Fave vocalists who aren't much cop at singing

[Ricky 4000 7,617]

2 minutes ago, EdLib-3 said:

Joe Strummer. Not a great singer but what a great voice!!

Along with one of the best bass players that couldn't play the bass. 👍

[EdLib-3 78]

2 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Along with one of the best bass players that couldn't play the bass. 👍

Along with being the coolest bass player OF ALL TIME!!!!!

Edited November 6, 2020 by EdLib-3

[Ricky 4000 7,617]

Just now, EdLib-3 said:

Along with being the coolest bass player OF ALL TIME!!!!!

Yeah! 🙂

[Doctor J 2,178]

Being a metal lover, this is my kind of territory but, if it's actual singing efforts we're talking about...

Mark Arm from Mudhoney

Henry Rollins

Sabbath era Ozzy

Chuck Mosely from Faith No More

Paul Linehan from The Frank and Walters

 

It's interesting to see people mention the kind of X-factor screensavers who can hit notes but have nothing to say, those who just want to be famous and take the quick route to get there, compared to those who are prepared to live in a van and sleep on floors for years in order to play and just get their music out there. Authenticity and integrity go a long way to covering a lot of technical vocal sins.

[machinehead 404]

Mark Knopfler.

Johnny Cash.

Frank. (I can't sing either.)

[PaulWarning 1,360]

nobody mentioned Paul Weller? best description I read about him was that he sounded like Punch Drunk Boxer 😂

[Maude 5,179]

David Yow (Jesus Lizard) hasn't/has got the best voice (delete as applicable). 

 

All three of the Beastie Boys. Whilst some would accuse many singers/rappers of just shouting, the Beastie Boys are slightly off keys shouters, and all the more brilliant for it. 

[Cato 2,464]

5 hours ago, Maude said:

David Yow (Jesus Lizard) hasn't/has got the best voice (delete as applicable). 

 

All three of the Beastie Boys. Whilst some would accuse many singers/rappers of just shouting, the Beastie Boys are slightly off keys shouters, and all the more brilliant for it. 

Ironically the Beastie Boys were all really proficient instrumentalists.

First I saw them live back at Glastonbury in the 90s I was absolutely jaw dropped when they got to the part of the show when they transformed themselves into a double bass/guitar/drums jazzy trio.

By the time I saw them again in the 2000s they'd gotten even better and a fair chunk of the show saw them performing various (mostly) instrumental album tracks from their back catalogue as a full band with additional musicians.

[Doctor J 2,178]

Yeah, on the singing/rapping borderline, add Zack de la Rocha from RATM. He's like Freddie Mercury in the way that you realise just how truly great he was by hearing other people try his songs.

[Old Man Riva 584]

Shaun Ryder

John Cooper Clarke 

[Jus Lukin 2,609]

J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr sounds as though he can barely be bothered breathing between words, let alone providing enough air pressure to form a sound. It adds a weird slacker vibe to the squall of punky, sludgy noise the band pummels out, and it's wonderful!

Kurt Cobain sometimes used a similarly disinterested drawl, although his stock in trade was something along the lines of a tomcat in a bag of nails. It fit the music well, and changed the direction of rock music for a decade or more in the process.

I'm also a bit of a fan of Lee Marvin grumbling his way through Wand'rin' Star.

12 hours ago, Bolo said:

Uhhh I like death metal. Sooooo yeah...

You know, I thought about that. Given the technique and stamina required to make some of those those sounds without damaging the voice, I wasn't quite sure whether it counted- that said, in most folks books, that sure ain't singing at all! I like Death, Black, and Doom, so the list is long, but Jus Oborn from Electric Wizard (it's his name and Matt Lukin from Melvins and Mudhoney who formed my screen name) isnt really very good, burying the vocals deep in the mix, but it works for their Sabbath worshipping, horror movie watching stoner vibe. The guy from Bongzilla has a particulary harsh rasp going on, which is somewhat at odds with their pillowy, Big Muff-in-a-cloud-of-smoke riffage. Black Metal can sit on a knife edge between an otherworldly howl and a kid telling a ghost story, but done right it can be immensly powerful. Ghaal from Gorgoroth and Ravn from 1349 are both pretty consistent in the 'high quality bad' stakes! Snake from Voivod isn't much cop, but I like listening to him, but Barney from Napalm Death has to be tops- he really does sound as though something is about to rupture as he appears to just holler at full tilt into the mic!

