Which Bono Sings The New Mix Of Gone?

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Which Bono sings in the new mix of Gone?

  • 1997 Bono

    Votes: 8 25.0%
  • 2002 Bono

    Votes: 24 75.0%

  • Total voters
    32

Miggy D

War Child
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
974
Location
Davis, California
The vocal is obviously different. What I can't figure out is if the person singing is 1997 Bono or 2002 Bono. The delivery is classic 2002 Bono - in 1997 he was much more of a crooner, and his vocals were much mroe reserved. But I believe the band has been quoted as saying that the vocal was from one of the original 1996-1997 sessions. I just don't know if I buy that.

What do you guys think? Log your vote into the poll!

On a related note - which version of Gone do you prefer? Might as well discuss this as well, and kill two birds with one stone. Which version to you prefer musically, and which one do you prefer vocally? Is it the same version for both, or is it split between the two? For instance - do you like the original musically and prefer the vocal delivery on the 2002 version? Or vice versa? I'd like to see what the opinions are here, since I don't think I've heard them yet.

I prefer the original on all counts. I appreciate Gone for what it was when it was recorded - the magic they captured in the studio at that moment in 1997. Re-recording a song later on changes things because the band is at a different point musically and philosophically. 2002 U2 can't re-capture 1997 U2 because they're a different band in many respects. It's why 1987 U2 couldn't have recorded Until The End Of the World at that point in their career. They were a different band.

But that's just my two cents. I look forward to hearing yours.
 
BigMacPhisto said:
I think there's new vocals on all four of the new mixes......

Bono's vocal on the new SATS sounds identical to the 1997 version. Only Edge's backing vocal is new. All the vocals on Numb are the same. Discotheque has some new vocals mixed throughout. The only one that sounds COMPLETELY new is Gone...but I could be wrong in regards to when the vocal was recorded (in that it may have been recorded in the original sessions).
 
I think it sounds a lot like 2002 Bono (same with the "Discotheque" redux), but who knows?

I prefer the original. It's less...arena rock. The dorky "hey, we're in a studio" intro, the unrestrained vocal (which sounds intentionally coarse at some points, which I don't think suits the song); it's ever-so-slightly dumbed down. Did they get rid of the keyboards for the chorus too? I can't remember, but if they did, lame.

I love their live arrangement, but if I want to hear the song like they played it live, I'll listen to a bootleg. For some reason, it doesn't work right in an air-tight studio.
 
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typhoon said:
I think it sounds a lot like 2002 Bono (same with the "Discotheque" redux), but who knows?

I prefer the original. It's less...arena rock. The dorky "hey, we're in a studio" intro, the unrestrained vocal (which sounds intentionally coarse at some points, which I don't think suits the song); it's ever-so-slightly dumbed down. Did they get rid of the keyboards for the chorus too? I can't remember, but if they did, lame.

I love their live arrangement, but if I want to hear the song like they played it live, I'll listen to a bootleg. For some reason, it doesn't work right in an air-tight studio.

I completely agree with everything you've said. Right on.
 
The New Mix of Gone was good enough to inspire me to begin a lifelong quest to get everything U2 has ever released. I think it packs more of a punch musically and that the vocal delivery is somewhat superior.
 
Axver said:
The New Mix of Gone was good enough to inspire me to begin a lifelong quest to get everything U2 has ever released. I think it packs more of a punch musically and that the vocal delivery is somewhat superior.

Why?

Not challenging your preference - I would just like to know your reasons behind your choices, if you don't mind sharing.

-Miggy
 
Miggy D said:


Why?

Not challenging your preference - I would just like to know your reasons behind your choices, if you don't mind sharing.

-Miggy

It just simply sounds ... better. I don't really know how to justify that. I got Pop not long after the Best Of and I felt that the band had really added something special to the New Mix, a bit more life (and bear in mind this is a top ten song for me, so adding a bit more life really is going above and beyond!). Again, I've no real tangible arguments to back myself up; just how it sounds to me.
 
when u2 goes to record they probably end up with dozens of vocal tracks for the same song.. thats why they were able to change the mysterious ways vocal (theres one verse in the best of version which was changed from the AB version) without it sounding weird, because that was already recorded... whoever remixed the songs (Mike Hedges?) was just given all the source tracks for the Pop songs and remixed it himself
 
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1) 2002 Bono sings the new version
2) I much prefer the original version of Gone. I like that the piano is louder in the new version, but that's about the only thing I do like about it. The album version is more....I dunno. Raw, maybe, is the word I want. It's not a band trying to polish a song. It's a band playing a kickass song at a kickass volume. I don't know how else to describe it.
 
