Bono's talk-singing live

[AndrewCowley]

So we have the 3 phases of Bono -

Yelling
Kermit
Talking

Cool.

 

[gvox]

So we have the 3 phases of Bono -

Yelling
Kermit
Talking

Cool.

You forgot the Hi-C

All of these being universally recognized and accepted technical descriptions for the male singing voice, of course.

 

[corianderstem]

So we have the 3 phases of Bono -

Yelling
Kermit
Talking

 

[trevgreg]

I do too..... can't stand when he talks. That's also why I don't like Cedars of Lebanon.

I don't think he does that for the entire duration of the track, but that's also a reason I'm not fond of the 'song'. Combine that with the monotone Eno landscape in the background, and you basically are lacking an actual song in the end, interesting lyrics or not.

As for live performances, maybe a part of the 'talking' has to deal with not being able to sing 20+ songs outright on an 100+ show tour? I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing, as people get older, their voice changes, etc. I know of a few other bands where the lead singer's around Bono's age and have had either vocal problems or shortened their bands set lists to possibly help with this. It doesn't bother me as much as it does some others here, but I guess a lot of it depends on the song and such.

 

[U2girl]

I said the band killed it and not Sarajevo, maybe you didn't read it right. Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cities don't kill vocals.

He sings in a number of Achtung Baby songs in a lower register. It doesn't qualify as talking and this style of singing has absolutely nothing to do with the examples that the OP was talking about.

You might wanna pass of geography lessions to someone outside ex-YU.

No, but live shows do. Since it happened in Sarajevo...Sarajevo killed the vocals. The band killed it very few times on Popmart, maybe in S. America.

Not really, some are approaching a whisper, ie The Fly or Zoo Station. Nothing near the mumbling approach he uses on UTEOTW.

 

[gvox]

some are approaching a whisper, ie The Fly or Zoo Station.

 

[Rhiannon64]

As for live performances, maybe a part of the 'talking' has to deal with not being able to sing 20+ songs outright on an 100+ show tour? I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing, as people get older, their voice changes, etc.

Quite possible. I'm not a big fan of talk singing. I can see how it can get annoying. However, it really has to be difficult to sing and move for 2 hours straight. Maybe as someone else pointed out the back problem really had a negative impact on his technique. Has the band ever changed any of the keys to suit Bono's voice?

And just a very side note--in opera, talk-singing is known as recitative.
Just sayin...

 

[YBORCITY]

Is it my imagination or did the shows toward the end of the 360 tour have less of this "talking the song" stuff? I remember very little of that going on at the East Rutherford show. (Which happened to jump into my top 3 or 4 shows out of the roughly 30 times I've seen them because they simply blew our fucking faces off). The shows in 2009 I remember a more plodding pace along with talking the songs.

This

The later East Rutherford show was simply amazing and definitely cracked my top five shows ever (out of 33). The 2009 concerts in East Rutherford and Foxboro seemed almost mailed in but if Bono was suffering with a bad back you could see how that could happen.

I'm a fan from the War and UF era where his impassioned voice was the first reason I started liking the band.

 

[YBORCITY]

Quite possible. I'm not a big fan of talk singing. I can see how it can get annoying. However, it really has to be difficult to sing and move for 2 hours straight. Maybe as someone else pointed out the back problem really had a negative impact on his technique. Has the band ever changed any of the keys to suit Bono's voice?

And just a very side note--in opera, talk-singing is known as recitative.
Just sayin...

Check out the big brain on Rhiannon

 

[gvox]

Has the band ever changed any of the keys to suit Bono's voice?

All the time! Quite a few examples of this!

 

[Rhiannon64]

All the time! Quite a few examples of this!

Examples, please. Just curious.

 

[corianderstem]

I think Pride and SBS were lowered for a while, at least on the Elevation tour. Am I remembering that right?

 

[Galeongirl]

Yep, and Bullet too.

 

[djerdap]

You might wanna pass of geography lessions to someone outside ex-YU.

And you really, really, really need to acquire a sarcasm detector.

How about some English lessons then?

Not really, some are approaching a whisper, ie The Fly or Zoo Station. Nothing near the mumbling approach he uses on UTEOTW.

mumble = to utter words in a low confused indistinct manner, to utter with a low inarticulate voice

Now pretty please, where is his delivery in Until the End of the World inarticulate, confused or indistinct? Singing in a lower register does not equal mumbling. Or talk-singing. And even if he did mumble or talk, what does this have to do with the examples OP has stated that are nothing alike Bono's delivery on Achtung Baby?

 

[gvox]

Examples, please. Just curious.

Please listen to live recordings vs studio if it doesn't immediately jump out at you there's joy much use me naming them all off, seriously

 

[gvox]

Just to clarify previous post joy was supposed to read not

There are actually relatively few songs U2 does in album key/tuning, live. Most live songs historically have been dialled down, some even up a few. There'd be really no other reason than for Bono's singing comfort. Or, to enhance vocals that might sound a bit dull in the live setting. (Prime example IMO UTEOTW)

 

[gvox]

On 360, and even some Vertigo shows, they returned to album tuning for a few songs and this was a refreshing change.

 

[Jazzthief]

On 360, and even some Vertigo shows, they returned to album tuning for a few songs and this was a refreshing change.

Please name more! It's one of the most interesting things about the band imho.

 

[gvox]

Here's two examples:

Streets - back *up to album tuning

Even Better - back *down to album tuning (imagine Bono trying to sing 'take me higher' on Popmart in full chest voice? No. Whereas on 360 he did. There's a reason...the tuning. On ZOO-Pop the tuning is much higher than the album, and it pretty much forces a falsetto on that line...on 360 it's back down to album and allows a full voice. And people think falsetto is harder than full out?? )

 

[OpenG180]

Here's two examples:

Streets - back *up to album tuning

Even Better - back *down to album tuning (imagine Bono trying to sing 'take me higher' on Popmart in full chest voice? No. Whereas on 360 he did. There's a reason...the tuning. On ZOO-Pop the tuning is much higher than the album, and it pretty much forces a falsetto on that line...on 360 it's back down to album and allows a full voice. And people think falsetto is harder than full out?? )

Perfectly said, Martin Brodeur.

 

[gman]

One of many reasons why 360 is by far my least favourite tour.

Snap!!