Extraordinary Edge

“A guitar record…our first” is how Bono described U2’s next studio album to MTV News.

“Edge, I must say, is really doing some extraordinary stuff,” Bono said.

The singer estimates that the band’s next album should be completed by the end of this year or early 2004.

52 thoughts on “Extraordinary Edge

  1. Uhhu, just like ATYCLB was going to be a guitar album… We’ll see. And with U2’s planning early 2004 probably means somewhere around october 🙁

  2. Uhhu, just like ATYCLB was going to be a guitar album… We’ll see. And with U2’s planning early 2004 probably means somewhere around october 🙁

  3. yeah, I’d say no earlier than middle 2004. But to be honest, with the tour and two trips to the Grammys (with another one coming up), ATYCLB doesn’t feel that long ago. They’re still coasting on its success. But by 2004 I am sure I’ll be more than good and ready for some new stuff.

  4. yeah, I’d say no earlier than middle 2004. But to be honest, with the tour and two trips to the Grammys (with another one coming up), ATYCLB doesn’t feel that long ago. They’re still coasting on its success. But by 2004 I am sure I’ll be more than good and ready for some new stuff.

  5. Whatever happened to the album being out in the summer? Ah well… I kind of wish that they wouldn’t have wasted time in putting out another best of… 2004 seems a loooong while away.

  6. Whatever happened to the album being out in the summer? Ah well… I kind of wish that they wouldn’t have wasted time in putting out another best of… 2004 seems a loooong while away.

  7. These guys are sooo slow… every time they mention it, it’s due out later than the time before. They’ve given us a couple nice distractions with ES, THTBA, and that Corrs tune Bono guested on, but they really need to finish up this new album soon.

  8. These guys are sooo slow… every time they mention it, it’s due out later than the time before. They’ve given us a couple nice distractions with ES, THTBA, and that Corrs tune Bono guested on, but they really need to finish up this new album soon.

  9. I am a selfish U2 fan. By that, I mean I prefer the Edge. They say a band is a democracy. But I believe this group soars even higher when the Edge assumes his role as sonic dictator and leaves no room for any bullshit. I get that sense for this record. He seems hungry. He is becomming a scientist in the studio. Mixing chords that nobody else even dares contemplate. The man is a guitar “Picasso” This new album will be Edge’s coup. Brace yourself….

  10. I am a selfish U2 fan. By that, I mean I prefer the Edge. They say a band is a democracy. But I believe this group soars even higher when the Edge assumes his role as sonic dictator and leaves no room for any bullshit. I get that sense for this record. He seems hungry. He is becomming a scientist in the studio. Mixing chords that nobody else even dares contemplate. The man is a guitar “Picasso” This new album will be Edge’s coup. Brace yourself….

  11. I am a selfish U2 fan. By that, I mean I prefer the Edge. They say a band is a democracy. But I believe this group soars even higher when the Edge assumes his role as sonic dictator and leaves no room for any bullshit. I get that sense for this record. He seems hungry. He is becomming a scientist in the studio. Mixing chords that nobody else even dares contemplate. The man is a guitar “Picasso” This new album will be Edge’s coup. Brace yourself….

  12. I am a selfish U2 fan. By that, I mean I prefer the Edge. They say a band is a democracy. But I believe this group soars even higher when the Edge assumes his role as sonic dictator and leaves no room for any bullshit. I get that sense for this record. He seems hungry. He is becomming a scientist in the studio. Mixing chords that nobody else even dares contemplate. The man is a guitar “Picasso” This new album will be Edge’s coup. Brace yourself….

  13. Indeed when U2 said the album will be out in 2003 some time ago and are now saying it will be late 2003 or early 2004 it will probably mean the summer of 2004 with the tour starting in the USA again around october 2004 returning to Europe in early 2005…

    But seriously, regarding this “A guitar record…our first” quote; this doesn’t mean anything! Like Ben said, ATYCLB was also supposed to be a ‘back to basics’ and ‘unstripped’ album but didn’t turn out that way. Larry once said (on Achtung Baby) that every time U2 enters the studio, the results are exactly the opposite of what they w

  14. Indeed when U2 said the album will be out in 2003 some time ago and are now saying it will be late 2003 or early 2004 it will probably mean the summer of 2004 with the tour starting in the USA again around october 2004 returning to Europe in early 2005…

