No Line on the Horizon
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No Line on the Horizon is the twelfth studio album by Irish rock band U2, which was released on 27 February 2009 in Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany and Australia, on 2 March in the rest of Europe, and a day later in North America.[1][2] The album is U2's first since 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the longest gap between studio albums in the band's career. The material was originally intended to be released as two EPs, titled Daylight and Darkness, but the band later decided to combine them into one album.[3]
U2 began work on a new studio album in 2006 with Rick Rubin, although material from those sessions is not a part of No Line on the Horizon. The band collaborated with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois from June 2007 – December 2008 for the album, allowing them to be involved in the songwriting process.[4] The album was planned for release in November 2008, but the band had written approximately 50–60 songs and wished to continue writing.[5][6]
The album cover features a black and white photograph of the sea meeting the sky, by Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.[7] It is dedicated to Rob Partridge, who signed the band's first record deal in 1979 and passed away from cancer in late 2008.[8][9]
Background
In July 2006, the band's official website sent e-mails to subscribers confirming that U2 had begun work on the follow-up to 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.[10] The band had begun working on a new studio album with producer Rick Rubin in the south of France and in Abbey Road Studios.[11] Two songs from these sessions were released on the compilation U218 Singles; a cover of The Skids' "The Saints Are Coming" with Green Day, and "Window in the Skies". Both songs were played on the final leg of the Vertigo Tour in 2006.[12] In a late 2006 radio interview with Jo Whiley, Bono stated that musically the band intended to move in a different direction with their next album, saying, "We're gonna continue to be a band, but maybe the rock will have to go; maybe the rock has to get a lot harder. But whatever it is, it's not gonna stay where it is."[13]
Rubin encouraged a "back to basics" approach and wanted the band to bring finished songs to the studio. This approach conflicted with U2's "free-form" recording style.[14] The band eventually decided to cease recording with Rubin and the material from these sessions was shelved, with the band expressing interest in revisiting the material in the future.[15] The band subsequently employed Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois as principal producers, who were also given the opportunity to write songs with the band. Steve Lillywhite was also brought in to mix a few of the songs.[15][16] Some of the sounds the band created while in the studio with Rubin carried over to the sessions with Eno and Lanois; the guitar sound in "Fez - Being Born" was first developed during the recording of "The Saints are Coming".[17]
Production
The No Line on the Horizon sessions proper with Lanois and Eno began in June 2007 in Fez, Morocco, where the band rented out the courtyard of a hotel Riad and turned it into a makeshift recording studio.[18] The time the band spent in Fez led to Bono hinting that the new album would include "trance influences", with some songs consisting of North African and Moroccan sounds.[18][19] The open-air Riad allowed the band to hear the overhead birdsong during their sessions, as captured in the introduction to "Unknown Caller", but it also allowed the birds to defecate on drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.'s drum kit.[20] The band later spent time recording in Hanover Quay Studios in Dublin, New York City, and Olympic Studios in London.[21][18]
In June 2008, the band were recording in Hanover Quay Studios. Bono indicated around this time that he "got tired of [writing in] the first-person so I invented all these characters; a traffic cop, a junkie, a soldier serving in Afghanistan."[18] The junkie character in which Bono wrote appears in the song "Moment of Surrender". Eno described the song as such: "Apart from some editing and the addition of the short cello piece that introduces it, the song appears on the album exactly as it was the first and only time we played it."[18] The same junkie character is also the subject of the song "Unknown Caller", in which the person is suicidal and when attempting to use his phone to buy drugs, begins receiving cryptic text messages with technology-inspired directions.[22] The character of a soldier serving in Afghanistan appears in the song "White as Snow", which focuses on the soldier's last thoughts as he is dying from the wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device.[14] The song is set to appear in the war film Brothers.[23] Lanois was later quoted by Le Journal de Montreal on 26 June 2008 as saying that the new album will push the limits of the sound arena much like Achtung Baby did in 1991, stating, "I think we can safely say it's one of the great, innovative records from U2."[24] Lillywhite, who came into the studio later in the recording process to help the band put the final touches on the final album, told Irish DJ Tony Fenton on 6 July 2008 that it would be U2's best ever work.[25]
