Bonos voice change story

[Peterrrrr]

1976-79 Era
His voice is well, you hear it is a young Bono

Boy
He have devolope his voice more, more deeper, Ocean is proof of that

Ocotber
More deep

War
Thing strating to change

UF
Here is the biggest change yet, he must have been take lessons or he was very good at learning new stuff by himself.

1986
Little more deeper and darker(smoking suspect)

JT
He voice has mature more then UF, much darker. Could it be the smoking effect that takes real effect

Lovetown
More hoarse and harder to hit notes.

1990
More deeper and hoarse and a stronger falsette(Night and Day)

AB
Much deeper voice, more hoarse with much more techniqs. Here is a very big difference from two years ago, is it the smoking or? More falsette use.

ZooTV
Same as AB Era but with more EBowie/Elvis accent

Zoorpa Album
More high-pitched voice

Zooropa Tour
A bit weaker then ZooTV

1995
The low register is more shaky, hard to control. But very good voice. One(Modena), TSOFOSOS and The Cross

1997
A very big difference from 1995, weaker, more shaky in low register but the falsetto is pretty strong.

1998
More low and hoarse, also a operation.

1999
The operation had change the voice a bit

Atyclb
The voice has mature alot, more hoarse then ever. Smoking and causes of the operation?

Elevation 2001
His voice improves, but still hard to hit the notes clean

2002
Stronger but still very hoarse

2003
The voice is cleaner, but has been much more shaky. It is like he hasnt learn to handle his new stornger voice yet.

2004
The voice is strongest since ZooTV days in some ways, the falsetto isnt so strong

2005
The strongest stabil gets a little bit weak because hard touring, but his voice is very strong.

2006
Much weaker and more hoarse then 2004/2005

2007
? So will hsi voice contunie to devolope to a stronger one or stay as it are now or get weaker?

Another intressting information to hear from fans that have been around since the start is to hear how they react on Bonos voice when they first hear UF,JT,AB,Pop.

 

[shaun vox]

ive said it before and ill say it again bono needs a throat surgery!!
stop smoking and drinking!!

i cant stand bono's horse like voice!!! the man cant sing ONE the way its supposed to and the same goes for WOWY!!

 

[Peterrrrr]

ive said it before and ill say it again bono needs a throat surgery!!
stop smoking and drinking!!

i cant stand bono's horse like voice!!! the man cant sing ONE the way its supposed to and the same goes for WOWY!!

But hoarsness isnt only because of the smoking, hitting high notes in 1000 concerts isnt healthy for your voice. Also the voice has mature. He also went more hoarse after the operation in 1998. So I don't think a new operation would solve anything. His voice is very good right now. My favorite voice eras of him is UF,ZooTV/Zooropa,1995 and 2004/05. He have never sing with such a passion and feeling like he do right now.

My less favorite eras are Lovetown/Popmart/Elevation.

 

[Got Philk?]

He did have surgery. Just like I did. Same procedure and everything. You can do tons of training after surgery, but your voice changes no matter what.

It's true the drinking/smoking probably took a little bit of a toll on his voice, but more was how he sang. Listen to Hawkmoon 269. Then try to sing it like he did. Your voice will hurt too.

 

[JCOSTER]

I have loved his voice since I've first heard back in 80/81. The only thing I noticed is voice maturity with age. Don't forget voices change from 17 to 46 years of age.

 

[Peterrrrr]

I have loved his voice since I've first heard back in 80/81. The only thing I noticed is voice maturity with age. Don't forget voices change from 17 to 46 years of age.

But if the voice only had aged, it had sound quite different today.
Just listen from 91-97, thats no only aging.

Listen to singers like David Coverdale(White Snake) who sings better then ever on the 2004 tour, Bruce Dickinson, Freddie Mercury. They hasnt lost range and power by the years. And they also push realy hard.

But there is one difference, Bono always push one step further, a little extra force. He can push out keyys should be impossible for him to sing. And also sings with more passion and feeling then any other singer in the world.

