then select their favorite 22 to go on the record. After the songs were chosen, the band sequenced and mastered the release with their production team. Now finalized, the album will be the band's annual one-off special edition release for subscribers of their U2.com fan club.

The U2 360 trek began in Barcelona in June 2009 and continued through a July finale last year in Canada. In all, over seven million fans in 30 countries visited the band's 110 performances.

Carol Hawkins is accused of stealing around $3.5 million

By Rolling Stone

U2 bassist Adam Clayton has testified against a former personal assistant accused of stealing millions from him, reports the BBC. Carol Hawkins is accused of embezzling 2.8 million euros, or around $3.5 million, from Clayton from 2004 to 2008, and she faces 181 counts of theft.

Clayton was questioned in court on his working relationship with Hawkins, confirming she was a signatory on two of his bank accounts. Hawkins worked for Clayton for 16 years, and was originally employed by him alongside her husband until their separation in 2007.

Clayton revealed to the jury that Hawkins admitted in 2008 to burning through 13,000 to 15,000 euros - approximately $16,300 to $18,800 - on his account to visit her children in the U.S. and London.

By David MacDougall and Shawn Pogatchnik, Associated Press

OSLO (AP) -- Aung SanSuu Kyi and Bono joined forces Monday as the Myanmar democracy activist's European tour moved from the home of the Nobel Peace Prize to the land of U2.

The pair spent more than an hour answering questions at an Oslo conference of peace mediators at the end of Mrs. Suu Kyi's four-day visit to Norway. Then they jetted together to the Irish capital, Dublin, for an evening concert in her honor.

Bono, who wrote the 2000 hit "Walk On" in praise of Mrs. Suu Kyi's long exile from her family and dedicated U2's 2009 world tour to her, had never met her before. He admitted he found her a wee bit intimidating.

But singer says band have to do 'something very special' on next album...

NME

U2's Bono has claimed that the band's recent recording sessions have been their best "since 1979".

Speaking on Irish TV programme The Late Late Show, the frontman insisted that he and his bandmates had been enjoying a productive streak in the studio, but also said that they were aware they needed to produce "something very special" on their next LP.

Previously, the singer admitted that U2's last album, 2009's 'No Line On The Horizon', hadn't contained as many hit singles as their previous efforts and said that they needed to write some big-selling tunes in order to survive.