20th Anniversary “Atomic Bomb” Box Set

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2024-07-30)

“They are in the desert to dismantle an atomic bomb“

Earlier this year, we were told it was unlikely U2 would look at an anniversary edition of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The album celebrates its 20th anniversary later this year. At the time, we were told that the band were working on putting together a compilation album of previously unheard demo tracks which would be the next physical release from the back catalog. It appears that plan has shifted, and those same sources, tell us that the band is indeed now working to assemble an Atomic Bomb anniversary box set to celebrate the 20th anniversary. The band were present in Los Angeles for meetings with their label prior to the current holiday period they have been enjoying. It is believed that they handed over the masters for a box set for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb which is now heading to be pressed to allow it to be in stores later this year. And yes, we expect some of those demos will now appear on this compilation instead.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was originally released in November 2004. We expect that this new collection will be formally announced in September. At this time it has not been announced by U2 or their label, Universal Records. Formats will include basic pressings of the album on vinyl and CD, as well as a deluxe CD, and a bigger boxed set containing additional material. It’s not the only release expected this Fall. U2 have already announced “Zoo TV Live in Dublin“, an EP of live tracks from the Dublin 1993 shows. Additionally, we are expecting a single for the Black Friday Record Store Day release. And we are told that work continues to finalize a film that celebrates Achtung Baby that will show at Sphere.

This new release will feature the original album, b-sides taken from the original singles, as well as remixes and live tracks. We are also told that there will be additional unreleased material included in the set, but at this time the full contents are not known. The previous two box sets, The Joshua Tree and All That You Can’t Leave Behind, were packaged with a live show in audio format as well as several studio extras. The Joshua Tree included a number of new remixes done for the release, as well as an alternate mix of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” as new studio content. All That You Can’t Leave Behind included three remixes for new studio content in the box. In each case a song was released ahead of the boxed set to promote the album. In 2017 it was a new remix of “Red Hill Mining Town” and in 2020 it was the acoustic version of “Stuck in a Moment That You Can’t Get Out Of.” Once the contents of the album have been revealed we’ll have a closer look at the breakdown of new and old materials. Like The Joshua Tree and All That You Can’t Leave Behind this box is expected to focus on audio.

How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was produced by Steve Lillywhite, with Jacknife Lee, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Flood also receiving production credits. Work on the album started under producer Chris Thomas.

The How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album came out in 2004, and was accompanied by a number of singles to promote the album. Additional non-album tracks released during the campaign included “Fast Cars”, and its earlier version, “Xanax and Wine”. “Smile” was released via The Complete U2 from the recording sessions, as was “Native Son”, an early version of “Vertigo”. A cover of Kraftwerk’s “Neon Lights” and “Are You Gonna Wait Forever?” also appeared as B-Sides, as did a remix by Jacknife Lee of a Bono / Pavarotti performance of “Ave Maria”.

“Mercy” was one of the songs that was cut at the last minute from the album, and while never released, a studio version of the song leaked in 2004. To date, only a live version of the song has been released. Other songs like “Neanderthal”, “You Can’t Give Your Heart Away” and “All of My Life” haven’t been heard, or if they have, have changed into something else along the way. “Thank You for the Day” went on to be recorded by Daniel Lanois, and “North Star”, like “Mercy”, was tried out on stage during the U2360 tour, and even makes a brief appearance in one of the Transformers films. Beyond the possible demos and the B-Sides that were released, a wealth of material exists from the era in the form of remixes, and edits and live material. We list those later in the article.

Released Material 2004 – 2006

Other than the unique tracks mentioned in the article above, U2 released a number of alternate versions or live versions of their songs on the commercial and promotional singles. Below is a list of these items. Items marked with a (+) have been recently reissued as a part of new collections of singles being shared on streaming sites.

Remixes:

“All Because of You” (Killahurtz Fly Mix) – U2 (05:40) +
“City Of Blinding Lights” (Phones P.D.A. in N.Y.C. Mix) – U2 (08:35)
“City Of Blinding Lights” (Paradise Soul Vocal Mix) – U2 (07:57)
“City of Blinding Lights” (Hot Chip 2006 Remix) – U2 (06:19)
“Fast Cars” (Jacknife Lee Mix) – U2 (03:27) +
“Vertigo” (Jacknife Lee 10”) – U2 (04:16) +
“Vertigo” (Jacknife Lee 7”) – U2 (03:07)
“Vertigo” (Jacknife Lee 12”) – U2 (05:37) +
“Vertigo” (Jacknife Lee 12” Instrumental) – U2 (05:36)
“Vertigo” (Redanka Power Mix) – U2 (07:31) +
“Vertigo” (Trent Reznor Remix) – U2 (03:39)
“Vertigo” (Temple Bar Mix) – U2 (03:08)