 

[Peterrrrr]

But if the voice only had aged, it had sound quite different today.
Just listen the cahnging years 91-97, thats no only aging.

Listen to singers like David Coverdale(White Snake) who sings better then ever on the 2004 tour, Bruce Dickinson, Freddie Mercury. They hasnt lost range and power by the years. And they also push hard.

But there is one difference, Bono always push one step further, a little extra force. He can push out keyys should be impossible for him to sing. And also sings with more passion and feeling then any other singer in the world.

 

[Dutch Partygirl]

But if the voice only had aged, it had sound quite different today.
Just listen from 91-97, thats no only aging.

Listen to singers like David Coverdale(White Snake) who sings better then ever on the 2004 tour, Bruce Dickinson, Freddie Mercury. They hasnt lost range and power by the years. And they also push realy hard.

But there is one difference, Bono always push one step further, a little extra force. He can push out keyys should be impossible for him to sing. And also sings with more passion and feeling then any other singer in the world.

Uhm...Freddie Mercury's voice definitely became weaker throughout the years. Listen to 70s concerts and then to 80s ones. He was still a very powerful singer, but his voice changed too throughout the years.

 

[Peterrrrr]

Uhm...Freddie Mercury's voice definitely became weaker throughout the years. Listen to 70s concerts and then to 80s ones. He was still a very powerful singer, but his voice changed too throughout the years.

I think the voice performence he did was Show Must Go On, in the end of that song. Did he ever do that song? If could anyone here upload it?

 

[KUEFC09U2]

actually prefer his voice during the 4th leg of the veritgo tour than any other leg, just me i guess, he just sings with much more technique this tour,

but oh well some will more than likley disagree

 

[Liesje]

actually prefer his voice during the 4th leg of the veritgo tour than any other leg, just me i guess, he just sings with much more technique this tour,

I agree. There was more potential and more fullness to his voice in the earlier days, but as Got Philk? has explained to me (he's a singer with years of voal training), Bono's technique was horrid until very recently. I also agree that most of the "damage" causing the raspiness is not from smoking, but the incorrect technique he used early on.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

I agree. There was more potential and more fullness to his voice in the earlier days, but as Got Philk? has explained to me (he's a singer with years of voal training), Bono's technique was horrid until very recently. I also agree that most of the "damage" causing the raspiness is not from smoking, but the incorrect technique he used early on.

100% agree, i think i read somewhere that he used to use his throat rather than bringing it up from his chest, hence the raspy falsetto, but his actual singing now is amazing, i just listen to miss sarajevo or anything else from the televise sao paulo show and it amazes me

 

[U2girl]

I'm amazed by his post 2003 voice. Arguably his best since Zoo TV.
I'm guessing he took some vocal lessons?

Also, listen to how he "sang" in the 80's. No wonder his voice changed so much over the years.

 

[Peterrrrr]

actually prefer his voice during the 4th leg of the veritgo tour than any other leg, just me i guess, he just sings with much more technique this tour,

but oh well some will more than likley disagree

I find the 4th leg very uninteresting because his voice is so weak if you compare to the other 3 legs. His voice is very shaky, he has trouble to hit the high notes. Notes he hit easy in the other 3 legs.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

I find the 4th leg very uninteresting because his voice is so weak if you compare to the other 3 legs. His voice is very shaky, he has trouble to hit the high notes. Notes he hit easy in the other 3 legs.

i personally wouldnt say he had trouble hitting the high notes at all, again am looking at sao paulo and argentina for examples, during SYCMIOYO he is harmonizing with edge during the "and its you when i look in the mirror" falsetto, personally i feel he just sounds amazing during the last leg

 

[Peterrrrr]

i personally wouldnt say he had trouble hitting the high notes at all, again am looking at sao paulo and argentina for examples, during SYCMIOYO he is harmonizing with edge during the "and its you when i look in the mirror" falsetto, personally i feel he just sounds amazing during the last leg

For example he can't hit the high opera not in Miss Sarajevo like he did before, his voice is more shaky. Compare these songs from the 1st and 2nd leg WTSHNN,COBL,Vertigo,ISHFWILF,Yahew,UTTEOTW,BD. His voice is much cleaner, much stable and he could hold the note longer.

