TRACKLIST

NOTES on POP

     POP was rumored to be a radical reinvention of U2 for months before its release (despite the fact that Bono had told the press all through the first half of 1996 that "We think we'll be recording a straight rock album"), merging U2's stadium-rock sound with the electronic crunch of the techno music acts like Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers had recently been bringing to the fore. For the first time in over ten years, producer Brian Eno was absent, giving way to cutting-edge producers such as The Smashing Pumpkins' Flood, techno maestro Nellee Hooper, and trip-hopper Howie B (Who would work as DJ on the initial portion of the PopMart Tour). The album was many months late in its release, originally intended for a winter-'96 debut. The first video, "Discotheque", appeared in late January of 1997, and featured a radically different-looking band (Bono had shaved off his shoulder-length died-black locks that became so famous during the early 90s) parading about as absurd Village People inside a tremendous Technicolor disco-ball dance floor. The song had one hell of a fierce dance groove, and the single achieved Gold status quite quickly (although the album was considered a "disappointment" commercially. The logic here eludes me; the album went platinum multiple times over, and sold 350,000 copies in its opening week. Apparently the expectation was that the album would resurrect Christ, erase the Holocaust from history, and eliminate the worlds' nuclear arsenals). Subsequent singles included the modern-rock-radio hit "Staring At The Sun", "Last Night On Earth", "Please" (a sort of "update" of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and arguably a more powerful portrayal of the Irish conflict), and "If God Will Send His Angels", which was featured on the multiplatinum soundtrack to the film CITY OF ANGELS (a remake/update of U2 friend Wim Wenders' film WINGS OF DESIRE). The fiery smash of the track "Mofo" was never released to radio; however, a "Mofo Remixes" single was released featuring two new mixes (One by jungle-music artist Roni Size) as well as a funked-out mix of "If God Will Send His Angels".