U2 is giving fans a peek inside the studio with some never-before-seen footage of a recording session for their 2004 album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
The video, shared on Instagram, shows the band working on the track “Original of the Species” at Air Studios Lyndhurst Hall in London. In one clip they are backed by a full orchestra.
“I have a lot of fun putting songs together, you know, for the first time,” The Edge says in the clip. “When you actually bring it into this kind of environment, where you’re really deconstructing it, pulling it apart, it’s at times kinda grueling. But unless you go through that, you’re unlikely to get an arrangement that everyone’s completely committed to.”
U2 recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb by releasing a shadow album, How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb, containing 10 previously unreleased tracks from the band’s archive, with the songs all coming from the original recording sessions for the album.
They also released a special 20th anniversary remastered edition of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, as well as a package with the remaster and the shadow album together, dubbed How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Re-Assemble Edition), plus various box sets on vinyl and CD.
Released in November 2004, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was a #1 hit for U2, thanks to songs like “Vertigo,” "City of Blinding Lights" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own.” The record won eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own.”