Singalongability! Great Singers despite their voices...

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This thread is here so you can crow and sing praises for those singers with terrible voices, but you are fun to sing along to BECAUSE they have terrible voices.

I nominate:
Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil
Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols/PiL
Bruce Dickinson
Bob Dylan

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 17 March 2003 21:54 (twenty-three years ago)

~~You are an idiot.~~ Please explain "terrible voice."

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 21:58 (twenty-three years ago)

The above four get alot of grief about having "terrible voices" or being "awful singers"; I'm not agreeing with that assessment. I don't write the news, I just report it.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Jad Fair

― scott m (mcd), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:11 (twenty-three years ago)

the shaggs

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Bowie owns this thread.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:14 (twenty-three years ago)

It is fun to sing along with and listen to Bob Dylan (and David Bowie, etc.) because he is a good singer.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I...KNOW...that. But the philistines will not accept what is blindingly obvious to both you and me.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Your first post, introducing the thread, was written in such a way that it was not clear that you were attributing this line of thinking to other folks.

So is the purpose of this thread now to talk about great singers who are (mistakenly) said to be "bad" singers?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Dylan, Willie Nelson, Billie Holiday, Satchmo.
Joe Strummer's delivery was great despite his voice AND his inability to stay in key.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:24 (twenty-three years ago)

I find it really easy to sing-a-long to Iggy and Patti Smith.

― Carey (Carey), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I mean, I adore both Scott Walker and Bob Dylan, but for all the praise Scott gets for being the "new Sinatra," "sophisticated," etc. I think Dylan is a more savvy and perhaps even a more conventionally gifted singer (at least when he was young).

I wish I had more musical knowledge so I could explain what it is that makes these voices sound "bad" to some people.

I guess it's two value systems colliding as a result of the 20th c. Art song standards of singing ability vs. folk standards. But I suspect there is a dialectic there that goes farther back than the age of mechanical reproduction. I can't believe that "art song" singing could have survived as long as it could w/o become ossified if it didn't have periodic tussles with other forms.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:26 (twenty-three years ago)

If their voice is (percieved by the Great Unwashed to be) "goofy" or "idiosyncratic" and its the this (alleged) "goofiness" that makes you wanna sing along...then tell us about it.

Your first post, introducing the thread, was written in such a way that it was not clear that you were attributing this line of thinking to other folks.
Sorry, my bad. Was ambiguous.

So is the purpose of this thread now to talk about great singers who are (mistakenly) said to be "bad" singers?
If you like. I'm more concerned with singers who are "entertaining" and inspire singing along/impersonation because they have odd voices.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:27 (twenty-three years ago)

1. bon scott 2. leonard from the dickies

― bold and beautiful, Monday, 17 March 2003 22:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Wesley Willis

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 17 March 2003 22:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Mark E Smith

― rex jr., Monday, 17 March 2003 22:35 (twenty-three years ago)

mark e smith seconded. stephin merritt. stephen pastel. interpol dude

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 17 March 2003 23:36 (twenty-three years ago)

cohen + tennant

― Ian SPACK (Ian SPACK), Monday, 17 March 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

INTERPOL DUDE!

― Adam A. (Keiko), Monday, 17 March 2003 23:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Neil Young

― rex jr., Monday, 17 March 2003 23:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Neil Young when he hasn't been punched in the balls.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 00:40 (twenty-three years ago)

King Diamond rox if U like Dylan u r gay

― brg30 (brg30), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 00:48 (twenty-three years ago)

daniel johnston, fred cole of dead moon, and uncle neil. though I think they are all exceptional and expressive singers. But going with your 'great unwashed' idea, yeah. These fellas.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 01:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom Bailey and Phil Oakey aren't exactly the most skilled singers I know of, but I liked singing along to their voices back in the 80s. Nowadays, actually, I don't know any.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 01:55 (twenty-three years ago)

i never understand why people get so prickly about the idea of "bad singers that you like"
(or however its phrased)
i have no technical musical knowledge whatsoever,but is it not fair to say that there are some artists (bob dylan,tom waits,whoever) that are technically not good at singing (however that is judged) but are liked by lots of people nonetheless? (is that all one word?i've never written it down before but it sounds like it should be in my head)

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom Waits actually doesn't quite fit in with the rest. He does have the ability to sing technically well (listen to "Closing Time"), he doesn't doesn't choose to do so.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:08 (twenty-three years ago)

as i say i have no technical musical knowledge,i think tom waits has a great voice in that i love the sound of it,but i have been told that he "can't sing" or whatever,and i presume that what is meant by that is that his singing is technically dodgy,at least on some albums
i love closing time,but it is not a "typical" tom waits album
(same with nashville skyline,where dylan's singing is possibly his "best")

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:15 (twenty-three years ago)

(same with nashville skyline,where dylan's singing is possibly his "best")

Dylan's voice on that album had intermediately changed as a result of his nearly fatal accident.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:30 (twenty-three years ago)

there is no such thing as a great singer despite their voice.

― jack cole (jackcole), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:32 (twenty-three years ago)

great != in the technical sense

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Elvis Costello. It's fun to sing in the Elvis Costello voice.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Mac McCaughan
Eric Bachmann
Elvis Costello and David Gedge before they learned (or got processed enough) to sing

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 03:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I just thought you meant fun to sing along to.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 18 March 2003 03:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Randy Newman

― TB, Tuesday, 18 March 2003 03:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Eric Bachmann, David Berman, Jon King, David Yow, Mariah Carey, Bob Mould, Scott Kannberg

― Famous Athlete, Tuesday, 18 March 2003 04:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Bruce Springsteen singing in Joe Strummers voice at the grammys

― girl scout heroin (iamamonkey), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 06:28 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think Bob Mould fits here at all, he's one of the greatest punk vocalists, great vocal range and all that.
i nominate David Sylvian.

― rex jr., Tuesday, 18 March 2003 10:02 (twenty-three years ago)

"(same with nashville skyline,where dylan's singing is possibly his "best")"

"Dylan's voice on that album had intermediately changed as a result of his nearly fatal accident."

Not true. More because he gave up smoking, if at least temporarily.
Dylan's voice shortly after the accident can be heard on the Basement Tapes, where he doesn't sound too much different than he did on Blonde on Blonde.
However, his voice certainly did change dramatically during certain periods of his life. Paul Simon and Neil Young sound pretty much the same as they did in 1967, but Dylan's voice changed from album to album throughout the 60s and 70s (compare his delivery in New Morning with the Concert for Bangla Desh, for example).
This is something that's always fascinated me, yet hardly anyone comments on.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 13:38 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.