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ZooMacPhisto800 said:
Where was I not being tolerant? Please show me...
Does U2 Suffer...
- Thread starter gherman
- Start date
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Where was I not being tolerant? Please show me...
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gherman
New Yorker
BonoVoxSupastar said:
Ok fair enough. So you feel that Bono's is stronger today by some aspects but I think its much weaker by most. I see Bono's voice as an instrument. When the tone of one instrument changes then it changes the whole sound of the band. Sometimes other memebers of the band then alter the way they play or the key they play in or the chords they play to make the band sound "right." I really think that the changes in Bono's voice recently has influnced the kind of music that U2 makes. I know there are other variables but Bono can't reach the high notes he used to, they need to consider a lot more the songs that they play live because of Bono either losing his voice or not hitting certain notes he USED to be able to, or being able to last through as many shows they play on tour. Yes Bono's voice has limits, we all do, but I really think that Bono's ranges are a lot different now and certain variables must compensate for that.
Do you see at all where I'm trying to go with this? Am I getting this across a little better now?
Let me know.
ZooMacPhisto800
War Child
BonoVoxSupastar said:
See, even this post is pretentious. You sound convinced that your post is bulletproof and that the thread should, therefore, be ended (because, what else is there to say?). In fact, you took the original post literally and missed its meaning. Yes, the band is technically limited by Bono's voice. Is it to the point, however, that the band suffers as a result? Is it that significant?
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gherman said:
If you would have started the thread this way, it would have been much much better. Peterrr would have come in and showed you all the places where he can hit the high notes and everything would be like normal.
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gherman
New Yorker
BonoVoxSupastar said:
If you would have started the thread this way, it would have been much much better. Peterrr would have come in and showed you all the places where he can hit the high notes and everything would be like normal.
I guess I need to think of the the thread more before I start it. I just may not be good at getting whats flying around in my fat head and putting down through the key board. But do you see where I'm comming from?
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ZooMacPhisto800 said:
I said nothing about ending a thread.
ZooMacPhisto800 said:
Well that was pretty much my whole point. Go back and read the first entry, "Does U2 create songs now that that only can go as far as the vocal range?" Well of course they do, every band in the world does this, you would be stupid to write songs your lead singer couldn't sing. The whole thing was based on this huge assumption(he believed everyone thought Bono's range has somehow lessened), and one that technically isn't correct, especially in the studio.
It has nothing to do with tolerance.
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gherman said:
Basically you think Bono has lost his range. And most vocal teachers would say, no, at least not significantly.
Now he may not be able to sing night after the night the same like he used to, but that really doesn't change anything studio wise.
ZooMacPhisto800
War Child
BonoVoxSupastar said:
I said nothing about ending a thread.
Well that was pretty much my whole point. Go back and read the first entry, "Does U2 create songs now that that only can go as far as the vocal range?" Well of course they do, every band in the world does this, you would be stupid to write songs your lead singer couldn't sing. The whole thing was based on this huge assumption(he believed everyone thought Bono's range has somehow lessened), and one that technically isn't correct, especially in the studio.
It has nothing to do with tolerance.
Beyond the obvious technical limitation... can it be overcome, via whatever adjustments, can it be compensated for, or do we lose some U2* as a result?
* And not a token piece, do we really lose out?
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gherman
New Yorker
BonoVoxSupastar said:
Cool. I'll take that. We disagree on the subject but I respect your opinion.
Just my opinion but I think BOTH of us could work on how we post/start threads.
indra
ONE love, blood, life
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BonoVoxSupastar said:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
gherman -- I do have to admit I'm a bit disappointed with your original post too. I thought you'd gone all philosophical and I was so looking forward to reading all the answers to "Does U2 suffer?"
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gherman said:
Fair enough...
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ZooMacPhisto800 said:
There's natural ability and there's long term care.
Natual abiltity you can do very little about...
