Technically speaking
- Thread starter boystupidboy
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
monsieur fly
War Child
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2008
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- 793
The Edge is the most gifted technically- I'd say he is the most important when it comes to composing stuff though the others do have imput. He sounds like a pretty solid/ versatile keyboard player- New Year's Day features some great pianowork- simple but very effective. Larry and Adam seem to do better with the right producers i.e. Lanois, Eno and Flood. Bono has an excellent vocal technique now- mainly because of those lessons. His guitar playing is perhaps more respectable than people make out. The problem is that he lacks confidence at it so paws away at it at times. That said he was very audible on live renditions of LNOE and sounded good. One senses Bono's playing changes from night to night!
PopMart2005
The Fly
bono's voice sounds much better, esp on letterman
blue screen
The Fly
I used to be a drummer, and have played gigs here and there, mostly for the fun of it, but I've been around guys who take their instruments seriously.
Adam was always the one they referred to as the scholarship guy, because he hasn't done anything extraordinary and has enjoyed the ride, however, I disagree, I've been listening to all of U2's albums as of late, and his work on War and Pop are really outstanding, and I love his bass on the verses of NLOTH2 that are not on NLOTH album version.
Edge, well, I've heard many guitarists trying to play like him and I still haven't heard one that does. He may not be a virtuoso, but as far as rock and roll goes, he's an innovator, and an all time great.
Larry, could have been one hell of a drummer on another band. I think he has the skills, but U2 does not need out of this world drums, just enough to get a rhythm going and the song flowing...and inside that box, he has done a lot!
Bono, has an outstanding voice and excellent range for a rock singer....he's like Edge, anyone who has ever tried to sing something like Pride, Bad, With or Without You, just fails because his voice is really special.
Adam was always the one they referred to as the scholarship guy, because he hasn't done anything extraordinary and has enjoyed the ride, however, I disagree, I've been listening to all of U2's albums as of late, and his work on War and Pop are really outstanding, and I love his bass on the verses of NLOTH2 that are not on NLOTH album version.
Edge, well, I've heard many guitarists trying to play like him and I still haven't heard one that does. He may not be a virtuoso, but as far as rock and roll goes, he's an innovator, and an all time great.
Larry, could have been one hell of a drummer on another band. I think he has the skills, but U2 does not need out of this world drums, just enough to get a rhythm going and the song flowing...and inside that box, he has done a lot!
Bono, has an outstanding voice and excellent range for a rock singer....he's like Edge, anyone who has ever tried to sing something like Pride, Bad, With or Without You, just fails because his voice is really special.
OttawaU2Fan
The Fly
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2008
- Messages
- 46
When did that voice go away? I listen to a lot of bootlegs from 1989-1992 like New Year's Eve Point Depot and Bono's voice is incredible and so powerful?
How long did that last and what happened?
zooropop40
Refugee
well he still uses the low register sometimes, but his voice is definitely "lighter" and not as rich. I think the voice started to go away during the pop era. Probably due to smoking.
PopMart2005
The Fly
yea... the early 90s voice is gone and never coming back, but I think in the last few years maybe bono's learned how to take a little bit better care of himself
his voice sounded pretty bad on HTDMAAB, although in parts that made it more powerful
his voice sounded pretty bad on HTDMAAB, although in parts that made it more powerful
Alan Jamison
War Child
Yes. Smoking and age. The loss of resonance in his singing voice started to become noticeable around the time of the ATYCLB album release/tour. To me, he's singing from a different place than he used to. I think smoking has had a noticeable effect on him; I swear I hear him almost wheezing at times.
That said, he manages. I think Bono acquits himself well as a singer for a guy almost 50.
zooropop40
Refugee
zooropop40
Refugee
I always knew that Bono was never really playing much on guitar...but what proof do we have that he really does not know how to play at all? In other words, where did all these jokes about Bono's guitar playing originate from? that said, he does seem like the kind of guy to hold a guitar that is not even plugged in just to look cool 
I feel that Bono hasn't consistently written eloquent, meaningful and poignant lyrics since POP. There are many moments on the new album where I find myself cringing after Bono sings, maybe more than on any other album.
Catman
Rock n' Roll Doggie
It's weird... I don't find the musicians (aside from The Edge) to be particularly technically paramount, but when the four of them come together... I don't know, but it sounds like the music is a lot better than it should be 
Marien
Refugee
I do agree with most people saying that they are not technically exceptional musicians, not even Edge, but I think they four have reached quite good standards, today we cannot say there's a very weak member in the band, what is quite exceptional by itself, and when they play the band is before their individual interests, something exceptional too.