On 16 August 2008, a fan recorded four songs playing in Bono's beach house in Eze, France. These "beach clips" were subsequently uploaded to YouTube, but were removed at the request of Universal Music.[26] In a November 2008 interview with Mojo, The Edge confirmed that the band were scrambling to finish the mixing of the album as the February release date drew closer. The Mojo interview confirmed No Line on the Horizon as the working album title, and that "Moment of Surrender" and "Unknown Caller" would be two of the tracks, while an interview with Q revealed that will.i.am worked with the band on the track "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight".[15][27]
Many tracks had their names changed during the recording sessions. "French Disco", "Chromium Chords" and "For Your Love" were retitled as "Magnificent", "Fez – Being Born", and "Stand Up" respectively.[28][18] As late as December 2008, when U2 were in Olympic Studios in London, England to put the finishing touches on the album, many changes to the track listing were still being made. The songs "Stand Up" and "Crazy Tonight" were renamed "Stand Up Comedy" and "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"; this led to several pre-release reviews erroneously referring to the tracks by their former names, as well as discussing three tracks which were eventually cut: "Every Breaking Wave", "Tripoli" and "Winter".[18][27][29] In an interview with Mojo, Adam Clayton revealed that "Every Breaking Wave" had been cut because its inclusion would have made the album too long.[30] Despite being cut from the album, "Winter" makes an appearance on the accompanying Anton Corbijn film, Linear.[31] "Fez – Being Born" was originally planned to open the album, but the band decided that the higher-energy "No Line on the Horizon" was a better choice.[28] "White as Snow" was developed at the end of the sessions to balance out the rockier tunes present earlier on.[30] Bono noted that, with the exception of "White as Snow", the band had tried to keep the theme of war out of the album.[17] In December 2008, Clayton noted that "this is definitely the last week of recording. But then again, last week was definitely the last week of recording, and the week before that."[18] The band completed the album later that month.[4]
In an interview posted on 15 February 2009 with Sean O'Hagan of The Guardian, Bono stated that U2 would release another album by the end of the year consisting of material recorded during the sessions for No Line on the Horizon, and that it will be "a more meditative album on the theme of pilgrimage".[18] In a March 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Bono mentioned Songs of Ascent as the possible title for the companion album, with the song "Every Breaking Wave" as a centerpiece.[citation needed]
Release
At Midem in 2008, U2 manager, Paul McGuinness said the album would be released in October 2008.[32] Daniel Lanois on 4 June 2008, told RTÉ Radio the album should be ready in 3–4 weeks and "We're just finishing the vocals. Bono's in great form, singing fantastic."[33] U2.com posted an article on 3 September, in which Bono revealed that the new album would be released "in early 2009", also noting that "around 50–60 songs" have been recorded in the sessions.[6] U2.com later confirmed the album will be released on 27 February 2009 in Ireland, 2 March in the UK and 3 March in North America.[1]
Universal Music took extreme measures to prevent the album from leaking, especially in offering pre-release listening sessions for critics and not sending out review copies of the album for critics. However, Universal Music Australia's online music store, getmusic.com.au, accidentally released the album for digital sale on 18 February 2009, almost two weeks before the northern hemisphere release date. The complete album appeared on the site for a short time before it was removed,[34] yet the accidental sale led to the album being leaked on and illegally shared across the Internet. The band reacted to the leak with some positivity, with The Edge commenting "The one good thing about that is a lot of our fans have already given us their thumbs up. Even though it was fans getting it for free"."[35]
Promotion
Despite not being nominated for any awards, U2 performed "Get on Your Boots" at the 51st Grammy Awards, the 2009 BRIT Awards, and the 2009 ECHO awards in promotion for the album.[36][37][38] The band later appeared on French television and radio on 23 February 2009, and on 26 February the band taped a segment for Friday Night with Jonathan Ross which was aired the next day.[39][28][40] On 27 February they made an appearance on a Live Lounge session for BBC Radio 1, followed by a mini-concert on the roof of the BBC Broadcasting House.[41][42] Beginning 2 March 2009, U2 appeared on CBS-TV's Late Show With David Letterman for five consecutive nights to promote No Line on the Horizon; it is the first time a musical guest has performed for an entire week on the show.[43] On 3 March, the day of U2's second apperance on the Late Show, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg temporarily renamed 53rd Street to "U2 Way".[44] In additional to the Late Show, U2 will also perform at Fordham University on 6 March 2009 for an appearance on ABC-TV's Good Morning America.[45][46].
