News @U2

U2 Break Down 'No Line on the Horizon'

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:00:00 -0800

Key tracks from the band's eclectic new album In early December, Rolling Stone traveled to London to visit U2 in the studio as Bono and Co. worked on the upcoming No Line on the Horizon. For the full story, see the new issue, which hits newsstands Wednesday, January 7th. Here's a first listen to 10 of the album's tracks: "Get On Your Boots" The likely first single, this blazing, fuzzed-out rocker picks up where "Vertigo" left off. "It started just with me playing and Larry drumming," the Edge recalls. "And we took it from there.

Column: off the record..., vol. 9-340

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:21:00 -0800

Word on the street is that we should be able to hear U2's new single in the next week or so.

Now, if that turns out to not be the case, please don't bother sending me angry emails like some of you did last month when I mentioned that we were expecting big news within 24 hours, and it turned out to be 72 hours (when the album name and release date was announced).

Two-year delay for revamp of U2 hotel

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:10:00 -0800

The �150m redevelopment of U2's Clarence Hotel will not get under way for another two years. After a protracted planning application process, Bono and the Edge are willing to wait before closing down the Dublin city centre hotel. A spokeswoman for the project told the Herald the Clarence would operate as normal for the next two years. "The owners are currently working on the design and pro-ject management requirements. For the next two years, the Clarence Hotel is fully operational as normal," she said.

@U2's 2008 Year-in-Review

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:01:00 -0800

A look at the most popular U2 content on our site during 2008 One of the things I like to do at the start of every year is look back at the year before to see how our readers used @U2 -- what sections of the site did you visit the most, what news articles and topics were most popular, and so forth. Knowing that helps us make decisions for the future, which is especially important since we've begun an update of this web site that will change not only how it looks, but also what content we offer. While looking through our 2008 web stats,

@U2 QOM December 2008: If you could give one gift to U2 this holiday season, what would it be?

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:59:00 -0800

(Each month, @U2 puts a spotlight on U2 fans with our "Question of the Month." We pose a question to our readers and invite answers of 200 words or less. If you're interested in taking part, check our home page to see if the current question is still open. If not, check back shortly after the beginning of next month and we'll have another question ready to be answered!)

Q, he explained: "I think the musical had its heyday back in the '40s, '50s, '60s era.

'Bono's friendship with war criminals makes me cringe'

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:15:00 -0800

U2 drummer Larry Mullen has admitted he "cringes" when he sees Bono associating with "war criminals" George W. Bush and Tony Blair. The normally reserved musician has launched a stinging attack on his frontman for his involvement with the two world leaders in an interview with music magazine Q. It is not the first time Mullen has criticised Bono for his campaign work, but this is his most scathing criticism to date. From his appearance at Live Aid and Band Aid in the 1980s,

Column: off the record..., vol. 8-339

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:49:00 -0800

It's the end of 2008, and as always, this is the time of year when we reflect on the past and look forward to the future. This was a year of speculation for U2 fans who were pumped for a new album release that was then delayed indefinitely. I'm not sure how deliberate it was, but 2008 was also the year of strong new releases from some of U2's biggest competitors like Radiohead, Coldplay, and Oasis,

Is Bono nervous about the new U2 album? You bet

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:13:00 -0800

Bono may have upstaged everyone at the opening of the Leopardstown Racing Festival, but not even the U2 frontman could halt the decline in betting turnover at the famous Christmas meeting. Fresh from Christmas dinner in Dalkey and his victory over An Taisce, who tried to stop his rooftop extension, Bono was among the first to arrive at the Dublin race meeting. He was there enjoying a well-earned break after putting the finishing touches to U2's latest album. "Sure, you're always nervous,

A beautiful payday of (EU)21m for U2

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:24:00 -0800

Bono and his fellow U2 members have enjoyed a beautiful payday, netting (EU)21 million from one of the band's main companies. The "employees" of U2 Ltd -- understood to be the four band members and manager Paul McGuinness -- received wages of (EU)21.1 million for 2007, on top of (EU)18 million in 2006. Their 2008 take-home pay from the company, which licenses U2's intellectual property, is likely to be in line with those figures. The higher pay in 2007 came despite a fall-off in operating profits at U2 Ltd to (EU)1.1 million,

Race-goer Bono's on to another winner as U2 album passes finish line

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:17:00 -0800

Ireland may be in the grip of a recession, but that didn't stop the masses descending upon Leopardstown for this year's races. And it was here that U2 frontman Bono told the Herald all about the supergroup's new album. The rocker said the elation that came from finishing the band's 12th album felt "like pouring brandy on the pudding." Given that their first album since 2004 has been plagued with setbacks, it was little wonder that the world-famous star was kicking back and relaxing in Dublin this week.

U2 Preview New Album to Q

Q has had a world exclusive preview of the forthcoming new U2 album, provisionally titled No Line On The Horizon. Sessions for the long awaited album were completed at a feverish pace at Olympic Studios in West London throughout November. However, recording actually began in October 2006, with U2 teaming up once more with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois after first exploring the idea of working with Rick Rubin. Between them, Lanois and Eno worked on the key triptych of U2 records - The Unforgettable Fire,

Column: off the record..., vol. 8-338

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:10:00 -0800

Happy Hanukkah to everyone! For those who celebrate Christmas, here's to hoping you've got all your shopping done for Thursday's big day.

For U2 fans, it seems like this past Thursday was a big day of celebrating as U2.com officially confirmed that the new U2 album will indeed be called No Line on the Horizon (or NLOTH for those who like to abbreviate), and will be out March 2/3, 2009.

Like a Song: Yahweh

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:37:00 -0800

[Ed. note: This is the 28th in a series of personal essays by the @U2 staff about songs and/or albums that have had great meaning or impact in our lives.]

�Take this soul and make it sing, sing.� Those words are engraved on the back of my iPod. Because that one lyric from "Yahweh" expresses everything U2 has etched on my heart and spirit. U2's "Yahweh" is a prayer unlike any I grew up with as a Catholic.

U2 To Sell Five Versions Of New Album - One With Almost $$100 List Price

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:55:00 -0800

Amazon.com listings show formats ranging from standard CD to full Box Set U2 will release five different versions of their next album, No Line On The Horizon, with one version carrying a list price of almost $$100 (USD). That's according to podcast.atu2.com. I recorded a segment that recaps 2008 from the @U2 Webmaster perspective.

U2: A Diary

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:16:00 -0800

Ardent and casual U2 fans will be dazzled when peeling back the wrapping paper of Matt McGee's "U2: A Diary" (Omnibus Press, 336 pages). But the luster of the package fades as the title misleads readers looking for juicy secrets. The book is beautiful � jet black with four black-and-white photos of the band members expertly crafted to reprise the U2 3D concert film. A better title would have been "U2: A Scrapbook." Each chapter, organized by year, has a solid introduction.