Album · Soundtrack
Rattle and Hum
Rattle and Hum is U2's hybrid of live recordings, fresh studio tracks and cover versions, released by Island on 10 October 1988 and produced by Jimmy Iovine. It arrived alongside a concert film directed by Phil Joanou, and it follows The Joshua Tree, the record that made the band a major name. Here they follow their fascination with American roots music, folding blues rock, folk rock and gospel into their sound.
The guest list gives it its character. There are sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, a collaboration with Bob Dylan, a team-up with B. B. King, and the voices of Harlem's New Voices of Freedom gospel choir. Critics were split, with some hearing excitement and others bombast, and the film earned only $8.6 million. The album, though, sold 14 million copies, and "Desire" became the band's first UK number one. It's a record of ambition and risk, and it set up the reinvention that came in the 1990s.
Rattle and Hum: tracklist, credits and charts
17 tracks · 1:12:27Tracklist
- 1Helter SkelterJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney3:07
- 2Van Diemen’s LandU2 and The Edge3:06
- 3DesireBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.2:59
- 4Hawkmoon 269U2 and Bono6:22
- 5All Along the WatchtowerBob Dylan4:24
- 6I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking ForBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:53
- 7Freedom for My PeopleMabins, Magee, Robinson0:38
- 8Silver and GoldBono5:50
- 9Pride (In the Name of Love)Bono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:28
- 10Angel of HarlemU2 and Bono3:49
- 11Love Rescue MeU2, Bono, Dylan6:25
- 12When Love Comes to TownU2 and Bono4:16
- 13HeartlandU2 and Bono5:03
- 14God Part IIU2 and Bono3:15
- 15The Star Spangled BannerJohn Stafford Smith and Francis Scott Key0:43
- 16Bullet the Blue SkyBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:37
- 17All I Want Is YouBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.6:30
- Produced by
- Jimmy Iovine
- Recorded at
- McNichols Sports Arena, Justin Herman Plaza, Madison Square Garden, A&M Studios (Los Angeles), Sun Studio (Memphis), Sun Devil Stadium, Point Depot (Dublin), Danesmoate (Dublin), STS (Dublin), Ocean Way (Hollywood), Danesmoate House, Point Theatre
- Recorded
- 1987–1988
- Mixed by
- Rob Jacobs, Shelly Yakus, Thom Panunzio, Don Smith, David Tickle, Brian Reeves
- Engineered by
- Thom Panunzio, Dave Meegan, Paul Barrett, David Tickle, David Hewitt, Jack Clement, David Ferguson, Kevin Killen, Daniel Lanois
- Label
- Island
- Length
- 1:12:27
Line-up
- Alex Acuña · percussion · guest
- Larry Bunker · timpani · guest
- Bob Dylan · Hammond organ, background vocals · guest
- Billie Barnum · background vocals · guest
- Carolyn Willis · background vocals · guest
- Edna Wright · background vocals · guest
- New Voices of Freedom · vocals · guest
- Adam Gussow · harmonica · guest
- Sterling Magee · guitar, percussion, vocals · guest
- The Memphis Horns · horn · guest
- Joey Miskulin · organ · guest
- Adam Clayton · bass, bass guitar · guest
- The Edge · guitar, keyboard · guest
- B.B. King · guitar, vocals · guest
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · drums (drum set) · guest
- U2 · guest
- Bono · lead vocals, vocals · guest
- Helen Duncan · background vocals · guest
- Phyllis Duncan · background vocals · guest
- Rebecca Evans Russell · background vocals · guest
- Brian Eno · keyboard · guest
- Benmont Tench · keyboard · guest
Singles
- “Desire” · 19 September 1988
- “Angel of Harlem” · 5 December 1988
- “When Love Comes to Town” · March 1989
- “All I Want Is You” · 12 June 1989
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| Dutch Albums · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| German Albums · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 1988–2014 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 1988–2014 | 2 |
All 13 charts
| Italian Albums · 1988–2014 | 7 |
| French Albums · 1988–2014 | 34 |
| Spanish Albums · 1988–2014 | 72 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 1990 | Gold |
| Australia · 1996 | 7× Platinum |
| Brazil · 1994 | Gold |
| Canada · 2000 | 7× Platinum |
| Denmark | Gold |
| Finland · 1989 | Gold |
| France · 1995 | Platinum |
| Germany · 1999 | Platinum |
| Hong Kong · 1989 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1988 | Platinum |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Norway | Gold |
| Portugal | Platinum |
| Spain · 1989 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1988 | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1991 | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1995 | 4× Platinum |
| United States · 1995 | 5× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
85.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
153k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
69k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More on Island
The label →The Joshua Tree
U2 · 1987
Achtung Baby
U2 · 1991
War
U2 · 1983
All That You Can’t Leave Behind
U2 · 2000
The Unforgettable Fire
U2 · 1984
Songs of Innocence
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Boy
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U2 · 2004
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Pop
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 October 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 October 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 10 October 1988 | |
| US release | 10 October 1988 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 10 October 1988 | earliest UK or European date |
25 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | US | Island | other | |
| 1988 | US | Island | other | |
| 1988 | GB | Island | 5014474000713 | other |
| 1988 | SE | Island | other | |
| 1988 | AU | Festival Records | other | |
| 1988 | CA | Columbia House | 075679100320 | other |
| 1988 | AU | Phonogram | 9399084229928 | other |
| 1988 | US | Island | 075679100313 | other |
| 1988 | US | Island | 075679100320 | other |
| 1988 | IT | Island | 5014474000720 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Island | 075679100320 | other |
| 1988 | US | Island | 075679100320 | other |
| 10 October 1988 | US | Island | 042284229920 | original |
| 10 October 1988 | DE | Island | 4007193534004 | original |
| 10 October 1988 | SE | Island | 042284229920 | original |
| 10 October 1988 | GB | Island | 5014474000720 | original |
| 17 October 1988 | AU | Island | other | |
| 30 October 1988 | JP | Island | 4988023007014 | other |
| 2 January 1990 | SE | Island | 042284229920 | other |
| 18 November 1991 | ZA | Island Records Ltd. | 6001210568438 | other |
| 18 November 1991 | ZA | Island | 6001210568438 | other |
| 3 February 2010 | — | Island | 00042284229920 | other |
| 25 October 2015 | ES | Island | other | |
| 26 May 2017 | — | Island | 0602557667349 | other |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237311 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 1200×1190 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |