A compact disc of recordings from Irish rock band U2’s forthcoming album has gone missing in France, raising fears it will be pirated on the Internet ahead of the release date.
According to the band’s Web Site, the CD disappeared from a recording studio in Nice, where U2 were doing a photo-shoot in preparation for the release of their first album in four years.
French police have launched a major operation to find the disc, which contains rough cut versions of several songs.
“A large slice of two years’ work lifted via a piece of round plastic. It doesn’t seem credible but that’s what’s just happened to us,” lead guitarist The Edge told the Web site www.U2.com.
“The band is so excited about (the album’s) release,” band manager Paul McGuinness said. “It would be a shame if unfinished work fell into the wrong hands.”
U2, who emerged as a raw young rock band in the early 1980s to become one of the biggest acts in the world, are due to release the album in the autumn.
It will be their first studio release since the successful “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” nearly four years ago.