They may be average players, but they are really good composers, especially Bono and Edge, who come out with the melodies and guitar parts; the lyrics are very good at times, some songs are considered in some contemporary literature lessons I have attended, but even when they aren't so good they are always meaningful, quite far away from this "I love you, you don't love me, I'm sad"-thing most hits are about.
I don't want to forget to point out one last thing, while I don't believe Bono is the best singer in the world, I know he is the best frontman, he connects with the audience and transmits more emotion than any other one, and that makes a difference.
When they play live together, there's a magic I can't explain.
They may be average players, but they are really good composers, especially Bono and Edge, who come out with the melodies and guitar parts; the lyrics are very good at times, some songs are considered in some contemporary literature lessons I have attended, but even when they aren't so good they are always meaningful, quite far away from this "I love you, you don't love me, I'm sad"-thing most hits are about.
I don't want to forget to point out one last thing, while I don't believe Bono is the best singer in the world, I know he is the best frontman, he connects with the audience and transmits more emotion than any other one, and that makes a difference.
When they play live together, there's a magic I can't explain.
Galeongirl
Galeonbroad
I always knew that Bono was never really playing much on guitar...but what proof do we have that he really does not know how to play at all? In other words, where did all these jokes about Bono's guitar playing originate from? that said, he does seem like the kind of guy to hold a guitar that is not even plugged in just to look cool
There has to be a reason that when Bono plays guitar live the tech guys turn his sound so low that you can barely hear it.
There has to be a reason that when Bono plays guitar live the tech guys turn his sound so low that you can barely hear it.
You can on the following live tracks -
The Fly (Zoo TV & Vertigo)
Kite (Elevation)
Last Night On Earth (Popmart)
Gone (Popmart)
Stay (Zoo TV)
Dirty Day (Zoo TV)
With Or Without You (Rattle & Hum)
Staring at the Sun & Desire (Popmart)
I play guitar, and I can distinguish what Bono's playing from The Edge on those songs.
Galeongirl
Galeonbroad
Please read my posts more carefully next time. I said you can BARELY hear him, not that you can't. I can hear him too because my ears, like yours, are trained to recognize guitar sounds. But for a non musician it won't be audible, they won't recognize it.
You can even hear him play on One (vertigo tour)
monsieur fly
War Child
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2008
- Messages
- 793
Please read my posts more carefully next time. I said you can BARELY hear him, not that you can't. I can hear him too because my ears, like yours, are trained to recognize guitar sounds. But for a non musician it won't be audible, they won't recognize it.
You can even hear him play on One (vertigo tour)
Oh he's very audible on the tracks mentioned above. He even does a little solo at the start of Staring At The Sun, he strums the ending of Kite and Gone entirely alone, he is very prominent on Dirty Day, definitely audible clearly audible below Edge's solo towards the end and on the Pop Mart version of Desire, he opens the song while Edge was still strapping on his guitar. I do agree that he isn't too prominent on One and several other songs though.
PopMart2005
The Fly
The lyrics were part of what carried Pop, and made it such a returnable album, even years later. The lyrics are also why I haven't returned to 2/3rd of Bomb since 2006.
For all the discussion of innovation, experimentation and growth, this is one area where bono seems to not try anymore
zooropop40
Refugee
^ ehh... im not sure I agree. I think there are amazing lyrics on NLOTH (with perhaps the exception of the pop trio)
and dont forget songs like kite, in a little while, sometimes you cant make it...
and dont forget songs like kite, in a little while, sometimes you cant make it...
bigjohn2441
Refugee
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2008
- Messages
- 1,593
if you havent listened/watched any of the lovetown footage and bootlegs, you havent heard bono's best guitarwork.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I tend to agree. NLOTH's standout flaw is its lyrics (although even those are a consistent step up over ATYCLB and HTDAAB).
Also, Pop is U2's finest work from a lyrical standpoint. /unpopular opinion
The Sad Punk
Blue Crack Addict
"Sounds like he is God talking"? Has the ghost of Peterrrrrrrrrrrrr inhabited your soul?
zooropop40
Refugee
hahahah
I dont know, its just like what I thought God would sound like is what bono sounds like during UTEOTW on AB. Thats not saying that Bono is God but that deep voice always sounded supernatural to me....but Im crazy like that.
