What says you? I think I kind of agree with him...

http://music-mix.ew.com/2...r-daltrey/

Roger Daltrey of the Who certainly belongs alongside Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne, and the like on the Rock Frontmen Mt. Rushmore. So when he comes out and says there aren’t any real lead singers out there any more, we have to at least consider the idea.

In a conversation with the Associated Press, Daltrey dismissed the lot of current singers, especially those who show up on network television. “A lot of the new people they choose on shows like American Idol and things like that — I don’t ever hear lead singers,” Daltrey said. “They always seem to choose to pick people that are great singers, fabulous singers, but they’ve never got the voice that makes a great lead singer.”

Daltrey noted that these younger acts lack the distinction possessed by some of his great peers. “You hear 10 seconds of Rod Stewart, you know it’s Rod Stewart,” he explained. “Ten seconds of Mick Jagger, that’s Mick Jagger. Ten seconds of Eddie Vedder, you know that’s Eddie.” He also allowed that Adele is “the real deal.”

His primary complaint seems to be with the types of people who accomplish big things on American Idol and the like, and he might not be wrong. While Kelly Clarkson certainly has the sort of voice that fills a room and front a band, most of the winners from the past few seasons have lacked that compelling je ne sais quoi that makes people translate their television-watching to album-buying — a bridge that sometimes seems impossible to cross.

While people like Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen, and David Cook are certainly talented, they don’t necessarily own the sorts of voices that Daltrey (or Jagger or Vedder) have used to both express their lyrics and also command large rooms full of adoring fans. It’s sort of unfair to compare people you’re only just being introduced to on a television show to Rod Stewart (because not only is Stewart great, but he’s also been in the public eye for over four decades; over that amount of time, even Crystal Bowersox would be able to make an impression), but the sentiment comes across.

But let’s pretend for a second here that Daltrey is saying that there aren’t any great frontmen, because he might not be wrong about that either. Daltrey is specifically talking about voices in his complaint, but there’s a real dearth of people who are able to incorporate everything a frontman does.

The era that Daltrey came from, when unfettered vocalists stalked stages across the world, is long gone. The idea of approaching the frontman position like Freddie Mercury or David Lee Roth became so passé for a while that it never quite made its way back. It’s a difficult gig (just look at how instantly terrible Van Halen became with Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone at the helm instead of Roth), and it’s often overplayed a bit. Is there any doubt that the support for Guns N’ Roses’ entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is rooted in memories of when Axl Rose was an absolute monster on stadium stages?

There are certainly a number of people who combine vocal chops with enough presence to compel tens of thousands of people at a time. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong comes to mind; though he certainly doesn’t have the throat of a Plant or even that guy from Wolfmother, he knows showmanship.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin would probably qualify for this plateau as well, and he gets bonus points because, like any great legend, he’s super-polarizing (that’s the Bono School of Frontman Science). Jim James from My Morning Jacket seems like he’s growing in both vocal signature and onstage stature, and as soon as No Doubt get back on the road, Gwen Stefani will be the best bandleader working.

Of course, none of these people hold a candle to Roth, who could probably front the Starland Vocal Band and still make it feel like the greatest night in the history of rock.

American Idol is not about finding the lead singer of a band, it's about finding pop singers.

NDRU said:

American Idol is not about finding the lead singer of a band, it's about finding pop singers.

Plus that show was made to be mocked at. It's not that damn serious.

Timmy84 said:

NDRU said:

American Idol is not about finding the lead singer of a band, it's about finding pop singers.

Plus that show was made to be mocked at. It's not that damn serious.

Agree... but what about the larger point? Are there great lead singers/front men (or women) out there?

I think I agree with the journalist about Billy Joe Armstrong & Gwen Stefani as pretty damn good... but on the same level as Jagger or Ozzy???

Who cares what Roger Colostomy Paltry thinks?

shiloh66 said:

Timmy84 said:

Plus that show was made to be mocked at. It's not that damn serious.

Agree... but what about the larger point? Are there great lead singers/front men (or women) out there?

I think I agree with the journalist about Billy Joe Armstrong & Gwen Stefani as pretty damn good... but on the same level as Jagger or Ozzy???

yeah but all music seems to be lacking. Not just the front man but the entire band! Particularly the Pete Townsends

And for that matter, the American Idol singers are not exactly on the levels of Aretha and Stevie & Elvis.