Miggy D said:


Bono's vocal on the new SATS sounds identical to the 1997 version. Only Edge's backing vocal is new. All the vocals on Numb are the same.

Yeah, it's the backing vocals for SATS, definitely. As for "Numb", Larry's vox are far more prominent on The Best Of version....yeah, they aren't NEW exactly, but they're enhanced.

As for the quality.....

1) Discotheque..........the new version sounds more like an arena rocker than the original POP track......big letdown.

2) Staring at the Sun.......I like the original as it was more Oasisesque....I guess the band didn't want that in retrospect

3) Numb........pretty similar to the original, but the Zooropa version just sounds more funky to me.....there was really no reason to tinker with this one.

4) Gone.....unquestionably a big improvment.....it really mirrors the amazing live track that it is, rather than the uninspired POP version.......the original studio version was extremely bland.
 
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I slightly prefer the newer Gone mix, they emphasised the guitar a bit more, theres a crisper sound there..but both versions are great.
 
I've stated this several times before in other threads when it has come up. I can't stand most of the Best Of mixes, but the one that I think is superior to the original is Gone. It actually has more of an edge because of how the insertion of the piano sets up Edge's guitar that much better, making it even stronger. Also, the intro is excellent and much more forceful.

I think Bono's vocal on the newer version is much improved over the original, but I think it dates from 1997. The band has always stated that Pop was unfinished (by their standards), and I think at the time, Bono re-recorded his vocals for many songs in the hope that a newer version would see the light of day later. This is proven by the fact that LNOE, IGWSHA, and Please were totally redone for single release (considered by many to be better). I think the same thing was done with Gone - perhaps it was to be a single at one point.

I like the Pop album, but I have my own version which includes the single versions of LNOE and IGWSHA, the newer version of Gone, and a hybrid mix of Please (I like the album version to start with, but I like the newer version for the second part).
 
I think it's 2002 Bono, and I prefer the new version. It has more energy and the piano really helps.

I also enjoy the new Discotheque - it always was a rock song. Good riddance Boom Chas!

I could do without Staring at the sun remix, and I like additional guitars in Numb (I never cared for that song, though).
 
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phanan said:

I like the Pop album, but I have my own version which includes the single versions of LNOE and IGWSHA, the newer version of Gone, and a hybrid mix of Please (I like the album version to start with, but I like the newer version for the second part).

I have one on my iTunes I call ''Pop: Revisited"

1) Discotheque (New Mix)
2) Do You Feel Loved
3) Mofo (Phunk Phorce Edit)
4) If God Will Send His Angels (Single Mix)
5) Staring At The Sun (New Mix)
6) Last Night On Earth (Single Mix)
7) Gone (New Mix)
8) Miami
9) The Playboy Mansion
10) If You Wear That Velvet Dress (Jools Holland and Bono remake)
11) Please (Single Mix)
12) Wake Up Dead Man (Live from Boston)

It's definitely interesting to hear how they reimagined a lot of their material.
 
Axver said:


It just simply sounds ... better. I don't really know how to justify that. I got Pop not long after the Best Of and I felt that the band had really added something special to the New Mix, a bit more life (and bear in mind this is a top ten song for me, so adding a bit more life really is going above and beyond!). Again, I've no real tangible arguments to back myself up; just how it sounds to me.

yeah but see, that's because you were already familiar with "Gone" through the live versions and "Best Of" version. The original version then became the "New" version to you.

someone like myself, who'd been listening to the original Gone since March 1997, was somewhat annoyed by the remix of it. To me it lacks energy and a vibe; as a matter of fact, all the remixes do.
 
The original Gone is superior to the Best Of mix. The original has a uniqueness to it, and the new mix is U2's attempt to mainstream it and try to make it appeal to a wider audience which, if this thread is any indication, has worked.
 
phanan said:


I like the Pop album, but I have my own version which includes the single versions of LNOE and IGWSHA, the newer version of Gone, and a hybrid mix of Please (I like the album version to start with, but I like the newer version for the second part).

I did something similar, but I only used versions of songs from 1997. Using a 'remix' outside of the era in which POP was made, I feel, changes the entire vibe of the album because it is no longer a product of its time. Switching out the album versions for the single versions is, in my view, justified, because the single versions are what the songs would've sounded like had U2 had more time in the studio. The remixes came out 5 years later and by that point U2 were, as I've stated earlier, a different band at a different point in their lives. DJ remixes are also pointless because U2 didn't make them. Here's what my 'POP: Revised' CD looks like:

1. Discotheque
2. Do You Feel Loved
3. Mofo
4. If God Will Send His Angels (Single)
5. Staring At The Sun
6. Last Night On Earth (Single)
7. Gone
8. Miami
9. Please (Single)
10. Wake Up Dead Man

A pretty damn good album, if I do say so myself.
 
