New Wave Outpost Forum

Bono recently told the Irish Independent that U2 is aiming for a June release. And while an official tracklisting hasn't yet been published, it's been reported that much of the songs would be tracks that were left off of 'No Line on the Horizon.'

http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/03/19/ ... new-album/

<a href="http://www.djcraig.net/los_angeles_dj">DJ Craig</a>

Wow...considering how mediocre "No Line" was, I wonder what the quality is of the material that was left off....

I think "No Line..." has some really good material...although "Sexy Boots" is quite a momentum killer plopped right in the middle of the album.

I think the more recent U2 cds are mediocre. They seem good on initial listen but they don't get repeated listens by me.

I would agree...even when I like some of the material, the recent albums don't demand the same amount of playing time on my stereo as the early-mid period stuff.

Oh dear, is Bono down to his last few million?

It stinks of rush releasing, and probably appeal to the mass that will gobble it up depending how shat it will be (which if it's stuff left off, I wince at what the music is like), but not for me (once a huge die hard U2 fan in my youth), I'm gonna stick with the early stuff.

Well I wonder...if "No Line" was only a moderate seller by U2 standards, how much sales momentum does the band really have left in them? Especially with the decline in cd sales? Then again, the new Sade album is shifting some serious units so a comeback is always possible.

I would not consider the Sade record to be a comeback. They put out an album every ten years or so, and the fans are always hungry for the new one. I think U2 have diluted their base by releasing records too often and with questionable quality.

I agree, U2 doesn't do much for me with new releases, a remix or two is all i seem to like these days.

I've felt U2 have been treading water since "All That You Can't Leave Behind". They've released some good singles (in fact, I think of them more as a singles band than an album band these days) but I haven't been really grabbed by anything they've put out since "Achtung Baby" in 1991.

"No Line On The Horizon" got a few spins but it seemed to me like the sound of a tired band who had nothing really substantial left to give. The idea that the new disc is filled with leftover songs from those sessions doesn't exactly inspire me. I'm sure the tour will be great. They never stopped putting on a good live show.

[quote][i]Originally posted by ghosty[/i]
<br> but I haven't been really grabbed by anything they've put out since "Achtung Baby" in 1991.


[/quote]

I totally agree with that statement. I think the only thing that has kept them going was the knack of releasing good singles from very mediocre albums. I wish they and Depeche Mode would call it a day instead of releasing very poor albums every couple of years.

dj-nak I agree that the Sade record is not techically a comeback. I should have clarified that at least some bands can still sell a high volume of cds, so it's always possible for U2 as well.

Really, though, the opinions here are in line with what I suspect will be the case; I'd be surprised if sales even compare to those of "No Line...", which itself wasn't a big seller by U2 standards. The cd marked is obviously changing, but I'm also not seeing any enthusiasm for a new U2 album (I personally wouldn't mind if they stopped making new albums...give us a great single instead.)

Sorry for the "technically" and "market" typos above.

I also want to add that when I say "give us a great single" I don't mean a song like Sexy Boots!