So of course he is right, but he is also not saying anything new. And who would think that a contest on TV was the best way to find great new artists?

NDRU said:

shiloh66 said:

Agree... but what about the larger point? Are there great lead singers/front men (or women) out there?

I think I agree with the journalist about Billy Joe Armstrong & Gwen Stefani as pretty damn good... but on the same level as Jagger or Ozzy???

yeah but all music seems to be lacking. Not just the front man but the entire band! Particularly the Pete Townsends

And for that matter, the American Idol singers are not exactly on the levels of Aretha and Stevie & Elvis.

So of course he is right, but he is also not saying anything new. And who would think that a contest on TV was the best way to find great new artists?

^^ true... the whole manufactured pop star thing, TV show or not, has WAY overtaken the existence of real rock bands in a lot of popular music... kinda sad.

shiloh66 said:

Timmy84 said:

Plus that show was made to be mocked at. It's not that damn serious.

Agree... but what about the larger point? Are there great lead singers/front men (or women) out there?

I think I agree with the journalist about Billy Joe Armstrong & Gwen Stefani as pretty damn good... but on the same level as Jagger or Ozzy???

They're never to be compared in the first place.

I always thought Roger was a horrible singer. Unpopular opinion here, but I can't stand The Who.

RKJCNE said:

I always thought Roger was a horrible singer. Unpopular opinion here, but I can't stand The Who.

he can scream okay, but no he's not a great singer.

He is a pretty good front man though, and I do prefer him to Pete as a singer

frankly, I think there are some very good new voices out there

the problem is, they are all bland cute faces with no real personality and surrounded by execs...and they don't care for "strong" material, they just wanna sing dance/pop/rap because it sells...

they remind me of the 60-62 singers...

Daltry didn't need to be an American Idol level singer; he screamed great and had a big bulge and awesome hair.

American Idol, X Factor and all of those shows are not about talent at all. Its not about good music, its about good TELEVISION for them.

Every struggling artist has a sob story. They just highlight them and use the music as a backdrop.

What are peoples' thoughts on Daltrey as a frontman? I'm not a big Who fan. I've tried to get into them at different times but haven't really been able to.

I don't think Daltry has a great voice, it isn't particularly recognizable or unique either. Maybe his phrasing is good, (My Generation) but I certainly wouldn't put him anywhere near the Stewarts, Plants, Mercurys, Roses etc of the music world.

I would therefore assume he must have had great stage presence.

Huge Who fan here! love Roger but i think Pete is the way better singer=]

breese said:

Daltry didn't need to be an American Idol level singer; he screamed great and had a big bulge and awesome hair.

That dude wasn't scurred to wear tight ass pants. He and Robert Plant must've had a tight jeans contest back in the day. Same with the hair...

This article is yet another recently that I've seen that really bashes Van Halen once Sammy Hagar took over. I think that's rather odd; they recorded some great stuff and were very successful with Hagar.

NoVideo said:

This article is yet another recently that I've seen that really bashes Van Halen once Sammy Hagar took over. I think that's rather odd; they recorded some great stuff and were very successful with Hagar.

preach

Glad the article mentions Gwen Stefani as one of the few notable lead singers/front-person. Part of the problem is that there aren't a lot of great bands anymore either.

I kinda agree with Roger. I thought he was a cool frontman and had a good powerful voice. A lot of the anger between him and Pete came out in their music.

And I totally disagree with the writer's view on Sammy Hagar joining VH. Now Gary Cherone?..

(nice guy by the way)....now that's a different story (and thread).

Anyone heard Roger Daltrey sing in the last few years? The Who doesn't have a great lead singer anymore either.

[Edited 10/2/11 10:19am]

The greatest quality a lead singer can have besides an outstanding voice is STAGE PRESENCE.

I agree that you don't see that much anymore. Most of these lead singers seem like AI contestants and don't have any presence AT ALL. The great frontman personalities like DL Roth are few and far between these days. There ae too many boring shoegazers fronting bands.

shiloh66 said:

... (just look at how instantly terrible Van Halen became with Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone at the helm instead of Roth)...

