I was just about to drink my coffee when you said Axl Rose's voice sounded like he was buggering a cat. I narrowly missed having drank my coffee and laughing out loud at the same time. The comment was spot on.
Joe plays gritty riffs. His guitar and voice ring true. He’s a survivor. This comes across, as his songs have a non fiction authenticity to them. Stories of lore.
I don't mind Michael Stipe's voice at all. And I do enjoy the mumbling early era. Later in the IRS years I think 'Fall On Me' really showed a powerful vocal performance from Stipe. I always enjoy the backing vocals of Mills and Berry.
prefer the earlier mumble - with more confidence, he started to project more around Document. His voice seemed to move up a half register and wasn't as appealing.
@@seancassidy674 I have an old MOJO magazine from 1994 with an interview with Elvis Costello in which he said he loved early REM until he could understand Stipe's lyrics.
Axl Rose, Billy Corgan and Vince Neil are the first that come to mind. Most of those 80's hair metal singers sounded like grandma being kicked down the stairs
Kiss kiss kiss kiss me love! Just one kiss kiss will do! 😂 she was god awful on Double Fantasy….although I did like the song “I’m Moving On”😊. Yoko rant over
@@wernervanderwalt8541 Well, even though Zappa's music isn't my thing, I appreciate his experimental creativity. When I listen to him talk he seems like an intelligent man.
Neil's voice though nasal or whiny at times, nevertheless carries a melody in most songs. Most of the time all I hear from Dylan is a lazy rap along to simple chords - not a tuneful singer at all.
@@garyh.238 There’s an anecdote from when Neil was singing for the charity ensemble Northern Lights piece, “Tears Are Not Enough,” and David Foster tells Neil from the control room that he was a little flat on the last passage, and Neil just looks back and says “Hey, that’s just my style, man.”
Try watching his live performances, looks like he is being electrocuted by his guitar, his onstage band members are trying to find some kind of rhythm to his gyrations while staying clear of the madman! LOL!
Interesting you didn't mention Brian Johnson of AC/DC. I find he kinda sounds like Donald Duck on cocaine, and I have a similar issue with Axl Rose. Also a very distinctive voice woulbe be Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins. Great songwriter, and not a bad singer, but I can't listen to more than one album at a time.
Brian's first three albums were damm good and "Back in Black " is out of this world. But from 1985 and till now his voice has been shot. Shoot to thrill is probably his best vocals
Surprisingly, I don't mind Brian's voice in classic AC/DC... but I can take only so much of it... and only out of nostalgia from when I was young. Same goes for most metal bands. I can't listen for too long... Brian gets got a 30-minute limit.
I find Peter Garrett to be really charismatic, and I like what his voice brings to the music. Helps that Midnight Oil have excellent songwriters and good backing vocals.
I love Rush's music dearly, but I've heard somebody describe Geddy Lee's voice in the early years of the band as a "mosquito-like whine." I don't mind it, but I can understand why some people might dislike it. :)
@@davej.meister5421 Yep, I always thought of Rush as more prog-metal, so definitely not for the hair-metal set, but I can understand people not liking the early Rush where Geddy is attempting a Robert Plant vocal without having the timbre to do Robert Plant vocals. My mom actually thought it was Janis Joplin singing, and she’s not a fan of Janis’ singing either. Geddy is better from Moving Pictures onwards, but loses the range to maintain status as a very good vocalist probably just before Roll The Bones came out.
@@entropybentwhistle These so-called "hard rock/metal purists" often decline to acknowledge Rush's contributions to metal. And they're even denying that Neil Peart is an influential drummer that inspired several of their fave drummers, likewise. I just encountered one of those knuckleheads who said he dislikes Rush because of Geddy's "awful singing voice." He also dared to say that Rush and the late great Professor Neil Peart (R.I.P.) are highly overrated. You see these purists just cannot seem to look or listen past Geddy's voice or even realize the talent they actually had. They refuse to listen to Rush's awesome deeper stuff like the brilliant epic late 70s instrumental "La Villa Strangiato." These purists just love to be locked inside their drama packed cartoon world bubble where bandmates feud with one another and whose careers are bemired by drug abuse. This purist idiot with whom I debated arrogantly suggested that maybe if Rush did drugs and changed their lineup other bands did, that they'd actually be a better band. These are the very same buffoons who dig screaming Satan worshipper King Diamond, whose brand of metal music I detest to the nth degree. They also believe glam metal is supposedly REAL metal, which is totally laughable. These purists or their blathering ranting comments should NEVER be taken seriously...EVER.
I think "buggering a cat" might be the most apt description of Axl Rose's upper range I've ever heard. I've given similar descriptions of Yoko Ono--although what I specifically said was that she sounds like "two cats f*cking in a blender."
Two artists I’ve loved for years who don’t have the greatest vocals are Elvis Costello and Donald Fagen. Costello is a top shelf songwriter but in the Dylan mode as a vocalist. However, his voice was perfectly suited to the angry young man persona in his new wave period; in the 90s, he collaborated with Burt Bacharach and proved his vocals were certainly unsuited for songs written for Dionne Warwick and the like. And Donald Fagen was perfectly suited for the idiosyncratic songs of Steely Dan (and his solo career). A quirky vocal style but I love it on those classic Dan albums.
ironically in context to your comment, i saw a show around 07 with elvis costello opening for bob dylan. elvis' performance was solo and acoustic. when i learned this, i was not optimistic. however, elvis blew me away with the power of his voice and his delivery of his songs. i didn't expect that he had such talent hidden away behind his other performances. maybe you will never care for his voice, but you might be surprised if you have the experience i did. i still am not much of a guy for solo acoustic performances -- by anybody -- so that gives you an idea of my surprise and appreciation. for decades, i couldn't stomach bob dylan, but he has abandoned the " dry heave " intonation of songs in his younger years. now he is a singer with a very deep and gruff voice. i really like his material now, bluesy, darker, and a little funky ( not in the parliament funk genre ).
