xaviMF22
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I don't orgasm over Bono's voice 
Is it unfair to expect another truly great U2 album?
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LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
xaviMF22 said:I don't orgasm over Bono's voice
You orgasm over Thom's voice.
And his resulting facial expressions.
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Folks, I love Bono's current voice. He's hitting notes that are insane, that he may not have hit even when he was younger, and he's holding them. I fully enjoy what he's doing right now.
Yes.
Good.
But to seriously say that it's the "strongest ever" or "like the 80s again" is, frankly, just stupid.
Sure, he's hitting ridiculously high notes and holding them. But he's lost the lower register. Listen to any Vertigo version of WOWY and you'll see that the low parts are now either spoken, sung high, or treated in some other manner to cover the fact that B's lower register has weakened. It's often the other way around as singers age--they lose the high stuff and do everything low--so yes, it's very impressive that Bono's reaching ever higher. And the "range" may be there---but the quality of the range isn't. If you seriously think Bono's sung lower register (not spoken) is the same quality it was in the 87-95 period, well, you deserve to have all of your posts blocked.
His voice sounds great now. But there was a richness to it in years passed that has since been tainted by smoking and age. In virtually everything from the album WOWY to the album Heartland through the late 80s and early 90s on to the One performance in Modena, his voice is freaking dark chocolate velvet, enough to give even Xavi an orgasm, even if he denies it. I can hit high notes; I can sing in falsetto; but it sounds like crap. Bono's voice is far from sounding like crap, but there was a period where it sounded like sex.
The opera high notes, the gorgeous AIWIY-->Streets chant are great; the weathered feel is cool. But to seriously say that these diamonds in the rough are equal to or better than the past?
Yes.
Good.
But to seriously say that it's the "strongest ever" or "like the 80s again" is, frankly, just stupid.
Sure, he's hitting ridiculously high notes and holding them. But he's lost the lower register. Listen to any Vertigo version of WOWY and you'll see that the low parts are now either spoken, sung high, or treated in some other manner to cover the fact that B's lower register has weakened. It's often the other way around as singers age--they lose the high stuff and do everything low--so yes, it's very impressive that Bono's reaching ever higher. And the "range" may be there---but the quality of the range isn't. If you seriously think Bono's sung lower register (not spoken) is the same quality it was in the 87-95 period, well, you deserve to have all of your posts blocked.
His voice sounds great now. But there was a richness to it in years passed that has since been tainted by smoking and age. In virtually everything from the album WOWY to the album Heartland through the late 80s and early 90s on to the One performance in Modena, his voice is freaking dark chocolate velvet, enough to give even Xavi an orgasm, even if he denies it. I can hit high notes; I can sing in falsetto; but it sounds like crap. Bono's voice is far from sounding like crap, but there was a period where it sounded like sex.
The opera high notes, the gorgeous AIWIY-->Streets chant are great; the weathered feel is cool. But to seriously say that these diamonds in the rough are equal to or better than the past?
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xaviMF22
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
LemonMelon said:
You orgasm over Thom's voice.
And his resulting facial expressions.
you bitch
DevilsShoes
War Child
Utoo said:
Yes I have to agree. For me the eighties voice will always reign supreme, it wasn't just about the huge range and raw power which Bono was capable of throughout those first 10 years, especially 87-89 (although it was wildly impressive) it was about the overall tone or timbre of his voice during this era.
The clarity and depth he displayed, particuarly on JT and RAH, was superb, just go back and listen to WOWY or All I Want Is You, they demonstrate a singer at the peak of his powers. Those vocal performances are clear as a bell and still wonderful to listen to, golden rich and velvety, they elevate already brilliant songs to a whole other level.
High register, low register, falsetto, explosive power, there's not a thing he can't do, all these different styles are a part of his armoury and available to him at a moments notice, there's no question whether he can pull them off or not. I still consider his eighties voice to be his natural or 'true' voice before age and smoking began to take their toll.
Despite all that I have been amazed by the seemingly impossible improvements in his voice since Popmart, I never imagined he would capable of making such progress. His voice hasn't sounded this healthy in 10 years, the surgery, less smoking, dealing with his allergies and altogether better maintenance has paid off in spades and thank goodness for it.
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Peterrrrr
New Yorker
Utoo said:
Ever heard "A dying sailor to his shipmates"?
