U2 — Songs of Experience (December 1st, 2017)

         ^{U2 — Songs of Experience (December 1st, 2017)}  ★    
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Album release: December 1st, 2017
Record Label: Island / Universal / Interscope Records
Duration:
Tracks:
01 “Love Is All We Have Left” (Studio Version) — U2    2:41
02 “Lights of Home” (Studio Version) — U2    4:16
03 “You’re The Best Thing About Me” (Single Version) — U2    3:45
04 “Get Out Of Your Own Way” (Studio Version) — U2    3:58
05 “American Soul” (Studio Version) — U2    4:21
06 “Summer of Love” (Studio Version) — U2    3:24
07 “Red Flag Day” (Studio Version) — U2    3:19
08 “The Showman (Little More Better)” (Studio Version) — U2    3:23
09 “The Little Things That Give You Away” (Studio Version) — U2    4:55
10 “Landlady” (Studio Version) — U2    4:01
11 “The Blackout” (Studio Version) — U2    4:43
12 “Love is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way” (Studio Version) — U2    4:00
13 “13 (There Is A Light)” (Studio Version) — U2    4:19
Bonus Tracks:
14 “Ordinary Love” (Extraordinary Mix)    3:47 — U2
15 “Book of Your Heart” (Studio Version)   3:55 — U2
16 “Lights of Home” (St Peter’s String Version)    4:33 — U2
17 “You’re The Best Thing About Me” (U2 Vs. Kygo)    4:18 — U2 & Kygo
18 “The Blackout” (Jacknife Lee Remix)    7:18 — U2
19 “You’re The Best Thing About Me” (U2 vs. Kygo) will only be available on formats that include the Deluxe CD. The other three tracks will be available on vinyl. “The Blackout (Jacknife Lee Remix)” will be a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the CD in Japan.
Background Information:
★★↑       The album Songs of Experience is the studio album released by U2 in 2017. The title is taken from the work of William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, in the late 1700s, and the album is a follow up to U2’s own album Songs of Innocence, released in 2014, and it is U2’s fourteenth studio album. The album was started in earnest during rehearsals for 2015’s “Innocence and Experience” tour, as the band worked with Joylon Thomas as rehearsals commenced in Vancouver for that tour. Recording continued and the band worked with producers Jacknife Lee, Andy Barlow, and Steve Lillywhite to finish the album.
★★↑       Songs of Innocence had barely hit iPhones, and Bono was already announcing the next album, Songs of Experience, in a letter to U2.Com titled “Remember Us?” he stated, “We’re collaborating with Apple on some cool stuff over the next couple of years, innovations that will transform the way music is listened to and viewed. We’ll keep you posted. If you like Songs of Innocence, stay with us for Songs of Experience. It should be ready soon enough… although I know I’ve said that before…” But the album was far less ready than Bono lead readers to believe. The Edge interviewed in May 2015, suggested that the album might be ready before the end of the year. By November of that year The Edge had suggested the album would be completed in early 2016, and released by the end of the year.
★★↑       In the summer of 2016, plans had been made to release the album on October 31, 2016. The first single, “You’re The Best Thing About Me” was to be delivered to radio September 23, 2016, the same day that the band were due to play the iHeart Festival in Las Vegas. Additional promotional stops had been planned including the Salesforce meeting in early October which did happen, and a number of rumoured appearances that would later not happen including an appearance by Bono with Kygo in California, an appearance in Dublin to mark the bands 40th birthday, and an appearance on the Jools Holland Show. However in late~August, word was delivered to the record company that the album would be postponed. The band claimed the reason for the delay was the shift in global politics to a more conservative nature with the popularity of Donald Trump, and the recent Brexit vote. The band decided to step back and hold the album to reflect on this, but along the way one collaborator, Kygo, was not notified.
★★↑       Kygo had remixed the first single, “You’re the Best Thing About Me” and debuted the single live at a festival appearance in Norway on August 19, 2016. It seemed that U2 were about to embark on a new album campaign, but that never happened, and news that the band had once again decided to delay the album circulated. At Christmastime, the band announced that they would embark on a tour to celebrate the thirtieth birthday of The Joshua Tree, and that Songs of Experience would be out before the end of 2017.
