U2 New Album Release Date: Songs of Innocence will be available worldwide on October 13, more than a month after iTunes release; Band's previous albums hit iTunes charts
After Irish rock band U2 released its new album, Songs of Innocence, free of charge on iTunes, the band has announced that the new album will be released worldwide on CD and vinyl on October 13.
U2's new album was released in time with the launch of the new Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPhone 6 Plus.
Songs of Innocence was made available close to half a billion iTunes users.
If that's the case, Songs of Innocence may just be the biggest free album release of all time.
The 10 other tracks on U2's new album are: Every Breaking Wave, California (There Is No End To Love), Song For Someone, Iris (Hold Me Close), Volcano, Raised By Wolves, Cedarwood Road, Sleep Like A Baby Tonight, This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now, and The Troubles.
The last U2 album was No Line on the Horizon, released in 2009.
Bono writes on the U2 website, "People who haven't heard our music, or weren't remotely interested, might play us for the first time because we're in their library. Country fans, hip hop aficionados from east LA, electro poppers from Seoul, Bhangra fans from New Delhi, Highlifers in Accra... might JUST be tempted to check us out, even for a moment. What a mind blowing, head scratching, 21st century situation. Over 500 million people... that's a billion ears. And for the people out there who have no interest in checking us out, look at it this way... the blood, sweat and tears of some Irish guys are in your junk mail."
"I hope after listening to our new long player a few times, you'll understand why it took so long. We really went there... it's a very, very personal album. Apologies if that gets excruciating... actually, I take that back. No apologies if it gets excruciating. What's the point in being in U2 if you can't go there?"
Since U2's new album was launched on iTunes, there has been revived interest on previous U2 albums on the online music store.
Recently, 24 of the band's titles had reached iTunes's top 200. Among them are Joshua Tree (1987), Achtung Baby (1991), Rattle and Hum (1988), and The Unforgettable Fire.
