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they can't really sing

A Surprise LeftA Surprise Left Posts: 743
edited August 2006 in Other Music
i was thinking last night some weird reason that quite a few of my favourite acts have singers who at least by traditional standards don't really have voices that are anything special. take the smashing pumpkins for example. billy is a great songwriter and guitarist but as a singer, well he wouldn't get past the 1st round of idol. liam gallagher has a very "throaty" voice but in these two cases it just works with the music. i can't imagine listening to a pumpkins record and hearing jeff buckley or some other angelic voice singing the music. james hetfield is probably another example where it just works with that style of music. thoughts?
The wind is blowing cold
Have we lost our way tonight?
Have we lost our hope to sorrow?

Feels like were all alone
Running further from what’s right
And there are no more heroes to follow

So what are we becoming?
Where did we go wrong?
Post edited by Unknown User on
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  • reeferchiefreeferchief Posts: 3,569
    A Surprise Left wrote:
    i was thinking last night some weird reason that quite a few of my favourite acts have singers who at least by traditional standards don't really have voices that are anything special. take the smashing pumpkins for example. billy is a great songwriter and guitarist but as a singer, well he wouldn't get past the 1st round of idol. liam gallagher has a very "throaty" voice but in these two cases it just works with the music. i can't imagine listening to a pumpkins record and hearing jeff buckley or some other angelic voice singing the music. james hetfield is probably another example where it just works with that style of music. thoughts?

    What these singers have which pains me to say it about Gallagher as I hate the fucker is what contestants on "idol" dont, they have passion, they sing the music with intensity because they feel the music, they put there hearts in to it because it is their music about their own experiences and what they feel strongly about.
    What singers on "idol" have to have to succeed is is the ability to sing other peoples songs to make a record company exec and his company money there is no passion, no heart no soul in that, sure they have the vocal range and the good looks to sell records to the mainstream but ultimatly it's a shallow, lifeless devoid of feeling buisness not music.
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  • depopulationINCdepopulationINC Posts: 2,074
    reeferchief wrote:
    What these singers have which pains me to say it about Gallagher as I hate the fucker is what contestants on "idol" dont, they have passion, they sing the music with intensity because they feel the music, they put there hearts in to it because it is their music about their own experiences and what they feel strongly about.
    What singers on "idol" have to have to succeed is is the ability to sing other peoples songs to make a record company exec and his company money there is no passion, no heart no soul in that, sure they have the vocal range and the good looks to sell records to the mainstream but ultimatly it's a shallow, lifeless devoid of feeling buisness not music.


    dang diggity

    Also, those singers do have great voices....for rock....they are not into pop, and no, they may not have the voices for pop, but honestly.....do you think they care. I would rather, and I am sure most of them would agree, sell 1/2 as many records in trade-off for having songs, that you wrote, that have depth and meaning to yourself, your band and a loyal fan base that those "idols" will never achieve.
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  • brain of cbrain of c Posts: 5,213
    bob dylan, tom petty and elvis costello can't sing. i like them all.
    d'oh!!!!!!

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  • intodeepintodeep Posts: 7,228
    Neil Young's voice is crap.

    but it is some of the best crap i've ever heard :)
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  • reeferchiefreeferchief Posts: 3,569
    You could throw Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley in that category as well, not brilliant singers in the conventional sense, but perfect for the music they made.
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  • A Surprise LeftA Surprise Left Posts: 743
    dylan's voice is downright terrible at some stages although i agree he is a brillant songwriter. the australian songwriter paul kelly is in a similar boat. as for oasis i think noel generally puts more feeling into his words than liam...generally because he writes most of the tunes.
    The wind is blowing cold
    Have we lost our way tonight?
    Have we lost our hope to sorrow?

    Feels like were all alone
    Running further from what’s right
    And there are no more heroes to follow

    So what are we becoming?
    Where did we go wrong?
  • brhf9brhf9 Posts: 1,475
    mr. anthony 'i can't sing in key' kieds...
    'Go easy, step lightly, stay free!'

