Publicity for U2’s ‘Zooropa’ to focus on album, not singles

Billboard by Craig Rosen (1993-06-14)

LOS ANGELES — PolyGram Label Group and Island Records are plotting a strategy for the July 6 worldwide release of U2’s “Zooropa,” focusing less on singles and more on the album as a whole although various tracks eventually will be released to radio and retail.

The new album, which has 10 tracks and runs approximately 45 minutes, will carry a $16.98 list price for CD and $10.98 for cassette. There will be a limited run on vinyl as well, and the title also will be released on digital compact cassette in the near future.

Rick Dobbis, president of the PolyGram Label Group, said, “We believe this album needs to be presented to the marketplace as an album, but that doesn’t mean we will not present individual tracks to radio and launch a full-blown singles campaign.”

A source close to the project said, “There probably won’t be as many singles released off this as there were on ‘Achtung Baby’ Yet we certainly hope that we got as long a life with this as we did with ‘Achtung Baby.’”

That album, released in November 1991, debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. After 81 weeks on the chart, it has sold more than 4 million copies in the United States and stands at No. 115. Five singles have been released from the album, including the top 10 hits “One” and “Mysterious Ways.”

According to sources there likely will be three singles released from “Zooropa.” The first track to radio will be “Numb,” which will be released to modern-rock and album-rock radio over the July Fourth weekend, but will not be commercially released as a single, sources said.

However, there is a possibility that either “Numb” or another track on the album will be released as a video single.

The droning, minimalist “Numb” features a rare lead vocal by U2 guitarist the Edge.

“Numb” likely will shore up U2’s base at alternative radio, much like “The Fly,” the first single from “Achtung Baby,” which was the most musically adventurous and least commercial single released from that album.

“The Fly” stalled at No. 61 on the Hot 100 but it topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart for two weeks.

The 10 tracks on the album are “Zooropa I & II,” “Baby Face,” “Numb,” “Lemon,” “Stay,” “Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car,” “Some Days Are Better Than Others,” “First Time”, “Dirty Day” and “The Wanderer.”

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