Month: September 2004

Two Shots of Adam, One Shot of Larry

As previously reported, Nancy Sinatra has recorded a version of “Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad,” for her self-titled album due to be released on October 4th in Europe. What has not yet been reported are the names of the two guests Ms. Sinatra enlisted to contribute to her version of the song: one Mr. Adam Clayton on bass and a Mr. Larry Mullen Jr. on drums. (Their contributions were confirmed by a rep for Sinatra’s record company.) An album sampler containing a clip of the track (in RealAudio) is available at Sanctuary Records.

Bono Does Brighton

“My name is Bono and I’m a rock star. Brighton – rock – star.
Excuse me if I appear a little nervous.
I’m not used to appearing before crowds of less than 80,000 people.”

In his continuous quest to save the continent of Africa, Bono addressed delegates at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, England today, calling on Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to use the UK’s presidency of the G8 and EU in 2005 to lead an international campaign to tackle the continent’s poverty and health crises.

A transcript of Bono’s speech is available at DATA. RealVideo of Bono’s speech is available at U2exit.com.
(Photo: Reuters)

Have A Seat, Boys

u2-how_to_dismantle.jpg

Amazon US has the album up for preorder — and they’ve posted the album’s cover. How ’bout that? (Note to The Edge: If you pull a pose like that on the New York subway, a lot of women are going to give you nasty looks. It’s just not done. And is it only us, or does Bono’s head look Photoshopped on? The rumors start here and now — he’s been replaced! Tell everyone!)

If you’d like to discuss this image, why not join our U2logLive group on Flickr? That’s what it’s there for — sharing U2 photos. And yes, it’s free (and awesome)!

UK Got A Fast Car

NME.com says that the UK version of How To Dismantle… will have a bonus track, entitled “Fast Cars.” Hadn’t heard about that one yet. They also claim that the album is under extremely high security, with only two copies of the disc presently in the UK… The Oct. 2nd issue of the magazine will have the NME’s track-by-track overview of the album, so keep your eyes on your newsstands.

Vertigo Tracklisting

U2.com is just full of info today! Finally, by popular demand, the full official tracklisting for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb:

  1. Vertigo
  2. Miracle Drug
  3. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
  4. Love And Peace Or Else
  5. City Of Blinding Lights
  6. All Because Of You
  7. A Man And A Woman
  8. Crumbs From Your Table
  9. One Step Closer
  10. Original Of The Species
  11. Yahweh

Three out of four ain’t bad, eh? And for the record, “Vertigo” is already #10 on the iTunes download chart. Can it make it to #1 before the end of the day? Go forth and use your credit cards! Update: It’s #2 in the US at 3:31 PM Eastern… push! Push! Update 2: Well, that didn’t take long… it’s officially #1 in the US store (you may have to click through to the “Top 100 Songs” page to see the live-updated listing). Hurrah! And yes, the marketing department does believe in this one — if you’re an iTunes customer, you probably just received an e-mail from the service devoted entirely to hyping the release of “Vertigo” (with a plug in for the back catalogue as well). Monday release (iTunes normally updates only on Tuesday), full-width banner, e-mail campaign… correct us if we’re wrong, but this has to be the largest iTunes marketing blitz yet. Guess new media is still the big idea.

Give Me Something I Can Download

U2.com has informed the world that “Vertigo” is now available on iTunes in the US and the UK (click the links for your iTunes store, links are functional for iTunes users only). Furthermore, they’ve posted a video clip that allows you to hear 30 seconds of the Jacknife Lee remix of the track. Their design prevents deeplinking, but if you click on the top story on the frontpage, you should be able to find your way. And my oh my, that’s the first time we’ve ever seen a new release take up the entire banner at the top of the iTunes frontpage — the marketing department believes in this one, don’t they?

2005 Euro Tour Kickoff

The reputable Sunday Business Post reports that U2 will begin its 2005 European tour in Dublin, performing at Croke Park on June 26 and 27, 2005 (with a possible third date on the 28th).

We’d like to remind readers that any published tour dates and locations should be considered rumor until they are announced and/or confirmed by an official source, which, in this case, they have not been.

Is It A KROQ?

Attention Los Angeles fans: venerable rock station KROQ is advertising a “new music” giveaway this weekend that claims to offer copies of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb — see their site for call-in details. We find it extremely unlikely that you’d be getting your copy anytime soon — it would probably be mailed to you on day-of-release — but frankly, we’ve got no idea. So if any LA fans want to try to find out the scoop from KROQ and get back to us, we’d be quite appreciative. (Update: Reader Steve S. checked with KROQ and was told that KROQ will be getting the album early, and will be giving them away early as part of this weekend’s giveaway — they just don’t know when they’ll actually have them in hand. So go ahead, call away this weekend! Thanks a lot, Steve.)

Also — English music show Top Of The Pops will air the “Vertigo” video tonight at 7:30 PM GMT (two hours from now). Thanks to roeli for the heads-up in the comments.

Wander This Way

What could be more exciting than hearing the new U2 single? How about seeing your favorite U2 fan site do something different? This editor’s fav site, U2Wanderer.org, has relaunched today, offering a new look, improved navigation, and updated content (see the site’s transcriptions of “Vertigo” and “Neon Lights”). Thumbs up, Aaron and Carl!