Great artists, but really not great singers
PSOVLSK
Posts: 5,208
I’ve had this thought before, but listening to The Stones yesterday made think of it again. A lot of singing greats are really not great singers in the sense of what I’d call having a great voice. They just have a uniqueness that sets them apart. Many of my favorites make the list.
Mick Jagger
Steven Tyler
Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Bono
Michael Stipe
Axl Rose
Geddy Lee
David Lee Roth
Any others you’d add...or take off my list?
Mick Jagger
Steven Tyler
Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Bono
Michael Stipe
Axl Rose
Geddy Lee
David Lee Roth
Any others you’d add...or take off my list?
Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
Comments
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Two words...
Bob
Dylan"Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
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I don't think of them as singers but rather as vocalists. We have always liked Van Morrison but would not regard him as a singer like we would Joni Mitchell which is another of our favorites.Yep, my name really is Bob.
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Rod Stewart.
Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
Two great vocalists but not necessarily singers: Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) and Udo Dirkschneider (Accept).
Rob Halford (Judas Priest) was both, in my humble opinion. -
Bon Scott
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Neil
Yes! That’s one I couldn’t think of when making my list, though he would be high on the list.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
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All mentioned are amazing vocalists.! Nuff said"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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tophatjohnny wrote: »All mentioned are amazing vocalists.! Nuff said
Very true. I don't think any of them would make it if they were starting out today on the trash that is "The Voice" or "American Idol." I could imagine the retort Mick would have if someone told him his performance was a little pitchy.
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tophatjohnny wrote: »All mentioned are amazing vocalists.! Nuff said
They may we’ll have unique voices and the ability to emotionally communicate with their singing. But I am sorry sir, great SINGERS they are not. Good intonation? Pitch? Range? The ability to even hit the notes correctly?? Haha bob dylan and Johnny cash would know a D if it smacked them in the face...
Now, amazing songwriters? Communicators? Folks that aroused many emotions through their songs? Absolutely. Two very different points being argued i suspect here...Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
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That would be "Kneel". HAHAHAHA -
Perhaps you are all too young to remember Tiny Tim.
He was in his own category of singer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMbQsKJ64S0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzoH88GFqK0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrRkL8ZRKRA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Ep7k4OlWM -
I remember seeing him on "The Carol Burnett Show" when it was still on during weeknights. I was 4 or 5.Perhaps you are all too young to remember Tiny Tim.
He was in his own category of singer.
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Any one say Leonard Cohen yet?
So Long Marianne just came on the radio moments ago -- and it made me think, Yeah. Leonard Cohen. He's in the club.
https://youtu.be/cZI6EdnvH-8
https://youtu.be/v0nmHymgM7Y
https://youtu.be/ttEMYvpoR-k -
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mhardy6647 wrote: »Any one say Leonard Cohen yet?
So Long Marianne just came on the radio moments ago -- and it made me think, Yeah. Leonard Cohen. He's in the club.
He's Canadian so one would expect him to sing differently, no?
Speaking of bad voices from Canada, are there any worse?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0DU4DoPP4
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You may be on to something there, eh?mhardy6647 wrote: »Any one say Leonard Cohen yet?
So Long Marianne just came on the radio moments ago -- and it made me think, Yeah. Leonard Cohen. He's in the club.
He's Canadian so one would expect him to sing differently, no?
Canadian.... well... yeah, there's Bruce, too.
Great guitarist, great songwriter, idiosyncratic singer.
Loves me some Bruce!
Brooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooce.
https://youtu.be/L6Lpx6JIMmk
https://youtu.be/TjXttZzZP8I
https://youtu.be/vPqPOkK_gzU -
That Neil guy they're goin' on about earlier.
Canadian.
Coincidence?
I think not.
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I’m going to go there and toss John Lennon out there as well. An incredibly talented artist, but as a singer alone, not so much. Another incredible performer that is not a strong singer is Neil Diamond, though if he were to every perform again, I would be the first to go see him.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
So many great artists who are not very good singers -- but who get the job done.
some more:
John Fogerty
https://youtu.be/VwcJ5WQSamQ
Kinda got that Bon Scott, generative organs caught in a pair of Vice-Grips thing goin' on, you know?
... and then there was The Band.
OK, part Canadian... but all not great singers.
A fabulous song -- featuring at least two great, not great singers: Levon Helm and Rick Danko
https://youtu.be/FFqb1I-hiHE
two ugly agglomerations of fellows, those two bands, as well -- but that's a different thread, I suppose. -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I’m going to go there and toss John Lennon out there as well. An incredibly talented artist, but as a singer alone, not so much. Another incredible performer that is not a strong singer is Neil Diamond, though if he were to every perform again, I would be the first to go see him.
Are you serious? Lennon's singing was iconic!
Rolling Stone had him at #5.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/john-lennon-16-227134/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_V6y1ZCg_8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usNsCeOV4GM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InrSun7Zcx4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3QZVdqUidw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChDpuHRB5iA Post edited by Deltadon on -
No, I am not kidding. I am a huge fan actually. He is an amazing story teller with his voice and his presence, but he was not the kind of voice that would have filled The Albert Hall without having been a Beatle first.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Yeah, Neil Young sure wrote a lot of American protest music for a Canadian.mhardy6647 wrote: »That Neil guy they're goin' on about earlier.
Canadian.
Coincidence?
I think not.
I'll add Tom Petty (RIP) to the list. Great songwriter and performer, though.
Jakob Dylan didn't fall too far from the apple tree with his voice.
How about country? I've always thought Tim McGraw is a terrible singer only fixed by ProTools processing."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
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As much as I love Fleetwood Mac, I never cared for Stevie Nicks voice - I find Christine McVie much more pleasing to listen to."Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
Former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth. Brilliant guitarist. Abysmal vocalist. (I dare not call him a "singer".)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Yt9c8QXcs -
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Yeah, Neil Young sure wrote a lot of American protest music for a Canadian.
I'll add Tom Petty (RIP) to the list. Great songwriter and performer, though.
Jakob Dylan didn't fall too far from the apple tree with his voice.
How about country? I've always thought Tim McGraw is a terrible singer only fixed by ProTools processing.
Oh my gosh!!! How did I leave off Tom Petty? He’s my all-time favorite artist, but not a great singing voice.
I considered Jakob Dylan, but decided he wasn’t a big enough star to make the list...though I have pretty much his entire catalog.
I also considered Leonard Cohen and he probably belongs, but he’s almost more storyteller than singer.
John Fogerty: He’d be high on the list.
Country music: Willie Nelson has to be high on the list. And Hank Jr. probably isn’t too far behind.
I’m not talking bad singers who’ve made it big, I’m talking about legends, icons, yet not great singers.
The thing about everyone mentioned is that they have a uniqueness to their voice.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
nooshinjohn wrote: »No, I am not kidding. I am a huge fan actually. He is an amazing story teller with his voice and his presence, but he was not the kind of voice that would have filled The Albert Hall without having been a Beatle first.
Your comments remind me of what his aunt Mimi had said to him. lol
At least you will have to admit that John and Paul's voices blended very well together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_uPx5uQ-tw
So perhaps our sense of nostalgia changes our perception.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4vbJQ-MrKo
This was Lennon and Harrison together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq0aeEYLkIE
And now for something completely different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNbHn3i9S4 Post edited by Deltadon on -
John Prine.
https://youtu.be/VKsWDyvWaL4
https://youtu.be/RMotfSyRcwU
https://youtu.be/LCEbUz3CjTM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uG2gYE5KOs