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  • LedZepFanLedZepFan Posts: 1,009
    brhf9 wrote:
    mr. anthony 'i can't sing in key' kieds...

    He has gotten astronomically better over the years though


    Joe Strummer...the Clash is one of my favorite bands, but he isn't a very good singer, at least technically.

    Same thing with Liam Gallagher. I actually love this guy's voice, fits the sound perfectly. Oasis is such an inspiration.
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  • A Surprise LeftA Surprise Left Posts: 743
    LedZepFan wrote:
    He has gotten astronomically better over the years though


    Joe Strummer...the Clash is one of my favorite bands, but he isn't a very good singer, at least technically.

    Same thing with Liam Gallagher. I actually love this guy's voice, fits the sound perfectly. Oasis is such an inspiration.


    I do agree about Liam, it does fit the music perfectly. Back to the pumpkins I was watching a live video of "Today" on youtube and it was almost laughable how bad his voice was. The guy can write a tune though....
    The wind is blowing cold
    Have we lost our way tonight?
    Have we lost our hope to sorrow?

    Feels like were all alone
    Running further from what’s right
    And there are no more heroes to follow

    So what are we becoming?
    Where did we go wrong?
  • brhf9brhf9 Posts: 1,475
    LedZepFan wrote:
    He has gotten astronomically better over the years though


    Joe Strummer...the Clash is one of my favorite bands, but he isn't a very good singer, at least technically.

    Same thing with Liam Gallagher. I actually love this guy's voice, fits the sound perfectly. Oasis is such an inspiration.

    i don't like a. kieds voice but i think it fits his songs ok.

    and i really love the clash too, so it's hard to pick on them but mick jones has a better voice than joe.
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  • corduroy10corduroy10 Posts: 199
    Some more "greats" with lousy singers:

    Joey Ramone (Ramones)
    Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)
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  • kdpjamkdpjam Posts: 2,303
    the replacements/paul westerberg

    awesome.
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  • BackwardsBlues1BackwardsBlues1 Posts: 152
    rock music isn't about being a good singer.

    at all.
  • The DarknessThe Darkness Posts: 41
    Great topic. Some of my favorite artists are Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Robbie Robertson and Lou Reed. All of these guys are top notch songwriters but don't have what most people would consider 'good singing voices'. Yet they all make it work, and because the songs they write are so good, it is impossible for me to hear anyone else doing them. About 10 years ago, there was a cover of Neil Youngs 'Pochahontas' by a female lead band...I think they were called 'Belly' or something. And the first couple of times I heard the song, I thought it was kind of cool to hear someone with a more accessible, possibly better voice cover the song. But it didn't take long for me to go back to Neils original version. As has been said above, it's all about the passion and feeling of the delivery.
    I've got to admit, it's getting better.
  • dont_go_on_medont_go_on_me Posts: 877
    Isaac Brock
    Frank Black
    J Mascis

    all awesome though
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  • facepollutionfacepollution Posts: 6,834
    I'll throw in Kurt Cobain, Mark Arm and Courtney Love - on a technical basis they weren't/aren't so impressive, but the passion they sang with more than compensates.
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    Maybe its not so much that those mentioned above 'can't sing', because almost all of them can obviously carry a tune; rather its more like some of them aren't considered to have classically 'good' singing voices, but I'd take feeling, emotion and singing from the depths of their being over a technically 'better' voice any day. I mean, I love Neil Young's singing, even if some think he 'can't sing'. I'd probably throw in Springsteen in this category too.
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  • facepollutionfacepollution Posts: 6,834
    JaneNY wrote:
    Maybe its not so much that those mentioned above 'can't sing', because almost all of them can obviously carry a tune; rather its more like some of them aren't considered to have classically 'good' singing voices, but I'd take feeling, emotion and singing from the depths of their being over a technically 'better' voice any day. I mean, I love Neil Young's singing, even if some think he 'can't sing'. I'd probably throw in Springsteen in this category too.