From 11 February – 17 February 2009, U2.com hosted a promotion where 4000 fans could win a 7" single collectors edition box set that would contain all four of the singles released from No Line on the Horizon.[47]
An alternate version of the title track "No Line on the Horizon" debuted on RTÉ 2XM on 12 February 2009.[48] On 20 February 2009 the full album began streaming on the band's MySpace page, and on U2.com a few days later.[34][49]
Formats
No Line on the Horizon was released in 5 different formats:[50]
- Standard jewel case - with album CD and 24 page booklet
- LP vinyl - limited edition with 2 black vinyl discs, gatefold sleeve, and a 16 page booklet
- Digipak format - limited edition with album CD, 36 page colour booklet and fold out poster. Features access to exclusive downloadable Anton Corbijn film, Linear.
- Magazine format - limited edition with album CD, with 60 page magazine. Features access to exclusive downloadable Anton Corbijn film, Linear.
- Box format - limited edition bespoke box containing digipak format album CD, DVD of Anton Corbijn's exclusive film Linear, 64 page hardback book, plus a fold out poster.
A press release from Universal Music Canada revealed that No Line on the Horizon would be available for pre-order on the iTunes Store on 19 January 2009, the day "Get on Your Boots" would premiere on radio. This version of the album includes two bonus tracks, including one available only to those who pre-ordered the album.[51]
Single releases
On 11 December 2008, U2.com reported that the band had filmed a music video in London for a new song with Alex Courtes, with the article stating that "there may have been some marching girls involved. With their boots on."[52] Courtes previously directed videos for the U2 songs "Vertigo" and "City of Blinding Lights". The first of four singles, "Get on Your Boots", was released as a digital download on 15 February 2009, and in a physical format on the following day.[7]
Reception
No Line on the Horizon received generally favourable reviews. Blender, Rolling Stone and Q magazine all gave it 5 stars, with Rolling Stone labelling it "their best, in its textural exploration and tenacious melodic grip, since 1991's Achtung Baby."[53][54][55] Mojo and Uncut both gave the album 4 stars, with Uncut commenting that "It's U2's least immediate album - but there's something about it that suggests it may be one of their most enduring."[56][57] Entertainment Weekly graded it an A-, calling the album "an eclectic and electrifying winner, one that speaks to the zeitgeist the way only U2 can and dare to do."[58] NME gave it 7 out of 10, calling it "a grand, sweeping, brave record that, while not quite the reinvention they pegged it as, suggests they've got the chops to retain their relevance well into their fourth decade as a band."[59] Consequence of Sound gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it "an eccentric album... It's not that the band sounds unoriginal or dated, it’s just that this particular sound has over-saturated the modern music scene", while Time Out Sydney gave No Line on the Horizon two stars out of six, stating "U2 return with a new album. Sadly, it's Brian Eno's... for all that's new, there's no way that you'll mistake it for another band."[60][61] TIME Magazine also gave it an unfavorable review, calling the effort "unsatisfied" and "mostly restless, tentative and confused."[62]
Track listing
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "No Line on the Horizon" | Bono | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 4:12 |
2. | "Magnificent" | Bono and Edge | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 5:24 |
3. | "Moment of Surrender" | Bono | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 7:24 |
4. | "Unknown Caller" | U2, Eno, and Lanois | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 6:03 |
5. | "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" | Bono | U2 | 4:14 |
6. | "Get on Your Boots" | Bono | U2 | 3:25 |
7. | "Stand Up Comedy" | Bono | U2 | 3:50 |
8. | "Fez – Being Born" | Bono | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 5:17 |
9. | "White as Snow" | U2, Eno, and Lanois | Traditional, arranged by U2, Eno and Lanois | 4:41 |
10. | "Breathe" | Bono | U2 | 5:00 |
11. | "Cedars of Lebanon" | Bono | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 4:13 |
