Bono's Best Era...

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Dorian Gray

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What'll it be?

78-82/83 - "I may sound nasal but I got potential!"

84-89 - "Holy shit I can sing high, hopefully I'm not destroying my vocal cords!"

90-96 - "Ah fuck... these cigarettes are getting to me. Better work on the falsetto!"

or
97-present - "Well, I may have lost the high end of my voice but dammnit, I got soul!"

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And I felt like a star...
 
Originally posted by Dorian Gray:
What'll it be?

78-82/83 - "I may sound nasal but I got potential!"

84-89 - "Holy shit I can sing high, hopefully I'm not destroying my vocal cords!"

90-96 - "Ah fuck... these cigarettes are getting to me. Better work on the falsetto!"

or
97-present - "Well, I may have lost the high end of my voice but dammnit, I got soul!"


CK says...

"Holy shit I can sing high, hopefully I'm not destroying my vocal cords!"

Great twist on an old post!

CK
 

97-present - "Well, I may have lost the high end of my voice but dammnit, I got soul!"



Even though I don't rank ATYCLB as my favorite U2 album, I've got to go with Bono present day 'cause the live experience is more powerful than ever. For studio Bono I'd go with Achtung Baby.
 
i read that title as "Bono's best bra"

i need a drink
rolleyes.gif
 
I disagree a bit with the '97-present summary. Maybe this was true for "Pop" and the PopMart tour, but not with ATYCLB, MDH and the Elevation tour.

The way Bono belted "only looo-ooove" in "Ground Beneath Her Feet" or the operatic burst in "Wild Honey" or the powerful "I'm a maaaaa-aaan" in "Kite" proves that Bono can still sing high.

And I admit, sometimes Bono's vocals are scratchy live, however, I have several boots that show his voice to be even BETTER than it was during the JT and AB eras! Even the Boston DVD shows his vocals to be very strong.

In other words, I don't think he's lost the high end of his voice at all - yet. Maybe another album or tour or two and that'll be that.
biggrin.gif
 
I agree with Doctorwho. There is a big difference between POPMART and now! He has truly gotten his voice back. I was there when I heard him hit those 'wiiideeee awaaakes!' His voice may be different from when he was young, but I love it. It's so sad and sweet and has a loveable quality.

I think my favorite ever was when he sang Red Hill Mining Town and hit that "Looooove, slowly stripped away...." ah. That will live forever, we have the CDs even if he never hits it again. But like I said he sounds just fine now.

[This message has been edited by *Stormy* (edited 02-21-2002).]
 
I really loved JT-era Bono. Great voice. Cool hair.
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Melon

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"He had lived through an age when men and women with energy and ruthlessness but without much ability or persistence excelled. And even though most of them had gone under, their ignorance had confused Roy, making him wonder whether the things he had striven to learn, and thought of as 'culture,' were irrelevant. Everything was supposed to be the same: commercials, Beethoven's late quartets, pop records, shopfronts, Freud, multi-coloured hair. Greatness, comparison, value, depth: gone, gone, gone. Anything could give some pleasure; he saw that. But not everything provided the sustenance of a deeper understanding." - Hanif Kureishi, Love in a Blue Time
 
Originally posted by melon:
I really loved JT-era Bono. Great voice. Cool hair.
wink.gif


Melon


Yeah me too. Ever notice, the longer his hair, the stronger his voice?
wink.gif
 
I don't think you can say one of his era's is necessarily better than another, especially since he does have a different voice and sound in each era, and I know he always has soul (even if he's too humble to agree with me.)

I guess you can say which one you prefer- but I wouldn't agree with necessarily pitching one era against the other since he has different strengths in different stages.

although .. lol you can ammend the first era by quote Bono: "I sounded like a girl" .. he changed that during AchtungBaby to: "at least now she's an attractive girl" haha

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Every reason that's not enough
Is falling, falling at your feet


High..Higher
Macphisto: Try A Taste Of Martini
 
All love all Bono's, but I'd have to say that the 'Rattle & Hum' and 'ATYCLB' era's are tied for me.
His ability to sing is still very strong.
 
As far as sheer vocal power goes, I think Bono was at his peak with the Unforgettable Fire. Just look at the recording session for Pride on the video for the song. No one could belt a tune like that before in Rock & Roll. As far as passion & nuance goes, I think he is better than ever. BD, WO, Ground for example. He definitely knows how to the strengths & limitations in his voice. No, he can't belt out Bad like he used to, but he still can put it across.
 
I'd have to say my favorite era is '90-'96. I think his voice had something then that it never had before or after. The way he sang live on the ZooTV tour is just phenominal. The way he can hit those high notes on Achtung Baby and Zooropa is amazing as well. I think his singing just took on a whole new persona at that point and it made him sound out of this world.

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"I swore to my father I'd never do hamster-style again."

"looking for the sound thats gonna drown out the world
looking for the father of my two little girls
got the swing got the sway got my straw in lemonade
looking for the face i had before the world was made." - MOFO
 
If I had to choose, my personal favorite era would be 90-96, because I think Bono's voice combined the power of his 80's vocals with a new stratospheric falsetto. Bono's falsetto on songs like Satellite of Love, Can't Help Falling in Love and parts of other songs is really quite incredible. Also, the Zooropa version of Lemon is without precedent for Bono. Bono still could hit the high notes in Bad, as well. The key difference between his vocals during this period and that of the 80s, other than the falsetto, was that Bono didn't always go for the full force wail. He tempered those notes with the falsetto, while still demonstrating that he could more than adequately use his 80's scream. Great combo.

karl
 
the 90's is my favourite Bono era. I really miss that falsetto.

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'Closer than ever to everybody's wife'
 
It is hard for me to decide. I think that his voice was incredible during the JT era. I was listening to the Rock's Hottest Ticket boot yesterday and I kept thinking how sad it was that I missed seeing him live at his peak. It seems like his voice never faltered then, and that he could reach any potential octave.

On the other hand, there is so much soul behind the band right now. Bono is really singing with a lot of passion. I think that Bono has finally 'found what he is looking for' and he is singing with that feeling behind him!!

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***Spinny***
"OH, SINNY- er,um- SPINNY!" (freudian slip?)-JulyFly

"Here I go and I don't know why
I spin so ceaselessly
Could it be he's taken over me????
"
 
Originally posted by Dorian Gray:
What'll it be?


84-89 - "Holy shit I can sing high, hopefully I'm not destroying my vocal cords!"

90-96 - "Ah fuck... these cigarettes are getting to me. Better work on the falsetto!"


It's a tie for me. They were both my favorite eras in different ways. The JT period because of how he had expanded his range and the AB period because of the delivery.

Although, I agree w/ Melon, JT era yielded the coolest hair.


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Rock 'N Roll is the sound of revenge.
 
Back in 92 I kind of didn't like Bono's singing then, the falsetto didn't sit well with me. That's because I was a stupid teenager subjected to grunge. Now that I am older and have learned to appreciate musical styles and especially falsetto (thanks to Jeff Buckley) I am going to have to go with the Achtung era Bono.

He combined both the intensity of his voice with basically opera falsetto, it was a powerful mix.

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The more of these I drink the more Bono makes sense.. - Bean from the KROQ Breakfast with U2.
 
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