1. I just listened to Ahimsa and Your Song Saved My Life for the first time since their release. Realized non of those songs would have made me a fan of the band if I hadn’t discovered them before. Neither would the new rework of Pride and the clips.
    But what do I know - I discovered them 40 years ago. Today’s youth maybe are attracted to the new versions more than the old ones. And if not, if it gives U2 new inspiration to keep on playing, that’s fine with me.
  2. It's written on the cover of U2, but in fact it has nothing to do with the style, the music, the touch of U2, where we know the songs from the original. It's sad to see the direction U2 has taken. Does anyone know what Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen said about SOS 40 songs?
  3. Originally posted by felix2:It's written on the cover of U2, but in fact it has nothing to do with the style, the music, the touch of U2, where we know the songs from the original. It's sad to see the direction U2 has taken. Does anyone know what Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen said about SOS 40 songs?
    Well Adam is actually the first band member who mentioned the project in 2021. The quotes are still in the U2songs write-up of the album release (https://www.u2songs.com/discography/u2_songs_of_surrender_album):

    “Well, you know we are playing around with rearranging some of the songs that we have and setting them in a more acoustic environment. Edge got a bit of a bee in his bonnet and said you know, no pun intended, said let’s look at these songs and imagine them in a different context. So we are playing around with that. He’s putting a lot of work into changing the keys, and moving them onto piano and that sort of thing. And hopefully we will have something towards the end of the year that will show a different light on U2. I think it’s an opportunity to explore different versions of the band in a way. Because it’s very much the early days, it’s embryonic, it could go somewhere between Leonard Cohen or Johnny Cash – very stripped down and bare – towards something that is very lush. Very hard to say where it will end up or if it will all end up with the same tone across it, or if each song will be treated differently. I’m excited to see how the songs could exist in a different universe.”

    Interestingly, it's also another confirmation that this is mainly an Edge-driven project, but nothing suggests that other band members weren't involved.
  4. You can dress it up any way you like but if these extra coloured vinyl versions don't prove this is a cynical, unimaginative money making exercise then I don't know what else to tell you.... I could hardly believe it when I looked in my inbox this morning... Well actually I could totally believe it..

    It really does feel like whatever made this band so special in the past has well and truly evaporated at this point... I can't imagine the U2 of 20 years ago, let alone the U2 of 30 years ago even contemplating something like this... Why couldn't they just retire with dignity after a string of creative, interesting albums with their legacy intact?
  5. Originally posted by ric:You can dress it up any way you like but if these extra coloured vinyl versions don't prove this is a cynical, unimaginative money making exercise then I don't know what else to tell you.... I could hardly believe it when I looked in my inbox this morning... Well actually I could totally believe it..

    It really does feel like whatever made this band so special in the past has well and truly evaporated at this point... I can't imagine the U2 of 20 years ago, let alone the U2 of 30 years ago even contemplating something like this... Why couldn't they just retire with dignity after a string of creative, interesting albums with their legacy intact?
    If it was just about making the money they wouldn’t have reworked 40 songs. It would be foolish to suggest money was anywhere near the top priority for any of the band when doing these reworks. Obviously management and the record label are going to prioritise making as much money as possible when they’ve got ‘new’ material to sell so that’s where the multiple versions come into it. U2 aren’t the only band doing it, artists st the start and middle of their career are doing it as well, big and small. You can like or dislike the album but it can’t be passed off as a money making project, not when there’s no sensible evidence to suggest that’s the case. Surely people are intelligent enough to realise that.
  6. Maybe it’s just really important to them that people can own the album in their favorite color?
  7. Originally posted by ric:You can dress it up any way you like but if these extra coloured vinyl versions don't prove this is a cynical, unimaginative money making exercise then I don't know what else to tell you.... I could hardly believe it when I looked in my inbox this morning... Well actually I could totally believe it..

    It really does feel like whatever made this band so special in the past has well and truly evaporated at this point... I can't imagine the U2 of 20 years ago, let alone the U2 of 30 years ago even contemplating something like this... Why couldn't they just retire with dignity after a string of creative, interesting albums with their legacy intact?
    I'm not saying that the million colours are a bit of a cash grab (or maybe its just about buyer preference and customizing the experience for the fan?) but this seems to be the way that new releases are going.
  8. It's to get the album to Number 1 in the charts. Similar to how they gave away SOE with every concert ticket that was purchased in NA in 2018.