★★↑       A number of songs made live debuts on The Joshua Tree 2017 tour. “The Little Things That Give You Away” debuted on opening night of that tour, and was played a number of times on the first and second leg of that tour, including a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. At the end of the night, when the song has been performed, U2 has displayed an Anton Corbijn photograph on the screen of Bono’s son Eli, and Edge’s daughter Sian holding hands, which many have theorized will be the album cover. “The Blackout” debuted on July 28, 2017 while the band were appearing in Amsterdam, but not at the tour. Instead, fans were invited to a taping of the video, in which the song was played five separate times while the band and audience were filmed. Finally “You’re the Best Thing About Me” has debuted at a performance at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on September 7, 2017 the day after it was released as a single. It made its debut on the tour on September 10, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
★★↑       On August 29, 2017, U2 announced that “You’re The Best Thing About Me“ would be the first single from the album. At the same time they announced “The Blackout“ would be released as a streaming only video prior to the release of the single. “The Blackout“ was released as a Facebook streaming video on August 30, 2017. “You’re The Best Thing About Me“ was released as a single on September 6, 2017. A remix version of the song, as well as an acoustic version of the song were released later the same month, as well as a number of videos. On October 26, 2017, it was announced that a single for “The Blackout“ would be released on Record Store Day’s Black Friday event, November 24, 2017.
★★↑       The announcement of the album came on November 1, 2017, after a number of information leaks. The album will be released December 1, 2017. Four formats have been announced for physical editions, a regular CD, a deluxe CD, a regular 12~inch vinyl pressed on two blue discs, and a box set which will contain the deluxe CD and the 12~inch vinyl sets along with additional materials such as a poster and newspaper. In Japan, there will be a bonus track included on the deluxe CD set, and that song will be “The Blackout (Jacknife Lee Remix)”. The regular album will consist of 13 tracks, and the vinyl will include one additional song, as well as two remixes. The deluxe CD will contain the same bonus materials as the vinyl, but will add an additional remix.
★★↑       Also on November 1, 2017, two songs were made available for immediate download and could be purchased separate or as part of the album. “Get Out of Your Own Way” and “The Blackout” were both made available in this manner. “The Blackout“ will also be released as a limited 12~inch record on November 24, 2017. A third song, was also released by mistake on November 1. When purchasing a physical copy of the deluxe album from U2.Com subscribers could download “Get Out of Your Own Way” and “The Blackout” but early subscribers found they also had a copy of “American Soul” available to them. This mistake was quickly identified and within hours that song was no longer available. “American Soul” was finally made available across all platforms on November 17, 2017.
★★↑       The album leaked on the internet on Friday, November 24, as a Facebook user live streamed himself playing the album multiple times. The low quality leak was the first version, but days later, on November 26, 2017, a rip from a digital source also leaked.
Liner Notes:
You’re The Best Thing About Me:
★★↑       Producer: Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite, Ryan Tedder.
★★↑       Additional keyboards by Jacknife Lee.
★★↑       Additional programming: Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Jacknife Lee.
★★↑       Strings: Davide Rossi.
★★↑       Engineered by Rich Rich, Jacknife Lee, Tyler Spry, Matty Green, Matt Bishop.
★★↑       Recording Engineering: Duncan Stewart, Richard Rainey, Greg Clooney, Christopher Henry, Alan Kelly, Gosha Usov.
★★↑       Assistant Recording Engineer: Barry McCready.
★★↑       Mixed by Kelana Halim, Tom Elmhirst, Steve Lillywhite.
★★↑       Assistant Mixer: Brandon Bost.
Get Out Of Your Own Way:
★★↑      Written and performed by U2. Spoken words: Kendrick Lamar. Additional Keyboard by Jolyon Thomas, Gosha Usov, Brent Kutzle. Additional Guitar: Jolyon Thomas. Additional Vocals: Ryan Tedder. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, Brent Kutzle, Ryan Tedder, Jacknife Lee, Jolyon Thomas. Engineered by Tyler Spry, Matty Green, Rich Rich. Recording Engineer: Drew Bang, Matt Bishop, Declan Gaffney. Assitant Recording Engineer: Gosha Usov, Christopher Henry. Mixer: Tom Elmhirst. Assistant Mixer: Brandon Bost.
The Blackout:
★★↑      Written and performed by U2. Keyboard, programming and additional guitar by Jacknife Lee. Produced by Jacknife Lee, Brent Kutzle, Ryan Tedder. Engineered by Rich Rich, Declan Gaffney, Tyler Spry, Matt Bishop. Assistant Recording Engineer: Christopher Henry, Barry McCready, Dave “Squirrel” Covell. Mixed by Jacknife Lee. Assistant Mixer: Matt Bishop.
You’re The Best Thing About Me (U2 Vs. Kygo):
★★↑      Performed by U2 & Kygo. Produced by Kygo, Jacknife Lee.
★★↑      Remixed by Kygo and Miles Walker.
★★↑      Assistant Mixer: Ryan Jumper.
★★↑      Assistant Recording Engineer: Dave “Squirrel” Covell.
★★↑      Mastering Engineer: Scott Sedillo, Matt Bishop.
