friday night

breathe is first. then boots.

edge's imitation of the beach clips in the first few minutes cracks me up

[mp3] absolute radio u2 podcast / (alt link)
bono and edge absolute radio interview. feb. 26. pretty amusing. then boring. then sort of hilarious again. then end. (there really are some very funny parts in this interview, srsly). it ends with edge's take on fan sites and bono's take on blogs. (blogging has put him off democracy ;)

via

last gang in town

“People don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Bono said. “Our fans are not sure. Could we embarrass them? Maybe. Could we inspire them? Maybe. They don’t know. That’s very important, because when you become a comfortable, reliable friend, I’m not sure that’s the place for rock ’n’ roll.”

ny times article on u2 by jon pareles is here. (also viewable here.)

- photos: Damon Winter/The New York Times -

so .. er, did you hear u2 played a surprise rooftop gig in london today? heh.

bbc has an actual video you can actually watch (just boots)

they also played live lounge today and were on the radio with chris evans (listen here). and they are on jonathan ross tonight.

will update with links when i get a chance. maybe :)

lots of great photos and stuff here.

later

adam clayton q&a in mojo magazine

read it here.

snippet ...

It sounds like you've got a lot of material. Could you release another album quite soon?
Well we could, and it's part of our plan to not leave it too long. Once the tour is up and running there would be no reason why we couldn't find a week and go into the studio and work on things. It sort of depends on Bono and Edge's commitments; they've got a Spiderman project in the works too (laughs).

So, Spiderman permitting, you could be working on the new album during the next tour?
It would be nice to continue working in the same way. Instead of doing this record in one solid bloc, we sort of did two-week sessions with Brian and Dan, as writing collaborators, and out of those sessions came a lot of really good raw material. But it wasn't until April of last year that we went into the studio and said, Look, no one gets out of here until it's finished.

The breaks meant we could come back to things. And, I think that helped everyone. I think it worked really well for Edge from a compositional point of view; he really got to look at how the album hung together and to see what was missing musically. I think it enabled Bono to complete and fully resolve some of the lyrics.

Originally we were looking at a deadline of last August but I think by taking a break instead of trying to push through we were able to come back to it and to pull in some new material. For instance, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight came out of that period and Every Breaking Wave came out of that period, even though the last one didn't get onto the album. It just made for a really good record and I think, from Larry's and my own point of view, it gave us a chance to live with the material and to really have an influence on how it was finished.

So I think the breaks stopped us getting snow-blindness. I also think there was a fundamental shift in the band, in that the material became much more internalised. It wasn't striving to reach out to connect to people; it became much more about inviting people to come in and be part of the experience.

That's interesting. I would say the last two records broadly fell into the 'striving to connect' category...
I think that was the end of a period. When we were coming through the '90s and we were playing a lot of big outdoor shows, we lost some connection with ourselves because it was about reaching out to those really big places and that was how we probably conceived a lot of that music. All That You Can't Leave Behind was the beginning of the shift back, as we knew we were playing relatively small places, but they were much more musical experiences. I think it took the last two records for the band to value what we had together, to value our DNA. I think this record capitalizes and makes the most of that experience.

Did Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno's writing credits make them try harder?
I don't know about try harder but I think they were happier! [laughs] I think they both bring a phenomenal commitment to a U2 project in very different ways. Danny really does stay in the trenches and is the last one to leave the building. Brian tends to be the first man in in the morning, working on things that will influence the attitude of people, get them thinking in creative and inspired ways.

Long, creative relationships are unusual in rock'n'roll, but the mileage and the knowledge and the understanding from having been around with them for 20 years makes them a pleasure to work with. And they haven't really changed much. They're still questioning in the same way.

[more]

edge interview on xfm

you can listen here

The Edge visitied Xfm for a chat with Ian Camfield. Over the course of forty minutes, he revealed that some good came out of new album, 'No Line On The Horizon', being leaked, that he was wrong to dissaude Bono from cosying up to Bush and that Larry Mullen held the reigns of the band for approximately forty minutes.

crookers

the crookers remix of u2's get on your boots is available here or here or here. sayeth the fader: "Yeah okay why not. Never thought we'd be posting a new U2 song in any form on this site, but someone over at Chez Bono has good taste because this is an official remix of the megaband's new single...

