Oh, you sound so young tonight!

[miss becky]

Anyone else think Bono stepped into a time machine when it came time to record the vocals of HTDAAB?

I was struck by this on my way home tonight, listening to City of Blinding Lights. And that's not the only song that makes me think this way. Crumbs, Mercy, Vertigo, and Original of the Species all have vocal tracks that sound like they could have been recorded in 1990 in Berlin. OOTS in particular (IMO) sounds like the Bono of fifteen years ago.

I don't know how it happened. Maybe he's (finally!) really cut back on the smoking. Or maybe this voice was indeed Bob Hewson's final gift to his son. All I know is I'm utterly thankful it happened.

And man, am I psyched for this tour!

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Yeah, it's like he stepped into the "Way Back" machine and set the dial to 1988 or something.

I think this'll be the best he's sounded since Zoo TV.

 

[namkcuR]

He's sounding the best he has in a decade or more, I agree. However, as good as he sounds now, he's still not what he was 15-18 years ago during Joshua Tree and Rattle And Hum. Listen to JT, hell, even listen to Beautiful Ghost from The Complete U2/Unreleased And Rare, his voice is tremendous. The main difference between his voice then and now is that back then there was more depth to it...he literally sounded like he was roaring back then.

But yeah, he sounds great on HTDAAB.

 

[miss becky]

I don't think he'll ever sound like he did in the JT/R&H days. And that's simply because time has passed. There's no turning back the clock. Age takes its toll on us all.

But for all that, Bono's voice today is stronger than it has been in many years. If the performances we have seen so far (Saturday Night Live, CD: UK, etc.) are any indication of how he'll sound on the tour, I can barely wait until March.

 

[U2Kitten]

My teenage niece was just saying this yesterday, especially on Vertigo and ABOY!

 

[Lancemc]

Bono will NEVER sound like he did in the 80's, but this certainly is his best vocal condition since the early 90's I think. His vocals on Sometimes and COBL are just unreal. Possibly his best performances since Stay.

 

[jick]

That's what you call the wonders of technology through studio magic and recording tricks.

Live Bono's voice is still the same old scratchy voice that struggles to make falsettos among other shortcomings.

Cheers,

J

 

[Hoodlem]

jick cracks me up every time...I love the way he just steps in and pisses on everyones parade. I really think it is hilarious.

 

[miss becky]

He can try. He's on my ignore list. And that's where he shall stay.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Haha I love Jick's mayhem-orientated posts

 

[yimou]

Jick is wrong again,, Everybody who have seen the recent SNL videos will know this.. He sounds just as good on SNL, as on the album.. And the other recent live performances ofcourse..

 

[Yahweh]

Maybe he was watching the parody of Bono that SNL did and thinking it really was Bono.

 

[babyman]

he sounds very good, he's got his voice back, you can hear it even when he talks, there was a period where he talked with a thin line of voice!.........the voice is back again, but to give a complete judgement we must wait the tour!

 

[RademR]

Maybe he was watching the parody of Bono that SNL did and thinking it really was Bono.

that wasn't Bono on Telemundo?

 

[Aardvark747]

That's what you call the wonders of technology through studio magic and recording tricks.

Live Bono's voice is still the same old scratchy voice that struggles to make falsettos among other shortcomings.

Cheers,

J

Kind of agree Jick. I thought Bono did a great job on the J.Ross show with Sometimes. Right up until the "...is to fake it" part. There are other ways he can sing that, soft-whisper would be good, cos it's obvious he's not gonna be able to manage the the falsetto on that part on each gig. He still sounds fantastic on all the recent live stuff i've heard tho, and if his voice does break occasionally during Sometimes' high bits, at least Edge can carry him through it.

 

[jick]

Jick is wrong again,, Everybody who have seen the recent SNL videos will know this.. He sounds just as good on SNL, as on the album.. And the other recent live performances ofcourse..

SNL huh? Re-watch it and see him struggle with the fasetto in "the best you can do is to fake it."

"Can you hear me when I siiiiiiiinnnnnnngggg?"

"Yes Bono I can hear you sing that part, but I can't hear your falsetto."

Perhaps Bono went into "mute mode" in the "fake it" line to show the world that he wasnt faking it this time and his voice really is what it is.

But in tribute to Bono, his voice is darn good for a 40-something year old who smokes a lot of cigarettes.

Cheers,

J

 

[yimou]

I have seen the clips enough times to know what i am talking about Jickie.. And anyway then it seems that we DO agree in some way.. Thanks to your edited post.

