Re-Assemble for Record Store Day

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2024-10-02)

Black Friday is just around the corner, and U2 will be participating in the Record Store Day Black Friday event again for 2024. This year the event takes place on Friday November 29. The event celebrates the independent record stores, and tries to bring business into these shops. U2 have participated in Record Store Day events since the first Black Friday event in 2010, when they released “Wide Awake in Europe”, now a much sought release. The full listing of Record Store Day releases can be found in our discography entry for the event. U2’s last release was for the event in April 2024, with the release of “Atomic City“ on red vinyl. This is U2’s 18th time participating in Record Store Day with an audio release, they participated one additional time with a map of Dublin.

Below is additional information about Record Store Day if you are interested in trying to track down a copy of U2’s release.

What is U2 releasing this year?

U2 is releasing How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb on 12-inch vinyl for the Record Store Day event. The “shadow album” is an album of demos worked on during the sessions for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Some of the tracks have been heard before, many are new to us. The 10-track record for Record Store Day is the same 10-track record that will be available in the box set on November 22 (CD and Vinyl). It will also be available to purchase online with the album at digital storefronts and streaming services on that day.

The Record Store Day release will be the only place to purchase the standalone version of the record in a physical copy, without buying one of the boxed sets. It is being released as an RSD Exclusive item as well, which means U2 will not reissue this exact release elsewhere.

The copy in the vinyl box set will be black vinyl, and will be in the sleeve with the grey background. For the RSD release, the vinyl will be black and red marbled vinyl, and the cover will have a black background instead.

IMAGE: RSD Cover on the left, Box Set Interior Cover on the right

We also have additional information about the album itself in our discography entry here.

How many copies will their be?

The US Record Store Day site will list a total number, however, this is the total for the US copies only. The number released worldwide is usually quite a bit higher. If we can confirm a number we will share it via our RSD page. This year’s release, How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb is being listed at 20,000 copies on the US site. Usually U2 releases between 3,000 – 7,500 copies in the US. So a release at 20,000 is a big increase from the numbers we are used to seeing. As this item will be available in the box sets, as well as digitally, and with a large number of physical copies available, we are hopeful this means it will be easy for everyone who wants a copy to get a copy.

Can I Pre-order / Reserve the U2 Record

Items for Record Store Day are not generally available for pre-order, as the whole point of the day is to get customers into stores. From the recordstoreday.co.uk FAQ: “Stores are bound by the Record Store Day code of conduct which prohibits them reserving product for customers or allowing customers to pre order product. Record Store Day is about the occasion and visiting the store is part of the enjoyment so our best advice is get up early and check with stores in advance that they have your product.” The rules are strictest in the UK, Canada and the USA. In other countries they can be a little more relaxed and there are reports each year that some stores do take pre-orders. Many stores will confirm the week of the event whether or not they have titles in stock. It’s worth keeping an eye on your local stores’ social media for posted lists to confirm an item will be in stock.

Can I buy this online?

Stores are also prohibited from selling online in advance of Record Store Day. And typically cannot sell the item right away when they open on Black Friday.

In the US and Canada stores will not be able to list unsold stock of RSD items until the morning of Saturday November 30. In the UK, stores are generally allowed to start selling items online on Monday following the event. Other countries may have different guidelines.

Most stores will list when items can be listed for sale online. It is usually consistent across all stores in a region. If a record sells out in the in-person sales, a store may not have copies available for online sales, so if you really want a copy, it is best to try the in-person sales.

Sadly it will look like the only option to buy it the day of the release is online, as stores aren’t able to put up their own listings. We recommend waiting until those go live, instead of spending too much at eBay or other secondary sites. Especially with the numbers of these being pressed.

Why is the record already listed on eBay?

Copies will pop up on eBay ahead of Record Store Day for high prices. Due to the limited nature of these releases, some users of eBay will assume they will get a copy of the vinyl on Record Store Day and list the vinyl in advance in order to get high prices. This is one of the downsides of Record Store Day. These people do not actually have the product to sell in most cases, nor will they be shipping it out before Record Store Day. And in some cases, come the actual day, they will not get their ‘allotment’ and will end up cancelling auctions. We suggest not getting worried and buying one of these advanced auctions. If you do have to buy on eBay the prices usually come down right after the event happens. However, as items are limited, this is not always guaranteed.

The Record Store Day site listed:

“When you see a title listed on an auction site before RSD, it’s almost CERTAINLY someone who has listed something they do not have in hand, and can’t guarantee they will have in hand, because they’re going out to a store to try and get it like everyone else. They call it a “pre-order” but since they’re not getting distributed to, it’s not a pre-order. It’s more like a scam, really. We work very hard to investigate the listings and in the tiny percentage of the time over the past ten years that it has been a store behind it, there have been serious implications for that store.”

Do I have to wait out?

Each store is different. Demand for this item will vary in different markets. A bigger store may get a number of copies in that will be available throughout the day, while a smaller store may just get a single copy, that will sell quickly. There’s no sure way to get these. The earlier you go, the more likely what you want will still be available. Stores will generally cover Record Store Day online, so worth to have a look at previous year’s posts on social media to see when line ups started, and how successful people were in the past. It’s also worth looking the week of the event to see what rules will be in place for each shop, outlining when line ups can begin, when the store opens, and so on.

Generally when an item is available in the quantity that this one is, it has been available online when those sales open,. whether it is later the same day, or a few days later.

Where can I find out more information?

Some countries have set up their own Record Store Day sites and we’ve listed those below:

Australia: https://www.recordstoreday.com.au/
Belgium: https://www.recordstoreday.be/
Canada: https://recordstoredaycanada.ca/
France: https://www.disquaireday.fr/
Germany: https://www.recordstoredaygermany.de/
Hungary: https://www.recordstoreday.hu/
Ireland: https://recordstoreday.ie/
Italy: https://www.recordstoredayitalia.com/
Japan: https://recordstoreday.com/Stores?country=Japan
Mexico: https://www.recordstoreday.com.mx/
Netherlands: https://recordstoreday.nl/
Poland: https://www.recordstoreday.be/
Spain: https://www.recordstoreday.es/
UK: https://www.recordstoreday.co.uk/
USA: https://recordstoreday.com/

If your country isn’t listed above, you may still be participating in Record Store Day. Ask your local Record Shop, and also you can check out Record Store Day’s international listings here:

https://recordstoreday.com/Stores?country=select

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