Recording U2 I’m holding a mic to Edge’s guitar, moving it up ʻfor him to sing background vocals, then back to the guitar. It’s almost like recording at homeʼ Hanover Quay, Dublin-based private studio. “It was a full-time different phases,” explains Glanville of the production process. job. The only time we would take breaks were during the school “It started with just the band and me, then Chris Thomas came holidays, but that’s it. They kept me busy for a while!” in as the primary producer and we worked with him from January to December 2003. Around November, Daniel Lanois – The Prototype who was in town promoting his solo record – came by. He hung Like most engineering jobs, Glanville’s gig began with a phone out for a week; Danny and the band are old friends. They just call. “They were looking for an engineer for their next project,” wanted him to come in and say hi because he’d been involved he recalls. “I had a very brief meeting with them before they in all the other records. He brought his style to the room for a asked me if I wanted to come to Dublin? Of course I said, ‘Sure!’ week, which was really great. At the end of 2003, Chris left the and off I went.” From there, Glanville helped the band on a few project and Steve [Lillywhite] came in. He brought Garrett Lee sundry sessions before diving into what would become U2’s with him. Garrett added a lot of the synthesizer elements, sonic 14th full-length release. “We did work on demos for the album atmospheres, and some icing on the cake to the project, so to and along the way we came up with a couple of songs for The speak.” Best Of 1990-2000 that came out in November 2002.” Those sessions gleaned Electrical Storm, Hands That Built America which No Rules, No Jokes appeared on the Best Of as well as the soundtrack for the Martin Naturally, a free-flowing production scheme complemented U2’s Scorcese film, Gangs Of New York, and remixes of several songs writing sessions. But for Glanville, this is where the omnipresent from Pop: Staring at the Sun, Gone, Discotheque, and Playboy challenge of this project resided: as an engineer for U2, you must Mansion. “So there were a lot of other things going on,” Glanville always be ready for anything. understates. “By around November 2002, we felt that those other “They have absolutely no rules when it comes to making things were out of the way, and we could really start to focus on records,” says Glanville assuredly. “Sure, many say, ‘There are the record. That’s when the album started to take shape.” no rules for making records,’ but I think even those people still generally follow certain principles. Not these guys, though – it Direct Delivery really is ‘no rules’ for them.” From musical ideas abruptly turning According to Glanville, the intention of the band was to keep on a dime to impromptu vocal overdubs, U2 kept Glanville and their delivery simple and strong for the album. “For the most Heaney on their toes. “Edge would come in with an idea; a basic In 2002, Carl Glanville received an invitation from U2 to track ‘How To part, all the early stages of the record were very guitar-based,” form of a song,” Glanville recalls. “But when the band entered Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’ at the band’s Dublin-based Hanover Quay offers Glanville. “The intention was to keep it simple: drums, the studio to play as four people, that idea would suddenly – and recording facility. Now in 2005, Glanville recounts the unorthodox approach bass, guitar, and the occasional electric piano once in a while. completely – change shape. It might happen because somebody I’m not sure that they said, ‘Oh, we’re going to make a record started the click at the wrong tempo or somebody hit a wrong to the recording of U2’s latest success. Strother Bullins reports. like we did in the old days,’ but there was no great interest in note, but it created some other sound that everyone got off on, making contemporary sounds that involve a lot of electronics. or something like that. Bono would then say, ‘What was that? They really wanted this record to have the spirit of a band – that Let me hear that again.’ Suddenly, that thing we were planning feeling was definitely there. Adding some ‘sonic disturbance’ to on doing would be sidelined. Something entirely different had things with keyboards or samplers came along later in the game. sprung up and then we would work on that.” nyone who’s spent some time in a large and/or popular – arguably the biggest rock band on Earth – involves a process I think there was always a plan to add the ‘Brian Eno Element’ or After finishing a take, this bohemian song construction commercial recording facility is likely to have some idea that bears no resemblance to this clichéd notion. Instead, a bit of sonic chaos as well.” continued in the control room. “They might record for 20 Aof what a stereotypical tracking session for international the members of the group – Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, With Glanville invariably working alongside assistant engineer minutes, come in to listen and suddenly Bono would get an superstars might entail. Fame-nourished egos clash daily, narcis- and Larry Mullen Jr. – always balance family, their children’s Chris Heaney, U2 called upon a variety of producers for the idea for a melody,” explains Glanville. “A nod to Chris (Heaney) sistic and self-important monologues flow endlessly from the schedules, and an incredible dedication to excellence in their sessions throughout the two-year production period. While the meant, ‘Drop me in at the next chorus.’ While doing that, he may control room while trays of exotic fresh fruit, pots of French- reign as certified international rock superstars. And it’s mainly album credits bestow the overall title of ‘Producer’ to Steve turn to Edge and say, ‘Quick – acoustic guitar,’ then I’m holding pressed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and coke-sniffing the latter aspect of this balancing act that helped make U2’s Lillywhite, many talented characters – Chris Thomas, Garrett a mic to Edge’s guitar, moving it up for him to sing background supermodels sit wasted and ignored in the studio lounge. If latest album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, such a gratify- ‘Jacknife’ Lee, Nellee Hooper, Flood, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, vocals, then back to the guitar. It’s almost like recording at home you’re with me, then you’ve doubtlessly been there, or at least ing and exciting project for Glanville to be an integral part of. and Glanville himself – applied their unique sonic fingerprints – a refreshing and different approach for making an album.” heard the stories. “I wasn’t working for anyone else for the past two-and-a-half to Bomb via ‘additional production’. “It all went through several According to Glanville, once a song was written, corrections According to engineer Carl Glanville, however, recording U2 years,” Glanville comments on his longstanding stint at U2’s AT|38 39|AT Letting rip during the rehearsal phase of the recording of the new album. ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ engineer, Carl Glanville. and improvements never stopped because the members of main channels, 24 monitor channels, and 1081 preamp/EQ SM58 through a Neve 1081 module, Teletronix LA-2A compressor, and then U2 always asked the question, ‘Is this good enough?’ “That’s modules. The straightforward recording sessions were largely straight to Radar. “It was a very simple chain and he would always sing in the great thing about all of the guys,” he commends. “Nobody ‘headphone-less’ song quests, and the band freely roamed front of the control room speakers,” Glanville explains. “We would just turn is precious about their parts. If something doesn’t work – if it where necessary to unearth the album’s 11 notable selections. them up and go for it. He has such a powerful voice that there weren’t issues worked once upon a time but doesn’t now – they ditch it and “All of the mics stayed on the large faders, all the time, for the with leakage. He knows how to work a microphone so well – when to move in do it again. If we recorded a guitar, and a week later and when to back off – that it makes recording very easy.” Before recording we came back to it, the song may have taken a slightly I needed to have 18 channels alone in the control room, Bono would first lay down a scat-based guide different form. Edge might say, ‘You know that guitar ʻ vocal while performing with the band in the live room, subsequently replacing we have? It’s a bit too thin… let me play it again with available to re-track the entire band the track as he completed lyrics he was most content with. “Very often, he a different sound.’ Instead of trying to adjust what was wouldn’t have lyrics at the time they were writing songs. Once we formed a there, he’d simply play it again.” at a finger’s snap song, he would put down another scat vocal in the control room before laying For Glanville, one of the most memorable instances ʼ down his final take.” of U2’s ceaseless-yet-impulsive quests for excellence took place whole record,” explains Glanville.