Where are the albums? UMG explains.
Before you head out to the record stores this weekend for all the sales, you should probably know that a few artists might be missing from the shelves. Now wait, don’t get me wrong. Kanye will still be there, as will The Killers, and not everyone has bought up all those Chinese Democracy LPs yet. However, don’t expect any new releases from Dr. Dre, Eminem, or even U2. Still scratching your heads? Bummed out? Surely there must 
be a reason! There is. According to Universal Music Group’s Jimmy Iovine, who spoke with Billboard.com, the artists are still working mighty hard on their respected follow ups, and he has a genuine excuse for all of ‘em… even Dre.
Though a delay for the former NWA rapper’s Detox shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, considering he’s put off the long awaited follow up to 1999’s Chronic 2001 each year, Iovine says: “We only tried to put [Eminem] out this year to replace Dr. Dre, but we got into a quagmire. Eminem was always coming next year,” Iovine says. “But what happened was, I lost Dr. Dre to Eminem. Dre had to stop making his album to finish Eminem’s album. Eminem hit a streak, and when a guy like Eminem gets on fire, you stop everything.”
And while it has been nearly half a decade since U2’s last release, 2004’s How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Iovine insists the band’s close to finish, with an 
expected early 2009 release: “I met with the guys in U2, and they say to me, ‘You know what? This album needs two more songs, and it will be exactly what we have in mind.’ I go there and I listen, and I agreed with them. It’s a great record, but it deserves the time. 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.”
Well, with one relic out of the way (e.g. Chinese Democracy), having Detox on the 2009 slate seems rather enjoyable. Could you imagine the heated competition of that album was delivered this month too? It would be April 29, 1992 all over again. Not a history buff? In other words, it would be one hell of a riot… musically speaking, of course.
2009, here we come!
Check Out:
“April 26th, 1992,
there was a riot on the streets,
tell me where were you?
You were sittin’ home watchin’ your TV,
while I was paticipatin’ in some anarchy.” ~ Sublime
Dec 1st, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] A Blur reunion? A Slipknot tour? A Jesus Lizard return? A Shane MacGowan-heavy St. Patrick’s Day? But where are the albums? [...]
Dec 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[...] we learned last week, Eminem’s long-awaited sixth studio album, Relapse, won’t be available until early 2009, leaving Mom and Dads everywhere scrambling for a replacement gift to put on the Christmas trees. [...]