Begins recording How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Looking for a harder-hitting rock sound than that of All That You Can’t Leave Behind , U2 began recording their eleventh studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb , in February 2003 with producer Chris Thomas . After nine months of work, the band had an album’s worth of material ready for release, but they were not satisfied with the results; Mullen said that the songs “had no magic”. The group subsequently enlisted Steve Lillywhite to take over as producer in Dublin in January 2004. Lillywhite, along with his assistant Jacknife Lee , spent six months with the band reworking songs and encouraging better performances. Several other producers received credits on the album, including Lanois, Eno, Flood, Carl Glanville, and Nellee Hooper; Bono acknowledged that the involvement of multiple producers affected the record’s “sonic cohesion”.