Additional remixes commissioned, but not released, include remixes of “Miracle Drug” by Redanka, a remix of “All Because of You” by Redanka, and a Killahurtz remix of “Original of the Species”. These remixes have never been released, but have leaked on the internet over the years. Likewise, the Hot Chip remix was commissioned for the original campaign, but did not appear officially until a fan club release a few years later, Artificial Horizon. There’s bound to be other unreleased remixes in the archives. Three new-to-us remixes were included in the All That You Can’t Leave Behind release in 2020.

Edits and Alternate Studio Mixes:

“A Man and a Woman” (Acoustic Version) – U2 (04:27) +
“All Because of You” (Alternate Version/Demo) – U2 (03:35)
“All Because of You” (Single Mix) – U2 (03:21) +
“City Of Blinding Lights” (Radio Edit) – U2 (04:15) +
“Crumbs From Your Table” (Live in Studio) – U2 (04:49)
“Original of the Species” (Single Version) – U2 (04:30)
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” (Acoustic) – U2 (04:45)
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” (Alternate Version/Demo) – U2 (05:30)
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” (96 BPM Radio Edit) – U2 (04:52) +
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” (99 BPM Radio Edit) – U2 (04:44) +
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” (103 BPM Radio Edit) – U2 (04:30)
“Vertigo” (Single Version Edit) – U2 (03:13) +
“Yahweh” (Alternate Version/Demo) – U2 (04:31)

The release of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was supported with the release of the U2 iPod, and the digital box set The Complete U2. One of the releases in The Complete U2 was a digital album called Unreleased & Rare made up of demos, and alternate mixes. One new song from Atomic Bomb was included, “Smile”. The set also gave us a number of early demos from the album including “Xanax and Wine” (early version of “Fast Cars”), “Yahweh”, “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own”, “All Because of You” and “Native Son” (early version of “Vertigo”). These demos were later included on the fan club release Medium, Rare & Remastered as well. Other items released during the promotion of the album included a live in studio mix of “Crumbs from Your Table” and an acoustic version of “Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” included on the DVD in deluxe versions of the album, and alternate versions of the tracks sent to radio for release.

Live Tracks:

“The Fly” (Live from Manchester, Jun. 19, 1992) – U2 (04:39) +
“Even Better Than the Real Thing” (Live from Manchester, Jun. 19, 1992) – U2 (03:50) +
“Out of Control” (Live from Brooklyn, NY, Nov. 22, 2004) – U2 (05:05)
“She’s a Mystery to Me” (Live from Brooklyn, NY, Nov. 22, 2004) – U2 (02:42) +
“City Of Blinding Lights” (Live from Brooklyn, NY, Nov. 22, 2004) – U2 (05:35) +
“Miss Sarajevo” (Live from Milan, Jul. 20, 2005) – U2 (05:15) +
“Original of the Species” (Live from Milan, Jul. 21, 2005 – Fade In / Out) – U2 (04:50)
“Vertigo / Stories for Boys” (Live from Chicago, IL, May 9, 2005 – Fade In / Out) – U2 (04:43)
“Cry / The Electric Co.” (Live from Chicago, IL, May 9, 2005 – Fade In / Out) – U2 (05:55)
“Beautiful Day” (Live from Chicago, IL, May 10, 2005 – Fade In / Out) – U2 (04:32)
“All Because of You” (Live from Chicago, IL, May 10, 2005 – Fade In / Out) – U2 (03:44) +

Additionally it is known that the May 9 and May 10 shows in Chicago were both recorded, and a home video release makes use of footage from both shows. Likewise, both shows in Milan (July 20 and 21) were filmed for “Vertigo 05: Live from Milan”, released in deluxe editions of U2 18 Singles with ten tracks taken from across the two shows. Tracks recorded in Buenos Aires (“Zoo Station”) on March 2, 2006 and in Sydney (“Kite”) on November 11, 2006 were later both included on the “Window in the Skies“ single. The U2 3D film saw U2 filming concerts in Mexico City, São Paulo, Santiago, Buenos Aires and Melbourne, although Melbourne was reportedly only partially filmed. If there is a live component to the box set, there is a large amount of material available for consideration. And beyond the tracks released on singles above, U2 also released a 4-track EP, “Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge“ which included four additional live tracks from that concert.

We look forward to the formal announcement of this set, and the reveal of the full track listing. Hopefully there will be some fun material included that has not been heard before.

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