To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 11th studio album, “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb,” U2 released what they call their “shadow album” cleverly entitled “How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb” Nov. 29. For this new album, the band picked 10 tracks off the cutting room floor, uncovering archived songs that did not make the original record. With new versions of old rarities and some never before heard gems, this record is a hard-core U2 fan’s dream.
A rock sensation for the past 45 years, U2 has put out 15 unique studio albums — ranging from the unapologetic adolescence of their first album “Boy,” to the legendary anthems of “The Joshua Tree” and the daring experimentation of “Pop” and “Zooropa.” Last year, the band revisited their diverse discography, crafting new takes on 40 of their greatest hits in “Songs of Surrender.”
Seemingly wanting to continue this nostalgic journey, U2’s lead guitarist The Edge has expressed in a recent statement the band’s desire to take the 20th anniversary of “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” as an opportunity for personal introspection. Looking at their old tracks with fresh eyes — and 20 more years of wisdom — the band found new value in these previously cast aside songs.
“Although at the time we left these songs to one side, with the benefit of hindsight we recognize that our initial instincts about them being contenders for the album were right, we were onto something,” The Edge said.
“How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb” was created by four musicians in their mid-sixties squinting back at the sentiments that defined their middle age. The album depicts the love and loss, the frustration and forgiveness, the angst and acceptance that transcend age, generation and time.
“What you’re getting on this shadow album is that raw energy of discovery, the visceral impact of the music, a sonic narrative, a moment in time, the exploration and interaction of four musicians playing together in a room … this is the pure U2 drop,” The Edge said.
The new album picks up right where “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” left off — the opening track “Picture of You (X+W)” is an iteration of the original album’s last track, “Fast Cars.” While the tracks share nearly identical lyrics, the new version sounds fuller than the original, with The Edge’s guitar taking on a more prominent role and Bono’s vocals sounding richer.
This is not the first reconception of this quick paced tune. The band dropped a secondary version entitled “Xanax and Wine” — presumably the referent of the “(X+W)” in the new song’s title — on their 2009 album “Medium, Rare and Remastered.”
Following “Picture of You (X&W),” the band catapults listeners back to the unpolished, post-punk sound of their earliest albums with “Evidence of Life.” The Edge echoes his youthful guitar tones from “Boy” while frontman Bono’s vocals seem to swirl around the song, mimicking the cyclical nature of the existential lyrics. Escaping the sometimes commercialized sound of U2’s recent albums, this track will be a favorite amongst fans who long for the band’s alternative 80s flair.
The third track “Luckiest Man in the World” was the most highly anticipated song on the album, but may also be the greatest disappointment. When U2 announced the existence of this “shadow album,” die-hard fans hoped for an official release of the demo “Mercy” which was leaked in 2004. “Mercy” is a ghost haunting U2’s lore — fans can only hear it live on tour or on the extremely rare 2010 limited edition EP “Wide Awake in Europe” of which only 5,000 copies exist internationally.
As an alternate version of “Mercy,” “Luckiest Man in the World” should have answered these fans’ 20 year long pleas — except it didn’t. The two songs share the same melody and almost all the same lyrics, but “Luckiest Man in the World” substitutes the fatalistic last line of the chorus — “I’ll be gone again…again” — with “You were the luckiest man in the world.” Cutting out the explosive ending of “Mercy” takes the emotion out of the original demo that made it so powerful.
In short, while “Mercy” expressed the poetic sorrows of a perplexed younger man, the new version’s optimistic lyrics and bright tone strip the song of this raw relatability and replace it with shallow retrospection.
The album follows up this lackluster reveal with the eccentric brand new track “Treason.” Featuring elements of Latin and reggae music, call and response and backing chants, this song showcases a new sound for U2. At the end of the song, Bono even raps over The Edge’s harsh guitar, mimicking Red Hot Chili Peppers’ iconic sound to an almost satirical extent. While the experimentation of this fresh sound is admirable for a band that has been around for decades, the end result ultimately comes across as cringe-worthy.
After — perhaps unsuccessfully — testing new waters, the album refreshes listeners with a sound similar to the original album. “I Don’t Wanna See You Smile” and “Country Mile” serve as palate cleansers, giving fans the mainstream pop rock sound of early 2000s U2. With Bono’s passionate, soaring vocals and The Edge’s conventional guitar tones, these tracks would have fit right in on “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.”
Next comes “Happiness,” which, contrary to its title, has a harsher sound than its predecessors on the album. If it was easy to hear how the prior two songs fit with the original album, it is equally as clear why this track did not make the cut. Besides some lyrical allusions to the original album — like the final line of the chorus, “I’m in the desert / But it won’t be long / I’m here for the atomic bomb” — this song’s sound is noticeably rougher than the 2004 album through its distorted guitar and chant-like vocals.
Closing out the album are three tracks that true U2 fans are familiar with already. First comes
“Are You Gonna Wait Forever? - Re-Assemble Edition” — a new mix of a track off the band’s 2004 Vertigo EP. Unlike the unsuccessful changes made to “Mercy,” this song is essentially a duplicate of the original “Are You Gonna Wait Forever.” Urging listeners to chase their dreams “now, now, now,” it brings an inspirational wave to the album that is not uncommon for U2.
Interestingly placed, the penultimate song of the album is “Theme from ‘The Batman,’” which the band composed for the 2004 TV show “The Batman.” While this track certainly flaunts U2’s cool twist on the classic superhero tune, it slightly breaks up the flow of the end of the album. Instead of making a cohesive transition between two pre-existing U2 songs, this interlude takes the listener out of the album and places them in Gotham instead.
Closing out the album is “All Because of You 2” — an extension of “All Because of You,” which is the sixth track on “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.” This new title not only utilizes the same pun as the band’s name, the song seems to encapsulate the themes that drive U2’s music more generally.
While the verses of the new version differ lyrically from the original, both songs feature natural imagery and religious allusions throughout. Describing the ever present role that God plays in his life, Bono sings “You’re like the river flowing underground / I can feel you when you’re not around.” Utilizing these lyrics, Bono emphasizes the importance of God to his understanding and dismantling of a world that is otherwise so disconcerting — a world in which even atomic bombs exist.
Weaving these themes throughout the album, “How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb” takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through U2’s evolution as a band, featuring old tones from their earliest hits and experimenting with new sounds altogether. Reinventing tracks from the original album “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” 20 years later, this album gives U2 fans a look into the band’s forgotten past through a fresh lens.
Read More
Leslie Odom Jr. brings Christmas to Charlottesville with a standout holiday performance
By Leila Mohajer | 2 days agoThroughout the performance, Odom breathed new life into familiar tunes with his genre-bending interpretations and dynamic vocal techniques.
Director Pedro Almodóvar makes English language debut with “The Room Next Door”
By Grace Traxler | 6 days agoThe strength of “The Room Next Door” comes from how it consistently balances both sadness and sweetness.
Are we having an all folk Revival?
By CC West | December 8, 2024In recent years, contemporary folk artists have seen a surge in their streaming numbers, with artists who turn to the acoustic and authentic lyrical appeals rocketing to the top of the charts.
