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U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
 Album:
The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
  1. I could not for the life of me find a thread dedicated to this song just as a discussion topic, but if there is one, feel free to point me in that direction!

    I've seen the odd comment here and there regarding the album version of Pride and how it's actually a sped up version of the original recording, hence Bono's clean vocal on the chorus, etc. etc.

    Now, I consider myself a pretty hardcore U2 fan and I haven't seen or heard anything to reinforce this theory other than some around here pointing it out. Just listening to it I could imagine it being the case, I mean it's probably Bono's best vocal performance...ever..but obviously studio magic and this and that. Still, the suggestion that he never actually hit those notes and performed that recording bothers me in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable. I've always looked to that album version to say "damn, Bono was (and is, obviously) a fantastic vocalist".

    So, without further ado, evidence that Bono was in fact able to sing that clean and in that key and at that pitch in 1984. We've all seen this video before, but my favourite part of it has always been when they show the band working on Pride in (what I've always thought to be) Windmill Lane.

    Start this video at about 14:15:


    And compare with the album version (if you wanna just get to it, skip to 1:00:


    Now, there may be evidence to point to the fact that Pride was recorded at a slower speed and was sped up (hence the pitch being higher), but you can clearly see there that Bono was able to hit that note in a clean way. The single version of the song might point to something else (there's the final chorus when the performance suddenly sounds more "live" and Bono's voice sounds a lot raspier), but to me the proof is in the pudding.

    Finally, where's the evidence that it was sped up? Haven't been able to find it anywhere.

    Thanks for reading. folks

    Alex
  2. I just love the sound of Larry's drum on that part of the documentary you told us to see, so raw, so beautiful
  3. It's not sped up. The studio version was just recorded in a different key. You can tell just by comparing it to the Self Aid 1986 version. It gets slower with each tour. Soon it will be like playing a record backwards trying to see if John Lennon and Paul McCartney were dead.....
  4. Originally posted by INCA:It's not sped up. The studio version was just recorded in a different key. You can tell just by comparing it to the Self Aid 1986 version. It gets slower with each tour. Soon it will be like playing a record backwards trying to see if John Lennon and Paul McCartney were dead.....
    No I realize that. The album version was recorded in E whilst the live versions have typically been performed in Eflat, Self Aid and I think the Old Grey Whistle Test in 87 are some of the only live performances in the same key as the album version.

    That's not what I'm referring to. I've seen people comment to the likes of the band recorded the song in Eflat (making it easier to sing for Bono) and then changing the speed (back in those days you couldn't change speed without changing the pitch) of the tape to make the pitch higher.
  5. In order for Bono to sing the studio version in a lower key to be sped up to what is on the album; he'd have to sing low like Barry White. If they sped it up from normal then Bono would sound like a chipmunk.

    "Aaaaalvin!!!!"
  6. It's amazing how a 1/2 note change of key affects a song..you could spend an entire thread talking about that, and I'm sure it's been done lol
  7. Originally posted by INCA:In order for Bono to sing the studio version in a lower key to be sped up to what is on the album; he'd have to sing low like Barry White. If they sped it up from normal then Bono would sound like a chipmunk.

    "Aaaaalvin!!!!"
    No..in fact if you watch that documentary there's a part where they try changing the speed of the track to address an issue Bono can't put his finger on. You can see there that it wouldn't have been beyond the realm of possibility that the band performed the song in Eflat at a bit of a slower pace and then they sped it up and found it sounded better.

    Not saying this happened, I'm saying I've seen people make claims that this did happen, and I realize it's possible, but I wanted to know where the evidence was.
  8. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
    No..in fact if you watch that documentary there's a part where they try changing the speed of the track to address an issue Bono can't put his finger on. You can see there that it wouldn't have been beyond the realm of possibility that the band performed the song in Eflat at a bit of a slower pace and then they sped it up and found it sounded better.

    Not saying this happened, I'm saying I've seen people make claims that this did happen, and I realize it's possible, but I wanted to know where the evidence was.
    I'm pretty sure the "evidence" is that part of the documentary.
  9. But the thing is, they try slowing it down to see it that will work, and the pitch goes lower from the part of the video where Bono is improvising lyrics and vocal lines (in E).

    I find it hard to believe from that they would re-record an entirely new mix just to speed it up. If Bono was singing in Eflat there it would be case closed, but he's not!
  10. Case closed? That's right, doubters.
  11. I guess this is the right thread for this. The notes this man hit when recording Pride are out of this fucking world.

  12. Fuck yeah.

    Man, this thread was a little pretentious, eh? Lmao. But I stand by it, damn it!

    This vocal is so damn unreal, probably one of the most fun to just fucking scream out loud in your car when no one else is around