The article below was printed in the Irish Times today. It's a shame that Lillywhite has put it this way. The album wasn't a failure, it did sell quite well, though wasn't a massive success. But the album got good reviews by most people as an artistic creation. After two good but safe albums, U2 took a risk and experimented a bit, that was brave, and many people (not just fans) welcomed and appreciated that. It's not a great album, but they are trying to do something different to move on, and I view it as a step in the right direction, away from safety of the Noughties leading towards a U2 that, in the future, can maybe surprise and excite us once more. It's pity that Lillywhite and U2 just seem to just measure an album by its commercial success. They are in a position where the money doesn't really matter, were they can really concentrate on the music, I do hope they don't slip back into safemode. Lillywhite also talks of Bono's massive determination, I hope that trait isn't just geared to commercial success, I hope it's also drives an artistic integrity.
The thing that gives me hope for U2's musical future though is what they have been doing live on the current 360 Tour European leg. Playing unrecorded/unreleased songs for the first time live doesn't sound like a band that will run scared. I hope I'm right.
Producer Admits Last U2 Album Was Failure
Showing posts with label Steve Lillywhite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Lillywhite. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Friday, 18 July 2008
U2's Producer Reveals Studio Secrets (From the Early 80's)
Some interesting stories from Steve Lillywhite about the recording of Boy, War and October can be found here.
Love the one about recording drums for the Boy album in the hallway of Windmill Lane Studio because they liked the "clattery" sound. But they had to wait until the receptionist went home, then they discovered once she had gone home that ringer on the phone could not be turned off so sometimes the phone would ring mid-take!
Also, the backing voices on Surrender were Kid Creole's backing singers The Coconuts who just happened to be playing in Dublin at the time.
Love the one about recording drums for the Boy album in the hallway of Windmill Lane Studio because they liked the "clattery" sound. But they had to wait until the receptionist went home, then they discovered once she had gone home that ringer on the phone could not be turned off so sometimes the phone would ring mid-take!
Also, the backing voices on Surrender were Kid Creole's backing singers The Coconuts who just happened to be playing in Dublin at the time.
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