The harmony vocals of Edge/Bono/Eno/Lanois appreciation thread

[U2girl]

Bono and Edge do it well on their own, but the 4 of them really sound great together.

UC, MOS, WAS, FEZ, COL.

 

[DevilsShoes]

Still haven't heard the new album (only 24 hours to go ) but I am a massive fan of Bono and Edge's harmony vocals. On recent albums it seems to have happened more and more often, (to try and thicken up Bono's thinner voice in some cases I think) but favourites include:

Staring At The Sun (Live acoustic)
Stay (Live acoustic)
ISHFWILF

Strangely enough I've also always really enjoyed the way they sing the choruses together on Last Night On Earth. Ah, I'm weird.

Check back when I've heard the new stuff.

 

[LyricalDrug]

The Moment of Surrender harmonies are as incredible as Bono's solo singing! I think it's U2's best vocal performance ever.

 

[Morgoth321]

How will MOS shape up on tour though? I doubt if Lanois and Eno will be joining the band on stage, so could it be Bono and Edge's live vocals, along with a harmony backing track. Or could Larry and even Adam give the old vocal chords a bit of a workout?!

 

[Aardvark747]

Good thread

 

[Salome]

best backing vocals on any U2 album
White as Snow their best ever

 

[U2girl]

How will MOS shape up on tour though? I doubt if Lanois and Eno will be joining the band on stage, so could it be Bono and Edge's live vocals, along with a harmony backing track. Or could Larry and even Adam give the old vocal chords a bit of a workout?!

They'll probably just have Bono and Edge doing the harmonies live.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Amazing backing vocals on this record. MOS' was the most impactating at first for me. I could hear Eno there really well and it felt so much like a David Bowie song. Unknown Caller too. It also reminded me of Passengers instantly. Eno's voice can be a bit robot like, I don't know if he adds something to it or if that's just natural. Really great stuff.

 

[Jive Turkey]

I love the imperfections of the harmonizing during MOS's chorus. They're hitting the harmonies just fine, but the way they're all singing just slightly in different times (is that even the right term) really gives it a rawness. I would assume that was because they had never actually sung it together before. Very nice though. Thats how real men harmonize *grunt*

 

[Utoo]

Yeah, great harmonies on this album.

The only place where the harmonies bomb is on Boots. I like that the "you don't know..." portion is almost Alice In Chains-y, but I think that they're actually off-key on one part even on the album, let alone live where that part is what kills the live performance of the song.

but the rest of the album? Awesome.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Not just the harmonies, but the vocals in general are absolutely the star on this album. Too many highlights to mention on their own.

Bono has remembered that there’s more to him than just screaming, and remembered in spectacular fashion. His vocals on Bomb were a massive let down, definitely one of the reasons why the album was so poor to me. But from NLOTH, to MoS to Breathe to Cedars, it’s a full display. Small things too. There are loads of great moments where there’s just a little double track in just the right spot, or a Bono or Edge falsetto quietly off somewhere in the headphones-only background. Then of course there are the up front, all in harmonies. I agree that the MoS chorus on its own would be a let down, but with that harmony it’s pure heaven. NLOTH and of course Unknown Caller as well.

There’s something really great vocally on almost every track.

 

[IndyShade]

Small things too. There are loads of great moments where there’s just a little double track in just the right spot, or a Bono or Edge falsetto quietly off somewhere in the headphones-only background.

There is a moment in particular that stands out for me during 'No Line on the Horizon' at the 2:27 mark, where Edge breaks away from Bono's vocal melody and sings in a lower register. I'm not thrilled with most of the rest of the song (or album), but little moments like that are pure U2 gold.

There has always been a certain chaos to U2's backing vocals that I have found compelling, in songs like 'Heartland' and 'Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World'. I love big vocal harmony choruses - it's one of the reasons why I'm a huge Midnight Oil fan - but the most interesting thing in a pretty, harmonized chorus is usually the moment where it breaks down, and U2 are great at letting those moments be.