Time for U2 to change the record title as boys lay claim to Hall of Fame

IT’S what you might call a productive day.

No sooner had U2 announced the title of their new album than they were shortlisted for induction into the Rock’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Is there a connection? It seems that as U2 get older, their album titles get longer, and Stateside, bigger is always best. The new album, due for release on November 22, is called How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and according to a quick straw poll, most people think the title is a bit, well, rubbish.

Is it a nod to Stanley Kubrick and Dr Strangelove? Is it a coded message to North Korean despot Kim Jung-Il? Is it any good?

In a way, it could complete the circle for the band once known as Feedback.

As any fan will tell you, U2 were named after a military aircraft and their third album was given the succinct title of ‘War.’ From ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’ to the haunting ‘Miss Sarajevo’ and beyond, the band have always had a preoccupation with the tools of destruction and their after-effects.

If anything, the band are probably happy they have an album in the first place, given that a sizeable chunk of the new material went missing in the south of France during the summer.

Thankfully, they managed to remember the songs and now we have the album, an upcoming tour and that title. Ideally, the inlay card would include actual directions for diffusing an atomic bomb. These could be passed on to Jack Bauer for the next series of ‘24’, and U2 would have officially saved the world.

Few people will care what it’s called as long as Dublin’s finest keep knocking out perfect songs like ‘One’ and superior albums like ‘Achtung Baby’.

Catchy titles they were, too.

Meanwhile, the boys are up against Randy Newman, the O’Jays, The Pretenders and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five for the coveted place in the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.

Last year, the late George Harrison and Prince were inducted, along with ZZ Top.

Now, while the glory of songs such as ‘Legs’ is undeniable, how can the Texan trio score a spot in the Hall of Fame before U2? Who knows, maybe Hall of Fame chiefs didn’t like their previous album titles.

Incidentally, another artist announced details of a new album yesterday.

Britney Spears is releasing her ‘Best of’ called ’Greatest Hits: My Prerogative’.

Now, that’s an awful title.