U2 reveal new album with 40 of their biggest hits re-recorded
U2 has announced the release of a new compilation album which will feature 40 “reimagined” songs.
The Irish rock band has confirmed that the new album, which will be released in March, is titled Songs Of Surrender.
It has been curated and produced by lead guitarist The Edge, 61, and features hit songs from across their 47-year career including With Or Without You, Beautiful Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday.
The Edge revealed that the band, which also includes Bono, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., wanted to experiment with new sounds and tempos for the 21st century.
He said: “Music allows you to time travel, and we became curious to find out what it would be like to bring our early songs back with us to the present day and give them the benefit, or otherwise, of a 21st century reimagining.
“What started out as an experiment quickly developed into a personal obsession as so many of our songs yielded to a new interpretation. Intimacy replaced post punk urgency.
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“New tempos, new keys, and in some cases new chords and new lyrics arrived. A great song, it turns out, is kind of indestructible.
“The process of selecting which songs to revisit started with a series of demos. I looked at how a song would hang together if all but the bare essential elements were taken away.”
The 40 reimagined tracks are collected together under each of the four bandmate names across four separate “albums”.
“Hearing the songs interact, and finding the running orders for the four albums was really thrilling; finding the surprising segues, getting a chance to DJ,” The Edge added.
“Once we had four distinct albums it was easy to see who would be the figurehead for each one.”
It will mark the fifteenth album in the band’s collection following the release of Songs Of Experience in 2017 and Songs Of Innocence in 2014.
Meanwhile Bono has announced an additional 11 dates for his Stories Of Surrender show where he promises “words, music and some mischief” at New York’s Beacon Theatre in April and May.