2002 Bono sings the new mix of gone
The 'Best of' new mix is MUCH better. Gone was one of a trio of rock songs on Pop (SATS and LNOE) that were all good, no, very good songs, but could all have been so much better. The scalding version on the Best of is a huge improvement, more emphasis on guitar, and also the fact that Bono, IMO, has been at his best vocally in the last 5 years or so. (I think ATYCLB is vocally Bono's best album)
 
D'oh! said:
2002 Bono sings the new mix of gone
The 'Best of' new mix is MUCH better. Gone was one of a trio of rock songs on Pop (SATS and LNOE) that were all good, no, very good songs, but could all have been so much better. The scalding version on the Best of is a huge improvement, more emphasis on guitar, and also the fact that Bono, IMO, has been at his best vocally in the last 5 years or so. (I think ATYCLB is vocally Bono's best album)

You're freaking kidding, right? ATYCLB was Bono's WORST album vocally. You could hear the cracks all over the place. HTDAAB is quite a bit better vocally, but Bono will never again be the vocalist he was from 87-93.

As I've said time and time again, the new mix of Gone is more or less U2's attempt to 'mainstream' the song to make it appeal to a wider audience, I personally think it has little to do with whether they 'finished' it or not. The only thing better about the new mix is the Edge backing vocals a la the live performances. Everything else is worse than the original.
 
Miggy D said:


I did something similar, but I only used versions of songs from 1997. Using a 'remix' outside of the era in which POP was made, I feel, changes the entire vibe of the album because it is no longer a product of its time. Switching out the album versions for the single versions is, in my view, justified, because the single versions are what the songs would've sounded like had U2 had more time in the studio. The remixes came out 5 years later and by that point U2 were, as I've stated earlier, a different band at a different point in their lives. DJ remixes are also pointless because U2 didn't make them. Here's what my 'POP: Revised' CD looks like:

1. Discotheque
2. Do You Feel Loved
3. Mofo
4. If God Will Send His Angels (Single)
5. Staring At The Sun
6. Last Night On Earth (Single)
7. Gone
8. Miami
9. Please (Single)
10. Wake Up Dead Man

A pretty damn good album, if I do say so myself.

No, you left off 'If You Wear That Velvet Dress'. It is a gorgeous song. No no no.
 
namkcuR said:


No, you left off 'If You Wear That Velvet Dress'. It is a gorgeous song. No no no.

Yeah, I left off 'If You Wear That Velvet Dress' and 'The Playboy Mansion.' IYWTVD because I don't like how the song is mixed, and I sometimes think it's a tad boring. Playboy Mansion because it has such stupid lyrics and...well yeah.
 
Miggy D said:


Yeah, I left off 'If You Wear That Velvet Dress' and 'The Playboy Mansion.' IYWTVD because I don't like how the song is mixed, and I sometimes think it's a tad boring. Playboy Mansion because it has such stupid lyrics and...well yeah.

If you don't mind my asking, what is it about the mixing of IYWTVD that you don't like, and how would you like to see it improved?
 
namkcuR said:


If you don't mind my asking, what is it about the mixing of IYWTVD that you don't like, and how would you like to see it improved?

It's mixed far too quiet for my liking in the beginning, and I know it's supposed to be sultry but it just doesn't go anywhere until, I think, it's too late to recover. I think the last third of the song is really beautiful but I couldn't justify keeping the song on for one third of it.

That other version that Bono did...that sounds more like a Frank Sinatra song (I can't remember what the version is called, or who remixed it), is a very good version. It obviously wouldn't fit on POP, because of how it sounds, but it's an excellent version of IYWTVD.

-Miggy
 
namkcuR said:


As I've said time and time again, the new mix of Gone is more or less U2's attempt to 'mainstream' the song to make it appeal to a wider audience, I personally think it has little to do with whether they 'finished' it or not. The only thing better about the new mix is the Edge backing vocals a la the live performances. Everything else is worse than the original.

Well, I respectfully disagree with your view on this. I think the newer mix is more powerful and more intense than the original, in no small part to the excellent piano parts that have been included, because they set up Edge's guitar that much more.

To each his own...
 
JOFO said:


yeah but see, that's because you were already familiar with "Gone" through the live versions and "Best Of" version. The original version then became the "New" version to you.

someone like myself, who'd been listening to the original Gone since March 1997, was somewhat annoyed by the remix of it. To me it lacks energy and a vibe; as a matter of fact, all the remixes do.

Exactly! :up: The new mix to me was U2 fucking around with the artwork that was 1997's Gone.
 
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