Sorry to those to whom the last paragraph was utter gobbledegook- I'll finish with John Lee Hooker, still one of my favourite blues singers, even though what he did could barely be called singing. I suppose it was more like talking, with style!

Edited November 7, 2020 by Jus Lukin

[Japhet 1,340]

Tom Petty.

[Nail Soup 971]

13 hours ago, mikegatward said:

Ian Brown - struggles to stay in tune

Good example - I'm not a massive Roses fan, but even a neutral can see that he is:

Bad singer

OK vocalist

Great frontman

[Barking Spiders 1,271]

Seems to me a characterful but not technically great vocalist can get away with it in a rock band but not so in the Soul genre. Hard to imagine someone like Joe Strummer or Shane McGowan putting out an album like What's Going On?

[Cato 2,464]

3 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

Seems to me a characterful but not technically great vocalist can get away with it in a rock band but not so in the Soul genre. Hard to imagine someone like Joe Strummer or Shane McGowan putting out an album like What's Going On?

I was just wondering how many of these 'not so good' singers are pitching their performance to suit the music but are secretly a lot more polished on the sly.

Maybe Lemmy actually had an amazing soul voice that he never recorded?

Maybe Barney from Napalm Death has a clandestine lovely smooth jazz voice that we've never heard?

Edited November 7, 2020 by Cato

[BigRedX 2,430]

11 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

Fr'instance I like Karl Hyde's semi-spoken delivery on Underworld tunage…

Karl Hyde is actually a pretty good singer as is Rick Smith (who doesn't do vocals at all in Underworld Mk2). Just have a listen to the harmonies on the two Freur albums, or Underworld's pre-house output.

[Barking Spiders 1,271]

28 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Karl Hyde is actually a pretty good singer as is Rick Smith (who doesn't do vocals at all in Underworld Mk2). Just have a listen to the harmonies on the two Freur albums, or Underworld's pre-house output.

I'll have a listen,  out of curiosity. I'm a huge fan of Mk2. Tried Mk1 stuff awhile back  but was disappointed having got so used to Dubno and Second Toughest.

 

[Hobbayne 655]

Stevie Nicks.

Sounds like a Nanny Goat that stepped on a nail. 

[BreadBin 2,765]

Siouxsie Sioux.

[PaulWarning 1,360]

Almost all the punk vocalist had a 'distinctive' style, but it wouldn't have worked if any of the punk bands had a proper singer, if you've ever heard Pretty Vacant  sung 'properly' as I have on a cruise ship, you'll know what I'm talking about

[Maude 5,179]

5 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

Almost all the punk vocalist had a 'distinctive' style, but it wouldn't have worked if any of the punk bands had a proper singer, if you've ever heard Pretty Vacant  sung 'properly' as I have on a cruise ship, you'll know what I'm talking about

I can only imagine the horror. 

Unless it was in a tongue in cheek way, a la Richard Cheese. 

[PaulWarning 1,360]

3 minutes ago, Maude said:

I can only imagine the horror. 

Unless it was in a tongue in cheek way, a la Richard Cheese. 

no it wasn't, it was one of the on board entertainment singers, they were doing a show of 70's music, fortunately they only did one punk song 😄

[BigRedX 2,430]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

I'll have a listen,  out of curiosity. I'm a huge fan of Mk2. Tried Mk1 stuff awhile back  but was disappointed having got so used to Dubno and Second Toughest.

Freur-Underworld tend to be forwardly rather than backwardly compatible, if you liked Freur, then you'll probably like Underworld Mk1 and Underworld Mk2, but not the reverse.

[Barking Spiders 1,271]

1 hour ago, Hobbayne said:

Stevie Nicks.

Sounds like a Nanny Goat that stepped on a nail. 

Apt description plus for me her songs on Rumours are the weaker tracks

IMO there are loads of bands  and entire genres which would've sounded wrong and even weak with 'proper' singists.  One of my fave bands is Talking Heads and David Byrne's semi-strangulated vocals suit the fidgety rhythms and off-kilter lyrics.

Edited November 7, 2020 by Barking Spiders

[Lozz196 4,743]

Mick Jagger

Def the right voice for The Rolling Stones, but wouldn’t say he was that good a singer.