(crookers myspace)

er, while we're at it:

[mp3] stardust kids (mgmt vs. david bowie) - a plus d
from the ziggy stardust remixed album.

front row (other links)

there is a bbc radio 4 "front row" interview with u2 which you CAN LISTEN TO (in the u.s. at least) here (click the tuesday button). all 4 band members are interviewed and there is some live playing in the background..

like a knife to the heart: the newly relaunched u2.com has a video interview with mr. brian eno in which he discusses the song moment of surrender. he wanted this to be the lead single.

there seem to be 3 parts of this video from yesterday - bono / edge / zane lowe (bbc) but. not. viewable. in u.s. however, part 1 is uploaded on google video: (looks like bbc is being pretty strict about not allowing the content to be streamed anywhere else. boo.)

zane lowe - edge - bono audio is here. (fast forward about one hour into zane's show).

u2 also appeared on the culture show today. it was pre-taped from dublin earlier this month apparently. it's not viewable from the u.s. on bbc online. a more complete version of this show will air on friday. they played the song no line on the horizon [listen here] live in the studio for this.

and ... an nrj radio (france) video interview with the entire band from monday can be viewed here.

breathe (live)

today.



UPDATE: interview portion with bono and edge is here.

u2 also performed get on your boots on le grand journal program on canal plus tv today. (france)

via

related: cockatoos!

it's not over

tell me it's not over - starsailor featuring brandon flowers
above blog has a link to an mp3 of an alternate version of the first single from starsailor's upcoming album all the plans. the remix has brandon flowers adding backing vocals and apparently did not get label approval, and came as a result of brandon working with stuart price while stuart was also remixing some starsailor tunes. (more info here). zane lowe is playing the brandon flowers version on bbc radio. the single version of the song, without brandon, is being sold with two b-sides, including an alternate version of the album's title track that features ronnie wood on guitar.

okay, soo ... i was trying to find a better video of the bono, brandon flowers, chris martin, killers, coldplay, gary barlow debacleperformance. pretty much all of the videos that surfaced SUK! (i mean, thanks for sharing, but you know what i mean, yo.)

below is a version someone made with a mix of three different videos, and while the sound is not good, i did enjoy watching it, if only to see the way the three of them interact on stage. brandon flowers seems most comfortable, though he is trying not to overshadow bono. love the beginning, before starting all these things that i've done, brandon announces that "we stole this song from steve vai, but don't tell anybody." chris martin tries to pretend that he finds brandon's joe satriani allusion to be funny.



(above) bono play by play: 1:20 bono arrives. notices chris martin jumpspazzing around. suddenly bono is not sure why he has agreed to this. 1:45 bono sings. possibly teleprompting. or looking for money on floor. 2:25 bono sings again this time in brandon's face. changes some words so now the song is about an irish boy. (probably bono.) then b-man momentarily takes on some prancey leany brandon flowers affectations. interesting development. 2:40 bono opens mouth and pretends to sing but definitely is not making noise because he doesn't know the words to this stupid song. 3:15 chorus! bono knows this part. 4:53 enough with these flowers martin jokers. bono decides to be bono. starts screaming the chorus. also, time to start changing these words, too. the chorus is "I got soul, but i'm NOT a soldier" but near the end, bono starts alternating that line with "I got soul, but i AM a soldier." (very apparent at 5:19 and 5:36). bono wins.

that's all -

echo awards (old guys)

saturday night in berlin.



plus, some u2 photos here.

and these guys were there:



depeche mode has a new album out in april.

other not bad stuff (band freebies) ...

[mp3] corriander / pomegranates
[mp3] by the pond / the televangelist and the architect
[mp3] journeyman / the lovetones

also, this morning i saw a car with a sticker of JESUS ON ITS HEADLIGHTS. whaaat the fark? a tricked out honda with shiny rims, no less. ha, man it made me laugh so hard. sorry. i know what you're thinking. but, no, it's definitely not kenny loggins. i got up close and checked.



later

i'm here because i don't want to go home

NME has a good u2 article - scans are here (click and then zoom in again to read)

u2 will play a concert for good morning america on march 6, details and location TBA

the brits ... u2's performance seemed better than the grammys based on the youtube - but get on your boots is still not totally working live. seems like bono's fault.



wednesday night, after the brits, bono appeared at the war child concert with coldplay and the killers. bono, brandon flowers and chris martin all in one place at one time. a well-timed bomb blast would have really made some people's day(s). not mine. obvs. :



also, bono and edge were "interviewed" after the brits performance by melanie blatt and nicole appleton. nicole, on the left, i think is married to liam gallagher, so she clearly has awesome taste in dudes.



more ...

debbi v was at the brits and posted about it on her blog:

... After the worry of the Grammy's, this was a hundred times better. The sounds was spot on, and it was so great to actually be seeing them onstage for the first time in 4 years. The only iffy part was "Let me in the sound", which seems to be something they need to work on for the live shows. Edge does all the work with the singing, with Bono contributing very little. I have to say though, that since watching the TV show today, you can hear Bono more than I remember hearing him last night, so maybe it was a sound issue at the venue. Still, this needs work, and hopefully the few awards shows that they are doing will iron out the creases in this song... [more]

northern star was there, too, and has a write up on her blog:

...U2's performance at The Brits was much better than at the Grammys, for a start the sound was better (and I noticed even better still on TV than live) and the band seemed more relaxed. Lots of energy and that Bono can still strike the rock poses! He had the famous eyeliner on, along with eye shadow this time, must say I prefer just the eyeliner myself . Once he took off the glasses he kind of went into a character that looks so evil. Wouldn't like to meet this guy on a dark night! Wonder if he's going to stay and become part of the tour like MacPhisto.

I don't think they have quite nailed the song, again I felt that during the "the Sound" part Bono lost track of it towards the end. But that's my only criticism of the performance. Whether it works as an all-round rocker I'm not sure. The standing crowd at the front were going crazy at first when U2 came on but the dancing around stopped as the changes in pace during the song happened...[more]

peace out -

leak

i was sad to see that all the tracks from no line on the horizon hit the internet last night in advance of its planned release. but to the internet fairies (also known as universal australia - wtf?!) who blessed everyone with the u2 album leak - well, thanks, i guess.

if you want it, i hope you have it and if you have it, i hope you like it.

update: you can now listen to the whole album on myspace

i've been listening to it this morning with my eyes closed, lying on my floor. i am smiling. i am shocked by how much i like this album. the walmart preview clips freaked me out in a bad way. and some of the lyrics, which i was expecting to be cringed out by, well, they actually don't cringe me out. some of them even make me smile.

i am amused that several reviews have criticized the album for being mid-tempo, insinuating this is a slow record by u2 standards. huh? do these people have just vertigo on their itunes? this album is not down tempo for u2. this IS u2 tempo.

i have to remind myself that casual dismissals by people who flip through tracks and make throwaway judgments are irrelevant. it's something i do all the time, as well, to other bands.

also, this is not a pop album!

initial thoughts ...

no line on the horizon is so thick on this mix. still finding my way into this after already having had that version 2 mix in my head. i like the quieter keyboard parts on this. both versions are still just almosts for me.

magnificent, okay 45-46 seconds in i just screamed out fuck yeah. ha ha. all 4 of them are going off like the u2est parts of u2 here, and i was expecting to hate this one because of the "magnificent" lyric. and it was in my head going to be a by the numbers u2 stadium epic. i like this one way more than i thought i would. turn speakers way up.

moment of surrender. this is the song i didn't buy on first listen. and then i bought it the most. first, what is this screamy voice bono? a caleb followill impression? but then, by listen 3 i hear it is soul singer bono. suddenly love this. in the harmonies part there is something i hear there from the band. (not this band, u2, the band, as in, the band). the rhythm on this is so heavy. and edge owns. love that little 5 minutes in edge style mini solo.

unknown caller this has that 80s b-side vibe to it. oh hi edge, hi harmonies. these computer lyrics? the prog guy choruses? hmmm. not sure. eno. but can you be a u2 fan and not at least enjoy this guitar part and this verse delivery and those synths? (you can NOT.)

the crazy song this will be my least favorite, but you sound nice, bono. the rest of you are boring me. go crazy if you want.

the boots song i like this song but after hearing the whole album, i don't think it should have been the lead single. i hope everyone who hated it and hates u2 still listens to this album.

stand up comedy i guess this will have to be a single. who cares who they are ripping off borrowing from. goood job, edge. a lot of kick ass larry on this album by the way. this song has many lyrics i expected not to work. but they are working. stand up to rock stars.

fez-being born holy crap where have these guys been for the past 15 years?! did fake u2 put out the last album? or is this fake u2? where is real u2 buried? you confuse me. this is a bizarre tune. which is GOOD. even though i don't totally love it.

white as snow i think i'll need many listens on this. i was wanting this to haunt me. not yet.

breathe this is wacky with bono's dylan delivery and then his bono the guy from u2 choruses. is edge actually a rock n roll guitar player now? where is fake edge? bono is finding grace inside a sound. twisty, turny, thick. awesome this.

cedars of lebanon. okay loureedBONO. there are so many different bonos on this record. some work better than others. dig this quirky chorus part and the guitar that slowly creeps in.

will change my mind about all of the above by tomorrow i am sure.

u2 at brits tonight (rehearsal photo below) via + more pics:

edge and bono on access hollywood (aka bono talks a lot)

video is here
bono offers up an interesting explanation of the get on your boots lyrics. (thanx h!)

u2 are performing and hopefully not sounding like grammycrap on the brits on wednesday. it's rumored that the rehearsal didn't go so well today.

i am doing something RAD(!) wednesday, u2-related, but don't want to totally jinx it yet. stay tuned. scratch that. oh well, jinxed it, i guess.

latez

nice

baby u2 in speedos! holy mother, who found these photos?! well done.

u2.com video: a.c. and his new (?) buzzard bass (not a batman, guitar, larry)

wait, u2, we are supposed to be on a break. fuck off, then! (not really.)

ooh, but this article interests me very much. also, totally look forward to u2 on bbc radio 1 live lounge. past history says that jo whiley + u2 = guaranteed to be entertaining.

recommended ...

