Great artists, but really not great singers

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  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    Not sure "great" is fitting, but, I thought Ric Ocasik had a bad voice though he had a presence that captivated many. Ben Orr had the voice.

    Thought Christine McVie had a great voice and couldn't stand Stevie Nicks voice.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,894
    edited October 2019
    kharp1 wrote: »
    Not sure "great" is fitting, but, I thought Ric O[casek] had a bad voice though he had a presence that captivated many. Ben Orr had the voice.

    Thought Christine McVie had a great voice and couldn't stand Stevie Nicks voice.

    I concur vis-a-vis Ric Ocasek but I always thought it was funny/interesting that he and Ben Orr had (to me!) a sort of interchangeable vocal sound -- even though Orr's vocals were smoother & Ocasek's were more... umm... angular? Maybe it's just me -- I couldn't always, reliably tell which was which on, at least, the first couple of Cars albums.

    In terms of Christine Perfect McVie vs. Stephanie Nicks -- and FWIW -- I couldn't/can't stand much of anything about the latter... except, of course, for the cover of the Buckingham/Nicks album. B)

    Tom Petty's vocal stylings, especially early on, reminded me of Mr. Zimmerman's.
    ... and America's first hit (A Horse with No Name) -- I thought it was Neil Young.
    (FWIW)

    John Prine. Yeah, another idiosyncratic singer. Gotta love the guy, though -- he's got a way with words.

    Plus, he's got those fashion model good looks goin' for him! ;)

    https://youtu.be/L_owceU3DTs

    In all seriousness, he's lucky to be alive, and his most recent album, The Tree of Forgiveness, is a treasure.
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  • bikezappa
    bikezappa Posts: 2,463
    The original Velvet Underground
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  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,581
    Regarding John Prine, thanks for the clip. I’m going to have to get that album. As his surgeon was worrying about how he could get the cancer without damaging his voice, John asked him, “Have you ever heard me sing?”
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,894
    maxward wrote: »
    Regarding John Prine, thanks for the clip. I’m going to have to get that album. As his surgeon was worrying about how he could get the cancer without damaging his voice, John asked him, “Have you ever heard me sing?”

    :)

    Prine's on record as being happier with his voice now than "in his prime" (so to speak).
    It's a very good album (IMO, etc., etc. YMMV, no warranty express or implied, etc.).
    :)
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,894
    So... this thread needs more action.
    Fortunately, I thought of another great artist who is not a great singer! :)

    Lucinda.

    :#

    https://youtu.be/svlGYj0U5dE

    https://youtu.be/fw1ibV08XGw

    https://youtu.be/WiQVaGdJEMY

    Loves me some Lucinda.
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  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,581
    More action you want: Kris Kristofferson.
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  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,142
    Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix......... with their guitar skills they didn't need to sing and it shows
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,894
    edited November 2019
    so... I just went back through this thread (not exactly a Herculean task)... and it looks like no one's yet mentioned...
    Joe Cocker?!

    Joe's in the club, no? :)

    https://youtu.be/pcLnuEpQ1yg

    Joe was the whole package :#

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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,208
    How about another Joe?

    Joe Walsh
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,894
    I'd have to occur... but I do want to mention that I've always really liked to listen to Joe Walsh. I enjoy his music, his guitar playing and, yes, even his voice -- and I am especially appreciative of the gee-tar and amp he gave to his buddy, Pete Townshend, a long, long time ago. The sounds Big T wrenched from that venerable Gretsch "Chet Atkins" shaped rock and roll in the early 1970s, and (I would argue) for all time. :)

    j459aysnjqtx.png

    http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/gretsch.html

    Plus, Joe Walsh was (still is, I hope) an avid "ham"!
    Still waters run deep ;)


    http://www.arrl.org/news/eagles-guitarist-joe-walsh-wb6acu-promotes-amateur-radio-in-media-announcements

    2eif40j7yosq.png


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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,158
    I think Joe Cocker was a founding member of the club.

    I hate to add this person to the list, but Steve Winwood.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU_-BYYq0QM
    https://youtu.be/Adw772km7PQ
    Just gets a little annoying after a while, and often keyed unnecessarily high in the register.

    Maybe not a 'great artist' here, but Cyndi Lauper.
    https://youtu.be/LPn0KFlbqX8
    Now, in the hands of Eva Cassidy, I love Cyndi Lauper songs - "True Colors", "Time After Time"

    I think the theme here is not necessarily bad singers or vocalists - these people are still expressive and can stir emotion - but their voices are just not very pleasant. If you listen to them with your eyes closed, you might furrow your brow on certain notes. Whereas if you listen to someone like Eva Cassidy with eyes closed, she can bring a tear to your eyes.
    "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
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,894
    I -- ahem -- love Cyndi's own version of Time After Time.

    And, I gotta say -- I like Winwood's voice. Kind of epitomizes 60's British, kinda-progressive rock and roll to me (e.g., The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys).

    ... or this...

    https://youtu.be/eoSn2Y-b6wI
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    Kris Kristofferson couldn't sing a lick, but he could carry a tune.Really all he needed for all of the amazing songs he wrote.
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  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,581
    And he was a great addition to Country Music, by Ken Burns, as were several other people.
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