 

[Liesje]

100% agree, i think i read somewhere that he used to use his throat rather than bringing it up from his chest, hence the raspy falsetto, but his actual singing now is amazing, i just listen to miss sarajevo or anything else from the televise sao paulo show and it amazes me

Yes, just compare Miss Sarajevo from Milan to ANY song from ANY show during the mid-late 1980s! The main reason I never really got into accumulating bootlegs from the JT era is because I cringe listening to the way he's singing.

 

[ntalwar]

I don't see anything wrong with the JT bootlegs. E.g. WOWY,etc. from Paris and London JT blow away a lot of other versions.

 

[Axver]

Lovetown
More hoarse and harder to hit notes.

What on earth are you talking about?

Have you heard the 1989-12-26 Dublin concert? 'Hoarse' and 'hard to hit notes' are certainly not two qualities I'd associate with his vocals then, as I think he's never sounded better. His voice is booming, powerful, and the range he shows on Streets and One Tree Hill is excellent.

Sure, he was weak on some concerts, i.e. 1989-12-18 Amsterdam, and a few when he was ill in Australia, but when he was healthy, I think his Lovetown voice was beyond compare.

 

[tommycharles]

I think the voice performence he did was Show Must Go On, in the end of that song. Did he ever do that song? If could anyone here upload it?

Freddie never did it live with Queen, he was ill when they recorded it and never managed live performances of any of the Miracle/Innuendo tracks. That particular note was recently brought up by Brian May - apparently he intended it to be sung in falcetto but out of nowhere Freddie nailed it in full on chest voice... pretty impressive for a man about a year from collapsing.

And yeah, Freddie's voice deteriorated pretty badly between 83 and 86. Prior to that though, his voice had been improving pretty steadily since the early days. I wonder what changed it?

T

 

[doctorwho]

ive said it before and ill say it again bono needs a throat surgery!!
stop smoking and drinking!!

i cant stand bono's horse like voice!!! the man cant sing ONE the way its supposed to and the same goes for WOWY!!

I completely disagree with the first poster's assessement of every era - starting with "Boy" through the present. My views of Bono's vocals are completely different. His nadir was the "Pop" era (from about '95-99) with his zenith being Love Town (and some of JT). His current vocals are as good as the AB era - he may not be quite as strong on his falsetto as he was during the AB era, but his voice sounds fuller and richer now, so it's a good compromise.

Bono was never a GREAT singer - he's a GOOD singer. And, just by being a good singer, he's almost TOO good for punk/rock music! But his voice works for U2's songs (or U2's songs work because of his voice).

While I agree that Bono should stop smoking (for so many reasons - his voice being just one), I will state that this hoarseness (not horse) that you are complaining about is exactly the way he sings "One" on AB! In fact, in concert, Bono often sings "One" a little too well - that is, his voice is too strong and powerful! "One" works because of Bono's scratchiness. If he belts it out like WOWY, it fails. So if anything, any hoarseness you hear on "One" is a good thing. But then, I guess you need to bitch about something.

 

[doctorwho]

Freddie never did it live with Queen, he was ill when they recorded it and never managed live performances of any of the Miracle/Innuendo tracks. That particular note was recently brought up by Brian May - apparently he intended it to be sung in falcetto but out of nowhere Freddie nailed it in full on chest voice... pretty impressive for a man about a year from collapsing.

And yeah, Freddie's voice deteriorated pretty badly between 83 and 86. Prior to that though, his voice had been improving pretty steadily since the early days. I wonder what changed it?

T

I think you mean "open throat" voice as opposed to "full on chest voice".

