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Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers List

keithjamkeithjam Posts: 38
edited November 2008 in Other Music
Rolling Stone magazine put together a list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/greatestsingers/page/1

Here are my notes from the list.

1. Black people can really sing. 7 of the top 10 are black.
2. Bob Dylan #7? Are you kidding me? This guy has the #2 lyrics of all time after The Beatles, but the 7th best singer? His voice is odd and live it is 100x worse. BTW I am a huge Dylan fan.
3. Where is Cat Stevens? This dude should be in the top 10. He has the most angelic male voice of all time. He can sing multiple genres.
4. Where is Billy Joel? He should be in the top 25.
5. Eddie Vedder is listed as influenced by Bruce Springsteen and Roger Daltry. Bruce should be in the 90s if not off the list all together.
6. Jim Morrison should have a way better number than 47.
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Comments

  • Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    keithjam wrote:
    Rolling Stone magazine put together a list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/greatestsingers/page/1

    Here are my notes from the list.

    1. Black people can really sing. 7 of the top 10 are black.
    2. Bob Dylan #7? Are you kidding me? This guy has the #2 lyrics of all time after The Beatles, but the 7th best singer? His voice is odd and live it is 100x worse. BTW I am a huge Dylan fan.
    3. Where is Cat Stevens? This dude should be in the top 10. He has the most angelic male voice of all time. He can sing multiple genres.
    4. Where is Billy Joel? He should be in the top 25.
    5. Eddie Vedder is listed as influenced by Bruce Springsteen and Roger Daltry. Bruce should be in the 90s if not off the list all together.
    6. Jim Morrison should have a way better number than 47.
    I'll say what I said in the other thread on this topic. How the hell is Morrison a better singer than Dylan? He wasn't a singer by his own admission, hence the croon, a style easily adoptable by anyone (see Val Kilmer for details), plus a bunch of irritating vocal affectations which became his trademark and were overused as points of interest to mask his limitations ("WHOAYAYEEEEHHhhhhhhh" and "COME OAWNNN BABEEEYEHHH" come to mind). Don't get me wrong, I like his voice. Now, Dylan also had an unusual but expressive and interesting voice, not technically strong but perfect for the music. If we assume that musicality is more important than technique in judging great singers, which it is, after all we enjoy music for music's sake, not for athleticism, why then can Dylan not be seen as a great singer, especially if Morrison can?

    Besides you know Bobby is just being obnoxious. He said he can sing like Caruso if he wants to ;)
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • searchlightsoulsearchlightsoul Posts: 583
    Bruce Springsteen is an incredible singer, pretty much everyone of his music videos for example is a live vocal performace and he nails every one of them.

    Eddie is good but shouldn't be on the list IMO.

    Where the fuck is Cornell?
  • Blind MelonBlind Melon Posts: 911
    I think Brandon Boyd should be on that list.
    If I could, think I would give in.
  • Them-BonesThem-Bones Posts: 518
    searchlightsoul wrote:
    Where the fuck is Cornell?

    He's hangin out with Timbaland
    "If my thoughts, dreams, could be seen, they'd probably put my head, in a guillotine, but it's alright ma, it's life and life only."
  • DOSWDOSW Posts: 2,014
    I see why they put Dylan on there, though I agree he shouldn't be that high.

    BUT, to not have Frank Sinatra on there is criminal.
    It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
  • Stone IronsStone Irons Posts: 430
    searchlightsoul wrote:
    Eddie is good but shouldn't be on the list IMO.

    Ed shouldn't, but Kurt Cobain should? Ed should have Cobain's spot.
    Can't escape from the common rule...
    If you hate something, don't you do it too
  • Given2Fly...SDGiven2Fly...SD Posts: 146
    Shenanigans!!!!!!
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  • searchlightsoulsearchlightsoul Posts: 583
    Them-Bones wrote:
    He's hangin out with Timbaland

    haha :) No I meant Cornell circa 1990.
  • weekapaug19weekapaug19 Posts: 2,293
    and that is why rolling stone is terrible
  • Grunge100Grunge100 Posts: 178
    weekapaug19 wrote:
    and that is why rolling stone is terrible

    Amen to that. Rolling stone sucks cow balls.
    Light green to green, dark green, brown..
    Every life is falling down
    Brown to black, it's coming back
    Dies to be part of the ground
    Seed to seedling, root to stem
  • drew0drew0 Posts: 943
    Cobain is higher than Eddie and Daltrey? Excuse me while I laugh. This list is horrible.
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  • PissBottleManPissBottleMan Union City, TN Posts: 4,155
    Conversation at Rolling Stone headquarters:

    Staff member: "Hey 3rd quarter sales are down...what should we do"

    Jann: "Let's compile a shitty list and have musicians comment on it so it seems relevant and factual."

    Brilliant.

    PBM
    "We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"

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