[mp3] native son - the educated guess
this is track 10 on the band's ambitious new album, a rock oratorio, at that, west skyline drive [buy]. check out more tunes on the band's myspace

[mp3] everyday - vetiver
there is maybe an unspoken memo circulating that says if you haven't checked these dreamyfolky guys out by now, you're getting voted off bloggy fox island. or something. (more)

and another ...

[mp3] big blonde - aidan moffat and the best ofs
more info here

related (placeholder)

u2 and i are taking a little break.

back later ...

v2 (it's a shillelagh, not a cane, punks)

so ... after hearing the version of the song no line on the horizon that is making the rounds today (this is the b-side, not the album version, apparently), i am curious to hear how different it is from the album version. supposedly it's rawer and fuzzier on the album, says one guy. slower. totally different. more kings of leon-ish on the album says someone else who heard the album. (this is my cindy adams reporting skillz impersonation.)

the version out on the internet today reminds me of a 90s u2 b-side. the singer, on this album, is going to be a challenge for some people to handle, i think. this is not news. he is going for it. "oh oah woah woo."

also, hopefully the u2 as house band on letterman for five straight nights deal (march 2 - 6) will help craig ferguson come up with better parody material (yer edge doesn't work, craig):

100 edges of a star: $55

you can buy this edge-designed shoe - 100 edges of a star - on
converse.com (if the product doesn't show up on converse.com, type "the edge" in the website's search box).

edge is artist #100 in the converse 1hund(red) artist series.

here is an open letter bono recently wrote for elle magazine about (red)

and here are some nice pics of edge and adam in berlin yesterday. they were here. more pics here.

ack i really wish the comments were retrievable

so the u2 at the grammys (at least they looked good) post got deleted by unseen powers. comments, too. sorry. (cached version). this is the second scatter o' light post that blogger has deleted recently due to the post including a link to a live version of a u2 song. (point taken, then, copyright holders!)

basically, the powers that be just delete the post from existence. then they send you an email that goes like this:

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the record companies it represents, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided. ... blah blah blah

...

while i find it unfortunate that live versions of my favorite band's songs are deemed to be unsharable, i respect that it is the copyright holder's right to not let me share them. i am more upset that blogger (google) deleted your comments!

this deletion of content is a reason many are not using blogger anymore. i may switch my site off blogger eventually. should switch. i definitely won't post any more live (or studio, obviously) u2 songs on scatter o' light again, ever, sadly.

(please note i am not complaining, just sharing the situation)

latez

something tells me they weren't discussing the live nation ticketmaster merger

we've seen these before, but in an article in the independent, photographer adrian boot describes the photos above: "Early in U2's career, Bruce Springsteen was a fan and came backstage in 1982 to meet them – the man in glasses is Paul McGuinness, U2's manager. Bono had just come off stage, and in those days, when U2 were not megastars, their dressing room at London's Hammersmith Palais was minuscule. This unique collage of images was digitally printed on watercolour paper, specifically created for this exhibition."

the photos will be included as part of an exhibition and auction at abbey road studios to raise money for cancer research UK. the event takes place on feb. 26.

info: soundandvisionofficial.com

also ...

pics via

previously: u2 at the grammys (at least they looked good)

in case you were wondering who will open the grammys and if the singer will wear sunglasses or eye makeup

now we know (the plan)

nice.

30 second clips

update: wal-mart links are dead, but there is an alternate link in the comment section below.

no line on the horizon song clips are up on walmart.com
tried not to listen. but did listen to each one. just once. not sounding like what i expected. (which is expected, i guess).

let's pretend we don't exist

406 bands who twitter (list)

andrew bird's new album $1.99 on amazon (u.s.) mp3 store

radiohead fans discuss rumor that radiohead will play at grammys with usc marching band (comment section hilarity)

rihanna supposedly maybe who knows who cares wants a duet with bono/u2

grammys: burning questions
suggesting radiohead should open the show. hard to argue even though i want u2 to open the show.

grammy producer ken ehrlich discusses the show's myriad performances planned for sunday

Ehrlich foresees an uplifting tone but also interludes of emotional resonance, including a Bo Diddley tribute with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Mayer and Keith Urban capping the "In Memoriam" segment.

