U2 Break Down No Line On The Horizon

Key tracks from the band’s eclectic new album
BRIAN HIATT

In early December, Rolling Stone travelled to London to visit U2 in the studio as Bono and Co. worked on the upcoming No Line On The Horizon.
For the full story, see the new issue, which hits newstands Wednesday, January 7th.

Hear the first listen to 10 of the album’s tracks:

Rolling Stone

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Tracklist: U2 - No Line On The Horizon

Thanks to Swear I’m not Paul

Not in the right order, but here’s the confirmed tracks from Q Magazine for the new U2 record, No Line on the Horizon:
* “Breathe”
* “The Cedars of Lebanon”
* “Crazy Tonight”
* “Every Breaking Wave”
* “For Your Love”
* “Get Your Boots On”
* “Magnificent”
* “Moment of Surrender”
* “No Line on the Horizon”
* “Stand Up”
* “Tripoli”
* “Unknown Caller”
* “Winter”

Bono enjoys a Highland new year
Bono, lead singer of rock band U2, celebrated Hogmanay in the Highlands.

The Irish singer, wife Ali and Danish supermodel Helena Christensen, along with family and friends, flew into Scotland for a New Year break at Ben Alder Lodge, the 26,000-acre Inverness-shire estate owned by one of the world’s richest men, Swiss financier Urs Schwarzenbach.

Bono’s group arrived at Inverness Airport on Monday and were taken to the Dalwhinnie estate in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes minibus. The rock star, real name Paul Hewson, was seen wearing a red kilt with Miss Christensen in the bar at the Silverfjord Hotel in nearby Kingussie.

Gillian Welsh, owner of the hotel, said it had taken a few minutes to realise who the superstar guests were. She said: “We couldn’t believe we had such famous people in the bar. But they chatted with some of the locals, while Bono enjoyed a couple of pints of Guinness.”

http://www.theherald.co.uk

Two-year delay for revamp of U2 hotel

By Cormac Murphy

Friday January 02 2009

THE €150m redevelopment of U2’s Clarence Hotel will not get under way for another two years.

After a protracted planning application process, Bono and The Edge are willing to wait before closing down the Dublin city centre hotel.

A spokeswoman for the project told the Herald the Clarence would operate as normal for the next two years.

“The owners are currently working on the design and pro-ject management requirements. For the next two years, the Clarence Hotel is fully operational as normal,” she said.

The hotel will re-open again following the redevelopment in 2012 or 2013, the spokeswoman added. An Bord Pleanala gave the go ahead last July to the Norman Foster-designed pro-ject, which has been going through the planning process for over a year and a half.

The decision was hugely significant as the redevelopment will involve gutting a series of protected buildings, including the Clarence itself, leaving just the facades.

Revised plans will have to be submitted to Dublin City Council as the planning board directed certain changes.

The massive revamp was granted permission by Dublin City Council in November but that decision was appealed.

An Bord Pleanala then directed that an oral hearing take place.

DEMOLITION

Permission was granted despite the Department of the Environment saying it did not believe the plan was of such architectural merit as to justify the demolition of six protected buildings.

The U2 band members, along with property developers Paddy McKillen and Derek Quinlan, will transform the 44-bedroom boutique hotel into a 141-bedroom, five-star hotel and spa, complete with restaurant, bar and fresh food market.

During the oral hearing, The Edge, whose real name is David Evans, said: “If it goes ahead, it will be the ninth different version of a hotel on that site. We want to keep the infrastructure in the city — we don’t want it to turn into apartments. We don’t want it to be lost.”

But the plan caused controversy as it involves a massive reconstruction of the Clarence, an art deco building dating from 1937, four Georgian buildings from the early 19th century and Dollard House, built in 1886.

All are listed buildings and only the facades along Wellington Quay in the south inner city will be preserved.

It is proposed to re-use skirting boards, fireplaces, floorboards and all other internal features in the new building.

A huge glass atrium, which will be accessible to the public, will be at the heart of the hotel, with a skycatcher allowing light to enter the hotel.

- Cormac Murphy

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/twoyear-delay-for-revamp-of-u2-hotel-1589444.html

Visit Q Magazine U2 mini-site - and see a video of our cover shoot

http://promo.q4music.com/q4music/u2/

For more visit our U2 Forum

On The Horizon
With the album wrapped, the story behind No Line on the Horizon is set to be revealed. First out of the blocks is Q Magazine.

The new edition, which hits the streets later this week, features interviews with each of the band and in a day or two we’ll be carrying video of the - nar by Adam.

Meanwhile, over at Q4music, Editor Paul Rees, visited Olympic Studios to hear seven tracks ‘at various stages of completion’.

‘First impressions were that, while the two most recent U2 albums (2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind and 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic ) marked a return to basics, No Line On The Horizon is more in keeping with the spirit of 1991’s Achtung Baby: which is to say, a bolder, more testing collection.

‘The material itself runs a gamut from the classic U2-isms of Magnificent, which echoes The Unforgettable Fire’s opening track A Sort Of Homecoming in its atmospheric sweep, to the straight up pop of Crazy Tonight (the track Will.I.Am was taking a pass at) and the swaggering Stand Up, wherein U2 get in touch with their, hitherto unheard, funky selves - albeit propelled by some coruscating Edge guitar work, a signature feature of a number of the tracks…”

More Q tips from the studio here.

Source http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2281

If you wish to discuss U2’s upcoming album or chat in general about U2, here’s a reminder that our U2 forum is open for you and we look forward to welcoming you there.

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