Peterrrrr said:
Absolutely. It's gorgeous. And it's a whisper, practically spoken. The most impressive parts are the humming, which are naturally low register (not so easy to hum high!), but far from actually singing low.
The low register parts are nice, too. But tell me that the quality of his voice on that song is equal to or better than the quality of his voice on the low parts of the album WOWY, and I'll call you a crackhead.
Utoo said:
I lied. He does get pretty high with the hums, and those and the higher vocals are the most impressive parts of the song. Again, the low register is not what shines here. The fact that he hits low notes and that it sounds cool with the scratchy voice doesn't mean that it holds a candle to the quality of the low notes of old.
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Peterrrrr
New Yorker
Utoo said:
The lowest he has sang I think is a line on New York.
Rob33
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Utoo, regarding your thoughts on lower register..listen to Desire from Union Chapel..he gives just a small taste of what's to come as far as that goes...
now, that sounds absolutely fabulous! I'm thinking we will all be pleasantly surprised on the next tour...
now, that sounds absolutely fabulous! I'm thinking we will all be pleasantly surprised on the next tour...
Saracene
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
LemonMelon said:
There are weak songs on JT?Blasphemy, says I!
I think that Exit is mediocre at most. And the album version of BTBS to me sounds pretty humdrum; sure the song kills live but I tend to judge an album by what's actually on the album.
Peterrrrr said:
No, I don't copy and paste my own posts. In any case, the context is usually different. On the rare occasions when I would be repeating myself word for word and don't feel like it, such as if someone asks what b-sides have been played live, I will simply post a link to where I have posted the information before. I feel that copy and pasting without actually stating it's a copy and paste job is poor Internet etiquette.
The problem isn't that. The problem is that you just keep repeating the same thing with little concern for context and think that your random factoids about Bono's technical achievements automatically win any debate about Bono's voice. To reiterate Utoo's point, there's a difference between the note hit and the quality of the sound produced. Bono may be hitting high notes he hasn't hit in a long time, but I still think his voice was more sonically, aesthetically pleasing in the 1980s. And that's a matter of taste and no matter how many times you copy and paste that old post, you aren't going to convince me that he sounds better today.
Utoo said:Folks, I love Bono's current voice. He's hitting notes that are insane, that he may not have hit even when he was younger, and he's holding them. I fully enjoy what he's doing right now.
Yes.
Good.
But to seriously say that it's the "strongest ever" or "like the 80s again" is, frankly, just stupid.
Sure, he's hitting ridiculously high notes and holding them. But he's lost the lower register. Listen to any Vertigo version of WOWY and you'll see that the low parts are now either spoken, sung high, or treated in some other manner to cover the fact that B's lower register has weakened. It's often the other way around as singers age--they lose the high stuff and do everything low--so yes, it's very impressive that Bono's reaching ever higher. And the "range" may be there---but the quality of the range isn't. If you seriously think Bono's sung lower register (not spoken) is the same quality it was in the 87-95 period, well, you deserve to have all of your posts blocked.
His voice sounds great now. But there was a richness to it in years passed that has since been tainted by smoking and age. In virtually everything from the album WOWY to the album Heartland through the late 80s and early 90s on to the One performance in Modena, his voice is freaking dark chocolate velvet, enough to give even Xavi an orgasm, even if he denies it. I can hit high notes; I can sing in falsetto; but it sounds like crap. Bono's voice is far from sounding like crap, but there was a period where it sounded like sex.
The opera high notes, the gorgeous AIWIY-->Streets chant are great; the weathered feel is cool. But to seriously say that these diamonds in the rough are equal to or better than the past?
Well said.
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
xaviMF22 said:I don't orgasm over Bono's voice
Well, I do. At least three times a day. Even my boyfriend is getting suspicious.
the tourist
Blue Crack Addict
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I just youtubed the Union Chapel performance. Bono's voice does sound really good.... But still, it's not as amazing sonically as it was from 1987-1993 (I'm talking about the official releases, not show A from ZooTV or show B from Lovetown).
Peterrrrr
New Yorker
Axver said:
I love Bono's voice from the 80's, specialy the sound he had on Uf tour, COH tour LT tour. He had a sound that he hsant now, BUT today he also has a realy great sound that he hadnt back then(and it hasnt a thing about high notes or how long he hold them). For some of examples:
- The "Wave" note in WOF(studio version) is amazing, it got a very powerful sound. I can't imaginie Bono in the 80's to get powerful sound.
- Bono's sound when he sing a word with an "e" in like in OOTS, "And you feeeeeeel" is very beuatiful. In the 80's and 90's he couldnt get this sound.
- Also the sound he get in "Feel" in Vertigo is also another good example on how he was able to sound in the 80's.
- Also he has devolope his operatic voice, he had it already in the 80's, most of us call it Kermit sound. But on Vertigo he devolope it more and made it sound more poiwerful, just listen to the Opera note in the end of 2006-12-04 - Tokyo - SYCMIOYO.
In some ways he got a better sound for some thing in the 80's and for some sounds now.
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Rob33
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Axver said:
Axver, that was harsh and unnecessary...who are you to say that he repeats that post thinking it will automatically win the arguement? A bit too presumptuous on your part...
that post isn't just random factoids, it is detailed and informative, showing concrete evidence as to the improvement of Bono's voice over the years, and is more than relevant information to practically any topic concerning Bono's voice...
look, the bottom line is this...some prefer his current voice and others prefer his 80's/90's voice, it is purely personal taste, why argue over that? Words read over the internet aren't going to change how Bono's voice affects oneself as it passes through one's ears...the fact that the "80's/90's voice vs. present voice" topic is debated so heavily on here and other places is an indication as to how much he has improved...now it is debatable! now, some consider his voice to be better, some don't, and others are indifferent to it all, get over it.
if someone mentions something on here about how amazing his voice sounds, comparisons to earlier days immediately arise...why? Is it that hard to accept the fact that Bono is singing this great, or better than earlier days? Just appreciate it now while he is still singing for us all...
one last thing I'd like to add: Near the bottom of Peterrr's post, the SYCMIOYO performance is mentioned from 12-4 Saitama, Japan...if you haven't heard this, you seriously need to (tourist, that means U 2!
)....if you really don't want to sit through it all, then please, just listen to the very end...bono sings a short opera line that sounds so beautiful, and is unbelievably smooth with incredible power!!! Many fans don't know about this and would really enjoy it I think.
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Peterrrrr said:
See, I would disagree. Part of the problem is simply that his voice lacks youthfulness, and there is nothing he can do to recapture that. I think a song like I Will Follow or Pride sounds inherently better with Bono's younger voice. Now, I think Bono's voice in the last couple of years has been a spectacular improvement on Elevation - in fact, vocally, most of the Vertigo Tour was the best since 1992, and Union Chapel is the best he's sounded since Lovetown. But for all of his increasing skills, I think the sound he has now pales in comparison to 1984-90. The strength and power gave a rich sound that I don't think he can equal any more. The scratchiness that shows up frequently nowadays doesn't help; In A Little While is my well-known favourite example of a shocking present day Bono performance.
- I'll agree on "wave"; the rest of the song, however, I think would have sounded much better with 1980s Bono, especially with the Wild Irish Rose voice.
- Actually, that "e" kind of grates with me. Gotta love individual taste, eh?
- While he does the "feel" part well, I think it simply lacks the power and dynamism of the late 1980s. For lack of a better word, it feels "thinner" now.
- The operatic vocal is probably the best aspect of the 2000s voice, and right up there with anything he did in the 1980s or early 1990s. But when it comes down to it, I'd gladly give up that operatic sound just to witness a performance of WOWY like 1989-12-30.
Edit: I feel like I should point out the vocal performance Bono puts in on Twilight from Red Rocks (on the Sweetest Thing single). I don't know nor care how he goes technically there. All I know is that Bono's vocals are electrifying and are what make the performance so great for me.
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Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
LemonMelon said:
You orgasm over Thom's voice.
And his resulting facial expressions.
xavi pwned!
shaun vox
New Yorker
the last great u2 album was achtung baby.
and thats a fact not an opinion.
cheers
and thats a fact not an opinion.
cheers
Peterrrrr
New Yorker
Axver said:
As Rob33 wrote, its the taste. I don't think WOS would have been better in the 80's, why? Becuase Bono recorded that sound when his voice was a little bit shaky. Nowdays if he is shaky in his voice It dosnt sound bad, it sound more emotional. But if Bono was shaky or if his voice was worned out it didnt sound good. Just take the original version of Sweetest Thing. The 98 voice fits much better for that song. Whats so impressive with WOS is that the shaky sound is still strong in one way and gives the song more emotion but still he pulls off a high note like "Wave".