Total length: | 53:43 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "No Line on the Horizon 2" (From the "Get on Your Boots" single) | Bono | U2, Eno, and Lanois | 4:07 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Get on Your Boots [Crookers Remix]" | Bono | U2 | 4:27 |
Linear
Linear is a film by Anton Corbijn that comes with the digipak, magazine, box, and deluxe iTunes formats.[50][63] The band believed that the online listening experience could be improved with moving imagery, and commissioned Corbijn to create the film.[31] He decided to create a silent film based on the characters Bono had created for the album, and came up with the story of a Parisian motorcycle cop who went to see his girlfriend in Tripoli.[31] Linear was completed in time for the album's original November 2008 release date, but as the band continued to work into December the film became out of sequence with the album.[31] 10 of the 11 songs in the film were edited as a solution, and the original running order was kept intact.[31]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Unknown Caller" | 6:18 |
2. | "Breathe" | 4:37 |
3. | "Winter" | 6:17 |
4. | "White as Snow" | 4:46 |
5. | "No Line on the Horizon" | 4:11 |
6. | "Fez – Being Born" | 5:15 |
7. | "Magnificent" | 5:23 |
8. | "Stand Up Comedy" | 3:50 |
9. | "Get on Your Boots" | 3:28 |
10. | "Moment of Surrender" | 7:24 |
11. | "Cedars of Lebanon" | 4:14 |
12. | "Credits" | 2:29 |
Total length: | 58:20 |
Personnel
- U2
- Bono – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- The Edge – guitar, vocals, piano
- Adam Clayton – bass guitar
- Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion
- Additional personnel[8]
- Brian Eno - rhythm loop, programming, synthesizers, vocals
- Daniel Lanois - guitar, vocals
- Terry Lawless - piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
- will.i.am - keyboards, vocals
- Caroline Dale - cello
- Richard Watkins - french horn
- Cathy Thompson - violin
- Sam O'Sullivan - percussion
- Louis Watkins - boy soprano
See also
References
- ^ a b "'No Line on the Horizon'". U2.com. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. (2008-12-18). "U2 Looks Toward New 'Horizon'". billboard.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ "The Superleague of Extraordinary Gentlemen". NME, hosted by Atu2.com. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b "No Line on the Horizon". U2.com. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "We want 2009 to be our year". U2.com. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (3 September 2008). "U2 Pen 'Fifty to Sixty' Songs, New Album Pushed to 2009". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
- ^ a b "First Single, Album Tracklisting". U2.com. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ a b Liner notes to No Line on the Horizon.
- ^ "Rob Partridge, man who signed U2, dies". RTE. 2008-11-26. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ Boyd, Brian (2009-02-27). "The background: making No Line on the Horizon". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Montgomery, James. "Green Day, U2 Take Historic Collaboration One Step Further By Re-Enacting Beatles' Abbey Road LP Cover". VH1. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ "U2 Vertigo Tour 5th Leg: The Pacific". U2Gigs.com. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
- ^ "Bono planning to reinvent U2 sound". Radio Telefís Éireann. 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b Pareles, Jon (2009-03-02). "U2, the biggest of veterans, wants to be the next new thing". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ a b c Eccleston, Danny (2008-11-24). "U2 Album Still Not Finished". Mojo. Bauer Verlagsgruppe. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- ^ "The best is yet to come". Sunday Mirror. 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ a b Owens, Catherine (2009-02-27), "No Line on the Horizon", No Line on the Horizon magazine (included with some versions of the album)
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i O'Hagan, Sean (2009-02-15). "The Wanderers". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Rogulewski, Charley (2007-12-05). "Bono says new U2 album has 'trance influences'". MOG.com. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
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(help) - ^ Book included with Box Set of No Line of the Horizon.