I believe Mercury also smoked. That, perhaps combined with the early onset of AIDS, may have led to his voice deterioration. Plus, he was a rock star and lived like one.

Still, Mercury and Bono had/have some of the best voices in rock music. Bono's operatic bursts from the UF era to present are awe-inspiring. My friend exclaimed with near tears in her eyes how beautiful "Miss Sarajevo" was in concert. No ordinary rock star singer could pull that off. Elvis had a great voice in the beginning and Roy Orbison's voice is like the softest velvet ever. These men are known for making you feel the song, more than just hear it. And this is why all are legends. This is also why U2 is still so popular. Rock singers - even of all these new bands - just aren't anywhere near as good as Bono (even on his bad days). I think we were spoiled with how good Bono is (and, as I wrote in the above post, he's really only a good singer, not great). When he has an off day or fails to hit a note as well as we like, suddenly there's complaints.

 

[doctorwho]

For example he can't hit the high opera not in Miss Sarajevo like he did before, his voice is more shaky. Compare these songs from the 1st and 2nd leg WTSHNN,COBL,Vertigo,ISHFWILF,Yahew,UTTEOTW,BD. His voice is much cleaner, much stable and he could hold the note longer.

Last post in this thread...

When you heard these songs LATE in the tour, I'm sure any vocal weakness was simply from touring almost a year! Bono had vocal problems with JT and Love Town for similar reasons. I think this is partly why he changed how he sang on AB. Note AB has a lot more "speaking" or lower singing, even hoarseness than on any other U2 album. Songs like "The Fly" are in a whisper. He basically speaks his way through "Until the End...". "One" is sung with an intentional scratchy voice. "Love Is Blindness" is soft. Nothing fancy on "Zoo Station". The dominant vocals on "Even Better Than..." are again an almost speaking lower register voice.

But going back to your comments, I think Bono was just tired. You try singing night after night, flying around the world! Heck, I go to a U2 concert, sing along and my voice is basically gone after one night! I can barely speak the next day! I'm no singer, but if I can't even sing along with Bono for one night, it's damn impressive he can do what he does for so many years for so long! Even the great Pavarotti is not quite the opera singer he was - time does take its toll. So don't be so damn harsh! If Bono belted like he did with Love Town, U2 would have to cancel numerous shows just like they did then, due to his vocal problems.

 

[Peterrrrr]

Re: Re: Bonos voice change story

What on earth are you talking about?

Have you heard the 1989-12-26 Dublin concert? 'Hoarse' and 'hard to hit notes' are certainly not two qualities I'd associate with his vocals then, as I think he's never sounded better. His voice is booming, powerful, and the range he shows on Streets and One Tree Hill is excellent.

Sure, he was weak on some concerts, i.e. 1989-12-18 Amsterdam, and a few when he was ill in Australia, but when he was healthy, I think his Lovetown voice was beyond compare.

Lovvetown is overrated, the shows after christmas 1989 inlc 1989-12-26 he have a a sound in the backgorund of his voice wich I find very strenuous, its like a waek hoars sound. Very hard to explain.

And the things is, high notes he hit under Jt tour he had to scream on LT wich means that the notes not went as clean as he hit them in JT tour. He stoped to scream in ZooTV and use more technique in his singing, or else his voice had been destroyed total. He didnt have to scream to hit the notes in JT, in LT he had.
He had a much more wide,richer and powerfull voice in JT. Just compare WOWY, ISHFWILF,BAD...... from Jt to LT.

Also JT was the last tour when they didnt add effect on Bono mics, they did it on LT......

His voice was better in JT, but for me are the JT and LTlive versions of the songs fairly boring.Theres something I miss. I think UF,ZooTV,1995 and the Vertigo stuff are the best ones.

Right now I think his voice is one of his higlihgts, sure he can't sing like he did in 87 and 92, but he signs with such a passion and feeling. He pushed his voice to levels I never though he ever could hit anymore. Opera note in Miss Sarajevo, Wide Awake not in Bad(2005-09-14 - Toronto), Sing not in SYCMIOYO(2005-10-03 - Boston, 8 sec long!), Feel in Vertigo, The note in CFYT, whole Electric Co, Touch Me in BD, and he "sings" Streets again. The a long list.