I think this sums it up perfectly, actually. Millions of dollars and records aside, van halen DID get instantly terrible.

Isn't this article kind of ironic?

Though, I think he really means that today's singers are lacking stage presence rather than actually being able to sing.

TheDigitalGardener said:

Who cares what Roger Colostomy Paltry thinks?

I guess the question should be - who cares what you think? You're just ignorant.

He prob. would've been dismissive of Vedder 20 years ago, but since Ed's sang with Townshend and did Who songs some justice, he thinks favorably of him.

Takes some time to change peoples' minds.

Hagar's always been a better singer than Dave, but the Van Halen songs with Dave are better. I, II, Women and Children First & Fair Warning are all great, no filler. Diver Down was a compromise between all originals and all covers, 1984 could've been better and should've had 3 more songs on it.

The Who had a good run from 65-73, but Townshend's songwriting became better. He should've just disbanded The Who, worked on his solo career, let Roger and Keith dabble in acting, instead of making them a stadium rock act for the cash.

If you really take a look at music, very few people stand out, and it's back to being singles oriented. Even when you look at Radiohead, it's kind of like they're past their peak these days.

The whole thing about frontmen is also the attitude and arrogance that seems to go along with it.

breese said:

Daltry didn't need to be an American Idol level singer; he screamed great and had a big bulge and awesome hair.

he had the whole package alright!! .. amazing band, i love their music... i remember when they filmed quadrophenia, my mum was an extra

Daltrey needs to hush, he like Rod Stewart and Robert Plant can't bring it anymore.

Only two singers of that era that he came from that can still bring it are: Steve Winwood and Eric Burdon.

shiloh66 said:

What says you? I think I kind of agree with him...

http://music-mix.ew.com/2...r-daltrey/

Roger Daltrey of the Who certainly belongs alongside Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne, and the like on the Rock Frontmen Mt. Rushmore. So when he comes out and says there aren’t any real lead singers out there any more, we have to at least consider the idea.

In a conversation with the Associated Press, Daltrey dismissed the lot of current singers, especially those who show up on network television. “A lot of the new people they choose on shows like American Idol and things like that — I don’t ever hear lead singers,” Daltrey said. “They always seem to choose to pick people that are great singers, fabulous singers, but they’ve never got the voice that makes a great lead singer.”

Daltrey noted that these younger acts lack the distinction possessed by some of his great peers. “You hear 10 seconds of Rod Stewart, you know it’s Rod Stewart,” he explained. “Ten seconds of Mick Jagger, that’s Mick Jagger. Ten seconds of Eddie Vedder, you know that’s Eddie.” He also allowed that Adele is “the real deal.”

His primary complaint seems to be with the types of people who accomplish big things on American Idol and the like, and he might not be wrong. While Kelly Clarkson certainly has the sort of voice that fills a room and front a band, most of the winners from the past few seasons have lacked that compelling je ne sais quoi that makes people translate their television-watching to album-buying — a bridge that sometimes seems impossible to cross.

While people like Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen, and David Cook are certainly talented, they don’t necessarily own the sorts of voices that Daltrey (or Jagger or Vedder) have used to both express their lyrics and also command large rooms full of adoring fans. It’s sort of unfair to compare people you’re only just being introduced to on a television show to Rod Stewart (because not only is Stewart great, but he’s also been in the public eye for over four decades; over that amount of time, even Crystal Bowersox would be able to make an impression), but the sentiment comes across.

But let’s pretend for a second here that Daltrey is saying that there aren’t any great frontmen, because he might not be wrong about that either. Daltrey is specifically talking about voices in his complaint, but there’s a real dearth of people who are able to incorporate everything a frontman does.

The era that Daltrey came from, when unfettered vocalists stalked stages across the world, is long gone. The idea of approaching the frontman position like Freddie Mercury or David Lee Roth became so passé for a while that it never quite made its way back. It’s a difficult gig (just look at how instantly terrible Van Halen became with Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone at the helm instead of Roth), and it’s often overplayed a bit. Is there any doubt that the support for Guns N’ Roses’ entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is rooted in memories of when Axl Rose was an absolute monster on stadium stages?

