Steve Lillywhite To Produce Next U2 Album

Mercury U.K. joint managing director Steve Lillywhite has left his role
with the label to return to his roots in record production. Lillywhite
tells Billboard.biz he will take no time off and will begin producing
an album by U2 next week. The as-yet-untitled set is due from
Interscope/Island later this year.

“It’s the first time I’ll have gone in to actually start a record with
them in 20 years,” says Lillywhite. “I worked on ‘The Joshua Tree,’
‘Achtung Baby’ and ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind,’ but this will be
the first time I’ve really set up the mikes and done everything for a
long time.”

Lillywhite also oversaw the band’s first two albums, 1980’s “Boy” and
1981’s “October.” He adds, “I’ve heard some great songs. The Edge is
playing some really great guitar.”

The new U2 album will be the follow-up to 2000’s “All That You Can’t
Leave Behind,” which debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and has sold
4.1 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set
was named best rock album at the 2001 Grammys and placed three tracks
in the top-10 of Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks airplay chart:
“Beautiful Day” (No. 5), “Elevation” (No. 8) and “Walk On” (No. 10).

Lillywhite, one of Britain’s top rock producers, has a list of credits
that includes the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel,
Morrissey and the Dave Matthews Band. In 2002, he was brought to
Universal U.K. by chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge.

“I’ve had two great years, and I’ve loved a lot of it,” says
Lillywhite, “but really I wasn’t that made out for getting up early in
the morning. That’s 25 years of producing records. I got more and more
of an urge to be in the studio, so Lucian and I had a chat and decided
it was best that I return to that.”

Billboard/Paul Sexton, London