Buy I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight – No Line On the Horizon on itunes.

Video of I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (David O’Reilly Video) [David O'Reilly Video] – U2 available on itunes.

Pretax losses at the artist management company controlled by U2’s manager Paul McGuinness last year increased seven-fold to €1.8 million, writes Gordon Deegan.

Accounts filed by Principle Management Ltd show the firm’s revenues decreased from €4.8 million to €3.1 million in the year to the end of March 2011.

Mr McGuinness, his long-time associate Trevor Bowen and US-based Keryn Kaplan received aggregate remuneration totalling €1.6 million during the year.

The firm filed a pretax loss of €253,821 in 2010.

www.irishtimes.com

Below are the original 46 song titles that U2 fans were given and asked to choose 22 from which will make up the track-listing to appear on U22, the limited edition double-CD set available to subscribers of U2.com.

1. 40
2. All I Want Is You/Love Rescue Me
3. Angel Of Harlem
4. Bad
5. Beautiful Day
6. Breathe
7. City Of Blinding Lights
8. Desire
9. Electrical Storm
10. Elevation
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing
12. Get On Your Boots
13. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
14. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
15. In A Little While
16. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For
17. I Will Follow
18. Magnificent
19. Miss Sarajevo
20. Moment of Surrender
21. Mothers Of The Disappeared
22. Mysterious Ways
23. New Year’s Day
24. No Line On the Horizon
25. One
26. One Tree Hill
27. Out Of Control
28. Party Girl
29. Pride (In the Name of Love)
30. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
31. Scarlet
32. Spanish Eyes
33. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
34. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
35. Sunday Bloody Sunday
36. The Fly
37. The Unforgettable Fire
38. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
39. Unknown Caller
40. Until The End Of The World
41. Vertigo
42. Walk On
43. Where The Streets Have No Name
44. With Or Without You
45. Your Blue Room
46. Zooropa

Here’s the 22 songs that have made it onto the ‘U22′ CD –

1. Bad
2. Where The Streets Have No Name
3. Magnificent
4. One
5. Ultraviolet
6. Even Better than The Real Thing
7. With or Without You
8. Beautiful Day
9. City of Blinding Lights
10. The Unforgettable Fire
11. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
12. All I Want is You/Love Rescue Me
13. Moment of Surrender
14. Until The End of the World
15. The Fly
16. One Tree Hill
17. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
18. Walk On
19. Zooropa
20. Elevation
21. Out of Control
22. Mysterious Ways

Question: Are you satisfied with the final selection? If not, what songs would you move onto the CD and what songs would you drop?

Bono's Peter and the Wolf book

By Independent.ie reporters
Friday Feb 3 2012

THE website for the Irish Hospice Foundation crashed last night when Victoria Beckham tweeted a link to the charity after receiving a gift from Bono for baby Harper of a book he did in aid of the charity in 2003.

Victoria Beckham tweeted last night: “Thanks Bono and Ali for Harper’s supercool Peter and the Wolf book!” The fashion designer then gave a link to the book cover and tweeted a link to the Irish Hospice Foundation website to her two and a half million Twitter followers. The Irish Hospice Foundation tweeted the designer “We hope you and David enjoy reading it to Harper.”

Caroline Lynch of the Irish Hospice Foundation confirmed that after the fashion designer tweeted the link and it was retweeted on Twitter, the charity’s website crashed under the high volume of traffic from people trying to get onto the site and find out about the book. “The site went down from the number of people who were trying to get on and make enquiries.” she said.

The book produced in 2003 by Bono and Gavin Friday contains 64 pages of Bono’s original paintings and illustrations from his daughters Jordan and Eve. Since 2003, Peter and the Wolf has raised €993,006 for the hospice foundation. The charity is hoping the Beckham tweet will help them to raise the additional €7000 needed to bring them over the €1 million mark.

Meanwhile Bono is set to enjoy a beautiful payday with a reputed windfall of €1.1bn from his Facebook investment it was reported this week.

For details of the book conact: 01 679 31 88 or email fundraising@hospice-foundation.ie to place an order.

Read more: http://www.independent.ie

“Summer Wine” is a song written by Lee Hazlewood. It was originally sung by Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood in 1966, but it was made famous by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood in 1967. This version was originally released as the B-side of “Sugar Town” the previous year, before featuring on the Nancy & Lee LP in 1968. It was the first of Sinatra and Hazlewood’s string of popular duets.

Lyrically, “Summer Wine” describes a man, voiced by Hazlewood, who meets a woman, Sinatra, who notices his silver spurs and invites him to have wine with her. After heavy drinking, the man awakens hungover to find his spurs and money have been stolen by the mysterious woman; the subtext of which being they experienced intercourse and as repayment she misappropriated them (them being his “silver spurs a dollar and a dime”).

Song info sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/
The duet by Andrea Corr and Bono appeared on The Corrs Live in Dublin Album, 2002.

