(MENAFN- Arab Times) SAN FRANCISCO Sept 10 (AFP): Irish superstars U2 released their first album in five years for free on Apple's iTunes Tuesday in a surprise attention-grabbing step as the tech giant unveiled its latest smartphones. At the much-anticipated launch event near San Francisco U2 played a single from the new album 'Songs of Innocence' which Apple announced it had sent out at no cost to half a billion iTunes customers around the world. Apple CEO Tim Cook who joined U2 frontman Bono on stage for a playful countdown to the unexpected announcement described the move as 'the largest album release of all time.' Bono described the album the band's first since 'No Line on the Horizon' in 2009 deeply personal and said the release served as 'instant gratification.' 'From the very beginning U2 have always wanted our music to reach as many people as possible the clue is in our name I suppose so today is kind of mind-blowing to us' Bono said. 'The most personal album we've written could be shared with half a billion people by hitting send. If only songwriting was that easy.' Apple which revealed its first smartwatch as well as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at the event said it would provide the album for free to customers who set up iTunes accounts in the next five weeks. A physical copy featuring acoustic versions four additional tracks and a liner booklet will be released on Oct 13. U2 who released some of the most acclaimed albums in the 1980s including 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Rattle and Hum' would have been virtually assured of wide sales if they had sold the new work from the get-go. Apple did not disclose financial arrangements with U2 whose members are multimillionaires. U2 has collaborated for years with Apple. Bono alluded to the relationship when he told Cook 'We are the blood in your machine oh Zen master of hard- and software.' Musically the album frequently harks back to the band's 1980s sound with The Edge's tight guitar leading the way with occasional supporting keyboards. It was produced by Danger Mouse who has worked with US indie icons Beck and Sparklehorse as well as the more bluesy Black Keys and Norah Jones. The first track which U2 played for the release is entitled 'The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)' a tribute to the late singer of the New York punk band. While the sound is significantly more controlled than a punk song U2 members cited The Ramones as an early influence after they snuck into a show in Dublin without tickets. 'Songs of Innocence' frequently returns to themes from childhood. The track 'Iris (Hold Me Close)' alludes to Bono's mother who died of a brain hemorrhage when the future singer was a teenager. 'Something in your eyes took a thousand years to get here' Bono sings explaining 'I got your light inside of me.' q q q Bob Dylan B.B. King and The Cure have all been covered extensively in their own right but the artists have come together to interpret a giant Paul McCartney. On a new album that is striking for the caliber of performers McCartney's longtime back-up band entered the studio with leading acts who covered favorite songs by the former Beatle. 'The Art of McCartney' to be released on Nov 17 will feature 42 songs from The Beatles or the songwriter's solo career an announcement said Tuesday. The project has been in the making since 2003 when Los Angeles producer Ralph Sall approached McCartney about the idea and recruited his band which knows his repertoire intimately. On the first track released from the album The Cure performs the 1967 Beatles song 'Hello Goodbye.' The version is largely faithful to the original but when performed in Robert Smith's distinctive voice The Beatles' influence on The Cure is apparent. In the album announcement Sall said that he knew he was 'ambitious' to approach Bob Dylan as he was one of the 'very few artists whose own work rivals The Beatles.' Jordan Knight says being in a duo with fellow boy band veteran Nick Carter is less stressful than being part of New Kids on the Block. 'When you're in a really big group like New Kids or Backstreet Boys you kind of feel the pressure of having to do stuff music whatever it is and have it geared towards a mass mass audience and it puts a lot of pressure on the group and the creative process' Knight said in a recent interview. 'And I think with us we have a little more freedom you know to just explore and do something different than what would be expected.' Knight and Carter released the album 'Nick & Knight' last week. They are currently on a tour that wraps in November. The idea of a duo came up when the Backstreet Boys and New Kids toured together in 2011. Rock icon David Bowie who broke a decade of silence with an album last year will release more new music in November as part of a greatest-hits collection. The 67-year-old pioneer of glam rock will release a nearly eight-minute song entitled 'Sue (or In a Season of Crime)' recorded with his long-time producer Tony Visconti his label said Tuesday. The track will appear on 'Nothing Has Changed' a career-spanning compilation in editions of two or three CDs or a double-vinyl set. The compilation will be released on Nov 17 in Britain and Nov 18 in the United States. It marks the first new music for Bowie since March 2013 when he released the album 'The Next Day' which broke a decade-long silence and won both critical praise and commercial success. 'Nothing Has Changed' will also include 'Let Me Sleep Beside You' a song Bowie had recorded in 2000-2001 for his 'Toy' album that was never released. However the album leaked on the Internet in 2011. The compilation comes ahead of the release of the movie 'David Bowie Is' which is based on an exhibition on the influential artist at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition travels to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago from Sept 23.
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