New U2 Album "Songs of Innocence" released for free on Itunes

[JKL2000]

<<<<This album just appeared in my iPhone music app, which I find very intrusive. I now have to figure out how to delete it. >>>>

This happened to my wife as well. She thought that our daughter had somehow purchased something without our knowing.

It is indeed VERY intrusive.

Me too, and I beat my son because of it. You see the misery you've caused, U2?

JK. But I'll bet iTunes has somehow violated the terms of service. I should call and complain , say I need a new phone. File a civil suit because I couldn't receive a vital email because the last few KB of memory was taken up by the U2 album.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Stole this from another forum, where it apparently was stolen from Twitter:


Evolution of music sales:
1. Pay a lot
2. Pay a little
3. Pay anything
4. OK fine, just pay 1X a month
5. Fuck you, now you own a U2 album

now *that's* funny!

[Gruno]

But actually spamming every single user with it is a much more skeezy proposition entirely, especially when you remember what a bungload of cash they're getting out of the deal too.

Somehow I don't think Apple or U2 care too much if some think it is 'skeezy'. This has gotten both brands a lot of publicity. All you need to do is look through this thread to find some who are pleasantly happy about getting this album who would have not sought out a new U2 album.

[Scott Bails]

Somehow I don't think Apple or U2 care too much if some think it is 'skeezy'. This has gotten both brands a lot of publicity. All you need to do is look through this thread to find some who are pleasantly happy about getting this album who would have not sought out a new U2 album.

Exactly. What some call "skeezy," others call brilliant marketing.

[JKL2000]

Exactly. What some call "skeezy," others call brilliant marketing.

I really didn't want to be reminded that there are people who call themselves Bono Vox and The Edge. I am affronted.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

well, I've listened to the album at least 5 times now and while I'm not the kind of fan that thinks they can do no wrong, I *do* like their particular brand of Rock when they're "on" and with this one they are "on"

Side one is the classic U2 sound those who are fans have come to know and love... with perhaps a sprinkle of new twists but not a bad tune on it

Side two is where they do a little more tinkering with their sound. If it weren't for the instantly recognizeable singing, there are a couple of tunes here that are very un-U2 like. I like the sounds that Edge is experimenting with on Guitar.

U2 have their fanboys and their haters. I am probably less zealous on the fanboy side than the hilarious haters who cant control their slobbering hate. I just really like their brand of Rock and about half of each new album has surprises that break from what they've done before, so they aren't exactly the worst offenders formulaically speaking.

Having said all that, I dont think this new album is as good as The Joshua Tree or No Line On The Horizon, but it *is* on the level of Achtung Baby and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

This post will no doubt bring the slobbering haters crawling out from under the countertop

[jlneudorf]

After having this album so blatantly forced down our throats i still haven't listened to it yet. Imagine that. I'm actually looking forward to it as I've always been a fan.

Regards,
Jon

[yamishogun]

Just curious...

No one considers U2 a progressive band, right? I liked a lot of what they did up to and including Pop and very little since then. I'm a big Simple Minds fan, which I don't consider progressive either, but i sure find their 1995 to 2014 (new album!) much more interesting than U2 and even loosely progressive at times.

Simple Minds = The intelligent man's U2

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

After having this album so blatantly forced down our throats i still haven't listened to it yet. Imagine that. I'm actually looking forward to it as I've always been a fan.

Regards,
Jon

heh... I was reluctant as well, especially after the brilliant No Line On The Horizon, I thought 'wow, if they hafta give it away that cant be a good sign'

Well, I started listening to it finally last week and it is a strong album... especially the last half of it

and... uh... Yam, I like *both* U2 and Simple Minds, imagine that!
and no one in this thread ever said either were Prog

[iguana]

random thoughts: http://manversusmedia.wordpress.com/...your-wardrobe/

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

meh... it's as simple as 'people love to have something to be pissed off at' no more, no less

the intelligent ones simply ignore the stunt just as I would if a band I hated (and since I'm not a hater by nature the point may be moot) got put into my I-tunes account. There are more important things to be angry about... get a life

[yamishogun]

and... uh... Yam, I like *both* U2 and Simple Minds, imagine that!
and no one in this thread ever said either were Prog

I didn't write that well. I think both bands have been at times at the tangent of prog. To me, prog in large part means creativity, and I was just opining that U2 lost creativity after 1995, while Simple Minds creativity seemed to increase in the past 20 years.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

I didn't write that well. I think both bands have been at times at the tangent of prog. To me, prog in large part means creativity, and I was just opining that U2 lost creativity after 1995, while Simple Minds creativity seemed to increase in the past 20 years.

ok then, I'll get the latest SM album and see where they've gone. U2's last album (in 2012?) was one of their best and most creative, so I would suggest a deeper listen to No Line On The Horizon cause you seemed to have missed it.

[yamishogun]

ok then, I'll get the latest SM album and see where they've gone. U2's last album (in 2012?) was one of their best and most creative, so I would suggest a deeper listen to No Line On The Horizon cause you seemed to have missed it.

