heute.de: Die Sicherheitsmaßnahmen von Management und Plattenfirma waren vergeblich: Das neue U2-Album steht bereits vor seiner offiziellen Veröffentlichung im Netz - kostenlos und illegal in Tauschbörsen. Schuld ist eine Panne im Online-Shop der Plattenfirma. [ more]

winfuture.de: Seit einigen Tagen können vier Tracks der demnächst erscheinenden Produktion "No Line On The Horizon" in den Filesharing-Netzen heruntergeladen werden. Die Qualität ist zwar nicht sonderlich gut, für Fans, die sich vorab einen Eindruck verschaffen wollen, aber wohl ausreichend.

Die Schwachstelle ist ausgerechnet Bono, der Sänger der Band. Dieser hörte sich die noch unveröffentlichten Songs in seiner Villa in Südfrankreich mit hoher Lautstärke an. Ein Passant erkannte die Stimme Bonos, merkte, dass es sich um neue Titel handeln musste, und nahm sie über ein Mikrofon auf. [ more]

levelandleader.com: "It was 20 years ago today " the Beatles sang on 1967 sang on their legendary 'Sgt Peppers lonely Hearts Club Band' album, and if their ever was a successor to the fab four it is probably U2. Twenty years ago U2, not the Beatles, released a their own landmark album in the 'Joshua Tree'. Tracks on the album such as "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Where the Streets Have No Name", and "With or Without You" are radio staples on a wide variety of formats still today. So to commemorate U2 decided to release a 20th Anniversary edition that will hit stores on Tuesday.

One of the songs included is entitled 'Wave of Sorrow' in which Bono (seen in a video below) discusses the track that just finished recording after 20 years.

Here is what the lead singer of U2 said about the song:

"Was one of the songs from the Joshua Tree sessions that we never finished… a song that was trying to describe experiences that myself and Ali had when we were working in Ethiopia during the famine."

Here is a video of Bono explaining, and singing along to, 'Wave of Sorrow' :

Disc: 1
1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
3. With Or Without You
4. Bullet The Blue Sky
5. Running To Stand Still
6. Red Hill Mining Town
7. In God's Country
8. Trip Through Your Wires
9. One Tree Hill
10. Exit
11. Mothers Of The Disappeared

Disc: 2
1. Luminous Times (Hold On To Love)
2. Walk To The Water
3. Spanish Eyes
4. Deep In The Heart
5. Silver And Gold
6. Sweetest Thing
7. Race Against Time
8. Where The Streets Have No Name (Single Edit)
9. Silver And Gold (Sun City)
10. Beautiful Ghost/Introduction To Songs Of Experience
11. Wave Of Sorrow (Birdland)
12. Desert Of Our Love
13. Rise Up
14. Drunk Chicken/America

Disc: 3 (Included in the Super Deluxe Edition)
1. I Will Follow [DVD]
2. Trip Through Your Wires [DVD]
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For [DVD]
4. MLK [DVD]
5. The Unforgettable Fire [DVD]
6. Sunday Bloody Sunday [DVD]
7. Exit [DVD]
8. In God's Country [DVD]
9. Electric Co. [DVD]
10. Bad [DVD]
11. October [DVD]
12. New Year's Day [DVD]
13. Pride [DVD]

[ more]

billboard.com: Daniel Lanois has helped the biggest of the big translate their music to the masses (Bob Dylan, U2, Willie Nelson), but now he's turning the spotlight on himself. After years of being asked by friends, fans and media outlets to reveal his studio methods, the Canadian producer/artist did exactly that with the self-financed film "Here Is What Is."

In the midst of finishing "Here Is What Is," Lanois has been writing songs for the next U2 album with Eno and the band in France and Morocco, a process documented in the film. Although the two producers have worked separately with U2 for years, this is the first time both men are collaborating with the band simultaneously.

"It feels like the 'Achtung Baby' period, when everybody was really hungry to do something fresh," Lanois says of the material so far. "They have everything, and they've done everything. But the thing they should never assume they still own is the ability to be original and invent something that's never been heard before. [ more]

urlbase.de: Bald kann jeder hautnah bei den Bandproben von "U2" dabei sein. Der Grund: Regisseur Daniel Lanois hat eine Dokumentation über die Entstehung des neuesten Albums der Erfolgsband gedreht. Wie die amerikanische Ausgabe des Musikmagazins "Rolling Stone" berichtet, geht es in dem Streifen vor allem um die Albumaufnahmen in Marokko. Dort haben sich Bono und seine Bandkollegen nämlich vor einiger Zeit zu heimlichen Studioaufnahmen getroffen.

