Your top 10 Bono vocals

[U2girl]

Chronologically, mine would be:

1. Pride - his most passionate voice ever.

2. With or without you - perfecting the skill, total authority, whether singing loud or quiet or slipping into falsetto.

3. Angel of Harlem - I remember Bono saying in an interview that he lost the ability to fly as a singer, because of smoking. This may be the best example of that, as he races along the melody.

4. One - perfectly conveys several emotions; from sadness to anger to hope.

5. Stay - as ethereal as the lyrics of the song.

6. Kite - hints at the return of Bono's voice; clearer and stronger than anything else on ATYCLB.

7. In a little while - Bono goes soul and does a great job at it.

8. Stuck - you can hear the topic of the song was dear to him, he almost fights through the words.

9. Original of the species - great delivery, superb chorus. Bono's back!

10. Sometimes you can't make it on your own - possibly my fave Bono vocal ever. It grabs you right at the start and doesn't let go till the end. Softly in the verses, passionately in the "listen to me now..." bits, lovely falsetto in the chorus, and then the atomic peak in "can you hear me when I sing, you're the reason I sing, you're the reason why the opera is in me" before finishing the listener off with the "best you can do is to fake it" line.

 

[ImOuttaControl]

Chronologically also:

1. New Year's Day.

2. Bad- absolutely perfect, especially live.

3. WOWY- I agree with your analysis, this song is pretty much perfect from beginning to end.

4. All I Want Is You- Beautiful song, beautiful vocals up to the climax at the end where Bono screams at the top of his lungs.

5. The Fly- Into my favorite era. Bono pulls of being sinister and kicks some ass, then moves to the falsetto and back again.

6. UTEOTW- I've heard U2 say that this is one song that they got exactly how they wanted it; perfect vocal, perfect bass, perfect guitar and perfect drums. I agree.

7. Lemon- Bono imitates Prince!

8. Mofo- really shows how dynamic bono can be, from his gritty "lookin for to save my save my soul" to the beautiful bridge asking his mother if he's still her son.

9. Kite- Bono is soaring once again

10. In a Little While- I agree- this song is pure soul.



Some thoughts about your favorites:

I never have been too fond of Bono's vocals in the studio version of "One"...I've always thought he was a bit nasely. Give me the Slane version any day though.

I tried as hard as I could but I honestly don't think any of the vocals in HTDAAB can compare to previous albums. Most of the credit he gets is because he's old and can still sing pretty damn good; and because he is returning to sing a bit like he used to. He's close, but he'll never be able to "soar" quite like he could from '87 to '93. He still can, but doesn't quite have the punch or the consistency anymore. That being said, I also am a little disappointed in the fact that all the vocals in HTDAAB are all so strait forward. I guess all that ATYCLB had was "New York," but I just don't see him trying anything different like he did in the past. like singing low in UTEOTW, putting a little distortion in the voice(which would have worked awesome in LAPOE). Basically I think he needs to start doing some different approaches.

 

[U2girl]

I don't know...I always thought that One was one of those perfect studio moments they never improved live.

Well, he is not 15 or 20 years younger so no, he can not match his voice from the 80's. IMO he screamed too much rather than properly sing back then, which hurt his voice.
That said, I was really surprised - ATYCLB had me worried at times - how much better than the previous two albums he sounds on HTDAAB. Clean, and even reaching for the high ends he hasn't in a decade.

I do think he has a bit of distortion in LAPOE (in the right speaker, in the first verse) I also think Vertigo is a new way of singing for him, I've never heard anything like it from him.

 

[Lancemc]

Here are mine (trying my best to put them in favorite order and not so much chronologically)

1. I Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For - Simply his most amazing vocal performance ever. Even Daniel Lanois was blown away by this one (check out the classic albums: Joshua Tree DVD)

2. Sometimes you Can't Make it On Your Own - Agree with U2girl on this one 100%

3. Stay - STAAAAAAAAAAAY AND THE NIGHT WOULD BE ENOU-UH-OH-OUGH! One of the my favorite songs all together.

4. New Years Day

5. Bad - I love the first few verses of the studio version, especially the "into the night.." part.

6. Mercy - yeah yeah, I know...this song's way overrated, blah blah blah, but I still love it, and bono's vocals here are wonderful. "If You're hunger...baby let me feed it. If your heart is full...baby let me bleed it."

