Maps of Music

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

Where the lyrics of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb take you, and where it was really made.

Two members voted against releasing the finished album in October 2003, and a new producer was brought in to rework it.

Key places

Dublin sessions with Lillywhite (2004)

Recording site Hanover Quay studio (Dublin) — The band recorded with Steve Lillywhite and Jacknife Lee in Dublin from January 2004. The studio is listed as Hanover Quay in Dublin Docklands. The point marks that area. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

String overdubs in London (2004)

Recording site AIR Studios — In late 2003 the band visited AIR Studios in London to record overdubs. A 20-person string section was added to a few songs to give them more lift. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb: eleventh studio album by Irish rock band U2
• Released 22 November 2004 in the UK by Island Records; US release a day later on Interscope Records
• Produced by Steve Lillywhite, with additional production from Chris Thomas, Jacknife Lee, Nellee Hooper, Flood, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Carl Glanville
• Follows All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) with a more mainstream rock sound
• Band had experimented with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s before this record
• Themes touched on: life, death, love, war, faith, and family
• Lead single Vertigo released 24 September 2004

Background

• U2 wanted a harder-hitting sound than on All That You Can't Leave Behind
• Recording with producer Chris Thomas began in February 2003
• After nine months, the band had an album's worth of songs but was not satisfied with the results
• In October 2003 the band met in Dublin to review the work; Bono and the Edge wanted to release it, while Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. voted against
• Steve Lillywhite was brought in to mediate the disagreement
• The band began recording with Lillywhite in Dublin in January 2004 without a firm decision on the producer

Recording

• Lillywhite and his assistant Jacknife Lee worked with the band for six months, reworking songs and encouraging better performances
• Native Son, an early demo, eventually evolved into Vertigo
• Late in 2003 the band recorded overdubs at AIR Studios in London, adding a 20-person string section to a few songs
• Several producers received credits, and Bono acknowledged that the multiple producers affected the record's sonic cohesion

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976 by teenage pupils of Mount Temple Comprehensive School.
• Members: Bono (lead vocals), the Edge (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (bass), Larry Mullen Jr. (drums).
• The band was first named Feedback, then The Hype, and in March 1978 took the name U2.
• They won the Pop Group '78 talent contest in Limerick and signed with Island Records in 1980.

Career

• Debut album Boy (1980); War (1983) was their first UK number-one album.
• The Joshua Tree (1987) made them international stars and was their greatest critical and commercial success, selling about 25 million copies.
• The band reinvented their sound in the 1990s with Achtung Baby (1991) and the Zoo TV Tour.
• Their 2009–2011 360° Tour held records for the highest-grossing concert tour until 2019.
• In 2023 they released Songs of Surrender and began the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live residency at Sphere in Las Vegas.
• Estimated record sales: about 170 million worldwide; 22 Grammy Awards; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees (2005).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Generally positive reviews from critics; Metacritic average score 79 from 26 reviews
• Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield described the record as grandiose, praising its confidence and Bono's ego being left intact
• Q's Johnny Davis credited the Edge's guitar playing as central to the record
• Los Angeles Times's Robert Hilburn called the album triumphant
• NME's Dan Martin called it a classic U2 album that was also modern and heavy
• Pitchfork's Amanda Petrusich called it brash, grungy, and loud, but not especially surprising
• The Village Voice's Keith Harris said the lyrics were marred by clichés
• Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot said the record marked a retreat from innovation

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone ranked the album 68th among the 100 Best Albums of the Decade
• Rolling Stone ranked Vertigo 64th among the best songs of the decade
• Bono later said the album as a whole was not greater than the sum of its parts

Records

• Number one in 34 countries after release
• US Billboard 200 debut at number one with first-week sales of 840,000 copies, a new personal best for the group
• Number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts
• Nielsen SoundScan: 3.3 million copies sold in the US through March 2014
• Sales of 9 million copies worldwide
• Won all eight Grammy Awards it was nominated for in 2005 and 2006, including Album of the Year
• Rated best album of 2004 by USA Today, Paste, and The New York Times

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The demo of the album, a copy belonging to guitarist The Edge, was stolen in July 2004 while the band were being photographed for a magazine in France.
• Michael W. Smith joined the band in the studio during the sessions and worked on at least one track with them.
• Bono described the album in a 2005 interview as the band's first rock album.
• Vertigo gave its name to the band's Vertigo Tour, which earned $389 million from 4.62 million tickets sold.
• The Edge's guitar tone on the record was described as drawing on the sound of Steve Jones on Never Mind the Bollocks.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact