Editing How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (section)

===Sessions with Lillywhite===
The band began recording with Lillywhite and his assistant [[Jacknife Lee]] in Dublin in January 2004.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 266</ref> The Edge says that the group quickly fell into a much more organic creative process with Lillywhite, with he and Lee reworking songs and encouraging better performances from the band.<ref name="mccorm317"/> One of the first tracks on which Lillywhite made an impact was "Native Son".<ref name="record-collect-20th-ann"/> While Bono was away for a few days, Lillywhite suggested the band record a better [[take]] of the song. After Bono returned and attempted to record vocals over the new backing track, he quickly decided that the lyrics no longer suited the song and that he would need a new lyrical and melodic approach; this ultimately led to the song's evolution into "[[Vertigo (U2 song)|Vertigo]]".<ref name="rs-20th-ann"/>

Lillywhite and Lee ultimately worked with the band for six months.<ref name="mccorm317"/> Several other producers received credits on the album, including Lanois, [[Brian Eno]], [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], Carl Glanville, and [[Nellee Hooper]];<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bombs Away! U2 Sets Sights on Top of Charts|magazine=Billboard|first=Melinda|last=Newman|date=27 November 2004|volume=116|issue=48|pages=1, 64}}</ref> Bono acknowledged that the involvement of multiple producers affected the record's "sonic cohesion".<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 329</ref>

A demo version of the album (guitarist the Edge's copy) was stolen while the band were having their photo taken for a magazine in France in July 2004. It contained unfinished versions of several songs that made it onto the album.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3897987.stm|title=Police hunt for 'stolen' U2 album|publisher=BBC News|date=15 July 2004|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> The band publicly announced that if those tracks were leaked online, they would release the album immediately via the [[iTunes Store]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-498-1361806|title='Vertigo' Early?|date=23 July 2004|website=[[NME]]}}</ref> Several months later, the finished album was leaked online,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-514-1362722|title=U2 Album Leaks Online|date=8 November 2004|website=NME}}</ref> but the band did not release it earlier, despite previous comments.<ref name=earlier>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-512-1362463|title=U2'S 'Bomb' Will Not Drop Early!|date=9 November 2004|website=NME}}</ref>

In late 2004, "Mercy", an unreleased track taken from the ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' sessions, surfaced on the Internet through a fan who had been given a copy of the album containing the extra track. The track is of less than standard audio quality, but managed to become a favorite on fan websites. It was cut from the final release, but was described by ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' as "a six-and-a-half-minute outpouring of U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=U2 Walk on Water!|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|first=Adrian|last=Deevoy|date=November 2004|pages=112–120, 122}}</ref> The lyrics to the song can be found in the booklet for the Special Limited Edition. A significantly revised version of the song was performed during the European leg of the [[U2 360° Tour]]; it made its live debut on 12 September 2010 during the second [[Zurich]] concert,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2.com/news/title/mercy-in-the-rain-in-zurich |title=> News > Mercy in the Rain in Zurich |publisher=U2 |access-date=10 April 2012}}</ref> and was officially released as the opening track on the band's ''[[Wide Awake in Europe]]'' vinyl-only live EP that November.