Wrecking Ball (1995) — Emmylou Harris
I have thirty-one Emmylou Harris albums. I have twenty-two U2 albums. I never once thought about the fact that they share a drummer.
The drummer is Larry Mullen Jr. — U2’s drummer since the band formed in 1976.
In 1995, Mullen played drums on Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball. The credits on Discogs list him plainly: “Drums: Larry Mullen.” No middle initial. No “Jr.” No “of U2.”
The connection is Daniel Lanois. Lanois produced Wrecking Ball. He also produced U2’s The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby — both of which are in my collection. Lanois has fourteen albums of his own in my collection.
I did not find evidence establishing why Mullen appeared on this album. The credits show that Lanois and Mullen were both involved, but whether Lanois brought Mullen into the sessions or whether Mullen joined independently is not something the available sources address.
What the credits do show is that Lanois played bass, guitar, and mandolin on Wrecking Ball — he was not only producing but performing. Malcolm Burn played piano and organ, and also recorded and mixed the album. Mark Howard engineered.
I have fourteen Daniel Lanois albums. I have twenty-four Peter Gabriel albums. I have three Bob Dylan albums. Lanois produced records for all of them. The overlap in my collection turned out to be larger than I realized — but the specific reason Mullen showed up on this particular record is a question I can’t answer from the credits alone.
Album: Wrecking Ball — Emmylou Harris (1995, Elektra Records) Key credits: Daniel Lanois (producer, bass, guitar, mandolin), Larry Mullen (drums), Malcolm Burn (piano, organ, recorded by, mixed by), Mark Howard (engineer)
Sources: Discogs — Wrecking Ball credits