U2's Manager Calls Radiohead Experiment A Flop

Paul McGuinness tells BBC6: *We should all be aware that Radiohead’s honesty box release of their album to some extent backfired. Even though it was available on their own website for no money at all, if that was what you preferred to pay - 60 to 70% of the people who downloaded the record stole it anyway even though it was available for free.*

U2's new LP is due out in early 2009.

MP3: U2 - Beautiful Day

Posted on 12:20 PM / 0 comments / Read More

'The Joshua Tree' Gets A Facelift

Billboard's got the scoop: *To celebrate the 20th birthday of its landmark album "The Joshua Tree," U2 is reissuing the set in four different incarnations on Nov. 20 via UMe. The album will be available as a remastered single CD, a 2-CD set, a 2-CD/1-DVD collectible box and a double-vinyl package.

The single-disc will be housed in a jewel case, but the 2-CD set comes in a hard back case. The 2-CD/1-DVD version has a base and lid to accommodate the discs as well as five portfolio prints. Band members have contributed new liner notes for the package. Of most interest to fans is the inclusion of rare material on the expanded editions. Although details have yet to be announced, "Joshua Tree" demos, alternate versions and B-sides from the period are expected to appear. The DVD is understood to comprise a July 4, 1987, show at the Paris Hippodrome, as well as the documentary "Outside It's America." Produced by Brian Eno, "The Joshua Tree" shot U2's commercial fortunes into the stratosphere. The album's first three tracks were huge singles, with both "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.*

MP3: U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (live)

Posted on 4:03 AM / 0 comments / Read More

Bono & Eddie Izzard To Play Couple In New Film

I love it!

Via Uncut: U2 front man Bono is to star in a bizarre sounding new rock'n'roll movie, "Across The Universe."

The Commitments' writing duo Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais have scripted the film, and the script's plot sounds, ahem, a bit bonkers. "Across The Universe" is directed by Julie Taymor, whose previous credits include Frida and the Broadway version of Disney's The Lion King, and is an intense love story set in the 1960s.

Following two lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) and their musicain friends from Liverpool to Vietnam via a riot-torn Detroit and a psychedelic Greenwich Village - "Across The Universe" intends to explore emerging anti-war and counterculture movements.

Bono is taking on the role of Dr. Robert and comedian Eddie Izzard plays the part of Mr. Kite - both charcaters act as the star-crossed lovers guides on their travels. The film is due for simultaneous release in the UK and US on September 28.

MP3: U2 - City Of Blinding Lights

Posted on 10:22 AM / 0 comments / Read More

Win Butler Shoves It To Mick, Noel & Bono

What's with all the catfights lately?

Didn't The Arcade Fire open for U2 two years back? I guess they won't be doing that again anytime soon.

NME reports: Arcade Fire have criticised the marketing strategies of band's like U2, Oasis and The Rolling Stones. Speaking in the new issue of NME, frontman Win Butler had a go at bands who aggressively force feed their music to fans.

Butler said: "It's not like we shun success, but at the same time we don't' want to shove it down people's throats. In the UK there's this kind of rock star competition. "I don't know if U2 started it, or The Stones or Oasis but a lot of bands think in terms of: 'I'm going to be the biggest band in the world.'

'Fuck all those bands who've got no ambition'. I think that's a total crock of shit. There's nothing less interesting to me than the idea of marketing the fuck out of something so people are forced to like it. Some bands are just manipulating people to buy music. That's how 90 percent of the record industry works! It's basically the same as selling a fucking toaster or a cruise package."

MP3: The Arcade Fire - I'm Sleeping In A Submarine

You heard it first, Win Butler is comparing the record industry to a kitchen appliance!

Posted on 5:59 AM / 0 comments / Read More

Jay-Z & American Idol Runner Up Beat The Beatles & U2 On US Charts!

Whoa, across the Atlantic and the same holds true!

Over the weekend, we were stunned to find out that Westlife beat The Beatles & U2 on the UK album charts (for all of their debut weeks). Seems like neither megagroup could topple Daughtry (I guess he removed his first name, Chris, for some sort of appeal, not mine) or the 700+ debuting Jay-Z 'comeback album'.

Not only that but the latest edition of Now also faired higher than the big boys this week!


Here's how the top 5 round up (sales in parantheses):
#1 Jay-Z: 708k
#2 Daughtry: 301k
#3 NOW 23: 298k
#4 The Beatles: 280k
#5 Snoop Dogg: 274k

U2's U218 didn't even crack the top 10! They'll have to settle for #12. Although that could be because they have way too many greatest hits releases as it is. Only The Cure has more (seriously, 5 best-ofs with the same 12 songs over and over? Come on!)

Thoughts on all of this? Predictable? I don't know why it shocks me, but it does.

MP3: U2 - Acrobat (one of my favorite U2 tracks)

Posted on 6:27 AM / 0 comments / Read More

Westlife Tramples The Beatles, U2 & Oasis On UK Charts!

Westlife have beaten off Oasis, U2 and The Beatles to win the battle for Number One in the album chart tonight (November 26). The boy band's new studio covers 'Love Album' beat off all three 'Best Of' collections released on November 20 on what was declared "Super Monday". Oasis were in at Number 2 with 'Stop The Clocks' closely followed by The Beatles' classic re-workings 'Love' album at 3 and U2's '18 singles' LP at four. (via NME)

Is anyone as shocked as I am?

MP3s: The Beatles - Revolution + U2 - Beautiful Day

Posted on 12:48 PM / 0 comments / Read More