Best U2 Dismantled Podcasts (2025)

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MTV's TRL PREMIERE - September '98 1:32:46

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5M ago1:32:46

1:32:46

Dan and Bob are BACK, in separate garages, looking at the very first top ten countdown for MTV's Total Request Live. Video Pod -- and all new episodes of The Throwback Podcast -- available at Patreon.com/HeedTheCallBy Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb (Shadow Album) 59:36

10M ago59:36

59:36

For the 20th Anniversary of "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb," U2 remastered the original record and released a bevy of remixes as well as the entire Verigo Live from Chicago show from 2005, but the big ticket item was something they called "How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb" - a Shadow Album - of 10 songs that didn't make HTDAAB. The reaction to t…

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U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb 1:25:03

1y ago1:25:03

1:25:03

Per the Throwback Podcast bylaws, every 2.5 years Bob must endure 85+ minutes of Dan gushing about U2. It's time to pay the piper.By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

1
OCTOBER 2000 - Top 10 Countdown 1:25:02

1y ago1:25:02

1:25:02

Give us just one night (una noche) to take you back to October 2000, a wonderful time to be alive. Come on over with arms wide open, light it up and take a puff, and enjoy.By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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Years of Surrender (2020-2024) 1:18:16

1y ago1:18:16

1:18:16

In our final episode (at least until a new U2 record surfaces), we cover everything from the beginning of the lockdown to the present: Bono's voiceover in the Sing 2 movie; U2's underwhelming single "Your Song Saved My Life"; Bono & Edge’s surprise appearance in a Ukraine subway station turned bomb shelter; Bono's book and book tour. Songs of Surre…

1
PULP - Different Class 1:27:02

1y ago1:27:02

1:27:02

If you came from Greece, if you have a thirst for knowledge, or if you studied sculpture at St. Martin's College, BOY do we have the podcast for you. If you're 0-3 there, well, settle down and get ready for the most British episode of the Throwback Podcast ever. We don't want no trouble, we just want the right to be different. That's all.…

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The Sphere (Bonus Episode!) 1:27:40

1+ y ago1:27:40

1:27:40

In this special bonus episode, we take a very deep dive into every aspect of U2 at the Sphere. From the deal James Dolan and MSG made to get U2, the ticket kerfuffle, the technological advancements the Sphere allowed, the sparse stage design, the setlist, the visual message of the show, and what this all means for U2 and, for that matter, the futur…

1
Songs of Experience (Pt 2) 1:11:44

1+ y ago1:11:44

1:11:44

In our Part 2 on U2's 14th studio album, "Songs of Experience," we discuss the second half of the record which contains some of the band's finest and most unheralded songs of the latter part of their career; we go over the differences in the Innocence Tour and the Experience Tour; the band's resumption of the Joshua Tree Anniversary Tour which took…

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AUGUST '83 - Top 10 Countdown 1:21:44

1+ y ago1:21:44

1:21:44

New Wave! Disco! Doo Wop! Whatever the hell "Puttin On The Ritz'" is! August 1983 was a wild time to be alive and a wild time to turn on the radio. Let's pop open an eggfull of pantyhose and get this party started.By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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Songs of Experience (Pt 1) 1:11:46

1+ y ago1:11:46

1:11:46

After the backlash to the controversial release of Songs of Innocence and its bevy of producers, U2 refocuses for its 14th studio album, Songs of Experience, with a Fall 2016 release date. At least that was the plan. In our part 1, we dive into the making of the record, the delays caused by Bono's brush with mortality and the seismic shift in globa…

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APPRECIATE: R.E.M. 1:28:05

1+ y ago1:28:05

1:28:05

Welcome to the first installment of the newest Throwback Podcast Series: Appreciate. Do you appreciate Michael Stipe and his band of college alt-rock revolutionaries? Well, by the time you're done with this episode, you will.By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL SOME EARLY 90'S BULLSH*T! 1:27:07

1+ y ago1:27:07

1:27:07

What the hell was going on in the early 90's?? NKOTB? Color Me Badd?? Joey freaking Lawrence??? WHOA! I mean, seriously Early 90's... whatzupwitu?By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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Songs of Innocence (Pt 2) 1:21:38

1+ y ago1:21:38

1:21:38

In our Pt 2 on U2's 13th album, Songs of Innocence, we discuss the more compelling 2nd half of the record; Bono's bike accident; the lasting impact of “Apple-Gate” on U2’s legacy & the innovative Barricage, the centerpiece of the i + e tour.

