your band out because they're going in a very odd direction." Stewart was unable to change their minds, prompting Blackwell to fly to Dublin to meet with the group. Ultimately, he was convinced by Bono's persuasiveness and the band's enthusiasm for the collaboration. Stewart said that in hindsight, the group's decision to stretch themselves and find an extra dimension became the "turning point in their career". Recording and production The band arrived at Slane Castle on 7 May 1984 for a month-long recording session. A makeshift control room was set up in the castle's drawing room. Ezratty's company Effanel Music, which recorded U2's concerts in Boston and at Red Rocks Amphitheatre the previous year, was hired to provide their then-unique portable 24-track recording system. The equipment, which came in wheeling flight cases with removable lids, was described by Lanois as a "heavily modified Sound Workshop mixing console with a tape recorder". He said it was not the "ultimate technical system" but that the priority was to capture the feeling of the band's music. Ezratty's equipment was set up in the castle's library, dubbed the Chinese Room, with cables running into the adjacent ballroom where the band played. The band and crew lived at the castle during the sessions, helping to foster a camaraderie among them. The site provided a relaxed and experimental atmosphere.Graham (1996), p. 23 U2 worked long days at the castle, sometimes starting at 10 a.m. and finishing at 1 a.m. Eno, who worked on a more "executive schedule" than other members of the creative team, was focused on creative ideas and conceptual aspects, while Lanois handled the production duties. In Bill Graham's words, Eno's task was to "help [U2] mature a new, more experimental and European musical vocabulary". Eno was glad that the group began the sessions with only rough sketches of songs, as he was more interested in encouraging experimentation and improvisation than refining their ideas. To that end, he often created atmospheric compositions on a synthesiser that were intended to inspire U2 and Lanois to play along with. Bono and the Edge, who the singer described as the "more cerebral" members of the band, were particularly drawn to Eno's ideas. The band's experiments produced 15 additional pieces of music. The Edge said that they "didn't object to [Eno] taking liberties with what [they] had achieved up to that point", adding: "We were eager to learn