7. Angel of Harlem - especially live acoustic

8. Where the Streets Have No Name - live preferably

9. Ultra Violet - Okay, I don't even know where this came from, but the final verse is just awe-inspiring

10. Wake Up Dead Man - easily my favorite song from POP, and I love the acoustic version from the Elevation tour.

 

[bsp77]

Chronologically:

While I like the first three albums (especially War), I don't think his voice was really great until UF.

1. Bad
2. Where the Streets Have No Name
3. With or Without You
4. Heartland
5. One
6. Until the End of the World (not really that impressive, but distinctive)
7. The Fly
8. Lemon
9. In a Little While (baffles my mind that some do NOT like his voice here)
10. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

 

[the rockin edge]

1. Bad
2. Sunday Bloody Sunday
3. Pride
4. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
5. Kite
6. One
7. Stay
8. New Years Day
9. Walk On
10. Yahweh

 

[Shade]

1. Clannad's 'In A Lifetime' (can't believe nobody else has said that...)

2. The Unforgettable Fire (high or low, every note is the perfect note - gives me chills)

3. Night and Day (sexy and haunting)

4. Heartland (especially that last falsetto 'haaaaaaaaa-aah-aah-haaa-haaaaaaa...')

5. A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel (I need say nothing more than 'a primitive looooooooooooooooove and a ride on the Mystery Train....')

6. The Fly (so damn cool)

7. Drowning Man (there's something really creepy about this vocal, but it's right)

8. Wire (very sinister turn for Bono; I like it)

9. I Fall Down (he really managed to capture the anguish in the 'character' he was singing in; very pretty)

10. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (classic Bono)

 

[Lancemc]

Ah Shade, how could I have forgotten about "Room at the Heartbreak"? That's probably his best b-side vocal without contest! Good call!

 

[Windmilllane]

1. All I Want is You

2. Sunday Bloody Sunday

3. Drowning Man

4. Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)

5. With or Without You

6. Running to Stand Still

7. Hawkmoon 269

8. The Refugee

9. One Step Closer

10. First Time

 

[Cutters10C]

With or Without You
I Still Haven't Found...
Pride
Bad
Night and Day
Luminous Times
Running to Stand Still
One
Red Hill Mining Town
Stay

 

[ponkine]

well, considering just studio versions ( Live versions from some songs were usually better than studio one, like Sunday Bloody Sunday in the early 80´s )

1- Bad
2- Pride ( in the name of love )
3- Promenade
4- I Still Haven´t Found What I´m Looking For
5- Drowning Man
6- Rejoice
7- Gloria
8- With Or Without You
9- Elvis Presley And America
10- Red Hill Mining Town

bonus track...

The Wanderer

 

[miss becky]

1. Original of the Species. Incredible how young he sounds.
2. If You Wear That Velvet Dress
3. Mercy. Unbelievable that this was not recorded in 1991.
4. All I Want Is You. The ending just gives me shivers
5. Until the End of the World. I love the live versions too, but the studio version sounds so intimate and dark. Like there is just the two of us in a room and he is singing directly to me. This also applies to Velvet Dress.
6. City of Blinding Lights. The way he cries "Oh!" at the start of each chorus makes me smile.
7. So Cruel
8. In A Little While. For the same reason as So Cruel. I LOVE when he starts out on a low note and then suddenly jumps an octave.
9. Drowning Man. Beautiful song, and a beautiful vocal.
10. Can't Help Falling in Love/Satellite of Love/Lemon. Love the falsetto. I mourn its loss.

 

[Bono's shades]

1. In a Lifetime
2. With or Without You
3. Pride
4. Bad
5. Night and Day
6. Spanish Eyes
7. All I Want Is You
8. Angel of Harlem
9. Heartland
10. Running to Stand Still

Honorable mention: The Fly, In a Little While, SYCMIOYO, Red Hill Mining Town

 

[2861U2]

1) Miracle Drug
2) In A Little While
3) Elvis Presley And America
4) Last Night On Earth
5) Electrical Storm
6) Yahweh
7) Always
8) If God Will Send His Angels
9) Drowning Man
10) Zooropa

 

[redhill]

In no particular order:

Love Comes Tumbling
Red Hill Mining Town
Kite
Gone
Mercy
The Fly (live)
Lemon
Stay - specifically 8/28/93 Dublin
Bad
Wire (stamina!)
NYD
Drowning Man
Rejoice (live)
11 oclock (Irving Plaza)
Please (MTV Awards)
Heartland
Angel of Harlem (studio)
In a Lifetime
WGRYWHorses (come on now, love!)

Could not stop at 10! Sorry! The man is just too damn good!