I saw Elvis Costello twice on one of his tours and I agree that he can sing anything. One show was just him and a guitar and it was incredible. There are not many artists who could captivate an audience in that way.
@@shaunhynan-meade6961 that was my experience, too, seeing elvis do an acoustic show. this guy is the real s&^t and he can bring it.he knocked me out and i am sure not many performers would even try what he knocked outta the park.
I was introduced to German music way back in the '70's and fell in love with Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich and Klaus Nomi. On the other hand I've loved Yes, ELP and Iron Maiden too.
Perhaps if John had just said " sorry luv, but you just can't sing", she would have cleared off in a huff, and we would still have him around. And side two of " live peace in Toronto" would be listenable...
I must say that your description of Dylan’s voice as a “vacuum cleaner in an adjacent room” almost made me blow coffee out of my nose. I did, however, have tears blowing out of my eyes. Excellent!
One of our friends had a Dustbuster portable vacuum cleaner that she called “Bob”. She said it sounded like Dylan every time she turned it on. It did. 😂
As the story I was told goes, during the recording of “Tears Are Not Enough”(Canada’s entry into the “Do They Know It’s Christmas”/“We Are The Children” flood) producer David Foster had asked Neil Young to do another take of his vocals as he was singing “too flat”. Young, looking a Foster replied “David, that’s my thing”.
Thank you for bringing up Ian Anderson's downfall. His voice fell apart a few years back and his new material is unlistenable because of it. Fortunately for the Tull fans, he has been using another singer live for some of their material. These days, I have taken to attending shows with Martin Barre's band. Dan Crisps voice is suited very well for the early Tull material and I find the smaller venues much more to my liking than the larger theaters Tull still plays. I also want to add that I have always seen Axel Rose's voice as a joke. It is almost like listening to a cartoon character. I have never been a G&R fan and will never be because I cannot get past the silliness of his singing.
In contrast, I'm amazed, despite his decline in range, on how good Robert Plant sounds these days. His collaborations with AK are so tasty. Somewhere down the line he must have listened to some experts/doctors and preserved what vocal cords he had left.
Ian's voice problems started in the early 80s during the Under Wraps tour, and has deteriorated steadily ever since. You can certainly hear the difference starting with Crest Of a Knave. While he tailored material from that point on to suit his lesser range, it's definitely true that he can't sing the old stuff anymore. I haven't seen Tull for many years, but I'm glad to hear he's employing another vocalist. As far as Martin is concerned, while he is certainly entitled to perform old Tull tunes, I'd much rather he focus his energies on new material.
I know Tom Waits ain't easy, but, for me, his songwriting and performance exceeds most others. His choices of vocal styles is extraordinary... Love Tom Waits 👍
Funny that Tom Waits gets compared to Howlin’ Wolf, yet many don’t like Waits voice while nearly everyone puts Howlin’ Wolf top of the list of blues singers
I like his funk / shuffle / ragtime fare. His ballads - not so much. Some of his albums are all ballads, some all shuffle. I don't mind a ballad interspersed here & there, but some of his albums are ALL ballads - no thanks!
I just discovered your videos ... and LOVE them. Spot on critique and analysis. Witty, insightful and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Keep up the good work.
I saw The Fall twice in the 80s and I still say they were the worst band I ever saw. Great attitude from MES but tuneless drivel. Second place; The Pogues.
I never could stand his yelling over loud music on songs that had too many words and went on for far too long. With Dylan it depends on the song. I especially like his early work, acoustic and electric. John Wesley Harding is my all time fave of his.
A doctorate in Bob Dylan’s voice would have to go to Tom Petty. The fact that someone thought that “The Traveling Wilburys” needed to be a thing proves that the music business is filled with hateful minds.
As far as I'm concerned, GNR are responsible for the two worst covers I've ever had the misfortune to hear - Live and Let Die, which you mentioned, but even worse is Knockin on Heaven's Door. Who knew "door" was a 3-syllable word? How they ever got into the RNRHOF is beyond me (although that's opening another can of worms).
@@SamanthaGuttesen Is he the lispy beard from OGWT? If so I disagree completely. Dismisthing NY Dolls as "mock rock" whilst reposing in his flares and suede. I just hate it that's all. Hippy!
I agree with your comments re Axl Rose. Recalls the time I was at a small venue in Singapore with an excellent covers band playing - 3 female vocalists who took turns to sing lead, with the others doing BV. And a superb sound set-up. They did Sweet Child of Mine - a great rendition, the guitarist absolutely nailed Slash's solo and we were spared Axl's whine.
My husband cannot stand Janis Joplin or Steve Marriott in his Humble Pie Years (he doesn't mind Steve's Small Faces voice), but I adore both singers. The depth of soul these two sing with is beyond compare in my opinion. What quality is it that makes one person hate a sound and another love it??
Your husband needs to get his hearing tested. They’re two of the best rock singers of all time. He probably doesn’t like Ian Gillian or Paul Rodgers either
@@stoneyj.5538 Actually, I don't think he would know their names, but of course he does know the bands they were in. We do have both Free and Deep Purple in our collection. Out of curiosity, I asked him who his favorite singer was, and he couldn't name anyone. He says he's more interested in the guitarists or drummers, interesting...
Good stuff! Ian Anderson; a fan since 1970. After the Minstrel in the Gallery tour, and the release of Too Old to Rock and Roll, his voice changed. As with Geddy Lee, just fair wear and tear
Was surprised you didn't mention Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins. I scrolled through the comments and didn't see him mentioned there either, I happen to love the Pumpkins, and can get by his voice, but I know people who love that genre of music but utterly dismiss the band mainly due to his vocals. An honorable mention to Thom Yorke as well.
Personally I can't stand Rod Stewart. Every time I hear him sing I want to clear my throat. I agree with most of what you said, and you always give me a chuckle or two. But I would like to know who told Axl Rose he could sing. Quite possibly his mother.
Barry...wow! You really are objective! When I saw this title, I immediately thought, "...wonder what he's going to think of Roger Chapman?" I bought Family's "Fearless" album from a cut-out bin for $1.00 in like 1977. It may be my greatest scouring music find. Brilliant! Incredible musicianship and THAT voice! I think Roger has real balls to even open his mouth in front of a mic. ...and I love him for it! Naysayers be damned! He is impassioned and a powerhouse...of sorts. Agree with your takes on the rest...I would have flipped categories with Waits and Chapman. Waits is comical but vocally unlistenable at times. Again, great insights on your part.
2:20 - Ian Anderson I've always liked Ian Anderson's voice, even now, because as I wrote below - Ian plays his voice like he plays his instruments, he does whatever he can with it - creatively, professionally and tastefull. So I enjoy all the recordings, but what I've never liked so much, even back in his prime was the way he sounded live. That probably has more to do with the fact that I live in the SF Bay Area in CA, USA - almost always the last stops on their tours and by that time Ian is froggied out! I remember him best around the time of Heavy Horses, even though the first concert I attended was Passion Play in a huge stadium from the nosebleed seats stage right. On albums Ian seems to know how to double track his voice and sing in harmony to back himself up like an orchestra. Live, my problem is, it just hurts to listen to Ian - not because he cannot reach the notes, but to me sounds like a timing issue ... he seems to always start singing just at the last microsecond, and it kind of pulls the music back and creates the most unpleasant feeling for me. Like he is not going to make it, or the band has to slow down for him. He hits the notes, at least well enough for me, but it's his phrasing that is not right - at least to me. I guess all those people who attend the concernts feel differently - and that is great - I'm glad. Ian really gets a lot of shite, deserved or undeserved for not writing songs like he used to, to not being able to sing, to always including sort of ugly or politically incorrect imagery in his lyrics, to never writing about anything remotely personal, to flinging Martin Barre away like a used tissue ... all of which are kind of unfair. I just try to detach Ian from his music. I hate it when I see all these worshipful comments about rock stars, but this guy is an amazing talent in that he has written so much music and worked so hard - you just have to give him credit for what he has accomplished. Oh I forgot, he is so money-hungry, with all the releases and merchandising! ;-) Gotta say who else's music have I consistently enjoyed so much for 50+ years and who is still writing amazing stuff. No one.
@justgivemethetruth, Tull are one-of-kind and, with such a big and varied catalog, it's made it a pleasure listening regularly for decades. Zero interest, however, in anything they've done since the novelty Christmas Album, and sacking Martin (and Doane) really rubbed me the wrong way. In my opinion, Ian is doing his legacy a big disservice in continuing to put out dull new music and tour as a 'singer'. I haven't seen him since 2008-ish. Friends of mine -- only mild fans -- saw him in November '23 and said was bad. I saw Martin live in Oct '23, which was fun.
I was totally expecting you to mention Geddy Lee's voice. I love Rush and, to my ears at least, Rush just wouldn't be Rush without his voice. Growing up, I knew of more than one of my friends' would not allow us to play their music in the house while they were home. Others I could mention are Neil Young, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth), and King Diamond (Mercyful Fate).
I like the Cookie Monster comparison with Tom Waits. I'm a big fan of his and so is my ex partner. I remember us playing one of his songs to her father, who is a professional jazz musician. It was 'Somewhere' from West Side Story. Her Dad was enjoying the arrangement of the intro, but when the vocal kicked in, he grimaced and said: "He sounds like a f***ing muppet!"
It seems to me that the more accurate description here is that there are singers who can write and arrange music that fits around their voice to make voice, musicians and song an ensemble, and there are singers who seem careless and charmless with the songs they choose to perform. One voice you did not mention is that of Jerry Garcia which was okay for the first twenty years of The Grateful Dead but was in a state of steady decline for the last ten years.
I was hoping Axl was on this list! Appetite came out when I had just graduated high school. My bandmate got the album early and would SCREAM like Axl the whole way to rehearsal. It took me a while to warm up to that record because of him!
I absolutely adore Family, one forgets Roger's vocal idiosyncrasies (namely, the 'warble') because the songs and music are so great. I just accept the vocals because they're part of the whole glorious package (and learn to love them).Surely the whole weird caboodle makes a prog band complete, that's why many of us are so fanatical about them. One Family CD is shocking and definitely not enough - you've got to go for the whole collection. Family are surely, and genuinely, one of the most criminally underrated bands and actually had a massive role in the development of adventurous and startling progressive rock. Tragically Family didn't stick around long enough.
Roger Chapman sounds like a goat, as a friend of mine says. Although he had a particular proeminent stage-presence, its the sound that counts, specially in a band so music-orientated as Family. If he was the lead-singer in, for instance, early Genesis or Gentle Giant (instead of Peter Gabriel or Derek Schulmann, both of whom were not vocal experts, but played the role as well as possible), these 2 bands would have been in serious problems back then.
Roger has also said that he doesn't regard himself as a singer, but an instrumentalist, using his voice as an instrument, and there's a lot of variety in what he does.
@@TheSanityInspector That does not mean he is not still a fantastic singer. It just means its different now. Is Mark Knopfler a shit guitar player now because he isn’t knocking out a new Telegraph Road solo every week? He is by your logic. Bit of friendly advice from an old muso, think less, enjoy more. Likes and clicks aren’t everything. If one of my crap vids got a tenth of the likes most on here do I would worry.
