novabrkr said:

Oh, you're talking about that other Prince. I get it!

herb4 said:

my favorite interpretation of the national anthem is by laurie anderson:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...B9Fvax675Y

GangstaFam said:

I think he's talking about the Fresh Prince.

A few more:

Busta Rhymes
Bruce Springsteen
Tom Waites
Geddy Lee (Rush)
B-Real (Cypress Hill)
Chris Robinson (Black Crowes)

You could probably do a backwards list like this one. People with good voices who totally SUCK at SINGING. The last people you want to listen to). That list would probably be even longer...

Bob Dylan is still the all time King of what I'm talking about in this thread. Jagger is a close second.

I think all of these people have fantastic voices, but aren't necessarily technically superior singers:

Björk
Robert Smith
Deborah Harry
Joey Ramone
David Bowie
Ian Curtis
Chrissie Hynde

Moonbeam said:

You're right about all of them but this one. He's one of the most gifted singers rock music has ever seen, technically AND otherwise.

GangstaFam said:

I agree that he's one of the very, very best. I just don't know if he fits the bill for purists. Correct me if I'm wrong- I'm really just guessing.

Anx said:

I think it's a case of P's voice being underrated by many people - it's like he's looked @ as an act but not a very strong singer. It took me YEARS to realize he's actually a very good singer, I think I'd been listening to him for 10+ years before I realized it. I dunno, maybe it's the songs people are listening to that don't really show off his voice, but I don't see how he can be lumped into this either.

Then again, he wouldn't make it on Idol, but who the fuck cares about Idol? They have zero individuality (the point) & none of them will ever be legends like P, Bowie, Jagger, etc...

From my favourites:
Prince
Jamiroquai

herb4 said:

macy gray!

Which damn fool said Rod Stewart? That man's voice is incredible - and so tight! Check out his version of "I'm Losing You" from "Every Picture Tells A Story" - astonishing.

Bad voice; Great singer: Mr Bob Dylan has to be top, of course. And then I'd say David Bowie. Nowadays he's technically very good indeed, but when he started he was never technically wonderful.

Debbie Harry as well. Oh man, Debbie Harry!


I've really got a thing about untrained voices in women - the Sugababes' first single, "Overload" is gorgeous, and I have a guilty love of the backing vocals in "Mirror Man" by the Human League - yes, they're dreadful singers, but somehow it just... works!

shockadelicaa said:

Janis Joplin was fucking dreadful. I'm sorry, but she sounds like my drunken Aunt on the karaoke - and the woman being off her tits on drink and drugs and dying young doesn't make her any more talented.

*Fume*

'scuse me!

CalhounSq said:

i think most of the "good" singers on AI may well be trained, but they've had all the individuality trained right out of their voices and they all sound like the same generic musical theatre performer. which is great if you want a career in musical theatre, i suppose, but hardly the stuff of good pop music.

OH, and i thought of a bad voice/good singer: david byrne. his voice is really pretty awful, but at the same time he's done a lot of great stuff with it.

peterfalconer said:

I love Janice Joplin's voice.

Seems like some people here are equating good singing with bland voices.
I like singers who put everything they've got into their music. Gives it some character..A perfect voice has nothing to do with it.


I make an exception to that- Andrea Bocelli is perfection.
[Edited 3/11/07 6:04am]

shellyevon said:

I totally agree - but I just don't think Joplin was an interesting performer or interpreter of song. Dylan's 1966 Manchester Free Hall performance of Like A Rolling Stone, for example, was just yelling - it sounded awful and it was technically apalling, but my God it was electrifying! Absoltely wonderful.

peterfalconer said:

Take a look at Janis's performances on the Dick Cavett "Rock Icons" DVD collection...there's a whole disc devoted to her on that set...and tell me HONESTLY that what you saw was uninteresting. I think she was an absolutely riveting performer and radiated charisma and personality. I also think there was a whole lot more going on with her voice than a lot of people are willing to give her credit for.

Anx said:

Each to their own, Anx - she just doesn't do it for me, I'm afraid.

Anx said:

Man, how did I forget him?

herb4 said:

i think he's a great example of making the most of what you've got...he really doesn't have a great voice, but he sure has done a lot of great work with it.

Mick Jagger must be the worse singer and dancer out there, how he got so far with that voice and those hilarious dance moves only God knows. And I don't think The Rolling Stones songs were much good either.

Also, I am not a fan of Prince's voice, although I love many of his songs.

herb4 said:

yeah i love her voice but i know a lot of people who can't stand her.

how about nico?

Macy Gray. Most of my friends compare her singing to the sound of a baby being beaten by a cat, but I truly like her voice and the way she uses it.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

that brings us 2 Fantasia

peterfalconer said:

YAY, someone agrees

Anx said:

I don't know much about Joplin but of the stuff I've seen she could be pretty awesome, really passionate. I like the quality of her voice, kinda surprised to see so many people dissing her

Which leads me to ask about Led Zepplin - "Since I've Been Loving You" came across my IPod last night. In terms of voice quality he may as well BE Janis singing on that song So, is he a bad singer too?

CalhounSq said:

If you ask me, yes - never was a Zepplin fan, I'm afraid. Robert Plant's voice got on my wires, and Jimmy Page nicked all his licks off Jeff Beck - and didn't play them half as well, either.

I'm nothing if not consistant!

i always thought robert plant sounded like an angry yosemite sam

Anx said:

"Hey, hey, varmint, said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!"

Maybe he isn't even a "good singer", but I love the way Neil Tennant uses his voice. It's not even always musical (ie: What Have I Done to Deserve This), but no other voice would work as well in their songs.

i can't decide if robert smith has a good voice or a bad voice. i mean, that may seem laughingly obvious at first, but he's been able to hit some pretty extreme high notes and he's done all kinds of insane things vocally on cure albums.

another example of bad voice/good singer is stephin merritt of magnetic fields. he has all the range of a dial tone, but he writes very simple, elegant songs to suit his limitations, and his vocals end up sounding exactly as they should.