Jennifer Hudson's You Pulled Me Through "is going to be one of those amazing moments people remember for a long time," Ehrlich predicts.

Though U2 wasn't eligible this time, its upcoming album is a likely Grammy magnet next year, and the band's performance of a new song is appropriate, timely and a likely showstopper, he says.

"There's a thematic hook that reflects the events of the past three or four months in this country," he says. "I don't want to be more specific."

He's keeping a few components under wraps but promises a musical stimulus package.

"These are tough times," Ehrlich says. "Here's an opportunity to celebrate, to provide some relief and inspiration."

official boots

U2 - Get On Your Boots

vedder sings streets karaoke

Eddie Vedder at Cubs Fantasy Camp singing U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" at karaoke night at the Best Western Dobson Ranch Inn, Mesa, AZ (via).

update: try this link for the vedder video

the get on your boots video is going to be released officially today for real on independent.ie (12:00 EST). hopefully it hasn't changed too much and hopefully they make an HD embed version available online so everyone isn't just passing around a low quality youtube clip of this vid.

the video's director alex courtes has a vimeo channel, maybe he will put it there.

update: the video is now playing on u2.com and on independent.ie

the grammy twitter feed confused me and made me think bono was in LA a day ago, but fans here say they saw the whole band in dublin last night, with anton.

photos: the bono / and the bono / the edge / the adam in a hat

apparently bono repeated the "tour starts in Barcelona in late June" info that is rumored. hope that is true. we'll see.

our guys better be up first

for real. getting stuck in the middle of all these acts will be a waste of time. (i think a waste of your time, u2, but definitely a waste of my time. please be considerate of my demands. and your own self proclaimed awesomeness. which means if you ain't first you're last. not last as in up last, last as in, last place losers. thanx.)

a ridiculous amount of live acts are scheduled for the grammys on feb. 8

U2
Lil Wayne
Taylor Swift / Miley Cyrus
Coldplay
Rihanna
Stevie Wonder
Estelle feat. Kanye West
Paul McCartney feat. Dave Grohl
T.I. and Justin Timberlake
T.I., Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne
Radiohead
Kid Rock
Sugarland
M.I.A.
Neil Diamond
Robin Thicke
Stevie Wonder
Chris Brown
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Carrie Underwood
The Jonas Brothers
Adele
Terence Blanchard
Kenny Chesney
Smokey Robinson
Allen Toussaint
Jennifer Hudson
Bo Diddley tribute feat. Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer, and Keith Urban
Four Tops tribute feat. Duke Fakir, Jamie Foxx, and Ne-Yo
Katy Perry feat. the My Grammy Moment "winner"

drums

this guy has lots of other drum covers on youtube.

more ...

i was wondering who shot the get on your boots single cover. (via interference), above are a couple more shots from photographer deirdre o'callaghan's website.

waiting crazy

[mp3] boy in waiting - starsailor
a live version of a new track from their upcoming album all the plans, which is out in the UK next month.

so ... our friend elmo heard the new u2 album on monday and she really reaally likes it.

and now i am officially (for real) not reading any more previews or reviews until after i hear it. i think i've said that about five million times, but this time i mean it. it can't really be too long before it leaks, now, can it?

the sun is out and it is weirdly warm

the weather in new york has been very cold and snowy and icy this winter. not today.

such a nice day

scattered thoughts over here. i can't keep up.

cartoon cutout
cut throat let out
i'm on your side

i'm listening to wire at this very second. in case you can't tell.



latez

superFAIL

this is the silliest article i have ever read. well, no not really, but still.

like the above guy, i'm not really into the super bowl this year, either. we'll watch it, though. to see how bruce sprinsgteen does.

get on your boots will be used as part of a commercial for the nfl during the super bowl.

u2's actual get on your boots video rollout didn't actually happen in a very good way, or happen at all. what did happen? who leaked it? how did they not have copyright clearance in time for a scheduled online air time? how do you fuck that up? is it a big deal in the long run? do we even care? how long before we all find a way to somehow blame this on bono? (these might be rhetorical questions). leaked rough cut of the video is here.

free and legals ...

[mp3] all this will pass - youth group
[mp3] short fuse - the black lips
[mp3] ryan's song - venice is sinking
[mp3] folk song oblivion - the phantom band
[mp3] feet on grass - future clouds and radar
[mp3] the slumbering ones - assemble head in sunburst sound
[mp3] kick the bass - julien-k