The first time I heard Geddy Lee's voice on a Farewell to Kings I was so shocked I briefly stopped the record. But I adapted to it fairly quickly and now I love it.
I love Neil Young and find his voice comforting, especially the older stuff. I was surprised he did not make your list as I know a lot of people have problems with his vocals.
with Neil many people through the does realize it's not a shtick they're pretty much used to the sound of his whiny Canadian voice. People have come to appreciate it through the years along with his fantastic songwriting
I saw Bob Dyan on Liverpool Empire 1966 I was 16 ,back then he was at his best brilliant show still long time Bob Dyan fan play his music on weekly basis but I would want to pay to see him now
Rush's Geddy Lee gets called out a lot simply based on his singing on the early albums, but if you listen to anything from the 80s onward he lowered his voice quite a lot. He ended up being a decent if unremarkable singer and certainly the best fit for Rush's music.
Agreed, ironic that Clockwork Angels is vocally one of his best but I really don't like listening to him doing the classic stuff after about 95. Maybe Angels had studio help.
Even when Geddy lowered his voice over the decades, I still thought it was a woman singing, basically because I was introduced to Rush in the later period (around the time of Vapor Trails, to be precise).
Like I've been carping on elsewhere, the only plus card for Axel is that he's getting old and he'll be dead before too long. Then, everyone can make him into a martyr and a legend or whatever. They'll have their departed saint, I'll have relief that he's gone.
When Tom Waits sings in his "natural" voice, I really like it..... It's when he does that odd, deep, guttural "put on voice" that I quickly lose patience with it...... x
His "natural" voice was his first couple albums (Closing Time and The Heart of Saturday Night). I think the voice we hear after that was a combination of his natural voice degrading due to lifestyle and a conscious choice to adopt a gruffer and stranger personality (partly to shield himself from intrusive fans, also because this correlated to the new vistas he wanted to explore). He's acting, and you really have to choose to go along with it if you want to enjoy it. To me, it's worth it, because the bulk of his albums are crammed full of gems.
Yeah, songs like "Martha", "Ol' 55", etc., have that natural quality, which is really nice. But I also like the guttural stuff when the song is fun. Discovered him in the late 80s when he was on David Letterman's show, singing "Tango 'til They're Sore", "Straight To The Top", etc. 😁 It's all on RUclips now.
Could not agree more. The voice itself plus the fact that the Doobie Brothers were a legit rock band before pivoting to adult contemporary when Michael McDonald joined (Not saying their radio-friendly 70s rock was anything special, only that their music was unquestionably rock before MM)
I SO agree. The Doobies were a pretty good band until the day MM joined. Then they became a syrupy pop nightmare. I can't even listen to 'Peg' from Steely Dan because I can hear him in the background.
I'm with ya brother. Me thinks Tom Waits-Franks Wild Years is one great album. His uneasy, unusual vocals accentuate the bold 'n amazin' creation he produced then. Top notch.
Used to get a lift to work with a guy who only ever played ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ by ByJovi in his car……..I didn’t think much of them before……I came to absolutely despise them……
The Guess Who needs to be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. No band hand had such great heartfelt music that rocked the world melodically and had massive sales. OMG American Woman, Star Baby, No Time, No Sugar Tonight, These Eyes and many more. There must be someone really pissed off with major influence to keep these guys away from the Great Hall.
Never minded Coldplay that much (honestly I quite like their earlier stuff), but I can understand the overplay being irritating to someone who doesn't like them, and it's been a long time since they've put an album out that I really like.
The vocals of Family have been a barrier for me as well, and like you, I like the instrumentation. Man, your ways of describing these vocalists' voices is beyond entertaining. I also think you were spot on with Axl Rose; I also like his lower register voice applied to more melodic fare.
Thanks for this very entertaining video. I feared Peter Hammill's distinctive voice might get blasted by your caustic humour. I love Peter's voice, and Roger Chapman's and Mick Jagger's. Don Van Vliet's voice is an acquired taste, but I love the good Captain. Bob Dylan's voice I can't stand, also Leonard Cohen, also Joni Mitchell.
I love Roger Chapman's voice ('A Song For Me' is the album you have). As I've mentioned before, he doesn't regard himself as a singer, but as an instrumentalist, using his voice as an instrument, and there's a lot of variety in how he uses it. Joan Baez I can't handle at all, like having a 3 foot shard of jagged glass being slowly pushed through your eardrum and into your brain. A general problem I have with most modern prog singers (Steven Wilson, for instance) is they have no character at all.
Thank you for the Axl Rose comments! I have never been a fan, and radio stations won't quit playing GnR songs! It's one of the reasons I don't listen to the radio anymore. I hate that ridiculous "ai-ai-ai-ai" thing (or however you would spell that sound) and his ridiculous Davy Jones dancing. I mean, the guy could hit a note, but it wasn't a pleasant note!
I agree with you about Roger Chapman. I once joked they should do an album called Larry the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The voice I have never been able to listen too is Brian Ferry
Brian Molko (Placebo) and Jello Biaffra (Dead Kennedy's) are two that come to mind, personally I like them both but I can understand why some people can't get away with them. Roger Chapmans voice is certainly unique but I love it.
The first few times my wife heard Placebo she kept looking at me with a WTF face. I kept telling her to keep listening, then one day at work, I heard her singing "Begin the End". I knew I had made a convert!
Ever since I first heard it 50 years ago, I've claimed that "Songs of Love and Hate" by Leonard Cohen is the greatest anti-depressent ever invented. No matter how suicidal you may feel, when you listen to this you realise that there are people in a worse mental state than you.
The best thing I can think to ssay about him, is that he's gone now. These people the host talks about, they underline the message over and over again-- if you can't cut it, scoop up what's left of your dignity and get out of the vocal business. Go retire, take up knitting, write memoirs, produce for new acts, write books (honest ones)---- but for ****sakes, don't sing anymore!
In college someone played some cohen for me. EVERYBODY was aghast when I said I could make better sounds by stomping on a cat's tail. I was odd man out and to this day I can't figure it.
@@patrickknotts3921 When I was a kid it was years before I realized that Lay Lady Lay was sung by Bob Dylan. Kind of like I didn't know that Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In was sung by Kenny Rogers.
When someone tells me my favourite singers can't sing (Waits, Doors, Bowie, Lou Reed, Dury etc.) I reply with "Why let technical excellence ruin a good song?" I love the mood that their voices conjure. I really relate to the atmosphere that their voices create.
I’ve just come across your channel today and this is the 3rd video I’ve watched. I love your droll sense of humour and I laughed so much at your remarks and your followers’ comments that I’ve almost put my back out😂 Up there are Axl Rose “ cat being buggered” or “ cat being neutered without anaesthetic” and Brian Johnson “ Donald Duck on cocaine” and Geddy Lee “the voice of a 1000 year old goblin”🤣🤣 My twopenneth - I love Rush up to Permanent Waves musically but I do see Geddy Lee’s vocals as a detractor, I’m surprised you didn’t mention Jon Andersson and I don’t think Yes have aged well and I think Bowie is seriously flawed as a singer but I love his output with Mick Ronson. On a positive note, the greatest rock vocalists IMHO are The King, Freddie Mercury, Phil Lynott, Ian Gillan and Phil Mogg..
I was just about to drink my coffee when you said Axl Rose's voice sounded like he was buggering a cat. I narrowly missed having drank my coffee and laughing out loud at the same time. The comment was spot on.
Axl sounds like a screaming banshee .
Hahahaha!! 😂
I never liked GNR because of him.
I love some GnR songs but his voice, oh sweet mother, nooo
Can you explain to this American what buggering means? Not familiar with it.
Chris Martin is nails on the chalkboard.
a radiohead fans nightmare
The subject is not rock so not eligible
I am pleased you said Axl Rose.
Grates my nerves since day one
Could NEVER stand that guys voice
Knocking on Heaven's Door is heinous 😵💫🤮
Imagine if that band had a better singer.
@@ChuckSchickxthat one is particularly horrible
So overrated,as soon as I hear the start of any song by gnr channel change straight away,garbage!
Ian Anderson's voice issues break my heart. He was such a great vocalist back in the day.
He still is, just different. Ian plays his voice like he plays his instruments, he does whatever he can with it - AND THAT IS USUALLY A LOT!
YEah i agree. He was terrible last time i saw him :-( Id rather see Barres band, he has a killer vocalist in his band and the band is tighter imho.
@@ctcards2636, that's what I've done. Really good. I still find the whole split situation sad.
Completely lost it. Round Crest of a Knave
@@justgivemethetruth which now is, sadly, not a lot
To be honest. Brian Johnson sounds like the muppet Gonzo trying to sing 🎤 😂
Imagine Back in Black without him.
@@dennisneo1608 iv'e imagined it,yes,i CAN easy,oh,i don't like ACDC anyhow😊
There's only one AC/DC singer and that's Bon Scott
@@ACDZ123 YEP!
“Juuuuustin Hawkins rides again. Again.”
One singer I love, whose primarily known for his guirar, is Joe Walsh.
You just gave me a borderline guy for the hit list!
Love his guitar work and his humor. I consider his singing my guilty pleasure.
Randy Meisner was also an excellent singer
Joe plays gritty riffs. His guitar and voice ring true. He’s a survivor. This comes across, as his songs have a non fiction authenticity to them. Stories of lore.
What the hell is a GUIRAR ????
I don't mind Michael Stipe's voice at all. And I do enjoy the mumbling early era. Later in the IRS years I think 'Fall On Me' really showed a powerful vocal performance from Stipe. I always enjoy the backing vocals of Mills and Berry.
Stipe's voice doesn't bother me. But I do find him ,as a person, to be off-putting.
Mike Mills' harmonies are definitely the secret weapon of REM.
So many bad ones that frankly I’d never come up with Stipe. Just a brilliant band to begin with.
prefer the earlier mumble - with more confidence, he started to project more around Document. His voice seemed to move up a half register and wasn't as appealing.
@@seancassidy674 I have an old MOJO magazine from 1994 with an interview with Elvis Costello in which he said he loved early REM until he could understand Stipe's lyrics.
Axl Rose.... one of these voices that make me brake out in cold sweat. What a godawful screeching noise.
LOL… I’ve always compared Axel’s voice to a weasel getting run over by a car
Agreed...I find it unbelievable that there are people who consider him a great vocalist
The thing what makes me brake out in a cold sweat is when the breaks on my car fail and I crash, making me miss my spelling class.
@@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394 I recommend you attend a class on grammar instead. Your spelling is spot on.
@@NYR11949 Thems the brakes.
Axl Rose, Billy Corgan and Vince Neil are the first that come to mind. Most of those 80's hair metal singers sounded like grandma being kicked down the stairs
Axl is great
Compared to Yoko Ono, cat buggering is the sweetest music.
yes she ruins John lennon for me , she can not sing a lick
Kiss kiss kiss kiss me love! Just one kiss kiss will do! 😂 she was god awful on Double Fantasy….although I did like the song “I’m Moving On”😊.
Yoko rant over
@@frankez99 If only she had .
That is so funny! You are so right.
Second half of " live peace in Toronto". Dreadful. Didn't realise we hated the Canadians so much ....
Joe Cocker is my favorite quirky voice.
Stevie Nicks I really could not stand even from the beginning.
Stevie Nicks sounds like a goat bleating!
I never saw the appeal of Joe Cocker, period.
@@324cmac Yeah. Me neither. Don't really get the fascination with Zappa's music either. It's awful
@@wernervanderwalt8541 Well, even though Zappa's music isn't my thing, I appreciate his experimental creativity. When I listen to him talk he seems like an intelligent man.
I always preferred Christine McVie to Stevie.
Axl Rose buggering a cat. GOLD !
More likely the cat buggering him!
Eye-yeye-yeye-yeye
You forgot Jim "Dandy" Mangrum from Black Oak Arkansas. One critic called his voice "screeching from the gutters of Hell." I love it.
Kinda agree but atleast he we energetic on stage.i seen him live and he could throwdown back in the day.
@@patramirez5264 Saw a comment on a BOA video where someone said David Lee Roth essentially stole Jim Dandy's onstage act. I totally see it now.
He didn’t forget him, just doesn’t agree with you.
@@footbruI highly suggest you check them out on the Raunch and Roll Live album. One of the best live acts ever. A truly unique voice.
The original David Lee Roth.
The Darkness are a joke? That’s rich coming from Bon Jovi
My first thought also when he said that.
Bon Jovi are a no trick pony. Once you've heard Living on a prayer, and Always you've heard all their songs.
Both are joked.
@@SeptemberChild1835 The Darkness knows they are a joke, that is what they are going for. Bon Jovi thinks they are a very serious band.
I could listen to this guy’s article and intelligent comments every day… and great content
Thank you
@@classicalbum and you rate presto by Rush as a good album. Scores points with me. Cheers
Agree. The subject matters, but the wordsmithery is excellent to my mind.
A bit of misinformation here and there to watch out for, though.
@@stevedraper8849 If only RUclips wouldn't demonetize if he played samples of music!
Neil Young is hard for me to listen to, at times, but he's an amazing writer and crafter of songs...so I live with it. I totally agree with Dylan.
Neil's voice though nasal or whiny at times, nevertheless carries a melody in most songs. Most of the time all I hear from Dylan is a lazy rap along to simple chords - not a tuneful singer at all.
Same with Neil Diamond. Great writer, but his singing is not the best.
@@garyh.238 There’s an anecdote from when Neil was singing for the charity ensemble Northern Lights piece, “Tears Are Not Enough,” and David Foster tells Neil from the control room that he was a little flat on the last passage, and Neil just looks back and says “Hey, that’s just my style, man.”
Try watching his live performances, looks like he is being electrocuted by his guitar, his onstage band members are trying to find some kind of rhythm to his gyrations while staying clear of the madman! LOL!
Neil's a beautiful singer.
Interesting you didn't mention Brian Johnson of AC/DC. I find he kinda sounds like Donald Duck on cocaine, and I have a similar issue with Axl Rose. Also a very distinctive voice woulbe be Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins. Great songwriter, and not a bad singer, but I can't listen to more than one album at a time.
Brian's first three albums were damm good and "Back in Black " is out of this world.
But from 1985 and till now his voice has been shot. Shoot to thrill is probably his best vocals
Surprisingly, I don't mind Brian's voice in classic AC/DC... but I can take only so much of it... and only out of nostalgia from when I was young. Same goes for most metal bands. I can't listen for too long... Brian gets got a 30-minute limit.
That was who sprang to my mind, From 'Fly on the wall' onwards he sounded like someone doing a comedy Brian Johnson impression.
I agree 110% with your comment!
Randy Newman can't stand that mamby pamby voice of his
I was surprised Geddy Lee wasn’t on the first half.
I like Rush's music, his voice kills it for me.
@@AdamTaylor-g5p I agree; i just know how a lot of normies feel.
@@AdamTaylor-g5p Geddy is awful. _ fixed it for you.
_”I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!”_
Great bassist, but lord that man cannot sing.
Two more love-it-or-hate-it voices that I love: Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil) and Geddy Lee (amazed he didn’t get a mention in this video).
I like both of them! :D
@@etiennedevignolles7538 👍
I find Peter Garrett to be really charismatic, and I like what his voice brings to the music. Helps that Midnight Oil have excellent songwriters and good backing vocals.
@@rodstrong8539 Love the man.
I love Rush's music dearly, but I've heard somebody describe Geddy Lee's voice in the early years of the band as a "mosquito-like whine." I don't mind it, but I can understand why some people might dislike it. :)
Those people cannot seem to realize that Rush was in a class of their own. They probably like only "hair metal."
@@davej.meister5421 Yep, I always thought of Rush as more prog-metal, so definitely not for the hair-metal set, but I can understand people not liking the early Rush where Geddy is attempting a Robert Plant vocal without having the timbre to do Robert Plant vocals. My mom actually thought it was Janis Joplin singing, and she’s not a fan of Janis’ singing either. Geddy is better from Moving Pictures onwards, but loses the range to maintain status as a very good vocalist probably just before Roll The Bones came out.
@@entropybentwhistle Funny, I like both...
@@entropybentwhistle These so-called "hard rock/metal purists" often decline to acknowledge Rush's contributions to metal. And they're even denying that Neil Peart is an influential drummer that inspired several of their fave drummers, likewise. I just encountered one of those knuckleheads who said he dislikes Rush because of Geddy's "awful singing voice." He also dared to say that Rush and the late great Professor Neil Peart (R.I.P.) are highly overrated. You see these purists just cannot seem to look or listen past Geddy's voice or even realize the talent they actually had. They refuse to listen to Rush's awesome deeper stuff like the brilliant epic late 70s instrumental "La Villa Strangiato." These purists just love to be locked inside their drama packed cartoon world bubble where bandmates feud with one another and whose careers are bemired by drug abuse. This purist idiot with whom I debated arrogantly suggested that maybe if Rush did drugs and changed their lineup other bands did, that they'd actually be a better band. These are the very same buffoons who dig screaming Satan worshipper King Diamond, whose brand of metal music I detest to the nth degree. They also believe glam metal is supposedly REAL metal, which is totally laughable. These purists or their blathering ranting comments should NEVER be taken seriously...EVER.
Rush was more prog than Zeppelin but less prog than Yes. Imo
"like buggering a cat." Never gonna unhear that.
Glad my cat wasn't around to hear that one
cat is out of the bag.
I had to put a guns n roses song on youtube to check... Confirmed.... 😀
🤣 I just had to stop the video to compose myself after he said that. 😂
What does buggering a cat mean?
I think "buggering a cat" might be the most apt description of Axl Rose's upper range I've ever heard. I've given similar descriptions of Yoko Ono--although what I specifically said was that she sounds like "two cats f*cking in a blender."
Or wolverine on a chalkboard with both hands!!
Think Edith bunker…
I think Axel sounds like Ethel Merman lol
I like Yoko, always have. I admit some live Ono Band stuff can be taxing.
What does it mean? buggering a cat?
"malevolent cookie monster" is such a good description 😂
Two artists I’ve loved for years who don’t have the greatest vocals are Elvis Costello and Donald Fagen.
Costello is a top shelf songwriter but in the Dylan mode as a vocalist. However, his voice was perfectly suited to the angry young man persona in his new wave period; in the 90s, he collaborated with Burt Bacharach and proved his vocals were certainly unsuited for songs written for Dionne Warwick and the like.
And Donald Fagen was perfectly suited for the idiosyncratic songs of Steely Dan (and his solo career). A quirky vocal style but I love it on those classic Dan albums.
ironically in context to your comment, i saw a show around 07 with elvis costello opening for bob dylan. elvis' performance was solo and acoustic. when i learned this, i was not optimistic. however, elvis blew me away with the power of his voice and his delivery of his songs. i didn't expect that he had such talent hidden away behind his other performances. maybe you will never care for his voice, but you might be surprised if you have the experience i did. i still am not much of a guy for solo acoustic performances -- by anybody -- so that gives you an idea of my surprise and appreciation. for decades, i couldn't stomach bob dylan, but he has abandoned the " dry heave " intonation of songs in his younger years. now he is a singer with a very deep and gruff voice. i really like his material now, bluesy, darker, and a little funky ( not in the parliament funk genre ).
I saw Elvis Costello twice on one of his tours and I agree that he can sing anything. One show was just him and a guitar and it was incredible. There are not many artists who could captivate an audience in that way.
@@shaunhynan-meade6961 that was my experience, too, seeing elvis do an acoustic show. this guy is the real s&^t and he can bring it.he knocked me out and i am sure not many performers would even try what he knocked outta the park.
Love Donald Fagen
Cannot stand Elvis Costello
I was introduced to German music way back in the '70's and fell in love with Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich and Klaus Nomi. On the other hand I've loved Yes, ELP and Iron Maiden too.
Is it even fair to mention Yoko and singer in the same sentence ?
No Sandy Denny is she ?
If she had not hooked up with John Lennon no one would even know her name. She is the most godawful pretentious phony in the history of music.
Perhaps if John had just said " sorry luv, but you just can't sing", she would have cleared off in a huff, and we would still have him around. And side two of " live peace in Toronto" would be listenable...
That's like calling non-alcoholic beer, beer.
no
Surprised Geddy isn't there - took me a while to get past the initial shock
I never had a problem with Geddy's singing, but in later years his voice deteriorated quite a bit. He just can't hit those high notes anymore
Oh, I prefer Geddy in the later years and find the early Geddy’s voice irritating.
Cannot listen to Rush because his singing just makes me wince.
Thank you. I can't stand them because of him.
@@thomasflynn5366 on the later albums, he sounds better
I must say that your description of Dylan’s voice as a “vacuum cleaner in an adjacent room” almost made me blow coffee out of my nose. I did, however, have tears blowing out of my eyes. Excellent!
I always thought he sounded like a constipated Hoover.
I love Dylan, but the "vacuum cleaner in an adjacent room" is just a stunning description. Something poetic about it as well. 😂
@@nightrain8650 lol…
One of our friends had a Dustbuster portable vacuum cleaner that she called “Bob”. She said it sounded like Dylan every time she turned it on. It did. 😂
As the story I was told goes, during the recording of “Tears Are Not Enough”(Canada’s entry into the “Do They Know It’s Christmas”/“We Are The Children” flood) producer David Foster had asked Neil Young to do another take of his vocals as he was singing “too flat”. Young, looking a Foster replied “David, that’s my thing”.
Thank you for bringing up Ian Anderson's downfall. His voice fell apart a few years back and his new material is unlistenable because of it. Fortunately for the Tull fans, he has been using another singer live for some of their material. These days, I have taken to attending shows with Martin Barre's band. Dan Crisps voice is suited very well for the early Tull material and I find the smaller venues much more to my liking than the larger theaters Tull still plays.
I also want to add that I have always seen Axel Rose's voice as a joke. It is almost like listening to a cartoon character. I have never been a G&R fan and will never be because I cannot get past the silliness of his singing.
I agree re. Anderson and Martin Barre although nothing stands up to the original Anderson vocals.
In contrast, I'm amazed, despite his decline in range, on how good Robert Plant sounds these days. His collaborations with AK are so tasty. Somewhere down the line he must have listened to some experts/doctors and preserved what vocal cords he had left.
I can see why you feel this way but i quite like the Zealot gene I think it is a great album
@@progmonster4 And what little I've heard of the upcoming RökFlöte sounds promising. Yes, the voice is diminished, but the music is there.
