Bono in his prime: rank him amongst rock singers

[LJT]

I have a female friend who really has an amazing voice...i would say is the equivalent of a female Jeff Buckley...she was opera trained, but has the same tone to her voice as he did.

But female wise of who is out there? Generally i am not much of a fan of female singers but Kate Bush has an amazing voice...

I think people are underestimating Bowie's vocal ability..he has good range and his voice is very unique...plus his technique is great too...its just he has a weird voice but its distinct and wonderful

 

[Max_theHitman]

U2phan

... I don't think Bob Dylan is a great singer, I'd always thought he was one of the worser singers in rock, but his lyrics redeem him. But you gotta put Springsteen higher than Bob on any list when comparing voices.

Perhaps you might be right on that. Dylan has this weird-whinny voice, but no songs of his would sound better if it wasn´t him singing them, right?
Springsteen is... well...Springsteen. His voice is also unique to his songs. It´s like those guys that ride on Harleys throughout the great wide open spaces and have eaten alot of bugs. It´s a manly-man´s voice. Tough hombre speaking. desperado blues man-voice.

 

[Sherry Darling]

Janis
Stevie Nicks
Joni Mitchell
*A*R*E*T*H*A
Chrissy H.
Pat Benatar if yer thinking only the voice and not the cheestastic videos

Tina Turner

there are many others but that's off teh top of my head

 

[JOFO]

where are the female singers? There's got to be at least 1, come on guys!! Janis Joplin?

I would count that as a different category; I just wanted people's opinions on Bono vs. other male singers.

but since you asked, my highest respect for female vocalists goes to:

aretha franklin
joni mitchell
tori amos
ann wilson

 

[JOFO]

Jofo, I love your story about the opera people praising Bono's voice. What a wonderful tribute.

yeah, that was a great moment to experience. and it was nice that they actually admitted what a great performance that is.

on a side note, I've also asked other singers (rock) about WOWY. I've actually heard some say "jesus, how did he do that?" referring to the vocal range Bono uses in that song.

to me, technically, the studio version of WOWY is his best performance.

 

[JOFO]

If you are going to rate the singer by what he has sang and by the way he expresses it with his voice, you better have at least one "Greatest Hits" record from all these singers to understand why I have made the following list.

1. Frank Sinatra
2. Elvis Presley
3. Bono (Paul Hewson)
3. Mick Jagger
4. Van Morrison
5. Otis Redding
6. Bob Dylan
7. Marvin Gaye
8. Prince
9. John Lennon / Paul McCartney (tie)
10. Ray Charles
11. Roy Orbison
12. Curtis Mayfield
11. Johnny Cash /Willie Nelson (tie)
12. James Brown
14. Michael Jackson
15. Stevie Wonder
16. Sam Cooke
17. Robert Plant
18. Nat "King" Cole
19. Tom Jones / Barry White (tie)
20. David Bowie
21. Smokey Robinson
22. Bob Marley
23. Hank Williams
24. Mick Hucknall
25. Bob Seger
26. Leonard Cohen
27. Elton John
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. Jim Morrison
30. Peter Gabriel
31. Freddie Mercury
32. Steve Perry
32. Elvis Costello
34. Liam Gallagher
35. Gordon Lightfoot
35. Sting
36. Roger Daltrey
37. Billy Joel
38. Neil Young
39. Iggy Pop
40. Charles Azvanour
41. Morrissey
42. Neil Diamond
42. Lou Reed
43. Tom Waits
44. Joe Cocker
45. Wilson Pickett
46. Paul Simon
47. Julio Iglesias
48. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
49. Mel Torme
50. Serge Gainsbourg
51. Rod Stewart
52. Robert Palmer
53. Kenny Rogers
54. Al Green

yeah, but why is no one else mentioning Seal besides me? The man is a modern day........hmmm........actually, I find no one to compare him to. some of you may not like his music and think his songs are too pop, but the man has a set of pipes made of gold.

 

[AtomicBono]

I forgot:

During tour: Pearl Jam is the best band ever, U2 should be more like them.

Between tours: Pearl Jam is overrated, their last good album was Vitalogy.

Though Bono is for sure my FAVOURITE singer ever, I can't honestly say he's the best. However I would agree with others that he is in the top 10 of all time. It's not just his note range, but the passion he brings into every song. Also he has a very distinct voice but he can sing different many ways and his voice has evolved over the years (for the better, imo).

Basically I believe I'm just regurgitating what others said, but that's okay!

 

[Lila64]

yes, I couldn't think of female vocalists off the top of my head (even though this wasn't requested in the thread). Just thought women needed to be represented.

ARETHA - The queen of soul!

 

[Yahweh]

Shania Twain hahaha jk

 

[david]

Joan Jett is a great vocalist, as is Nancy Wilson from Heart, Nina Nastasia, Chan Marshall of Catpower, Pat Benatar could wail in her day.. Oh and Cyndi Lauper.