 

[yimou]

With or without you
Angel of Harlem
One
Whos gonna ride your wild horses
Ultraviolet
Zooropa
Lemon
Stay
Gone - But has to be live, from the PopMart tour -
Yahweh

 

[Yahweh]

1. One Tree Hill
2. Unchained Melody
3. One
4. Stay
5. Sometimes You Cant Make It On Your Own
6. Bad
7. With Or Without You
8. I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For
9. Lemon
10. In A Little While

 

[D'oh!]

Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Beautiful Day
In a little while
The playboy mansion
So Cruel
Until the end of the world
One
I still haven't found what im lookin for
Bad
Wire

 

[Aardvark747]

Heartland
Acrobat
Lemon
In A Lifetime (w/Clannad)
Like A Song...
Wild Honey
Can't Help Falling In Love (Live Performences)
Kite
With Or Without You (R+H Live)
One/Unchained Melody (ZooTV Performences)

 

[djerdap]

Lemon
One Tree Hill(Live - December 26th 1989)
Where the Streets Have No Name(Live - December 26th 1989)
The Fly
One
Pride
Bad
Original of the Species
City of Blinding Lights
Can't Help Falling in Love(ZooTV)
Kite

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

In a lifetime.... (best voice ever made by a human-being )
SYCMIOYO
Bad (R&H video)
Promenade
Yahweh
Walk to the water
Luminous times
WOWY
Everlasting love (soooo nice)
One

 

[LuvandPeace1980]

Here are mine (trying my best to put them in favorite order and not so much chronologically)

1. I Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For - Simply his most amazing vocal performance ever. Even Daniel Lanois was blown away by this one (check out the classic albums: Joshua Tree DVD)

2. Sometimes you Can't Make it On Your Own - Agree with U2girl on this one 100%

3. Stay - STAAAAAAAAAAAY AND THE NIGHT WOULD BE ENOU-UH-OH-OUGH! One of the my favorite songs all together.

4. New Years Day

5. Bad - I love the first few verses of the studio version, especially the "into the night.." part.

6. Mercy - yeah yeah, I know...this song's way overrated, blah blah blah, but I still love it, and bono's vocals here are wonderful. "If You're hunger...baby let me feed it. If your heart is full...baby let me bleed it."

7. Angel of Harlem - especially live acoustic

8. Where the Streets Have No Name - live preferably

9. Ultra Violet - Okay, I don't even know where this came from, but the final verse is just awe-inspiring

10. Wake Up Dead Man - easily my favorite song from POP, and I love the acoustic version from the Elevation tour.

I always agree with this dude, my taste is almost streamlined, except i would replace One with Angel of Harlem and add Gloria

 

[Aygo]

1. Stay
2. Mercy
3. One
4. Yahweh (alternate)
5. With or without you
6. Helter Skelter
7. Do you feel loved
8. The Fly
9. Promenade
10. Electrical storm

 

[Mr Gloria]

1. I Still Havnt Found
2. Stay
3. Miss Sarejevo
4. Desire
5. Your Blue Room
6. Hawkmoon
7. Love is Blindess
8. The Ground Beneath Her Feet
9. Pride
10. Elvis Presley and America

 

[Mr Gloria]

what is the Yahweh alternate version?

 

[The_Edge89]

Things change from time to time but right now :
1.One
2.Lemon
3.Please (Live)
4.Sometimes... (Live)
5.With or without you
6.Who's gonna ride your wild horses
7.If You Wear That Velvet Dress
8.Original of species
9.Pride
10.Mercy

Honorable mention:
Fast Cars/Xanax and wine
Native son
Wild Honey
City of Blinding Lights
Kite
Stay (Faraway, So close!)
I Still Haven't found What I'm Looking For
The Hands That Built America
Yahweh (Alternate Version)
Bad
Are You Gonna Wait Forever

 

[The_Edge89]

what is the Yahweh alternate version?

An alternate version of the track Yahweh.
(Yahweh is track 11 on U2's latest studio album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb)
This is slightly different and is included in the digital boxset "The Complete U2" which is obtained by buying the Special Edition U2 Ipod by Apple.

 

[Mr Gloria]

Thnaks The Edge 89......what is that version like?

 

[The_Edge89]

Just stunning..but the final song is better except for Bono's vocals.
Just can't figure out why they left out the "Take these blue eyes" part...

Here are the lyrics for it:
http://www.u2achtung.com/02/lyrics/paroles.php?id=250

 

[Shawn Bonneau]

HEARTLAND

is number one.

SMB