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WEEZER - Pinkerton [2024 Remastered Edition] 1:29:05

1+ y ago1:29:05

1:29:05

Remember 2017? We don't. That's why seven years after covering Weezer's classic sophomore album, we're dusting off Pinkerton for another listen. Enjoy... but whatever you do, don't sign over power of attorney before you push play.By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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Songs of Innocence (Pt 1) 1:12:50

1+ y ago1:12:50

1:12:50

U2's 13th studio album, "Songs of Innocence," is an album released a full 5 1/2 years after the commercial and critical disappointment of "No Line on the Horizon" with a list of producers as long as a Beyonce album. To that long gestation period Bono said, "Rumor has it we haven't made a U2 album in the last five years. We have. We've made several.…

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No Line on the Horizon (Pt 2) 1:26:59

1+ y ago1:26:59

1:26:59

In our Part 2 on No Line on the Horizon, we pick things up with the three more pop oriented songs the band wrote after leaving Fez, Morocco. Did the band panic and go chasing a hit? If so, they chose a very unrepresentative first single in Get On Your Boots. Things get a lot more interesting on the final third of the record with some truly fresh ma…

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No Line on the Horizon (Pt 1) 1:14:09

1+ y ago1:14:09

1:14:09

After two consecutive conventional and commercially successful records in "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb," the time was right to explore something different and go someplace else to do it. So, U2 heads off to Fez, Morocco with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, not just as producers but as songwriting partners. The…

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We Are Back and WE ARE THE WORLD 1:42:47

1+ y ago1:42:47

1:42:47

It's The Greatest Night In Pod, as the Throwback Podcast RETURNS with a USA For Africa-sized episode destined to save the world. Dan (the Lionel Richie of this operation) and Bob (clearly the Dan Akroyd) dig into Netflix's Greatest Night In Pop doc by revisiting the artists that made "We Are The World" the most incredible song ever recorded. Join U…

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How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Pt 2) 1:36:11

1+ y ago1:36:11

1:36:11

In this second part of our look at U2's 11th studio album, How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, we go through the second half of the record, get into the marketing partnership with Apple, the ticket fiasco for the Vertigo Tour and the tour itself. We'll also discuss some band business, which has caused the haters to gnash their teeth for the better par…

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How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Part 1) 1:24:24

1+ y ago1:24:24

1:24:24

U2 had finished up the wildly successful Elevation Tour with their iconic performance at the Super Bowl and had resoundingly risen to Bono's throw down issued on the eve of the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind; they really had reclaimed the title of biggest band in the world. Bono said, "Wow, if we could bottle this, what mad elixir would…

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All That You Can't Leave Behind (Pt 2) 1:22:30

2y ago1:22:30

1:22:30

In Part 2 of our look at the All That You Can't Leave Behind period, we discuss the second half of this front loaded record, and the Elevation Tour where U2 dispenses with all the artifices, arches and lemons, and go back to arenas. And front and center is Bono...THAT Bono with his heart back on his sleeve. After an already heavily emotional first …

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All That You Can't Leave Behind (Pt 1) 1:27:30

2y ago1:27:30

1:27:30

We kick off Season 2 with U2's 10th studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, a record that begins U2 Phase III after their Mach II reinvention with Achtung Baby. It's also, arguably, the genesis of the sound of all their output going forward. It's a record Rolling Stone called the band's third masterpiece and that went on to become a huge cri…

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Pop (Part 2) 1:22:55

2y ago1:22:55

1:22:55

PopMart is remembered for its McDonald’s arch, the giant lemon inside which U2 got trapped in grand Spinal Tap style, the disastrous first gig in Vegas and half empty stadiums in the U.S. U2 would go on to play some of its greatest gigs later in the tour, but its still remembered as U2’s folly. But the backstory of why manager Paul McGuinness pushe…

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Pop (Part 1) 1:33:58

2y ago1:33:58

1:33:58

It's time to dive into U2's much beloved, and also much maligned 9th studio album, Pop. It's a polarizing work among fans and critics and God knows the band's spent the last 25 years trying to distance themselves from it. But when you consider what it was intended to be and what they delivered, it is a record that could have been so much more. But …

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Zooropa (Pt 2) 52:28

2y ago52:28

52:28

In Pt 2 on Zooropa we continue our song by song examination and then get into the launch of the European leg of Zoo TV which sees the band rediscovering their love of Dada. The wildly successful Zoo TV marches on to its final leg in Australia by which time the band is running on fumes.

