Bono's lower register

[schnumi]

He sounded absolutely incredible at the 2009 show I attended (Amsterdam II).

Indeed i was at Amsterdam 1 and god voice was perfect very clear and strong.

 

[Peterrrrr]

It would be very interesting to know this because when you listen for example to Where Did It all go wrong(recorded in May/June 1990) you can hear that his voice sounds much thinner and less deep, basically like on Hansa Tapes and AB voice...whereas on Night and Day it's still like on lovetown, much stronger..

His voice was still the LT-voice around June 1990, Bono performed with David Bowie in Cleveland in June that year and he had the LT-voice on that show.

Alot of people praise the LT-voice over the JT-voice, which is kinda of strange to me. We can take ISHFWILF for an exmaple, Bono sang the song realy good on JT but on LT he started to sing it worse. The LT-voice also got some kind of "whispering hoarse"-sound in the background of his voice, something he didnt have on JT. Alot of fans often thinks that his screaming was on top on LT, but I would say that Bono had even more raw power on JT.
The LT-voice had raw screams, but the screams on JT sounded even more raw and thicker...
A good JT example of that is in this performence(1:50 to 2:32) :U2 - New Year's Day(Live in Paris DVD) - YouTube

 

[Peterrrrr]

Bonos low voice is indentical on this version compared to the studio version
U2 Bono "The Fly" at Hansa Studios Berlin (From the sky down bonus) - YouTube

 

[jeevey]

Interesting. I just noticed this morning how nice his lower register is in this one from 2009. Obviously he's struggling and the upper register is rough. But on the lower end he's really got a dark, full expressive tone.

"Stay (Faraway, So Close)" - Bono, The Edge on Elvis Costello's Spectacle - YouTube

Also, that 1995 performance of Two Shots of Happy is fucking mesmerizing.

 

[Melon50]

His voice was still the LT-voice around June 1990, Bono performed with David Bowie in Cleveland in June that year and he had the LT-voice on that show.

Alot of people praise the LT-voice over the JT-voice, which is kinda of strange to me. We can take ISHFWILF for an exmaple, Bono sang the song realy good on JT but on LT he started to sing it worse. The LT-voice also got some kind of "whispering hoarse"-sound in the background of his voice, something he didnt have on JT. Alot of fans often thinks that his screaming was on top on LT, but I would say that Bono had even more raw power on JT.
The LT-voice had raw screams, but the screams on JT sounded even more raw and thicker...
A good JT example of that is in this performence(1:50 to 2:32) :U2 - New Year's Day(Live in Paris DVD) - YouTube

speaking of that radical change in his voice after Lovetown..do you guys know when Night and Day was recorded? I mean exact month. It would be very interesting to know this because when you listen for example to Where Did It all go wrong(recorded in May/June 1990) you can hear that his voice sounds much thinner and less deep, basically like on Hansa Tapes and AB voice...whereas on Night and Day it's still like on lovetown, much stronger..

This has also wondered me because of the obvious change in vocals between Lovetown and Achtung Baby.

Night and Day was supposedly recorded in June 1990, first demo sessions for AB were in May/June 1990. From these sessions Night and Day, Where did it all go wrong originate. As well as some stuff that ended up on the AB outtakes bootleg. It was stolen in Berlin, but I think it was a mix of demos from that June period with live jams. Some songs on the bootleg have more sophisticated sounding drums/guitars and voice (Ultraviolet mix version, Whos gonna ride etc) and others sound like live jams (various Wake up dead man versions for example).

Some observations:

- I think he still had the Lovetown voice for some time after. The reason I think the David Bowie duet and Night and Day sounded like that because they really were performances, one being a single and the other a live concert.

- On the AB outtakes the "bongloese" parts were quiter, not finished and sounded thinner.

- I've read in interviews with (I think) Flood that Bono wanted to sound more intimate, dry and fragile on AB, so with different microphones and effects.

- If you listen to Lovetown bootlegs, there is a lot, a lot of effects (reverb, echo) on the vocals making them sound bombastic and rich.

- The "Baby" version of Zoo Station is interesting because it has a high-pitch, screaming chorus, sounding very much like old U2

There's also a duet with Prince somewhere out there, called "The Cross" from 1995, which sounds surprisingly much like the Lovetown voice. Even a bit of Kermit there. Haven't found it for a while though, anyone have it?

 

[Peterrrrr]

This has also wondered me because of the obvious change in vocals between Lovetown and Achtung Baby.

Night and Day was supposedly recorded in June 1990, first demo sessions for AB were in May/June 1990. From these sessions Night and Day, Where did it all go wrong originate. As well as some stuff that ended up on the AB outtakes bootleg. It was stolen in Berlin, but I think it was a mix of demos from that June period with live jams. Some songs on the bootleg have more sophisticated sounding drums/guitars and voice (Ultraviolet mix version, Whos gonna ride etc) and others sound like live jams (various Wake up dead man versions for example).

Some observations:

- I think he still had the Lovetown voice for some time after. The reason I think the David Bowie duet and Night and Day sounded like that because they really were performances, one being a single and the other a live concert.

- On the AB outtakes the "bongloese" parts were quiter, not finished and sounded thinner.

- I've read in interviews with (I think) Flood that Bono wanted to sound more intimate, dry and fragile on AB, so with different microphones and effects.

- If you listen to Lovetown bootlegs, there is a lot, a lot of effects (reverb, echo) on the vocals making them sound bombastic and rich.

- The "Baby" version of Zoo Station is interesting because it has a high-pitch, screaming chorus, sounding very much like old U2

There's also a duet with Prince somewhere out there, called "The Cross" from 1995, which sounds surprisingly much like the Lovetown voice. Even a bit of Kermit there. Haven't found it for a while though, anyone have it?

I dont know which session this one was recorded on, the thing is that he sound more like JT-Bono then LT-Bono. It is like JT-Bono and AB-Bono is doing an voicebattle
U2 & MARIA MCKEE -Everybody Loves A Winner - Vìdeo Dailymotion


Bonos voice is totaly different in sound now But sometimes old Bono comes in:
1:43 in this clip
U2 SWEETEST THING IEM MATRIX AUDIO MIX TORONTO 2001-05-25 - YouTube

5:27 in this clip
Bonos high notes, vocal highlights from 360 tour era - YouTube

 

[Melon50]

I think all the cover versions were recorded around the same time, somewhere in early 1989 (Adam Talks). Supposedly quite a few covers were recorded in that period. So that would include Everlasting Love, Unchained Melody, Fortunate Son (on which Maria Mckee also sings), Everybody loves a winner, maybe even Satellite of Love?

 

[youarenotimmune]

A lot's been said about how Bono sings these days....in the higher register, unwise use of a falsetto he can no longer properly hit etc......and how he should perhaps be tapping into that lower register of his. Whenever I hear these comments I think of Thom Yorke, who is someone who has found his perfect voice of late. And his falsetto, and the way he uses it, is just absolutely amazing. His singing style on songs like Separator, Ingenue and Amok is Thom Yorke at the best he's ever been.