But i tend to look at the overall performance of the songs. And not just pick out a few lines that sounded a bit off.

 

[bedouin fire]

i love the man's cracking voice and his fourties crooney singing style. It makes him more human and emotional.

if i wanted a siren voice covering perfectly 28 octaves i would go listen to celine dion

 

[U2girl]

I don't hear anything wrong in Jonathan Ross or Brooklyn Sometimes' falsetto.
I'd be more worried how he will handle the "sing" bit on the tour.

But to the thread topic He sounds better than last two albums! No scratchyness, and back to the high ranges.
Sometimes and Original of the species are my favorite two songs. Also, Mercy sounds like AB Bono.

 

[ADecentMelody]

SNL huh? Re-watch it and see him struggle with the fasetto in "the best you can do is to fake it."

"Can you hear me when I siiiiiiiinnnnnnngggg?"

"Yes Bono I can hear you sing that part, but I can't hear your falsetto."

The fake it part isn't broken up in the Radio 1 version. Interestingly enough, it will be released in the upcoming singles.

 

[EPandAmerica]

SNL huh? Re-watch it and see him struggle with the fasetto in "the best you can do is to fake it."

"Can you hear me when I siiiiiiiinnnnnnngggg?"

"Yes Bono I can hear you sing that part, but I can't hear your falsetto."

Perhaps Bono went into "mute mode" in the "fake it" line to show the world that he wasnt faking it this time and his voice really is what it is.

But in tribute to Bono, his voice is darn good for a 40-something year old who smokes a lot of cigarettes.

Cheers,

J

Have you watched the SNL performance or just listened to it?
It was fucking obvious that Bono was upset and emotional at the fake it part!
I have a hard enough time trying to talk when I am about to cry, much less sing!

I am so thankful that not only can I hear Bono when he sings but I can FEEL it as well!

 

[jick]

Have you watched the SNL performance or just listened to it?
It was fucking obvious that Bono was upset and emotional at the fake it part!
I have a hard enough time trying to talk when I am about to cry, much less sing!

So Bono couldn't sing it because he was all emotional? Well I don't buy that. He did nail that part in the NYC gig, so you mean to say he wasn't emotional there? Did you watch MTV Jammed?

Let's face it, Bono nailed it in the studio because he had the benefit of multiple takes. But Bono's falsetto has lost its luster over the years and has lost its consistency. Gone are the ZOO Tv era falsettos. Bono's voice isn't young at all. It does show its age, but for its age it is still very good.

Cheers,

J

 

[Canadiens1131]

Yeah, Edge, heck, Edge is sounding more and more like Bono every album, except with a smooth clean voice.

See what happens when you don't smoke!

I predict Edge will take over lead vocals by the 3rd leg of the tour, leaving Bono as the designated Quiet Guitar Strummer and Ape Dancing Man.

 

[jick]

I predict Edge will take over lead vocals by the 3rd leg of the tour, leaving Bono as the designated Quiet Guitar Strummer and Ape Dancing Man.

I dont think Edge will ever take over lead vocals. Perhaps the falsettos will be taken over by Edge as it looks like he does the prominent falsettos in Stuck In A Moment and Sometmes You Can't Make It. In the past albums, the fasettos were always Bono's territory and no one else's.

As for the quiet guitar strummer role, I think Bono has already been doing that for the past 17 years so he already owns that role and continues to play it.

Cheers,

J

 

[Aardvark747]

As for the quiet guitar strummer role, I think Bono has already been doing that for the past 17 years so he already owns that role and continues to play it.

Cheers,

J

lol! And doesnt he do it well!

 

[The Disciple]

I still can't get over the "Mercy" vocal. Very Achtung Baby-ish.

 

[miss becky]

I still can't get over the "Mercy" vocal. Very Achtung Baby-ish.

Yeah, that one blew me away when I first heard it. I had a hard time believing it was recorded in the past year or so.

 

[jick]

Yeah, that one blew me away when I first heard it. I had a hard time believing it was recorded in the past year or so.

Oh ...the wonders of modern recording technology and vocal effects.

Cheers,

J

 

[mickeza]

This is my first post, so i don't want to disagree with people's opinions (not much anyway). However i do agree with Jick in that Bono did seem to struggle on the high notes during Sometime's you can't make it on your own when they were on Jonathan Ross and also just because Bono sounds good on HTDAAB doesn't necessarily mean he is back to near his best.
However i do agree that he sounds fantastic for a man in his 40's and would take many of the younger artists around today and eat them whole even when he's at his worst.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

jick is mostly correct.