    I think you are right, but there is something so moving when you get a singer like Cornell or Buckley who can deliver all that emotion with mind-blowing range and power.

    I should also add Raine Maida and Greg Dulli to the list too, I love both their voices even if they are less than perfect. I guess the lyrics are pretty important too though, without decent lyrics an average singer kind of has less going for them.
  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    David Lee Roth...........the background vocals on the old Van Halen tunes covered his ass.
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  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    tom waits.
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  • univrsoullunivrsoull Posts: 2
    A great quote i once read...that for me, illustrates perfectly, the appeal of such singers, like Neil Young, while maybe not being great, technically speaking...but sing with such emotion and passion, that you can almost see and feel exactly what lies beneath and within....
    "Neil Young is one of the few songwriters in the world who can approximate the sound of a heart breaking with his voice."
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,148
    dylans the man but his voice sucks now.

    most would say it sucked always- but not me.
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  • wavin_goodbyewavin_goodbye Posts: 135
    StoneG82 wrote:
    tom waits.

    depends what record(s) your talking about.. for tom waits, i would say it's more a matter of having overly abused vocal chords, and even going for a certain vocal quality.
  • A Surprise LeftA Surprise Left Posts: 743
    A singer who doesn't have that technical quality but has great emotion can be very effective. But if a singer has both qualities then they are going to be better. Take Jeff Buckley's or K.D Lang's cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallujuah as proof.
    The wind is blowing cold
    Have we lost our way tonight?
    Have we lost our hope to sorrow?

    Feels like were all alone
    Running further from what’s right
    And there are no more heroes to follow

    So what are we becoming?
    Where did we go wrong?
  • pj_zombiepj_zombie Posts: 272
    A Surprise Left wrote:
    A singer who doesn't have that technical quality but has great emotion can be very effective. But if a singer has both qualities then they are going to be better. Take Jeff Buckley's or K.D Lang's cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallujuah as proof.

    Yeah, I always look for passion first and if that's lacking I usually move on. However, when a vocalist has both qualities they are top of the list. Naturally I throw Eddie Vedder, Robert Plant, and Brent Smith in that category.
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    1. Black
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  • tonadaxtonadax Posts: 594
    hey this is not american idol or a pop-baladist thread, it´s rock, and i prefer the music and passion than vocals....... joey ramone cant sing and i like their music..... bruce dickinson can reach high notes but i hate his voice....
  • A Surprise LeftA Surprise Left Posts: 743
    tonadax wrote:
    hey this is not american idol or a pop-baladist thread, it´s rock, and i prefer the music and passion than vocals....... joey ramone cant sing and i like their music..... bruce dickinson can reach high notes but i hate his voice....

    i agree but its better if they can really sing as well....one of the reasons led zep is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) is because of plant's vocals. i love listening to some of the singers like dickinson and tate but each to his own.
    The wind is blowing cold
    Have we lost our way tonight?
    Have we lost our hope to sorrow?

    Feels like were all alone
    Running further from what’s right
    And there are no more heroes to follow

    So what are we becoming?
    Where did we go wrong?
  • brhf9brhf9 Posts: 1,475
    A Surprise Left wrote:
    i agree but its better if they can really sing as well....one of the reasons led zep is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) is because of plant's vocals. i love listening to some of the singers like dickinson and tate but each to his own.

    it's funny you say that because one of the reasons i'm not much into Led Zeppelin is mr. Plant voice.
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  • Todd76Todd76 Posts: 1,469
    brhf9 wrote:
    it's funny you say that because one of the reasons i'm not much into Led Zeppelin is mr. Plant voice.

    I can't listen to them at all because of his voice - like nails on a chalkboard...they might have been tolerable if they only released instrumentals
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  • chrisopaloozachrisopalooza Posts: 347
    A Surprise Left wrote:
    ibilly is a great songwriter and guitarist but as a singer, well he wouldn't get past the 1st round of idol.

    uh, i think i'd rather stay home and light my ass hairs on fire than worry about whether i was going to get past the first round in american idol.
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