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U2 see the end of the 'Horizon'

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What insiders are saying

Not that anybody would expect him to call the album a pile of inner tubes, but producer Daniel Lanois, not one given to hyperbole, has said that No Line On The Horizon is "fantastically innovative" and that the album represents "some of U2's best work." Not too shabby.

"Rock 'n' roll has been reinvented one more time," Lanois continued. "I think Bono's lyrics and vocal performances are better than ever. I'm glad to see he's stepping up and talking about what's on his mind."

It's been a long road, though: Early sessions with producer Rick Rubin were scrapped and it was eventually decided that the band would again work with Lanois and Eno, with Lillywhite pitching in as well.

"Rock 'n' roll has been reinvented one more time. Bono's lyrics and vocal performances are better than ever" Album co-producer Daniel Lanois

In the fall, Interscope-A&M-Geffen chairman Jimmy Iovine (who has produced U2 and other artists in the past), paid the band a visit to hear what he thought would be the nearly finished album. It was then that the group told him that they felt they were two songs short of a masterpiece.

"It's a great record, but it deserves the time," said Iovine, who backed the band's decision to continue recording. "Labels need to work with artists to help them achieve their best work, not to jam records out that are half-baked or three-quarters baked."

Off to London

Whether of not U2 finished baking those two new songs in London isn't known as of yet, but they have spent the past month mixing the record at Olympic Studios. And a recent claim by Kanye West that wil.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas is "producing on U2's next album" has turned out to be nothing more than Auto-Tuned rumor.

So, what to make of No Line On The Horizon? With a release date of early March, we should be hearing a first single sometime in January.

We at MusicRadar eagerly await what should be one of the most exciting albums of 2009.

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