Ever since the beginning of their career, U2 had a sense of purpose and played on a larger scale than their peers, so when they stumbled with the knowing rocktronica fusion of 1997's Pop -- the lone critical and commercial flop in their catalog -- it was enough to shake the perception held among fans and critics, perhaps even among the group itself, that the band was predestined to always be the world's biggest and best rock & roll band.
Following that brief, jarring stumble, U2 got back to where they once belonged with All That You Can't Leave Behind, returning to the big-hearted anthems of their '80s work.
It was a confident, cinematic album that played to their strengths, winning back the allegiance of wary fans and critics, who were eager to once again bestow the title of the world's biggest and best band upon the band, but all that praise didn't acknowledge a strange fact about the album: it was a conservative affair.
After grandly taking risks for the better part of a decade, U2 curbed their sense of adventure, consciously stripping away the irony that marked every one of their albums since 1991's Achtung Baby, and returning to the big, earnest sound and sensibility of their classic '80s work.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the long-awaited 2004 sequel to ATYCLB, proves that this retreat was no mere fling: the band is committed to turning back the clock and acting like the '90s never happened.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VertigoBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | Miracle DrugBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your OwnBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Love and Peace or ElseBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | City of Blinding LightsBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 05:47 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 6 | All Because of YouBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | A Man and a WomanBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | Crumbs from Your TableBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 9 | One Step CloserBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Original of the SpeciesBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 11 | YahwehBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | Fast Cars | U2 | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 53 mins | 122 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 355 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arnie Acosta | Mastering |
| 2 | Steve Averill | Direction |
| 3 | Bono | Composer, Guitar, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Candida Bottaci | Production Coordination |
| 5 | Adam Clayton | Composer, Guitar (Bass), Member of Attributed Artist |
| 6 | Greg Collins | Mixing |
| 7 | Anton Corbijn | Photography |
| 8 | The Edge | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Joe Edwards | Photography |
| 10 | Cheryl Engels | Post Production |
| 11 | Brian Eno | Producer |
| 12 | Flood | Mixing, Producer |
| 13 | Patricia Sullivan Fourstar | Digital Editing |
| 14 | Carl Glanville | Engineer, Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Synthesizer |
| 15 | Simon Gogerly | Mixing |
| 16 | Chris Heaney | Assistant Engineer |
| 17 | Nellee Hooper | Mixing, Producer |
| 18 | Daniel Lanois | Mandolin, Pedal Steel, Producer, Shaker |
| 19 | Jacknife Lee | Producer, Programming, Synthesizer |
| 20 | Chris Lillywhite | Mixing |
| 21 | Steve Lillywhite | Audio Production, Producer |
| 22 | Kieran Lynch | Mixing Assistant |
| 23 | Steve Matthews | Production Coordination |
| 24 | Rab McAllister | Studio Technician |
| 25 | Shaughn McGrath | Design |
| 26 | Paul McGuinness | Management |
| 27 | Larry Mullen, Jr. | Composer, Drums, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Simon Osborne | Mixing |
| 29 | Sam O'Sullivan | Drum Technician, Production Assistant |
| 30 | Sheila Roche | Production Coordination |
| 31 | Ian Rossiter | Mixing Assistant |
| 32 | Dallas Schoo | Guitar Technician |
| 33 | Scott Sedillo | Digital Editing |
| 34 | Chris Thomas | Producer |
| 35 | U2 | Primary Artist |
| 36 | Fabien Waltman | Programming |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |