“God Part II”: The Rattle and Hum Song That Foreshadowed Achtung Baby

Side A brings the U2 news roundup, including reports of Bono’s involvement in the upcoming Free Nelson Mandela documentary, a Windmill Lane book in the works, U2’s participation in a Shane MacGowan tribute project, and Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno’s guest-producer roles on the next U2 album.

Then it’s show-and-tell time: a promo copy of War, a new U2.com hoodie, record-store dreams, and the challenge of finding Rattle and Hum on vinyl “organically.”

On Side B, the random-song cigar box delivers “God Part II.” We dig into why this compact, punchy, contradictory track may be less a Rattle and Hum outlier than an early signpost toward Achtung Baby. Plus, we share listener thoughts, from “brilliant song” to the gloriously concise “Belter,” and pick next week’s song: “Beautiful Day.”

In this episode

• U2 news: tribute projects, producers, documentaries, Windmill Lane, and Bono’s message for Venezuela
• Why Howie B., Jacknife Lee, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno all belong in the same conversation
• A gold-stamped promotional pressing of War
• Why “God Part II” feels like a bridge to Achtung Baby
• Listener takes on one of Rattle and Hum’s most overlooked tracks
• Next week’s cigar-box selection: “Beautiful Day”

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