Bono a bad singer?

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Joshua87

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Through reading articles and interviews with the band, im always let on that everyone considers Bono a so- so singer. Is this true?? I dont know about everyone else here, but I think he is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time and I have never thought that his vocals on any U2 track were subpar. Am I just biased being a huge U2 fan, or does everyone here agree with me?


Every artist is a cannibal, every poet a thief...
 
I'm married to someone who doesn't think his voice is that great, she's a wonderful gal otherwise and indulges me by going to U2 concerts with me when they come around. I do think his pipes aren't what they used to be as a result of the stress they've endured over the years, probably compounded by smoking.

Still, I think his voice is at least "very good" by rock standards. I was watching the Acadamy Awards a couple of years ago with my wife as they performed Hands that built america and at one point he holds a note forever. I asked my wife if she still thought he was a lousy singer, and she just kinda shrugged.

Oh well, if you want technically perfect singing and dry passionless music, maybe Josh Groban is your thing.


Every need got an ego to feed...
 
He is definitely a great singer, very distinctive, with a lot of character and charisma in his vocals..who cares about polished technical ability.
 
anyone who questions this needs to watch the making of the unforgettable fire, the part where bono is doing a vocal take for 'pride'. he sings with great passion, and that's what makes him so phenomenal. he's also got a great range, from the sultry growls to the infamous falsetto.
 
i LIKE Bono's voice. It's so rough, at times law and at times high!
Lot of singer have a voice that's absolutely common, but I think Bono's got a touch of something!
 
I guess it depens on what kind of voices we're talking about... I mean, of course Bono's has not the kind of voice Pavarotti or Andrea Bocelli have, but HIS voice is able to give us so many emotions!!
 
Bono is actually considered (among non U2 fans also) one of the greatest singers out there. There have been many times that i've heard people mention Bono as a brilliant singer. And in these days in particular.

You think Pavarotti would work with Bono if he wasn't great? Listen to Night And Day! Listen to Vertigo! Listen to "the fat lady voice" (that many people associate with Bono).

Even teachers in singing uses Bono as an example. Choirs struggling to sing "I still haven't found ...".

Yes, Bono is considered one of the greatest!
 
Bono killed is voice with the JT & Achtung songs (probably Zooropa too because of Stay & Lemon) because they require a lot of tricky voice technique, but I still like his voice, even if its not the same as it was, it just shows you that you don't have to be a Pop Idol to be a great singer... and once in a while he does strut his stuff, like the hands performance, or the Electrical Storm studio version

also, Pop wouldn't have been Pop unless his voice evovled the way it did post Zoo-TV
 
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I still don't how he nailed Vertigo. The "I can feel" part is tough to get.

Bono is an excellent singer. He has great range and shows passion when singing. Some U2 songs are not for anyone to sing except for Bono. Don't forget why he put the Vox at the end of Bono :wink:
 
Hey! I like Josh Groban! He is exceptional! He is the epitomy of a great voice. Bono's sometimes I think is a little rough, hoarse, and off-key. But, at times I think it's excellent. I don't think he's the greatest singer out there, but he's very professional and he puts passion into it.
 
In terms of raw voice Bono is not the greatest singer of all time, but in terms of getting the most out of his voice Bono is the best hands down. His vocals in Vertigo reach way back to 1988. Incredible, considering the mileage his voice has put on in the past 16 year.
 
As a rock and roll singer, I can't think of anyone in the same class as his voice. If you want to include "adult contemporary" singers or opera singers, then it is a different story.
 
neutral said:
The Dream Theater singer sounds like Geddy Lee. :yuck:

Somewhere I have an mp3 of DT covering Bad. :crack:

yeah, he often sounds like a girl :wink:

DT cover of Bad?! Where? :drool:
(can you send it to me, or post a link?)
 
Look at the progression of his voice until Zooropa. Only a few can do that. After zooropa I don't know what happened. He lost the falsettos.

starsgoblue said:
"Bono's falsetto on Can't Help Falling In Love...."
and don't forget Lemon!!!

Every friend of mine who heard this song went speechless as I went when I heard Can't help fallin in love...

I wish his JT/Zooropa's voice to came back.
 
The Guy is in his 40's, during Rattle & Hum his voice was untouchable, he has an amazing voice, but to but him over the top is his SOOULLL. People dissect his voice now because hes older and it does crack sometimes, but most people love his voice. MTV had a poll for the 22 greatest voices, its a bunch of R&B people and teeny bopper singers, but Bono is #4 on the list. That's respect.
 
My mother has always said that she does not like Bono's voice because of the transition from low to high. She is a singer herself...not professional or anything. She said that it is almost like he gets off key or something. She does say that his voice is full of emotion when he sings, and that she has never heard another singer have that like he does. She said that the emotion in his voice is what makes him a good singer.

For my mother to say this means a lot because she says she doesn't like U2 at all. I think she does though....everytime she gets in my car she wants me to put in 'War'.

If you were to ask my opinion I would say that Bono has one of the greatest voices. I do agree with my mother that it has a great deal to do with the emotion in his voice.
 
RademR said:
"
The Guy is in his 40's, during Rattle & Hum his voice was untouchable, he has an amazing voice, but to but him over the top is his SOOULLL. People dissect his voice now because hes older and it does crack sometimes, but most people love his voice. MTV had a poll for the 22 greatest voices, its a bunch of R&B people and teeny bopper singers, but Bono is #4 on the list. That's respect."

wow, I didn't know that. amazing!
 
There is a difference between a technically good voice and someone who is a great rock singer. While Bono is also fairly good in a technical sense, he is amazing as rock singer. Anyway, I would much rather listen to someone like Bob Dylan, who is awful on a technical level, than something boring like Josh Groban, no matter how good he is.
 
First Bono not sexy, now Bono a bad singer... what is the blue crack coming to?!

Honestly though, Bono's a brilliant singer. Obviously he's not the greatest EVER but he's got one of the largest ranges in rock music history, definatley up there with Freddie Mercury...I can't hit some of the high notes he hits, and I'm a girl! Not only that, but he's got SOUL. Emotion oozes from every note he sings. Saying Bono is a bad singer is the biggest load of shite I've ever heard in my life...perhaps I'm just being biased, but how could you listen to songs like Bad and With Or Without You and say he can't sing?! Plus, personally I love the rough quality of his voice he had on ATYCLB... especially songs like In A Little While :heart:
 
First, I think everybody is a bit biased, but this is a U2 board! :wink:

I think the consensus among music fans in general is that Bono's voice is an acquired taste. I became a fan of U2 in 1999, and becoming a fan wasn't an instant thing. I thought Bono had a mumbly voice and could never really understand what he was saying(except their earlier stuff). It took me a long time to warm to U2, but once I did, I love everything they've ever done. The same has happened to some friends I introduced U2 to. They were'nt to keen on the band because they were always like "I can't understand what he's saying."

I think one of the reasons I thought Bono's voice was so weak at first was the production of U2 albums. Once Eno and Co. took over production of U2 albums, there was this muck of sounds which made Bono sound quite weak. His voice has often been burried far down in the mix.

That being said, I don't think Bono is a great singer in a technical sense as others have mentioned. What he does so brilliantly is that he puts so much emotion into what he sings.
 
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AtomicBono said:
Plus, personally I love the rough quality of his voice he had on ATYCLB... especially songs like In A Little While :heart:


:yes: I especially like how rough it was on the Boston DVD....

Sometimes I am glad it gets a little rough....sometimes the pure beauty of his voice in some songs is so overwhelming its like I wouldn't be able to take it unless he brought it down a notch for others. Know what I mean?
 
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