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U2 Sneak ‘Songs of Innocence’ Vinyl Into Stores Early to Hit Grammy Deadline

U2 Songs of Innocence Vinyl Grammy Release Early Secret

U2 is probably not having the September they thought they might. Following the rocky “surprise! You already own it!” release of their new album Songs of Innocence, which wasn’t greeted as kindly as Beyoncé’s similar guerilla-style drop last December, the Irish rockers have faced a barrage of criticism about their music and their tactics.

Perhaps it was a wise PR move, then, that the band very covertly released the Songs of Innocence vinyl to stores earlier than expected with the express purposes of beating the Grammy Awards September 30 eligibility cutoff. According to the fan website @U2, fans have spotted the disc at Amoeba Records in California and Looney Tunes in Long Island, who also claimed that the band did a test pressing of 300 copies with blank album covers. The real version of Songs of Innocence will have actual album artwork, no matter how you feel about it.

Does this mean we’re going to have to hear Bono and friends perform at this year’s Grammy Awards, and will there be an automatic delete button for that portion of the show?