“In a Lifetime” is a pop song performed by Irish artists Clannad and Bono. It was written by brothers Pól Brennan and Ciarán Brennan and produced by Steve Nye. The single was released in January 1986, and was the third single to be released from Clannad’s eighth studio album Macalla (1985).

It is one of Clannad’s most successful songs and it remains as Bono’s most successful solo effort.

The video was shot in Clannad’s hometown of Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland. It is set in 1930′s Ireland and it is based on the lives of local folk around this time. It shows young children walking along a narrow road in the countryside, followed by a hearse. It also shows old men drinking in a pub. The video, which was directed by Meiert Avis, was praised for its haunting portrayal of the Irish countryside and old Irish traditions.

Song info sourced from – http://en.wikipedia.org

By Pete Vonder Haar Tue., Jan. 31 2012 at 11:01 AM

What was the last great U2 album?

Now, before you go and get your snotty Henry Rollins quotes lined up, recall that there was a period in the mid- to late 1980s when the Dublin foursome were both the biggest and most critically acclaimed band on the planet before veering off into sonic experimentation and retreating somewhat from the public eye.

In my opinion, one can make valid “greatness” arguments for four of their albums. Some prefer the anthemic, clarion calling of War, others the muted melancholy of The Unforgettable Fire, while many would argue that 1987′s The Johsua Tree was the band’s perfect fusion of the earnest and the cynical.

But for some, myself included, U2′s high point was achieved by the album that was both a response to post-Joshua Tree backlash and precursor to their millennial experimental forays into pop and house music: Achtung Baby.

When U2 played Glastonbury last year, their set largely consisted of cuts from Achtung Baby, which makes a certain amount of sense, considering the album was celebrating its 20th anniversary. To prepare, U2 began rehearsals in Winnipeg. At the same time, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth) was commissioned to make a movie commemorating the album.

Guggenheim was given wide access to U2′s archives, including previously unreleased footage from Rattle and Hum, Phil Joanou’s ill-received 1988 documentary film of the Joshua Tree tour. Meanwhile the band returned to Hansa Studios in Berlin to “revive and rethink” the album.

From the Sky Down spends a lot of time on the band’s early (like, pre-Boy) years, which is nice and all (did you Bono gave future wife Ali Kraftwerk’s Man-Machine for her 15th birthday?). But for a movie billed as “the story of the making of U2′s Achtung Baby,” it takes them quite a while to get to the album itself.

More interesting, to me, was how the band addressed their public perception in the wake of the Joshua Tree’s success. To hear them tell it, Rattle and Hum did a poor job at capturing the band’s insecurity and self-deprecation, and Joanou’s exclusion of anything humorous led to critics and audiences viewing them as pretentious. This was especially true of their love of blues music, where people took guest appearances by B.B. King as Bono having the audacity to act like he’d discovered him.

After seeing the footage Guggenheim includes, I’m inclined to give the boys the benefit of the doubt. And I say this as one who spent half of R&H’s running time cringing in the theater. That said, you might come across as less of an asshole if you took your mirror shades off during indoor interviews, Adam Clayton.

[Side note: Some of the unearthed footage included a surprise gig the band played with SRV and T-Bone Burnett at Antone's the Monday night after their 1987 show at the Frank Erwin Center. I was supposed to go to Antone's that night with my friend Sarah and ended up wimping out. She's never forgiven me.]

Read the full article on http://blogs.houstonpress.com

Pic Collins Photos

BONO is set to become a billionaire thanks to his skyrocketing stake in Facebook.

The U2 frontman’s company, Elevation Partners, originally invested €145m into Mark Zuckerberg’s globally successful business two years ago and at the time Bono’s move was seen as risky.

However, now that Facebook is about to become a publicly traded company in America, the Killiney-based star is having the last laugh and could see his bank balance soar by anything between €1.1bn and €2bn. Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook, could see his site become worth €76bn.

Last year, Bono’s stake was worth €676m, more than four times the original stake.

The A-lister and his colleagues moved a chunk of their business to Holland five years ago, just after the Irish Government decided to put a cap on the millions that wealthy artists could earn in this country tax-free.

U2′s sell-out 360 world tour grossed a massive €510m for the Dubliners, making it the most successful of all time.

www.herald.ie

I did post a short video of Bono onstage in Timbuktu a few weeks back. However, a full 15 minute video of him at the Festival du Music in Mali has surfaced on Youtube. Despite the video being linked to by major U2 fan sites, it appears his appearance in Mali has failed to strike a chord with fans as the video to date has received a relatively poor reception and at present and has not as yet hit the 500 views mark on the video sharing site.

Still, in the interests of rarities, here it is.

U2: From the Sky Down (Director’s Cut)

Facebook’s pending float on the stock markets is all over the news as is Bono’s interest in the company.

Bono is listed as a managing director and co-founder of Elevation Partners which spent $210m buying Facebook shares in 2009 and 2010, which represents about 1% of the company.