About "Feel" in Vertigo, I realy love when he pulls of that note live, specially on the second chours on the Buenos Aires show in 2006.
That power, Bono couldnt have pull of that sound in the 80's. "Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-eeeeeeeeeee-eooooooooooooooool"
Rob33
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Axver said:
see, again, I disagree...
I've listened to Union Chapel probably close to 100 times by now....how on Earth can you call that thinner? I cannot possibly see how that is thinner..in my opinion, to be dead honest, it's on par with lovetown in MANY, MANY areas...listen to desire, and if you still aren't convinced, listen to stay, one of the more powerful performances of that song...
I can't give you a better example than New Year's day, listen to buenos aires, and tell me that isn't the fullest, smoothest, most powerful explosion after "newspapers say, it's true..." Now, given, that is just one small example...but i also think he sings certain songs differently nowadays just to change things up a bit....nothing wrong with that....
see, that is my favorite performance of that song ever....and the interesting thing will be on the upcoming tour...how he sings some of those songs, cause his voice on Union Chapel is an improvement even to the vertigo voice...he seems to have no top to his voice there, and so much power behind it, and I think that will do wonders to the older songs, making them even more enjoyable than they were on vertigo tour (think full band In God's Country!!!)
jonnytakeawalk
Refugee
shaun vox said:
no zooropa was
i am expecting a truly great u2 album, so should every fan
shaun vox
New Yorker
half of zooropa is great.(ps i love that album)
but every song on achtung baby is a masterpiece.
the only u2 album you can listen to start to end.
but every song on achtung baby is a masterpiece.
the only u2 album you can listen to start to end.
jonnytakeawalk
Refugee
shaun vox said:
every song except babyface on zooropa is brilliant and lemon, zooropa, stay and numb are classics
the tourist
Blue Crack Addict
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Rob33 said:
I agree on Stay, after watching it. But I disagree on Desire.
shaun vox
New Yorker
jonnytakeawalk said:
i like babyface. zooropa did have u2's best music videos ever.
"lemon and stay".
achtung baby, zooropa, Jt and some of pop are the only u2 albums i listen to.
rihannsu
Refugee
Well, you know part of the problem with comparing Bono's voice across era's is that you have to factor in who he was imitating. The last two tours are, to me, the first time that Bono sang with his own voice. For Boy and October he was singing with an English accent. He often comments that he was singing like Souixee Souix (sp). War simply added a little agressiveness and power to that accent. UF started leaning a little toward Elvis. JT and Lovetown were the John Wayne/Elvis years. Zoo mixed Elvis, Scott Walker and a little Sinatra. Pop was gangsta style. But for Elevation it seemed like he finally liked his own voice. Bono is an incredible mimic but the problem with that is that you tend to loose track of your own voice because you are always picking up on everyone else's. I think the last two albums show Bono finally finding his own voice and not trying to be someone else anymore. He has confidence in his voice that he didn't have before. It's as if he finally does believe he can sing whereas before he just felt like he was faking it. Maybe going through the scare of thinking he might loose it completely made him appreciate his own voice more but since ATYCLB he has been consistantly improving.
As for the age thing, I personally like what maturity brings to a voice. I like that you hear the experience of life lived in a mature voice. Sure I love 80s Bono voice but I don't want it to stay or return to that. I want to hear the evidence of years in the voice. There is a power to a mature voice that is altogether different from the power of youth. Listen to the years rolling by in Johnny Cash's voice over the years. Sure Bono's voice isn't the same and it will never be like it was in the 80's but that doesn't mean it's not as good or even better, just different.
Dana
As for the age thing, I personally like what maturity brings to a voice. I like that you hear the experience of life lived in a mature voice. Sure I love 80s Bono voice but I don't want it to stay or return to that. I want to hear the evidence of years in the voice. There is a power to a mature voice that is altogether different from the power of youth. Listen to the years rolling by in Johnny Cash's voice over the years. Sure Bono's voice isn't the same and it will never be like it was in the 80's but that doesn't mean it's not as good or even better, just different.
Dana
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