falsetto in COBL

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Se7en

Se7en

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the falsetto in question is the "ooooh ooooh" melody right before the refrain. is it just me or is it incredibly airy and...well...crap sounding? obviously bono's falsetto isn't what it used to be...SNL confirmed this. i was just wondering if they went for that airy sound purposely for some reason. personally i would've rather heard edge at least doubling bono at that point, if not singing it on his own.

any thoughts?
 
Yeah it does sound a bit crap.

You know what's odd, though?

Mercy's falsetto is gorgeous and much more powerful.

How/why is there such a discrepency?

-Miggy D
 
Just goes to show that different people hear different things. All along, I've been thinking how strong the falsetto sounds in COBL. Also, it is strong on the live studio parts of the DVD. When I saw it, I was really surprised.
 
Flying FuManchu said:
The group "ooohs" are good the Bono falsetto is terrible.
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umm are you talking about when bono says "{falsetto} can you {normal} see the beauty inside of me"? thats the only part where he goes into falsetto in COBL not including the "ooohs"
 
i dont like the "ooooohhh" parts either, i think if they filled it with lyrics it wouldve sounded much better. just my 2 cents.
 
MrBrau1 said:
none of you people can sing.
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And apparently some of them have hearing problems too.

While listening to U2 at loud volumes is fun, I think it's clearly ruined your hearing - Bono sounds absolutely great on this album (barring just 2 words on "Sometimes...") - clearly the best he's been since 1991, and that includes his falsettos.

I really must get some old U2 and post "yousendit" links so you can REALLY hear what Bono sounded like in '84, '87 and '92. You'd be surprised at how scratchy, off-key, weak and hoarse Bono sounded back then too. And I don't even want to get into how awful his vocals were on the "War" album. I think too many fans are looking back at Bono's voice through rose-colored glasses - or, perhaps rose-colored headphones. Bono's always been a good singer, not great. However, it's this "good singing" that got me into U2 so much. I had never heard a person hit such high notes with such power and passion - something that he still does to this day. Hence my love of U2 continues. :yes:
 
doctorwho said:
Bono's always been a good singer, not great. However, it's this "good singing" that got me into U2 so much. I had never heard a person hit such high notes with such power and passion - something that he still does to this day.
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:yes:

There are better singers in the world than Bono -- more pure, more technically proficient, etc. But the thing that makes Bono so great is the power and the passion of his delivery. So to me, it doesn't matter if he's note perfect all of the time, some of the time, or once in awhile. That's not what I'm listening for.
 
I sing very well, and I must agree with doctorwho. Bono's range is slightly lower than it used to be, but never has he had such incredible control of his voice. He's a much more natural singer than he was in the "golden age" of his vocals, like mid to late 80's. Some of the notes he hit back in the day were incredible, but as a singer I cringe hearing them because I know what kind of damage that does to your voice.

The fact that he can still hit the high note in Bad only a half step lower than when it was originally recorded speaks to the power of his range, and the verse part in COBL where he switches to falsetto on a dime is incredibly skillful, and is obviously getting a bum rap from some of you guys.
 
U2_Muse said:
There are better singers in the world than Bono -- more pure, more technically proficient, etc. But the thing that makes Bono so great is the power and the passion of his delivery. So to me, it doesn't matter if he's note perfect all of the time, some of the time, or once in awhile. That's not what I'm listening for.
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Bingo!! That's the answer I was looking for! :yes: Thanks for putting it so succinctly, U2 Muse. :up:
 
i never said bono was a bad singer. :eyebrow:
simmer down people.

i maintain however that the "oooh"s before the refrain are airy and weak.

listen to the falsetto harmony during the refrain itself (oh you look so...), it's gorgeous. listen to the falsetto in the bridge of a man and a woman, it's gorgeous. i believe both are edge, but if they are bono they must've been some of the first vocal takes of the day.

now listen to the chorus of sometimes, edge is backing up bono's falsetto to give some body to the air and it sounds great. i'm just wondering why this wasn't done on cobl. i like the oooh melody, etc. i just think something is lacking in the quality of the vocals.

it's pretty clear that bono's chest voice is better than it has been in recent years. no question there. also i'm not questioning anyone's passion about the delivery. i'm looking purely at sonic quality and if that's not so important to you that's fine, but it's not the point of this thread. his falsetto is fading fast. try and be objective.
 
Objectively speaking, of course Bono's falsetto is fading. Fast? I'm not so sure. He's a man in his 40s, and considering this, I think his falsetto is still holding up fairly well.

His voice has changed quite a bit over the years, but that's to be expected. I was simply agreeing with doctorwho, and pointing out that in my opinion, it doesn't matter if the falsetto is fading.
 
I love the falsetto part. He may not be singing with all the power in the world like he did 20 years ago, but he is singing with everything he has. And for a forty-some year old man who has been with the same band for 24 years and has been putting out killer albums his whole career, this is all I need and want. :wink:
 
Se7en said:
i never said bono was a bad singer. :eyebrow:
simmer down people.

i maintain however that the "oooh"s before the refrain are airy and weak.

listen to the falsetto harmony during the refrain itself (oh you look so...), it's gorgeous. listen to the falsetto in the bridge of a man and a woman, it's gorgeous. i believe both are edge, but if they are bono they must've been some of the first vocal takes of the day.

now listen to the chorus of sometimes, edge is backing up bono's falsetto to give some body to the air and it sounds great. i'm just wondering why this wasn't done on cobl. i like the oooh melody, etc. i just think something is lacking in the quality of the vocals.

it's pretty clear that bono's chest voice is better than it has been in recent years. no question there. also i'm not questioning anyone's passion about the delivery. i'm looking purely at sonic quality and if that's not so important to you that's fine, but it's not the point of this thread. his falsetto is fading fast. try and be objective.
Click to expand...



I love it when people tell others who disagree with them to "be objective" :)
 
Wow, I think Bono's voice sound tremendous compared to both Pop and ATYCLB. It's richer, and deeper than it's been in years. Also I think he's "singing" more so than in any of the last 4 albums, where he more or less talk/sings. But this album is like listening to him sing during JT/R&H era. He's singing, carrying his notes longer than the past 4 or so albums. I love it! I love his singing in COBL, falsetto or not.
 
Se7en said:
i never said bono was a bad singer. :eyebrow:
simmer down people.
Click to expand...

Yes, "people", simmer down... the almighty has spoken for the masses. :bow:

No one said you claimed Bono was a bad singer. And from what I've read here, no one needs to "simmer down" either. :rolleyes: We are merely disagreeing with your views that his singing is bad on that song. CoBL is my favorite song from the album and I hear NO bad singing whatsoever on it.
 
The "oohs" in COBL sound fine to me, but I agree his falsetto isn't as good as it was in, say, the Zoo TV era (Can't Help Falling in Love - amazing falsetto!).

On the current tour, you can hear him struggle for some of the falsetto parts quite a bit. Chalk it up to age, vocal fatigue, or what-have-you, but it's definitely not as good as it used to be.

But anyway ... the ooh's sound fine to me.
 
The falsetto in the live version "Oh you look so beautiful tonight" sounds like Edge is being strangled. Its just a damn awful line and when Edge sings it falsetto it sounds even worse.
 
I'm with you there. it doesn't bother me so much on the album, but live, Edge's falsetto harmony overpowers Bono's melody, and it sounds ... well, cringe-worthy. Turn down Edge's mike, sound guys! At least for that part. :wink:
 
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