The high-energy of the original has been replaced with a new production that puts the emphasis on melody alongside moments of sparse instrumentation, as guitarist and producer The Edge relayed recently as part of the announcement about the project.
“What started out as an experiment quickly developed into a personal obsession as so many of our songs yielded to a new interpretation,” explained the rocker. “Intimacy replaced post punk urgency. 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 other main aim was to find ways to bring intimacy into the songs, as most of them were originally written with live concert performance in mind.
“Reviewing these sketch recordings with producer Bob Ezrin, it was very easy to see the ones that worked straight off the bat and those that needed more work. We all got into the sensibility of less is more.”
Due March 17, “Songs Of Surrender” delivers 40 songs from U2’s extensive career that were re-recorded during sessions over the past two years.
Get your copy of the preview tracks from the album here.
See also:
U2 stream Songs Of Surrender version of One
U2 announce Achtung Baby Las Vegas residency
U2 stream Songs Of Surrender version of With Or Without You
U2 reimagine catalog on Songs Of Surrender album
Search U2 at hennemusic