I'll listen to No Line on the Horizon again. For Simple Minds, I'd check out Graffiti Soul from 2009, especially the opening Moscow Underground, Blood Type O and the last song This is It. Shadows and Light is a bonus track on some version which is in my top three.

The new CD out next month, Big Music, has apparently gotten great reviews but from what I've heard so far, I think Graffiti Soul has stronger songs (and great production)

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

I'll listen to No Line on the Horizon again. For Simple Minds, I'd check out Graffiti Soul from 2009, especially the opening Moscow Underground, Blood Type O and the last song This is It. Shadows and Light is a bonus track on some version which is in my top three.

The new CD out next month, Big Music, has apparently gotten great reviews but from what I've heard so far, I think Graffiti Soul has stronger songs (and great production)

cool, I remember liking them in the 80s... Sparkle In The Rain was a good one

[aith01]

cool, I remember liking them in the 80s... Sparkle In The Rain was a good one

Brilliant album, and quite hard to top.

Didn't know there was a new Simple Minds CD coming out. That is cool news.

[Gruno]

For Simple Minds, I'd check out Graffiti Soul from 2009, especially the opening Moscow Underground, Blood Type O and the last song This is It. Shadows and Light is a bonus track on some version which is in my top three.

The new CD out next month, Big Music, has apparently gotten great reviews but from what I've heard so far, I think Graffiti Soul has stronger songs (and great production)

Graffiti Soul is a good one, for sure. I also enjoyed their 1995 disc Good News From The Next World.

[yamishogun]

Graffiti Soul is a good one, for sure. I also enjoyed their 1995 disc Good News From The Next World.

I have a friend who is a big Simple Minds fan and like me thinks Graffiti Soul is one of the best albums of the 2000s. Yet while I thought Good News From the Next World was excellent, he doesn't care for it. For me, those are the best two from them in 30 years. I'm not sure why something as good as Shadows and Light was a bonus track.

[bob_32_116]

Side one is the classic U2 sound those who are fans have come to know and love... with perhaps a sprinkle of new twists but not a bad tune on it

Side two is where they do a little more tinkering with their sound. If it weren't for the instantly recognizeable singing,

I may be missing something here, but how does a digital download possess a "Side One" and a "Side Two"?

[yamishogun]

I may be missing something here, but how does a digital download possess a "Side One" and a "Side Two"?

(Pssst.... he means the first half and last half of the songs. I still think bands like U2 keep sides in mind to an extent.)

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

heh, well... that.... and I'm a vinyl guy and just think that way

[JKL2000]

Wow, I think I'd heard U2 got $50 million from Apple, but now I'm reading they got $100 MEELION!!

They must be wiping their asses with gold leaf at this point.

[Jerjo]

Wow, I think I'd heard U2 got $50 million from Apple, but now I'm reading they got $100 MEELION!!

They must be wiping their asses with gold leaf at this point.

That's a long way from working class Dublin.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Now that I've had a chance to listen to this album more than 5 times, I like it and would rate it among their studio albums as follows

1. Joshua Tree
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Achtung Baby
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. Songs Of Innocence
6. All That You Cant Leave Behind
7. War
8. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
9. October
10. Boy

never really liked Zooropa or Pop or the studio tunes on Rattle and Hum

[Obscured]

2015 Tour announced-


May 14-15 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Rogers Arena
May 18-19 – San Jose, Calif., SAP Center At San Jose
May 22-23 – Phoenix, Ariz., US Airways Center
May 26-27 – Inglewood, Calif., Forum
May 30-31 – Inglewood, Calif., Forum
June 12-13 – Montreal, Quebec, Bell Centre
June 24-25 – Chicago, Ill., United Center
July 6-7 – Toronto, Ontario, Air Canada Centre
July 10-11 – Boston, Mass., TD Garden
July 18-19 – New York, N.Y., Madison Square Garden Arena
July 22-23 – New York, N.Y., Madison Square Garden Arena
Sept. 4-5 – Torino, Italy, Palaolimpico
Sept. 8-9 – Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ziggo Dome
Sept. 16-17 – Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson Globe
Sept. 24-25 – Berlin, Germany, O2 World
Oct. 5-6 – Barcelona, Spain, Palau Sant Jordi
Oct. 13-14 – Merksem, Belgium, Antwerps Sportpaleis
Oct. 17-18 – Cologne, Germany, Lanxess Arena
Oct. 25-26 – London, United Kingdom, The O2 – London
Oct. 29-30 – London, United Kingdom, The O2 – London
Nov. 6-7 – Glasgow, United Kingdom, The SSE Hydro
Nov. 10-11 – Paris, France, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy


An exclusive priority presale for U2 fan club subscribers at U2.com begins 10 a.m. Dec. 4 and runs until 12 p.m. Dec. 6. All times local. General onsales launch Dec. 8. Tickets will be general admission for the floor and reserved in the stands.