September 24, 2004
FINALLY! It started yesterday afternoon around 1:30. A fan heard and recorded "Vertigo" on Croatian radio (no, I'm not kidding) and posted an mp3. The sound quality was low, and there was a DJ talking over part of the intro and the last 15 seconds at the end, but that didn't matter. For a group of hopeless fanatics who'd been listening to the Beach house clip for a month, this was the jackpot. Or so we thought, until a couple of hours later a near cd quality mp3 hit the net with no DJ talking over it.
"Vertigo" flat out rocks. It's U2's early energy and punk influences being fleshed out in 2004 mixed with everything they've learned along the way. The bridge is getting a lot of comparisons to "I Will Follow" and "Stories for Boys," but I'm hearing Achtung Baby, especially given the lyrics and vocal delivery. Lyrically, it's probably best compared to "Discotheque." The casual listener will hear a rocking party song, but Pope Bono is really singing the recurring themes of temptation and salvation. The best scoop on the lyrics comes from Beth at the U2 Sermons blog.
Oh, you wanted to hear it? Download this!
Update: I'm speechless -- Pitchfork likes it.
September 21, 2004
U2NewZooland.com has obtained a copy of the cover art for the "Vertigo" promo cd, seen below. They do note that the commercial single may have different artwork. Regardless, I like it! It has a real punk vibe to it.
The even bigger news is that "Vertigo" will finally hit the airwaves this week. Dave Fanning, friend of U2 and DJ with Irish radio station 2FM, has announced he will have the exclusive premiere on his show Thursday night between 6:00 and 7:30pm Dublin time. That's 1:00 - 2:30pm here in Chattanooga, and luckily for us, 2FM has a live audio stream on its site. If you miss it live, rest assured it will be all over the internet by the time you get home from work.
September 15, 2004
For anyone looking for the latest information on Pastor Eric Youngblood's medical condition, Rock Creek Fellowship will be posting updates from the family at the following address:
Please remember Eric, Cathy, and Kahler in your prayers.
September 14, 2004
"My Lord is more ready to pardon than you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them." -- Charles Spurgeon (via Challies.com)
September 13, 2004
Fans in the know have heard this title rumoured in whispers and moans for months now, but today NME.com, BBC1 Radio, and U2.com all confirmed it officially: U2's new album, due November 23rd (in North America), will be titled How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. One of the rumours that hinted at this as the title was a story Michael W. Smith told a concert audience, about Bono asking him if he knew how to dismantle an atomic bomb. Bono's answer? "Love. With Love." Of course, it would be a bit foolish to expect hippie sentimentality (*cough*Imagine*cough*) from U2, but one rumoured song title is "Love and Peace or Else." (I blogged about the six confirmed song titles not too long ago.)
A quick thinking forum member over at Interference.com suggested a Biblical reference that may line up with the album title and Bono's answer to the question. The phrase "They will beat their swords into plowshares" pops up in several books of the Bible, and a particularly good example is this great passage in Micah 2:
2 Many nations will come and say,Another line in that passage, "He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths," reminded me of another song titled that's been talked about since the end of the Elevation tour: "Lead Me in the Way I Should Go." Here's hoping that track made the cut for the new album.
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD ,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.4 Every man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
In a more worldly vein, can I just say that U2 are incredibly brilliant when it comes to marketing. From the stolen (or was is lost?) rough mix of the cd, to the "are they or aren't they elaborate plants by the band" leaks of song clips taped from outside Bono's beach house to the way they had label reps taking iPods to radio stations to preview "Vertigo" for the DJs, they have slowly but surely been kindling the flames of hype for the new album. I have a feeling they hype machine will be impossible to avoid after "Vertigo" hits radio (just in time for the Grammy cutoff date, a la "Beautiful Day"). And then there's the tour, which is scheduled to start in March, which by no accident is just after they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. This is a warning, if you thought U2 were inescapable in 2001, 2005 will be a big dose of deja vu.
Finally, the album title announcement was accompanied by this new photo of the band. I have to say, I'm loving The Edge's t-shirt, and Larry's "Since 1977" shirt is clever as well.
September 12, 2004
Bailey has just been going nuts lately, learning all kinds of new stuff. She gets better at her pulling up and holding on to things (mostly our coffee table) to "walk" around. She hasn't gotten brave enough to go no-hands yet, but it can't be far off. There have been a couple times when she didn't realize for about a second that she wasn't holding onto anything, and she kept her balance just fine.
Yesterday she proved once again to be a lucky charm for Auburn by wearing her favorite t-shirt:
The Tigers beat up on Mississippi State, 43-14. They had a shutout going until the last two minutes of the game, when the mostly third-string defense kind of fell apart. Still a good game, as they totally dominated for 58 minutes. Next week's game against LSU will be tougher, but Bailey will once again be cheerleading from our living room so they should be okay. That reminds me, she started clapping this week!
And now, for the best Bailey story of all. One of her favorite things to get into lately has been our entertainment center. She started loving to crawl over and turn the DVD player on and off repeatedly. She just liked pressing the button over and over again. Well, on Tuesday evening, she crawled over and pressed the button to turn it on. The DVD that happened to be in was U2 Go Home (Live at Slane Castle). Bailey looked up at the screen and then didn't turn it off. When the band walked out onto the stage, she started waving at them. When the music started, she proceeded to "dance" along. When the crowd went wild at the end of "Beautiful Day" she started clapping with them. It was hilarious! Yes, Bailey's favorite band is U2 and it's not just me saying that anymore...
September 03, 2004
September 01, 2004
Stunning. It would look great with a free iPod, and I still need a couple people to sign up under me and complete an offer. It's the first step towards getting your own free iPod, so it's not like you'd be doing it for nothing! Go sign up already!
Bono will be entering the No-Spin Zone tonight as he is scheduled to be interviewed on The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News. It airs at 8pm and 11pm EST. I'm sure he will mostly be discussing the AIDS crisis and his thoughts on the RNC (which he is attending), but maybe O'Reilly can get a spin-free scoop on the new single or the new album...