 

[Peterrrrr]

Re: Re: Re: Bonos voice change story

Lovvetown is overrated, the shows after christmas 1989 inlc 1989-12-26 he have a a sound in the backgorund of his voice wich I find very strenuous, its like a waek hoars sound. Very hard to explain.

And the things is, high notes he hit under Jt tour he had to scream on LT wich means that the notes not went as clean as he hit them in JT tour. He stoped to scream in ZooTV and use more technique in his singing, or else his voice had been destroyed total. He didnt have to scream to hit the notes in JT, in LT he had.
He had a much more wider,richer and powerfull voice in JT. Just compare WOWY, ISHFWILF,BAD...... from Jt to LT.

Also JT was the last tour when they didnt add effect on Bono mics, they did it on LT......

His voice was better in JT, but for me are the JT and LTlive versions of the songs fairly boring.Theres something I miss. I think UF,ZooTV,1995 and the Vertigo stuff are the best ones.

Right now I think his voice is one of his higlihgts, sure he can't sing like he did in 87 and 92, but he signs with such a passion and feeling. He pushed his voice to levels I never though he ever could hit anymore. Opera note in Miss Sarajevo, Wide Awake not in Bad(2005-09-14 - Toronto), Sing not in SYCMIOYO(2005-10-03 - Boston, 8 sec long!), Feel in Vertigo, The note in CFYT, whole Electric Co, Touch Me in BD, and he "sings" Streets again. The a long list.

 

[Jim]

ive said it before and ill say it again bono needs a throat surgery!!
stop smoking and drinking!!

i cant stand bono's horse like voice!!! the man cant sing ONE the way its supposed to and the same goes for WOWY!!

You have indeed, again, and again, again.

Talking of horses you are becoming a bit of a one-trick-pony yourself.

 

[ntalwar]

Re: Re: Re: Bonos voice change story

Also JT was the last tour when they didnt add effect on Bono mics, they did it on LT......

What specific vocal effects are you referring to? Even Wide Awake in America and earlier stuff have reverb and echo.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

For example he can't hit the high opera not in Miss Sarajevo like he did before, his voice is more shaky. Compare these songs from the 1st and 2nd leg WTSHNN,COBL,Vertigo,ISHFWILF,Yahew,UTTEOTW,BD. His voice is much cleaner, much stable and he could hold the note longer.

personally i thought bono hit that high note pretty well in sao paulo :shrugs: and he is holding the note in sometimes for a longer period than he did during 1st and 2nd legs, and i also find him to be singing WTSHNN just as good as any other leg

as said its all just my opinion

 

[Peterrrrr]

personally i thought bono hit that high note pretty well in sao paulo :shrugs: and he is holding the note in sometimes for a longer period than he did during 1st and 2nd legs, and i also find him to be singing WTSHNN just as good as any other leg

as said its all just my opinion

Well hear him sing the opera not in Miss Sarajevo, he adding his kermit sound to it..... He have hard to hit it. He started to make the sing part longer in Amsterdam in the 2nd leg. He could have done that in the 1st leg without problem, I think it was just an idea he came with in the 2nd leg. The longest time he have hold this yet is the 2005-10-03 - Boston 8 sec followed by 2005-09-14 - Torornto 6,5 sec.

 

[Liesje]

Re: Re: Bonos voice change story

What on earth are you talking about?

Have you heard the 1989-12-26 Dublin concert? 'Hoarse' and 'hard to hit notes' are certainly not two qualities I'd associate with his vocals then, as I think he's never sounded better. His voice is booming, powerful, and the range he shows on Streets and One Tree Hill is excellent.

It's also some of the absolute worse and most damaging vocal technique he's every used, regardless of how it sounds.