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Zooropa - Part 1 52:06

2y ago52:06

52:06

U2 came home after the Outside Broadcast Tour completing a wildly successful 1992 that saw the band reinvent themselves on record and as a live act. It was supposed to be a six month break before returning for the European leg the next summer. But Edge was still looking for a diversion from his marriage falling apart and convinces the band to make …

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Achtung Baby - Pt 3 (Zoo TV Tour) 1:11:40

2y ago1:11:40

1:11:40

In our third part on the Achtung Baby period we dive into Zoo TV from the conception of the tour to the financial constraints, to the moral conundrums surrounding corporate sponsorship at the time. We explore how disorienting it was for old fans to process the new U2 and the transitional challenges the band faced bringing the tour from arenas to st…

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Achtung Baby (Part 2) 1:44:35

2y ago1:44:35

1:44:35

After the contentious early sessions in Berlin, everything finally crystalizes and U2 deliver its crowning creative achievement, the unprecedented deconstruction of everything that got them to the top of the charts in the 80s: "Achtung Baby." In Pt 2 of 3 comprehensive parts on the Achtung Baby and Zoo TV period, we go song by song of the 12 songs …

1
Achtung Baby (Part 1) 37:43

2y ago37:43

37:43

We're going in for a really deep dive on Achtung Baby. In the first of three parts, we pick things up with Bono's "gotta go away and dream it all up again" speech at the end of the Love Town Tour when things had started to get a little show-bizzy. We ask some pointed questions about what exactly happened between the end of the Lovetown Tour and whe…

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Rattle and Hum (Part 2) 49:06

2y ago49:06

49:06

In this second part of our look at the Rattle and Hum era, we talk about the brutal criticism that came U2's way, in particular, toward Bono. The band had bad reviews before, but it was never this personal. We discuss how it got here and what led to where the band was headed moving forward. But first, they hit the road for what should have been a v…

1
Rattle and Hum (Part 1) 1:03:30

2y ago1:03:30

1:03:30

In the first of our two parts on the Rattle and Hum album and the film, we dive into why this period is so poorly remembered. We question what the hell the band was thinking but, more importantly, where was Paul McGuinness when a little leadership was desperately needed when it was obvious his clients were getting over its skis? We also take a look…

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Joshua Tree (Part 2) 1:01:26

2y ago1:01:26

1:01:26

The Joshua Tree's success was the culmination of everything U2 had dreamed for but when they got to the very toppermost of the poppermost, the band struggled with newfound fame. In this episode we talk about all this as things start to get out of hand and the idea is hatched to make a film.

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Joshua Tree (Part 1) 1:16:34

2y ago1:16:34

1:16:34

U2 had stolen the show at Live Aid. Rolling Stone had named them the Band of the 80s. And the Unforgettable Fire, while something of a left turn did top the charts in the UK and was top 20 in the U.S. So, the anticipation for their next record was not only building but there was a growing feeling that it was going to be a monster. It was. But getti…

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Unforgettable Fire (Part 2) 33:23

2y ago33:23

33:23

In part two of our look at the Unforgettable Fire era, we talk about the band's change of approach on stage in contrast to the War Tour. We go through the awkward beginning of the Unforgettable Tour, the participation of the Band-Aid project and the "Do You Know It's Christmas" single and how it all leads to Live Aid and the band's now iconic 12 mi…

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Unforgettable Fire (Part 1) 1:08:09

2y ago1:08:09

1:08:09

War was the band's first big breakthrough so obviously they go big with War II right? Nope. U2 decides to go to art school with Brian Eno. In this episode we dive into the band's time recording at Slane Castle with Eno who brings along Daniel Lanois to join the production team. We go through all the tracks and what was left off and the time crunch …

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War (Part 2) 28:51

2y ago28:51

28:51

It's impossible to talk about War without getting into the War Tour. In part two, we talk about the three essential gigs from the War Tour that solidified U2's standing as the best live act in rock and roll: the US Festival, Red Rocks and U2's first headlining arena show in the States: Los Angeles Sports Arena when Bono takes things a little too fa…

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War (Part 1) 1:14:39

2y ago1:14:39

1:14:39

U2 return home from the October Tour after the record falls decidedly short of expectations and face a make it or break it moment. They pool their money and rent a small cottage in Howth, Ireland. It's August 1982 and while Bono and Ali are off on their honeymoon, Edge, still full of apprehension about whether he should continue in U2 decides to st…

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October 1:12:04

2y ago1:12:04

1:12:04

In this episode we talk about the birth of U2's difficult second album, October. The one they seem uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed to talk about even today. We examine the three things October is notorious for, the external and internal pressures that created such an unusual rock and roll album, Edge's crisis that almost ended the band, the cri…

1
Boy (New Expanded) 1:13:30

2y ago1:13:30

1:13:30

In this all new expanded Boy episode released in tandem with our new U2 Origin Story episode, we pick up the story after U2 pulls off the big rouse at their now legendary gig at the National Stadium in Dublin that gets them signed to Island Records. We go over why they turn from Joy Division producer Martin Hannett and pivot to Steve Lillywhite to …

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U2 Origin Story (1976-1980) 51:05