- ^ Carr, Eamon (2009-02-13). "Eamon Carr's Verdict: U2". Herald.ie. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
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- ^ "The Best is Yet to Come". Sunday Mirror, hosted by Atu2.com. 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- ^ Young, Alex (2008-08-17). "U2 does little to downplay new album's title, sound, or release date". Consequence of Sound.net. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- ^ a b "U2 Preview New Album to Q". Q Magazine. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ a b c "U2 play on Le Grand Journal and talk on French radio". U2gigs.com. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (2009-01-22). "U2 Break Down 'No Line on the Horizon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
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(help) - ^ a b Eccleston, Danny (2009-02-26). "Exclusive Adam Clayton Q&A!". Mojo. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e "Linear". nolineonthehorizon.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ Sherwin, Adam (2008-01-29). "U2 manager wants illegal downloaders blacklisted". Times Online, hosted by Atu2.com. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ "U2 New Album Information". @U2.
- ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (2009-02-20). "U2 Album Leaks, Gets Streamed On MySpace". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "The Edge: 'Album Leak Was Good'". XFM, hosted by Atu2.com. 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ Donahue, Ann (2009-02-09). "Plant/Krauss, Lil Wayne Win Big At 51st Grammys". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- ^ "U2, Multi-BRIT Award Winners, to Perform Brand New Single Live at the BRIT Awards 2009 with Mastercard". BRITS.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-0221.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ "2009-02-21: O2 World - Berlin, Germany". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ "2009-02-23: Studios Rive Gauche - Paris, France". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ "2009-02-26: BBC Studios - London, England". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "2009-02-27: BBC Radio Theatre - London, England". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "U2's surprise London gig will cap off a busy day". U2gigs.com. 2009-02-27.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Five Nights with Letterman". U2.com. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
- ^ Reiss, Adam (2009-03-04). "New York names street 'U2 Way'". CNN. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ "Morning All". U2.com. 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- ^ "U2 to play mini-concerts in the US". U2gigs.com. 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ "Box Set Anyone?". U2.com. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "RTÉ 2XM to debut U2's title track". RTÉ Entertainment. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ^ "Tune In". U2.com. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ a b ""No Line on the Horizon" will be Available in Five Formats". Interscope Records. 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ Cross, Alan (2009-01-16). "The Latest Info on U2's "No Line on the Horizon"". Explore Music.com. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- ^ "In London, Shooting A Video". U2.com. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob. "U2: No Line on the Horizon". Blender. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Fricke, David (2009-02-20). "No Line on the Horizon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
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(help) - ^ Rees, Paul. "U2 No Line on the Horizon". Q magazine. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
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(help) - ^ Cameron, Keith. "Blue Sky Thinking". Mojo. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
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(help) - ^ Mueller, Andrew. "U2 No Line on the Horizon". Uncut. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
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(help) - ^ Jensen, Jeff (2009-02-25). "No Line on the Horizon (2009)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ Patashnik, Ben (2009-02-26). "No Line on the Horizon". NME. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ Roffman, Michael (2009-02-23). "Album Review: U2 - No Line on the Horizon". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ Street, Andrew. "U2's new album reviewed". Time Out. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
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(help) - ^ Tyrangiel, Josh. "U2's Unsatisfied — and Unsatisfying — New Album". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
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(help) - ^ "No Line on the Horizon (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
External links