★★★↑      Additional keyboard and programming: Jacknife Lee.
Album:
★★↑      Lyrics: Bono Music: U2
★★↑      Produced by Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder with Steve Lillywhite, Andy Barlow, Jolyon Thomas, Brent Kutzle, Paul Epworth, Danger Mouse and Declan Gaffney.
★★↑      Engineered by Matt Bishop, Rich Rich, Tyler Spry, Drew Bang, Matty Green, Jacknife Lee, Andy Barlow, Declan Gaffney, Brandon Bost.
★★↑      Additional Engineering by: Doug Sarret, Richard Rainey, Greg Clooney, Matt Wiggins, Grant Ransom, Christopher Henry.
★★↑      Assisted by Alex Bailey, Barry McCready, Dave “Squirrel” Covell, Aleks Von Korff, Gosha Usov, Alan Kelly, Adam Durbridge, “Classy” Joe Visciano.
★★↑      Mixed by Tom Elmhirst, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite, Kelana, Andy Barlow, Matty Green, Bryan Cook, Will Kennedy, Miles Walker.
★★↑      Assisted by Brandon Bost, Matt Bishop, Alex Bailey, Ryan Jumper, Ben Baptie.
★★↑      Technical Manager & Session Coordinator: Rab McAllister.
★★↑      Studio Manager / Drum Tech: Sam O’Sullivan.
★★↑      Guitar Tech: Dallas Schoo.
★★↑      Guitar and Keyboard Tech, Engineer: Duncan Stewart.
★★↑      Mastering: Scott Sedillo at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
★★↑      Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, The Garage at Topanga, Shangri~La, Strathmore House, Neptune Valley, Hanover Quay, Windmill Lane Studios, The Woodshed, Uno Mas Studio, Waterloo Studio, The Church Studios.
★★↑       To our roving Executive Producer Jimmy Iovine. To ears beyond years, Chris Martin & ears beyond beers, Noel Gallagher. This album is dedicated to the lives and times of Dennis Sheehan, Jack Heaslip and the teenage dreams of David Bowie.
★★↑      Artwork Photography by Anton Corbijn.
★★↑      Design by Amp Visual.
Recognition and Awards:
★★↑       #3, 50 Best Albums of 2017 (Rolling Stone Magazine, 2017)
Review
By Pablo Gorondi | AP November 28 at 12:39 PM
U2, “Songs of Experience” (Interscope Records)
↑↑↑     Like its 2014 predecessor, U2’s “Songs of Experience” is the product of a difficult and drawn~out recording process.
↑↑↑     Much more so than “Songs of Innocence,” however, U2 has made an exciting, stage~ready album that doesn’t blush or blink in its use of the band’s signature sounds — The Edge’s chiming guitar, Adam Clayton’s trebly, adhesive bass, Larry Mullen Jr.’s sharp and responsive drums and Bono’s heart~on~his~vocal~cords singing.
↑↑↑     “Songs of Experience” was supposed to be completed “soon enough” after “Songs of Innocence,” but things kept getting in its way.
↑↑↑     From the automatic iTunes download fiasco of “Innocence,” Bono’s debilitating bicycle accident in New York three years ago and another, more recent, yet~to~be~described health scare, plus the changing political landscape and the wildly successful 30th anniversary tour of “The Joshua Tree,” which is barely over, sometimes the pause button was getting pressed and sometimes it was rewind or rip it up and start again.
↑↑↑     As the band’s unavoidable frontman, Bono has worn the ensemble’s colors most brightly — the Christian zeal, the obsession with technology and its excesses, the penchant for big statements, his full immersion in the politics of the moment and his firm commitment to numerous humanitarian and philanthropic causes. Some of those themes appear on “Experience.”
↑↑↑     While the last two albums — the other was 2009’s “No Line on the Horizon” — had some strong songs and sounds, there was a sense of erratic dispersion, of the whole being less than its components.
↑↑↑     The new record is a thrilling listen because U2 sounds fully integrated again, a band with everyone on the same page and, just as importantly, in the same groove.
↑↑↑     “Swan Lake”~like strings launch opener “Love Is All We Have Left,” as Bono duets with his own electronically modified voice on another of his typically zeitgeist ballads.
↑↑↑     Breaking the musical mood if not the lyrical one, Bono seems to relive his bike crash on “Lights of Home” as the distorted acoustic guitar and cymbal splashes give way to an emotional solo from The Edge and a gospel~like, gap~in~the~clouds ending with assistance from the group Haim, who also get co~credit for the music.
↑↑↑     “You’re the Best Thing About Me” has more of U2’s DNA of thumping drums and ringing guitars but the message is ambivalent — you’re magnificent but I’m leaving anyway.
↑↑↑     Kendrick Lamar raps on the transition between “Get Out of Your Own Way” and “American Soul,” not really integrated in either, and Lady Gaga sings backing on “Summer of Love.”
↑↑↑     “Red Flag Day,” a counterpart of the anthemic songs on 1983’s “War,” references the scores of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean Sea and “The Showman” could be a Bono mini~biopic.
↑↑↑     Closer “13 (There Is a Light)” pair ups with the opener as album bookends of Bono’s most vulnerable moments.
↑↑↑     Nearly every song has a different producer or combination thereof but they all seem to have been peeking at each other’s notes. The result is the best U2 album since “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” It’s not so much a return to their roots as a modern expedition across their vast reservoir of sounds and themes.
↑↑↑     But when it comes to Bono’s offshore financial dealings and The Edge’s controversial plan for homes in Malibu, there may still be some ‘splainin’ to do.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
↑↑↑     https://www.washingtonpost.com/  //  Website: http://www.u2.com/
Full Length Albums and EPs:
★     Boy Album (Original Release) — U2
★     October Album (Original Release) — U2
★     War Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Under a Blood Red Sky Album (Original Release) — U2
★     The Unforgettable Fire Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Wide Awake in America EP — U2
★     The Joshua Tree Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Rattle and Hum Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Island Treasures / Backtrax Single — U2
★     Achtung Baby Album — U2
★     Zooropa Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Original Soundtracks 1 Album — Passengers
★     Pop Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Please / Popheart EP — U2
★     All That You Can’t Leave Behind Album — U2
★     7 (Rare and Remixed) EP — U2
★     How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Album (Original Release) — U2
★     No Line on the Horizon Album (Original Release) — U2
★     Wide Awake in Europe Single — U2
★     Songs of Innocence Album — U2
★     Songs of Innocence + Digital Album — U2
★     Songs of Experience Album — U2
Compilation Albums:
★     The Best of 1980 ~ 1990 & B~Sides Compilation Album — U2
★     The Best of 1980 ~ 1990 Compilation Album — U2
★     The Best of 1990 ~ 2000 & B~Sides Compilation Album — U2
★     The Best of 1990 ~ 2000 Compilation Album — U2
★     U218 Singles Compilation Album — U2
★     Best of U2 Compilation Album — U2
★     Beautiful Day Digital Compilation Album — U2
Reissues and Remasters:
★     The Joshua Tree Remastered Album (20th Anniversary) — U2
★     Boy Remastered Album (2008) — U2
★     October Remastered Album (2008) — U2
★     War Remastered Album (2008) — U2
★     Under a Blood Red Sky Remastered Album and Video (2008) — U2
★     The Unforgettable Fire Remastered Album (25th Anniversary) — U2
★     Achtung Baby Reissued Album (20th Anniversary) — U2
★     Achtung Baby 24~Bit Audiophile High Resolution Digital Album — U2
★     The Joshua Tree (30th Anniversary Edition) Album — U2
★     Propaganda / U2.com Albums (Fan Club):
★     Melon (Remixes for Propaganda) Fan Club Album — U2
★     Hasta La Vista Baby! (Live from Mexico City) Fan Club Album — U2
★     U2.Communication Fan Club Album — U2
★     Zoo TV Live Fan Club Album — U2
★     U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle Ireland Fan Club Album — U2
★     Medium, Rare & Remastered Fan Club Album — U2
★     Artificial Horizon Fan Club Album / Album — U2
★     Duals Fan Club Album — U2
★     U22 Fan Club Album — U2
★     From the Ground Up: Musical Edition (Edge’s Picks) Fan Club Album — U2
★     Another Time, Another Place Fan Club Album — U2
★     The Joshua Tree Singles Vinyl Collection: 1987 & 2017 Collection — U2
Concert Vault Live Albums:
★     Boston Garden (Boston, MA) Sep 18, 1987 Live Album — U2
★     Madison Square Garden (New York NY) Sep 28, 1987 Live Album — U2
★     Boston Garden (Boston, MA) Sep 17, 1987 Live Album — U2
★     Foxboro Stadium (Foxboro, MA) Sep 22, 1987 Live Album — U2
★     Brendan Byrne Arena (Rutherford, NJ) May 15, 1987 Live Album — U2
★     Brendan Byrne Arena (Rutherford, NJ) May 16, 1987 Live Album — U2
★     Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA) Nov 14, 1981 Live Album — U2
★     Paradise (Boston, MA) Mar 6, 1981 — Set 2 Live Album — U2
_____________________________________________________________

U2 — Songs of Experience (December 1st, 2017)

---

NEWS

archiv

ALBUM COVERS X.