2y ago51:05

51:05

You thought you knew U2's origin story? Well, did you know no one actually responded to Larry Mullen's post about wanting to start a band on the Mt Temple bulletin board? Or, did you know that the band once had a flutist and two female backing vocalists onstage? Or that they scored their first TV appearance by fooling the RTE booker into thinking t…

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Into the Heart - Manifesto 8:31

2y ago8:31

8:31

Give a listen to the manifesto to the all new Into The Heart of U2 Podcast - the most comprehensive deep dive into the history of U2, album by album and tour by tour, the fan experience, and the perception of U2 in cultural consciousness. Hosted by author and musician Bill See and Melody Muraca, founder of one of the first notable U2 fanzines, the …

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OASIS - Be Here Forever: Saving Oasis From Oasis 1:38:10

5y ago1:38:10

1:38:10

What if Dan Hanzus produced Oasis' third album? What if he was able to convince Liam & Noel to include their best unreleased tracks & b-sides that were unbelievably strewn aside in the 90's? What would Be Here Now look like and sound like with a completely re-imagined tracklist? Would Dan have been able to save Oasis from Oasis? Let's find out.…

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MATT 'MONEY' SMITH'S 2004 KROQ PLAYLIST 1:50:56

5+ y ago1:50:56

1:50:56

Fighting with Jay-Z? Pissing off Papa Roach?? Corrupting Lifehouse??? Before he was a sports broadcasting titan, Matt 'Money' Smith lived a whole other life in the music industry. On the latest Throwback Pod, Money regals the boys with stories of his time in the “biz” — and dives deep on 2004, a pivotal year during his time at the legendary KROQ in…

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THE LIFE & TIMES OF MARC SESSLER 1:18:32

6y ago1:18:32

1:18:32

ATN HERO Marc Sessler joins Dan and Bob in the Throwback Podcast Studio (a.k.a. rented garage) to take a walk down memory lane and share the music that soundtracked his life. From Duran Duran to Richard Marx to a man named Dave, come with us on a journey, and experience MARC... in the Key of C.By Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone

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BACK 2 SCHOOL '02 w/ Colleen Wolfe 1:14:40

6+ y ago1:14:40

1:14:40

What were you doing in the summer of '02? If you were anything like the NFL Network's Colleen Wolfe (a.k.a. Connie Fox a.k.a. Tiny Box a.k.a whatever her name was on her old fake I.D.) you were blasting 311 out of your '93 Trans Am and getting ready for your senior year of high school. This week Dan, Bob, and Colleen travel back to the days of Jimm…

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DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - Under the Table and Dreaming w/ Jason Zumwalt 1:24:14

7y ago1:24:14

1:24:14

Considering this is and always has been a Dave Matthews Band Podcast (despite the fact neither host is a fan of Dave, or listens to Dave, or calls him "Dave") it was just a matter of time before "Under The Table And Dreaming" got its due. Friend and legitimate Matthews-stan, Jason Zumwalt, joins Bob and Dan in the garage for a Dave-athon of epic pr…

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THE #1 HITS OF 2001 w/ Nikki Glaser 1:14:18

8y ago1:14:18

1:14:18

Comedian/television host/actress/friend Nikki Glaser drops by the garage to revisit the songs that ruled the world during a very strange time to be alive -- 2001. Shaggy. Creed. J-Lo. Lifehouse. The Lady Marmalade song. It's almost impossible to imagine this was real life. And yet ... it was. PUT IT ON THE BOARD!…

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OASIS - Be Here Now 1:02:55

8+ y ago1:02:55

1:02:55

In the debut episode of The Throwback Podcast, Dan Hanzus and Bob Castrone discuss their bosom buddy origin story, then dial back the time machine to August 1997 and the release of Oasis' infamous flop, "Be Here Now". There will be morse code, helicopter whirring, cocaine, and more guitar rock than the world was ready for. Did we mention cocaine?…

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U2 Dismantled - Ep.6 The Joshua Tree Awakens 51:19

9+ y ago51:19

51:19

The wait is over, sort of! In this episode, Andy and Cameron begin to dismantle the masterpiece The Joshua. Join them as they analyze the first half of The Joshua Tree and provide insight into the meanings and messages of these songs. Thanks for waiting so long for this episode, but it is definitely worth the wait. We want your input on this. Email…

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U2 Dismantled - Ep.5 The Unforgettable Fire Strikes Back 45:44

9+ y ago45:44

45:44

Can you believe we made it to episode 5? In this episode we examine U2’s Unforgettable Fire. The album includes the mega -hit “Pride” and solidifies the band as a group that is unforgettable. The album appears to be about tearing down and rebuilding. This is the first collaboration between U2 and Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and the band takes on a …