U2 has announced what it’s referring to as a “shadow album” with the upcoming release of “How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb,” meant to honor the 20th anniversary of the band’s 11th studio record “How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.”
The project, slated for release on Nov. 29, features 10 songs created during the original recording sessions for “Dismantle.” New, unreleased songs include “Treason,” “Evidence of Life,” “Country Mile” and “Happiness,” as well as the track “Luckiest Man in the World” that was leaked as a demo under the title “Mercy.” The set will also feature the five remastered songs “Picture of You (X+W),” “I Don’t Wanna See You Smile,” “Are We Gonna Wait Forever?,” “Theme from the Batman” and “All Because of You 2.”
To commemorate the announcement, the group released the songs “Country Mile” and “Picture of You (X+W).” “Re-Assemble” will be available exclusively in physical format as a standalone Black & Red Marble 1LP Vinyl for Record Store Day, and as a standalone digital release on Nov. 29.
Additionally, U2 will release “How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Re-Assemble Edition)” on Nov. 22, bundling both the original album and the “Re-Assemble” version as a dual digital release. The remastered “How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (20th Anniversary Edition)” will be released on various formats including Vinyl 8LP Super Deluxe Collectors Boxset (Limited Edition); Vinyl 2LP; Exclusive D2C 2LP Black & Red Ink Spot Vinyl (Limited Edition); 5CD Super Deluxe Collectors Boxset (Limited Edition); CD; and Exclusive Red & Black Cassette (Limited Edition).
In a statement, the Edge shared, “The sessions for ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’ were such a creative period for the band, we were exploring so many song ideas in the studio. We were inspired to revisit our early music influences, and it was a time of deep personal introspection for Bono who was attempting to process – dismantle – the death of his father.
For this anniversary edition I went into my personal archive to see if there were any unreleased gems and I hit the jackpot. We chose ten that really spoke to us. 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.
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.”
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