    But seriously, regarding this “A guitar record…our first” quote; this doesn’t mean anything! Like Ben said, ATYCLB was also supposed to be a ‘back to basics’ and ‘unstripped’ album but didn’t turn out that way. Larry once said (on Achtung Baby) that every time U2 enters the studio, the results are exactly the opposite of what they w

  15. FOR A SUCH A BIG BAND WORLDWIDE.WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM SO LONG TO PUT OUT AN ALBUM.ATYCLBH CAME OUT IN OCTOBER 2000.SO WITH THE NEW ALBUM DUE OUT IN 2003/2004. WHY SO LONG.MY GUESS IS THAT BONO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME GLOBE TROTTING.AND NOT ENOUGH TIME SPENT ON MUSIC.THE VERY THING WE ALL LOVE U2 TO BE IS ABOUT THERE GREAT MUSIC.SO COME ON GUYS GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND GET A GREAT ALBUM OUT SOON RATHER THAN LATER.

  16. FOR A SUCH A BIG BAND WORLDWIDE.WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM SO LONG TO PUT OUT AN ALBUM.ATYCLBH CAME OUT IN OCTOBER 2000.SO WITH THE NEW ALBUM DUE OUT IN 2003/2004. WHY SO LONG.MY GUESS IS THAT BONO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME GLOBE TROTTING.AND NOT ENOUGH TIME SPENT ON MUSIC.THE VERY THING WE ALL LOVE U2 TO BE IS ABOUT THERE GREAT MUSIC.SO COME ON GUYS GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND GET A GREAT ALBUM OUT SOON RATHER THAN LATER.

  17. FOR A SUCH A BIG BAND WORLDWIDE.WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM SO LONG TO PUT OUT AN ALBUM.ATYCLBH CAME OUT IN OCTOBER 2000.SO WITH THE NEW ALBUM DUE OUT IN 2003/2004. WHY SO LONG.MY GUESS IS THAT BONO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME GLOBE TROTTING.AND NOT ENOUGH TIME SPENT ON MUSIC.THE VERY THING WE ALL LOVE U2 TO BE IS ABOUT THERE GREAT MUSIC.SO COME ON GUYS GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND GET A GREAT ALBUM OUT SOON RATHER THAN LATER.

  18. FOR A SUCH A BIG BAND WORLDWIDE.WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM SO LONG TO PUT OUT AN ALBUM.ATYCLBH CAME OUT IN OCTOBER 2000.SO WITH THE NEW ALBUM DUE OUT IN 2003/2004. WHY SO LONG.MY GUESS IS THAT BONO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME GLOBE TROTTING.AND NOT ENOUGH TIME SPENT ON MUSIC.THE VERY THING WE ALL LOVE U2 TO BE IS ABOUT THERE GREAT MUSIC.SO COME ON GUYS GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND GET A GREAT ALBUM OUT SOON RATHER THAN LATER.

  19. FOR A SUCH A BIG BAND WORLDWIDE.WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM SO LONG TO PUT OUT AN ALBUM.ATYCLBH CAME OUT IN OCTOBER 2000.SO WITH THE NEW ALBUM DUE OUT IN 2003/2004. WHY SO LONG.MY GUESS IS THAT BONO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME GLOBE TROTTING.AND NOT ENOUGH TIME SPENT ON MUSIC.THE VERY THING WE ALL LOVE U2 TO BE IS ABOUT THERE GREAT MUSIC.SO COME ON GUYS GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND GET A GREAT ALBUM OUT SOON RATHER THAN LATER.

  20. FOR A SUCH A BIG BAND WORLDWIDE.WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM SO LONG TO PUT OUT AN ALBUM.ATYCLBH CAME OUT IN OCTOBER 2000.SO WITH THE NEW ALBUM DUE OUT IN 2003/2004. WHY SO LONG.MY GUESS IS THAT BONO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME GLOBE TROTTING.AND NOT ENOUGH TIME SPENT ON MUSIC.THE VERY THING WE ALL LOVE U2 TO BE IS ABOUT THERE GREAT MUSIC.SO COME ON GUYS GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND GET A GREAT ALBUM OUT SOON RATHER THAN LATER.

  21. Easy there Smudger, take off the Caps Lock and don’t press the Post button so many times. 🙂 I was talking to a friend of mine about these exact issues, the sound of U2’s newer material (ATYCLB, ES, THTBA, etc) and the length it takes to get a new release out of these guys. Now, he’s a big Sting fan and brought across a bunch of striking similarities…U2 is just getting into that era where they want to relax and enjoy their success, be it taking time to record an album or whatever…I guess we just have to get used to the fact that there is no more Fly or Macphisto. I think you’re going to see a lot more THTBA and TGBHF and less EBTTRT (sorry for the acronyms, little lazy today)

  22. Easy there Smudger, take off the Caps Lock and don’t press the Post button so many times. 🙂 I was talking to a friend of mine about these exact issues, the sound of U2’s newer material (ATYCLB, ES, THTBA, etc) and the length it takes to get a new release out of these guys. Now, he’s a big Sting fan and brought across a bunch of striking similarities…U2 is just getting into that era where they want to relax and enjoy their success, be it taking time to record an album or whatever…I guess we just have to get used to the fact that there is no more Fly or Macphisto. I think you’re going to see a lot more THTBA and TGBHF and less EBTTRT (sorry for the acronyms, little lazy today)

  23. I’d really like to hear The Edge top his guitar work from the BOY album. That would be cool.

  24. I’d really like to hear The Edge top his guitar work from the BOY album. That would be cool.

  25. Are you people bananas?

    Pop, ATYCLB had nothing but guitars, guitars and GUITARS! Have you even listened to these records? Pop especially. What you think is a synthesiser, what you think is electronic doo-dah … that’s guitar man! What Bono means recently is that Edge is going for traditional guitar sounds, but he’s finding sounds no one else has dreamed of.

    And jaysus ye fools, don’t judge the record when you haven’t even heard it yet!!!!!! Chill out, listen to Dave Gray or some other artist deserving of your attention. U2 is great, the rule the world, but they are not The World (as much as I love ’em bless their enibriated hearts …)

  26. Are you people bananas?

    Pop, ATYCLB had nothing but guitars, guitars and GUITARS! Have you even listened to these records? Pop especially. What you think is a synthesiser, what you think is electronic doo-dah … that’s guitar man! What Bono means recently is that Edge is going for traditional guitar sounds, but he’s finding sounds no one else has dreamed of.

    And jaysus ye fools, don’t judge the record when you haven’t even heard it yet!!!!!! Chill out, listen to Dave Gray or some other artist deserving of your attention. U2 is great, the rule the world, but they are not The World (as much as I love ’em bless their enibriated hearts …)

  27. Are you people bananas?

    Pop, ATYCLB had nothing but guitars, guitars and GUITARS! Have you even listened to these records? Pop especially. What you think is a synthesiser, what you think is electronic doo-dah … that’s guitar man! What Bono means recently is that Edge is going for traditional guitar sounds, but he’s finding sounds no one else has dreamed of.

    And jaysus ye fools, don’t judge the record when you haven’t even heard it yet!!!!!! Chill out, listen to Dave Gray or some other artist deserving of your attention. U2 is great, the rule the world, but they are not The World (as much as I love ’em bless their enibriated hearts …)

  28. Are you people bananas?

    Pop, ATYCLB had nothing but guitars, guitars and GUITARS! Have you even listened to these records? Pop especially. What you think is a synthesiser, what you think is electronic doo-dah … that’s guitar man! What Bono means recently is that Edge is going for traditional guitar sounds, but he’s finding sounds no one else has dreamed of.

    And jaysus ye fools, don’t judge the record when you haven’t even heard it yet!!!!!! Chill out, listen to Dave Gray or some other artist deserving of your attention. U2 is great, the rule the world, but they are not The World (as much as I love ’em bless their enibriated hearts …)

  29. Boy-October-War-Under A Blood Red Sky 3 years total… Zooropa-Pop-ATYCLB 7 years… Of course there was a Best Of and Passengers in there, but a new true studio album, that does keep getting longer and longer!!!

  30. Boy-October-War-Under A Blood Red Sky 3 years total… Zooropa-Pop-ATYCLB 7 years… Of course there was a Best Of and Passengers in there, but a new true studio album, that does keep getting longer and longer!!!

  31. 2004? oh no I was hoping this year. Lets hope so. Anyway, I am sure it will be another Great album! It will be really good if Edge will going back to early U2 guitar sound. But I think he sort of already done that on ‘New York’ on ATYCLB.