There are certainly a number of people who combine vocal chops with enough presence to compel tens of thousands of people at a time. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong comes to mind; though he certainly doesn’t have the throat of a Plant or even that guy from Wolfmother, he knows showmanship.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin would probably qualify for this plateau as well, and he gets bonus points because, like any great legend, he’s super-polarizing (that’s the Bono School of Frontman Science). Jim James from My Morning Jacket seems like he’s growing in both vocal signature and onstage stature, and as soon as No Doubt get back on the road, Gwen Stefani will be the best bandleader working.

Of course, none of these people hold a candle to Roth, who could probably front the Starland Vocal Band and still make it feel like the greatest night in the history of rock.

RnBAmbassador said:

Daltrey needs to hush, he like Rod Stewart and Robert Plant can't bring it anymore.

Only two singers of that era that he came from that can still bring it are: Steve Winwood and Eric Burdon.

shiloh66 said:

What says you? I think I kind of agree with him...

http://music-mix.ew.com/2...r-daltrey/

Roger Daltrey of the Who certainly belongs alongside Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne, and the like on the Rock Frontmen Mt. Rushmore. So when he comes out and says there aren’t any real lead singers out there any more, we have to at least consider the idea.

In a conversation with the Associated Press, Daltrey dismissed the lot of current singers, especially those who show up on network television. “A lot of the new people they choose on shows like American Idol and things like that — I don’t ever hear lead singers,” Daltrey said. “They always seem to choose to pick people that are great singers, fabulous singers, but they’ve never got the voice that makes a great lead singer.”

Daltrey noted that these younger acts lack the distinction possessed by some of his great peers. “You hear 10 seconds of Rod Stewart, you know it’s Rod Stewart,” he explained. “Ten seconds of Mick Jagger, that’s Mick Jagger. Ten seconds of Eddie Vedder, you know that’s Eddie.” He also allowed that Adele is “the real deal.”

His primary complaint seems to be with the types of people who accomplish big things on American Idol and the like, and he might not be wrong. While Kelly Clarkson certainly has the sort of voice that fills a room and front a band, most of the winners from the past few seasons have lacked that compelling je ne sais quoi that makes people translate their television-watching to album-buying — a bridge that sometimes seems impossible to cross.

While people like Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen, and David Cook are certainly talented, they don’t necessarily own the sorts of voices that Daltrey (or Jagger or Vedder) have used to both express their lyrics and also command large rooms full of adoring fans. It’s sort of unfair to compare people you’re only just being introduced to on a television show to Rod Stewart (because not only is Stewart great, but he’s also been in the public eye for over four decades; over that amount of time, even Crystal Bowersox would be able to make an impression), but the sentiment comes across.

But let’s pretend for a second here that Daltrey is saying that there aren’t any great frontmen, because he might not be wrong about that either. Daltrey is specifically talking about voices in his complaint, but there’s a real dearth of people who are able to incorporate everything a frontman does.

The era that Daltrey came from, when unfettered vocalists stalked stages across the world, is long gone. The idea of approaching the frontman position like Freddie Mercury or David Lee Roth became so passé for a while that it never quite made its way back. It’s a difficult gig (just look at how instantly terrible Van Halen became with Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone at the helm instead of Roth), and it’s often overplayed a bit. Is there any doubt that the support for Guns N’ Roses’ entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is rooted in memories of when Axl Rose was an absolute monster on stadium stages?

There are certainly a number of people who combine vocal chops with enough presence to compel tens of thousands of people at a time. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong comes to mind; though he certainly doesn’t have the throat of a Plant or even that guy from Wolfmother, he knows showmanship.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin would probably qualify for this plateau as well, and he gets bonus points because, like any great legend, he’s super-polarizing (that’s the Bono School of Frontman Science). Jim James from My Morning Jacket seems like he’s growing in both vocal signature and onstage stature, and as soon as No Doubt get back on the road, Gwen Stefani will be the best bandleader working.

Of course, none of these people hold a candle to Roth, who could probably front the Starland Vocal Band and still make it feel like the greatest night in the history of rock.

I am unsure as to why Roger Daltry has anything to say about great lead singers. Perhaps he knows some great lead singers, or has an album by Queen or something.?