Facebook is estimated to be now valued at between $80bn – $100bn which would give Elevation a huge paper profit when the shares start being publicly traded.

By now you’re all probably tired of reading about how much Bono is set to earn if and when Elevation Partners put their shares in Facebook up for sale.

However, it just goes to show what a shrewd businessman Bono’s turned out to be.

Following on from the recent success of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark as the biggest grossing show on Broadway, his interests in Facebook look likely to cement his place as a sensible investor.

A far cry from the initial concerns about his credibility in business when both these ventures were first reported.

Just like to say a big thank you to you all for the shares and likes of the content that’s put up on the website. Really decent of you folk to spread our news around.

Ignore the count in the image above, it’s exaggerated. We’re not quite in that league yet.

However, if there’s anything you’d like to see featured here or if you hear of a news story going around that’s relevant, do please let us know.

You can contact us at news @ u2ol.net

Without the spaces of course, or alternatively via the contact form below.

Fancy doing a riff with The Edge? Well you may be able to soon thanks to a new Music App called “WholeWorldBand”.

U2′s The Edge, along with other top Irish and International music names are working on the “WholeWorldBand” app, which will be available for download from iTunes in March.

The idea is the brainchild of former 10CC band member Kevin Godley, and Andy Wood of Cult Motion.

The App will allow Musicians and music fans alike from all over the world will be able to submit their own selection of videos to the “WholeWorldBand” library to create their own favourite band line up, and be given the opportunity to earn money from their performances.

Kevin Godley said: “WholeWorldBand is a revolutionary new online music tool that provides a new platform for distribution while offering the opportunity of new revenue streams for up and coming and established musicians and bands and, in fact, anyone.”

The idea behind the “WholeWorldBand” app is to allows users to choose a track or add themselves to performances of well known acts, or to substitute a famous band member for themselves. Musicians can then record themselves playing or singing with a track, and upload the video to Facebook or Youtube for fellow musicians to watch.

A host of stars Major recording artists including Gavin Friday, The Edge (U2), Ron Wood (Rolling Stones), Gemma Hayes, Cathy Davey, Mik Pyro (Republic of Loose) and Liam O’Maonlai (Hot House Flowers) are already creating performances for the new WholeWorldBand iPhone/iPad app.

The WholeWorldBand app, will be demonstrated at The Music Show on 25 and 26 February, which takes place in the RDS, Dublin.

www.wholeworldband.com

Is there a U2 song that you don’t let a day go by without listening too?

Post a daily U2 favourite of yours below and I’ll be only too happy to put a video of each song mentioned up.

Jubilant supporters hailed Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she hit the campaign trail on Sunday ahead of by-elections seen as a key test of the regime’s commitment to reform.

Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi hit the campaign trail ahead of by-elections Photo: JULIAN SIMMONDS

Tens of thousands flocked to get a glimpse of the Nobel Peace Prize winner in the coastal district of Dawei, as she made her first political trip outside Rangoon since declaring she would stand for office in the April 1 polls.

Streets were flooded with local people waving flags, cheering and dancing with delight at the appearance of the democracy icon, who could be swept into parliament by the vote.

Surveying the sea of people packed along a main road in the southern town, Ms Suu Kyi said she “chose the right place” to kick off her campaign tour.

“People need to watch to make sure the coming by-elections are free and fair. There should be no vote buying and no threats to get votes,” she told the crowd at the end of her one-day visit.

Ms Suu Kyi’s decision to stand for a seat in parliament is the latest sign of dramatic change taking place in the country formerly known as Burma after the end of nearly half a century of outright military rule.

A new government dominated by former generals came to power last year following November 2010 elections that were marred by cheating and the absence of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

The regime has since surprised observers with a series of reforms, including welcoming the NLD back into the political mainstream, ceasefire deals with ethnic minority rebels and the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

Western nations are now considering easing sanctions, further raising hopes of an end to decades of isolation, but controversy surrounding the 2010 vote means the forthcoming by-elections will be heavily scrutinised.

The NLD is running for all 48 seats up for grabs in the polls and Ms Suu Kyi is standing in a rural constituency near Rangoon. Sunday’s visit was in support of Aung Soe, the party’s candidate in a local township.

“If we move in the right direction our country will have many opportunities. We are eager to seize them,” Ms Suu Kyi said in a speech in Dawei.

“For the security of the people, the rule of law is very important … We hope to give back to the people by working for more stability in people’s lives,” added the 66-year-old.

Ms Suu Kyi was released from house arrest days after the 2010 election and has seen increasingly warm relations with the new regime, with some suggesting she could even take a role in government if elected to parliament.

The NLD won an election in 1990 by a landslide while Ms Suu Kyi remained under house arrest, but the ruling generals ignored the result.

The party was stripped of its legal status after boycotting the 2010 elections, saying the rules were unfair.

Source: AFP

www.telegraph.co.uk