Long term care you can do a lot with, and Bono has seemed to do quite a bit recently to change some of the strength he lost in the late 90's and Elevation tour. The Vertigo tour was the best he's sounded in awhile, though not consistant throughout the tour much stronger than Pop and Elevation, and his last performance at the church was pretty damn good.
To answer the original post, no it won't drastically change the songwriting.
Can we not discuss topics without constantly bickering?
pepokiss
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
no, U2 doesn't suffer
BONO suffers
but not that much, because at the end of the day, HE know how to handle his voice, how to project it, and how to use it... so he can make the best of what he's got
BONO suffers
but not that much, because at the end of the day, HE know how to handle his voice, how to project it, and how to use it... so he can make the best of what he's got
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gherman
New Yorker
BonoVoxSupastar said:
I totaly agree with you on this. He has been able adapt very well to the changes in his voice.
david
ONE love, blood, life
No, they don't suffer from Bono's vocals.
It forces them and has forced them to try new things in the past 8 years instead of falling back on the booming anthemic soarings songs that U2 were known for in the 80's.
It forces them and has forced them to try new things in the past 8 years instead of falling back on the booming anthemic soarings songs that U2 were known for in the 80's.
ZooMacPhisto800
War Child
david said:
Now, isn't this interesting...
What has been assumed to be a limitation, is possibly a (whatever the opposite of "limitation" is).
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gherman
New Yorker
david said:
So you think the changes in Bono's voice has forced innovation?
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
Bono is the innovator in the band who pushes them forward. How about that? He's the visionary, the driving force behind them. Leave it to Larry and they'll be stuck forever. But no, this is about Bono, because it always is. It isn't about the other guys' possible limitations. I love it how some people here never miss a chance to bash Bono. This band shows that it's more than the sum of it's part. Nobody's perfect, they are a bunch of guys compelementing each other. U2 is so great as a band because they have a unique style and Bono has a unique voice. They wouldn't be who they are without his voice, it's their trademark just like Edge's guitar.
ultraviolet92
War Child
FYI gherman
bono only lost his vocal range partly between 1996-2002
now it is strong as ever but does not have as much tone, he sings in a different way now because if he sings the way he did back then he would seriously injure his vocal chord like he did in the mid 90's..
he hits notes just as well as he did back in the 1985 just listen to bad now his voice is just as good but different and to be fair to him he is doing bloody well for 47
bono only lost his vocal range partly between 1996-2002
now it is strong as ever but does not have as much tone, he sings in a different way now because if he sings the way he did back then he would seriously injure his vocal chord like he did in the mid 90's..
he hits notes just as well as he did back in the 1985 just listen to bad now his voice is just as good but different and to be fair to him he is doing bloody well for 47
shaun vox
New Yorker
"he hits notes just as well as he did back in the 1985"
are we listening to the same band?? listen to WOWY (live) bono can not sing that song ! i love u2 but to say bono still has his voice is just insane. his voice has improved since the elevation tour. but is no-where near the quality he had back then during JT and achtung.both studio and especially live (those are my fave u2 times) Duh
are we listening to the same band?? listen to WOWY (live) bono can not sing that song ! i love u2 but to say bono still has his voice is just insane. his voice has improved since the elevation tour. but is no-where near the quality he had back then during JT and achtung.both studio and especially live (those are my fave u2 times) Duh
chrissybaby
Refugee
just out of interest does everybody's voice deteriorate as they get older?
shaun vox
New Yorker
look at steven tyler (he is 80 something right) and still sounds like he is 20 something, and that guy has done drugs, smoked and what not. he probably worked on his voice or something.
lucky bastard.
lucky bastard.
shaun vox said:
Not to bring this thread on a Steven Tyler tangent, but since you brought it up... I work security at concerts in Boston and I am an Aerosmith fan. Saw them live as a fan in 2004, got the job in 2006. Since then, I have seen them in 2006 and 2007 working. I saw a show in 04, it was great, his voice was great, etc. He had throat surgery in 2005 and I can assure you, as of september 07, Steven Tyler's voice is gone. 2004-07 did not sound like the same band.