Die Dokumentation rund um "U2" wird schon im September bei den Internationalen Filmfestspielen in Toronto dem Publikum vorgestellt. [ more]

abcnews.go.com: So what songs and artists does this legend listen to the most? For the Edge, it's a variety, ranging from songs by patriarchs of rock like Bob Dylan and the Beatles, to less mainstream acts like the Rebirth Brass Band. But each one is connected to some time or place in his life. [ more]

blogcritics.org: Some bands have been larger than life since day one... I think U2 is the epitome of the statement. When they came onto the scene in the late 70s and early 80s their unique blend, a kind of post punk rock and roll with plenty of political statements in epic arena rock format, there was no doubt they had the vision for something huge, and indeed they became something huge.

After much artistic experimentation, having delved into electronica/dance and coming somewhat full circle back to the more driving rock and roll that made them famous originally, they're still huge, now 30+ years later. [ more]

londonnet.co.uk: The music mogul - real name Sean Combs - was blown away when he saw the U2 singer in hot St. Tropez nightspot Club 55, partying with Hollywood beauty Penelope Cruz.

A source said: "Diddy came over to their table and asked Penelope to take his picture with Bono. She ended up taking about five because Diddy kept asking her to take another one until he got one he liked." [ more]

houstonist.com: What we have here is supposedly a rare video of U2 performing in a Houston bar. [ more]

money.cnn.com: In accepting the Grammy Award for best single in 2001, U2 lead singer Bono made it clear the band still had grand ambitions even though critics had written it off in the past.

U2, he said, was reapplying for the job of the "best rock 'n' roll band in the world."

It wasn't so much bravado as conviction. Because he believed so strongly in the band, Bono was willing to set the highest standards, challenging himself and his U2 cohorts to achieve greatness.

That attitude typified Bono's approach to making U2 a success. The band was formed three decades ago by a bunch of Irish teenagers with dubious talent. Bono set his sights high from day one and worked hard to make the band more than a one-hit wonder. [ more]

news.com.au: Crusading Irish rocker Bono and screen beauty Penelope Cruz have spent the past week together on the French Riviera, sparking concerns for the U2 frontman's 24-year-marriage to his highschool sweetheart. [ more]

register-mail.com: First Presbyterian Church, 101 N. Prairie St., is holding a special service Saturday that incorporates the music of Irish rock band U2. The music will be performed by the church's Revelation Band, composed of guitarists, a drummer, keyboards and vocalists.

"The idea of the U2 Eucharist is to get the word out about trying to eradicate extreme poverty, AIDS in Africa and other global illnesses," said the Rev. David Parker. [ more]

undercover.com.au: Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns apologises for a joke about smoking a joint with Bono and Peter Garrett.

During an interview for Triple J, Johns was asked about his relationship with Bono, who appears in 'Young Modern's thank you list. He relayed a story that Bono had invited Johns, his wife Natalie Imbruglia and former Midnight Oil frontman and current Australian politician Peter Garrett to his hotel room during last November's U2 tour. He then said that the four ended up smoking joints while listening to 'Young Modern' demos. [ more]

macwelt.de: Dass Apple eine gute Beziehung zu der irischen Band U2 pflegt, ist allgemein bekannt. Den Frontsänger Bono hat das Unternehmen aus Cupertino aber ganz besonders geehrt.
Das "Interpret"-Icon auf dem iPhone ist die Silhouette Bonos aus dem Musikvideo zu "Original of the Species" - mit dem Apple damals bereits die Einführung des ersten Video-iPods beworben hatte. [ more]

rockdirt.com: U2's Bono and The Edge visited 'Spring Awakening' on Broadway at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Thursday (July 5) in New York City. [ more]

nme.com: Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell is friends with Bono - but says the U2 frontman calling him has led to serious technical problems.

The two have shared intimate chats - but when Bono hangs up something very strange happens.

Borrell revealed: "Nobody has Bono in their contacts! Bono doesn't have a number that can stick in contacts. The last time Bono phoned me, it wiped all my saved text messages out of my phone. [ more]

nme.com: U2's PopMart tour performance from Mexico City in 1997 is to be released on DVD later this year.

'Live From Mexico City', filmed at the Foro Sol Autodromo on December 3 of that year, was made available on video in 1998 - this will be the first time it has been made available on DVD. [ more]

prweb.com: The African Well Fund's 5th Annual "Build a Well for Bono's Birthday" fundraising drive has raised over $34,000. All proceeds of the fundraiser will go directly to African Well Fund partner Africare, a leading non-profit organization assisting Africa, to fund clean water projects throughout the continent. [ more]

sueddeutsche.de: Der Sänger der Kultband U2 gilt als barmherziger Samariter. Er drängt die Mächtigen der Welt, mehr für Afrika zu tun. Doch ist Bono auch Geschäftsmann und clever genug, die Charity-Verbindungen für seine Privatgeschäfte zu nutzen. [ more]

prweb.com: The African Well Fund's 5th Annual "Build a Well for Bono's Birthday" fundraising drive has raised over $34,000. All proceeds of the fundraiser will go directly to African Well Fund partner Africare, a leading non-profit organization assisting Africa, to fund clean water projects throughout the continent. [ more]