  32. 2004? oh no I was hoping this year. Lets hope so. Anyway, I am sure it will be another Great album! It will be really good if Edge will going back to early U2 guitar sound. But I think he sort of already done that on ‘New York’ on ATYCLB.

  33. Who’s to say we won’t get what we want. More guitar, innovative rock, killer lyrics, blast from the past and mixing to die for. I have all the faith it can be accomplished. I’m not sure there is anything they could do that I wouldn’t want. I’ve focused on the instrumentation of each of the guys, one at at time then go back and listen to it all together. I can understand how it takes so long. Often wonder if its possible to wear out a cd(s). I read somewhere it would be about a year to 18 months then again U2 could pop it out this summer03. Depends on how the inspriration is running I guess. Winning the Oscar could move things up a bit. For those of you that Still haven’t found what you’re looking for -in U2 – you may be in for a sprititual awakening. (Some of you need one) Lay off my guys. God knows the wait is so hard to endure. I want it now.

  34. Who’s to say we won’t get what we want. More guitar, innovative rock, killer lyrics, blast from the past and mixing to die for. I have all the faith it can be accomplished. I’m not sure there is anything they could do that I wouldn’t want. I’ve focused on the instrumentation of each of the guys, one at at time then go back and listen to it all together. I can understand how it takes so long. Often wonder if its possible to wear out a cd(s). I read somewhere it would be about a year to 18 months then again U2 could pop it out this summer03. Depends on how the inspriration is running I guess. Winning the Oscar could move things up a bit. For those of you that Still haven’t found what you’re looking for -in U2 – you may be in for a sprititual awakening. (Some of you need one) Lay off my guys. God knows the wait is so hard to endure. I want it now.

  35. Who’s to say we won’t get what we want. More guitar, innovative rock, killer lyrics, blast from the past and mixing to die for. I have all the faith it can be accomplished. I’m not sure there is anything they could do that I wouldn’t want. When I focused on the instrumentation of each of the guys, one at at time then go back and listen to it all together, I can understand how it takes so long. Often wonder if its possible to wear out the cd(s). I read somewhere it would be about a year to 18 months then again U2 could pop it out this summer03. Depends on how the inspriration is running I guess. Winning the Oscar could move things up a bit. For those of you that Still haven’t found what you’re looking for -in U2 – you may be in for a sprititual awakening. (Some of you need one) Lay off my guys. It has to be difficult to meet their own genius expectations, not to mention the unreal expectations of some of you self professed experts. Don’t forget they have families also. Great insprirations come out of happy lives. With all that said however, God knows the wait is so hard to endure.

  36. Who’s to say we won’t get what we want. More guitar, innovative rock, killer lyrics, blast from the past and mixing to die for. I have all the faith it can be accomplished. I’m not sure there is anything they could do that I wouldn’t want. When I focused on the instrumentation of each of the guys, one at at time then go back and listen to it all together, I can understand how it takes so long. Often wonder if its possible to wear out the cd(s). I read somewhere it would be about a year to 18 months then again U2 could pop it out this summer03. Depends on how the inspriration is running I guess. Winning the Oscar could move things up a bit. For those of you that Still haven’t found what you’re looking for -in U2 – you may be in for a sprititual awakening. (Some of you need one) Lay off my guys. It has to be difficult to meet their own genius expectations, not to mention the unreal expectations of some of you self professed experts. Don’t forget they have families also. Great insprirations come out of happy lives. With all that said however, God knows the wait is so hard to endure.

  37. Well, all I can say is “All I Want is U2”. Whatever they do will be challenging and great music (that is why it takes so long) and I’m willing to wait.

  38. Well, all I can say is “All I Want is U2”. Whatever they do will be challenging and great music (that is why it takes so long) and I’m willing to wait.

  39. I apologize. I too have been hard on Bono and the boys…so I looked in the mirror this morning and said “U2 are good enough, smart enough, and doggonit people like them” Now go make our record…I am afraid Justin Timberlake will not be able to tide me over until 2004

  40. I apologize. I too have been hard on Bono and the boys…so I looked in the mirror this morning and said “U2 are good enough, smart enough, and doggonit people like them” Now go make our record…I am afraid Justin Timberlake will not be able to tide me over until 2004

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