About Nigh And Day

[Peterrrrr]

Wich month in 1990 was it recorded?

 

[DevilsShoes]

Well I'm not 100% sure, but apparently when the band reconvened in Berlin in Sept 1990 to demo a few songs, they also managed to pull together Night and Day. Shortly afterwards they met up with Wim Wenders who was interested in shooting a video for it, which they then filmed in October.

 

[europop2005]

it would appear you need to fix the "t" on your keyboard there

 

[Peterrrrr]

Well I'm not 100% sure, but apparently when the band reconvened in Berlin in Sept 1990 to demo a few songs, they also managed to pull together Night and Day. Shortly afterwards they met up with Wim Wenders who was interested in shooting a video for it, which they then filmed in October.

Im not sure about that, Bono's voice was much different from LT tor the Berlin sessions. NAD sound more from the first months in 1990.

 

[doctorwho]

Peterrrrr....

I've long sinced used the argument of N&D to AB as an explanation for showing how diverse Bono's vocals are.

N&D was recorded in the JT/R&H style of singing - meaning very high notes, full notes, screaming, etc. AB was recorded to oppose all of that. For the first time ever, Bono allowed his voice to be distorted ("Zoo Station"). He purposely recorded in a scratchy manner ("One"). He "spoke" songs ("Until the End...") and he did a very obvious overdub of his own voice - i.e., not just backing vocals ("Even Better Than...").

While Bono still hits the occasional hight note, he no longer belted out his songs. When I first heard AB, this was actually one of my few disappointments. I had loved hearing Bono belt out songs. But I got that for AB, that had to change too.

So I do not think Bono's voice is all that different. Rather, I think it's the style. He purposely sang different on AB. And that's why we hear such a dramatic difference in N&D vs. AB, despite the relative short time between their releases.

 

[Peterrrrr]

Peterrrrr....

I've long sinced used the argument of N&D to AB as an explanation for showing how diverse Bono's vocals are.

N&D was recorded in the JT/R&H style of singing - meaning very high notes, full notes, screaming, etc. AB was recorded to oppose all of that. For the first time ever, Bono allowed his voice to be distorted ("Zoo Station"). He purposely recorded in a scratchy manner ("One"). He "spoke" songs ("Until the End...") and he did a very obvious overdub of his own voice - i.e., not just backing vocals ("Even Better Than...").

While Bono still hits the occasional hight note, he no longer belted out his songs. When I first heard AB, this was actually one of my few disappointments. I had loved hearing Bono belt out songs. But I got that for AB, that had to change too.

So I do not think Bono's voice is all that different. Rather, I think it's the style. He purposely sang different on AB. And that's why we hear such a dramatic difference in N&D vs. AB, despite the relative short time between their releases.

But the different singing wasnt the only difference, the main sound in his voice was different also. If you listen to the berlin tapes and then listen to december/jan of Lt tour and NAD is a huge differnece. The voice is much more wider, stronger main voice and less hoarse on 89/star of 90. The berlin tapes and ZooTV is toatly different.

 

[doctorwho]

It's possible that some of the smoking/drinking he did during the JT and LT tours was finally catching up to him come AB. However, I find that hard to believe. That is, I find it hard to believe that his voice mid-1990, when N&D was recorded, suddenly became dramatically different a few months later and into early 1991 when AB was recorded.

Now, if we were talking about JT vs. AB and there was nothing in between, maybe. But I think with the LT Tour and N&D - and even today with "Miss Sarajevo" and other releases - that Bono can still belt out songs. The big difference is that the screaming is really gone. To me, that is really huge. He sings more than screams. Screaming allowed him to hit some higher notes, but it really damages the voice. AB had no screaming.

 

[david]

I don't think it's fair to compare live recordings of his Lovetown voice to a studio recording of his voice from later on during the end of 1990.

The live recordings capture the live ambience setting of whatever arena they were recorded in and you also have to take into consideration that his voice on the live shows had a lot of reverb added to them to make it sound fuller.

In a studio setting his voice would just be condensed and processed and sound not as powerful... Though the studio version of NAD is powerful enough in its own right.

 

[Melon50]

This wonders me also. From what I know there was some recording done in June of 1990. "Where did it all go wrong" was for example recorded in June. In some books it's stated that early summer/summer of 1990 was used for demo's that were used to further refine in Berlin.

When you listen to the Berlin tapes there's also some interesting differences. Who's gonna ride your wild horses and Acrobat sound nearly ready and less "live" than songs like Blow your house down.\

In U2byU2 book it's also said that these songs were recorded and nearly ready before the Berlin sessions.

So to cut a long story short: I think it was June 1990.

 

[Peterrrrr]

In the beginning of NAD Bono sings "only you", he sings it in a normal voice but still its very powerful, turn up the speakers high on those two words. This sound is still normal and almost every song on the Berlin tapes is sang normal but still Bono hasnt that powerful sound in his normal voice on those tapes.

 

[Jdelbove]

u guys are definately pointing somthing out that I have always wondered.

It wouldnt make sense that his voice could change so rapidly in such a short period of time. The only reasonable explination is that Bono chose to change his singing voice not that he couldnt sing his old way anymore. In shows from the Zoo tv tour he sings so differently but every now and again his old big powerful full voice would peak through maybe just on a single word but it was almost if he frogot that he wasnt supose to be singing like that anymore. Check out with or without you from Zoo tv Sidney the "Giiiiiiiiive yourself away"(at 2:06) right after "I've got nothing left to loose" is clearly his old voice.

On the last legs vertigo tour he started using his kermit 80's voice again on Still Havent Found on the lines "I beleive in kingdom come, that all the colors will bleed into one." I thought that he couldnt sing like that anymore but I now beleive he chose to change his voice not that he couldnt sing that way anymore. Look over the years somtimes that old 80's comes through.

 

[david]

I think he became self conscious and really wanted to downplay his 80's booming anthem voice and wanted to sound a little trashier a little lo-fi. so the way he sounded in the studio was really toned down.

 

[U2girl]

I think it's a nice moment in time and a mix of AB (that first verse especially) and 80's vocals (the chorus and the screaming at the end).

 

[Peterrrrr]

On the last legs vertigo tour he started using his kermit 80's voice again on Still Havent Found on the lines "I beleive in kingdom come, that all the colors will bleed into one." I thought that he couldnt sing like that anymore but I now beleive he chose to change his voice not that he couldnt sing that way anymore. Look over the years somtimes that old 80's comes through.

Wich show?