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
I can't believe Peter hasn't come into this thread yet.
Bono's voice is just fine, especially since he stopped shouting and started singing.
Bono's voice is just fine, especially since he stopped shouting and started singing.
shaun vox said:
Have you listened to WOWY from the last leg of the Vertigo tour? He was hitting all the notes on that. Same for Bad and One Tree Hill in New Zealand. He was singing MW in a higher voice than he sang it during Zoo TV and he also did an incredible snippet of Highway to hell in Vertigo, about the highest I have ever heard Bono. Beautiful Day and Miss Sarajevo were highlights as well. His voice was getting much stronger throughout the Vertigo tour, as Bono was. recovering from throat work he had done just before the elevation tour. The extended rest between legs really helped him alot. Pride and New Year's Day were not back to their original 80s power, but they at least sounded like they did on Zoo TV again. You could have closed your eyes on the best shows of the last leg and mistaken Vertigo Bono for Zoo TV Bono. As others have mentioned, he took singing lessons and sings very well from a technical standpoint now- he has learned to control his voice as well as how to sing without blowing it out like he did during JT at some points and Lovetown at several points. The control and a little bit of his power back is what we have seen, we are GOING to see the technical control combined with alot of that power from the 1980s back and it will be spectacular next album and tour. (Listen to Desire "let you go" part at Union Chapel 2007 for a preview of the power that has come back)
As for the original question, it does not hold them back in the studio much, it is night after night on tour that problems tend to show. Vertigo, Miracle Drug, COBL, SYCMIOYO, he is in top form for on HTDAAB album. Live, it has held them back a little in the past, but less and less so throughout the Vertigo tour. An Example that says it all: elevation Pride performances- Larry and Edge are really toned down to match Bono's vocals. If you look at some of the Vertigo performances of Pride, they are faster, Bono is sounding better and as a result, you can see Larry smashing away on the drums again, especially at the begginning and during the guitar solo. Is it back to r&h days? No, but he is still improving. It has not made anyone in the band lose a step, though- Edge and Adam put in some of their best work just in the song Vertigo. Adam has actually gotten to be a much better bassist throughout his years, he had no training until the Popmart tour. Larry sometimes has to slow down for Bono, but as I said, less of that is happening today than ever. However, Larry can still go as fast and be as accurate and unique as ever- plenty of Vertigo tour performances showed that. The guy has speed: cover of Love will tear us apart w/Arcade Fire, Streets, outro of One Tree Hill, Outro of Bad, begginning of the fly, electric co, even COBL- same idea as streets, but he has to change the beat alot. All of the above were highlights for Larry.
I really hope Peterr gets into this thread, he can run circles around me and alot of other people with this stuff.
An Cat Gav
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
People always use the Pride in the name of love single as the great example of Bono's voice at it's peak. to be fair, he never got it to sound anywhere near as good at that vocal throughout his career. From a personal point of view, i think his voice was at it's peak around Lovetown, but hasn't gone downhill to a terrible degree . It is highly unfair to compare Bono's vocals to Larry's drumming, which has been uniformly unimaginative and crappy since War.
An Cat Gav said:
Larry's Drumming: pretty damn good on Pride itself, watch the music video and the live performances, that was post war. Plus, he had to adapt to sound changes w/ UF, JT, R&H, a big one w/ AB, bigger w/ Zooropa and Pop, etc. Just listen to Streets, exit, bullet, the fly, zoo station, desire has one of their best drum beats, Vertigo, mofo, last night on earth, EBTTRT, Until the end of the world--the drums in Streets are just so pulsating and vital but at the same time, they do not dominate the song. Larry Mullen's drumming is as good as ever- granted, he has not been the star of an album since War, but hes not supposed to be.
Rosebud
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Poor Lars. 