Ian's voice problems started in the early 80s during the Under Wraps tour, and has deteriorated steadily ever since. You can certainly hear the difference starting with Crest Of a Knave. While he tailored material from that point on to suit his lesser range, it's definitely true that he can't sing the old stuff anymore. I haven't seen Tull for many years, but I'm glad to hear he's employing another vocalist. As far as Martin is concerned, while he is certainly entitled to perform old Tull tunes, I'd much rather he focus his energies on new material.
I know Tom Waits ain't easy, but, for me, his songwriting and performance exceeds most others. His choices of vocal styles is extraordinary... Love Tom Waits 👍
The most uncomfortable vocalist has to be Diamanda Galas 'singing' The Litanies of Satan... Guaranteed to clear a room 😱
Funny that Tom Waits gets compared to Howlin’ Wolf, yet many don’t like Waits voice while nearly everyone puts Howlin’ Wolf top of the list of blues singers
Never got into him at all, enjoy some of Lou reed that’s more my kinda music. Or velvet underground
I like his funk / shuffle / ragtime fare. His ballads - not so much. Some of his albums are all ballads, some all shuffle. I don't mind a ballad interspersed here & there, but some of his albums are ALL ballads - no thanks!
Tom waits is genius. Can listen to him all day.
I just discovered your videos ... and LOVE them. Spot on critique and analysis. Witty, insightful and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Keep up the good work.
I could listen to Tangled Up In Blue all day!
The Fall's Mark E Smith was for all intents and purposes tone deaf, but he had one of the coolest voices ever.
Mark belongs on anyone's list of great vocalists for his northern attitude and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Also tone-deaf
My favorite Fall line up was when it was just Mark and his granny on bongos.
@@colgrey438 Argh, edited!
I saw The Fall twice in the 80s and I still say they were the worst band I ever saw. Great attitude from MES but tuneless drivel. Second place; The Pogues.
Bruce Springsteen is a graduate student from the Bob Dylan school of singing.
I never could stand his yelling over loud music on songs that had too many words and went on for far too long. With Dylan it depends on the song. I especially like his early work, acoustic and electric. John Wesley Harding is my all time fave of his.
Except Springsteen sings in a crooning baritone rather than Dylan's nasal tenor.
A doctorate in Bob Dylan’s voice would have to go to Tom Petty. The fact that someone thought that “The Traveling Wilburys” needed to be a thing proves that the music business is filled with hateful minds.
Bruce yells and growls.
Mark Knopfler, too.
Without doubt Axel rose especially when he sang live and let die ! He sounded like a bloody club turn !
As far as I'm concerned, GNR are responsible for the two worst covers I've ever had the misfortune to hear - Live and Let Die, which you mentioned, but even worse is Knockin on Heaven's Door. Who knew "door" was a 3-syllable word? How they ever got into the RNRHOF is beyond me (although that's opening another can of worms).
Axel sounds like Ethel Merman on the rag, and that's the nicest opinion I have about him.
@@bobschiller6435 oh god yeah forgot about the Dylan cover truly truly awful 🤮🤮
@@noyfb4769 😂😂😂😂😂
The Ethel Merman of rock.
Great, great video. I just love the way you explain your likes and dislikes, it makes these even more enjoyable.
Axl Rose sounds like Edith Bunker, especially on Knocking on Heaven’s Door.
Speaking of voices..I love yours..cool, calming, and fluid. Cheers mate!
Makes me think of Whispering Bob Harris.
@@SamanthaGuttesen Is he the lispy beard from OGWT? If so I disagree completely. Dismisthing NY Dolls as "mock rock" whilst reposing in his flares and suede. I just hate it that's all. Hippy!
To each his own. Diversity is why we have things we prefer.
I agree with your comments re Axl Rose. Recalls the time I was at a small venue in Singapore with an excellent covers band playing - 3 female vocalists who took turns to sing lead, with the others doing BV. And a superb sound set-up. They did Sweet Child of Mine - a great rendition, the guitarist absolutely nailed Slash's solo and we were spared Axl's whine.
Sweet child O’ mine is an amazing song for a female vocalists. I always love lady singers doing that song.
Another great vid mate. Well done. And how pleased am I that you found no reason to include Fever Tree's Dennis Keller on this list. Cheers!
My husband cannot stand Janis Joplin or Steve Marriott in his Humble Pie Years (he doesn't mind Steve's Small Faces voice), but I adore both singers. The depth of soul these two sing with is beyond compare in my opinion. What quality is it that makes one person hate a sound and another love it??
I agree with your husband. I just could never listen to her. Not even for a minute.
Divorce him. Any man that can't stand Janis AND Steve is a hopeless case.
@@PhilBaird1 LOL!! Thanks, I'll keep him for other reasons...
Your husband needs to get his hearing tested. They’re two of the best rock singers of all time. He probably doesn’t like Ian Gillian or Paul Rodgers either
@@stoneyj.5538 Actually, I don't think he would know their names, but of course he does know the bands they were in. We do have both Free and Deep Purple in our collection. Out of curiosity, I asked him who his favorite singer was, and he couldn't name anyone. He says he's more interested in the guitarists or drummers, interesting...
I love your comparisons, Barry! They always make me crack up. "Harpooning a seal with a pneumatic drill! - Poor animal!
Glad you enjoyed it
Good stuff! Ian Anderson; a fan since 1970. After the Minstrel in the Gallery tour, and the release of Too Old to Rock and Roll, his voice changed. As with Geddy Lee, just fair wear and tear
Was surprised you didn't mention Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins. I scrolled through the comments and didn't see him mentioned there either, I happen to love the Pumpkins, and can get by his voice, but I know people who love that genre of music but utterly dismiss the band mainly due to his vocals. An honorable mention to Thom Yorke as well.
Saw Smashing Pumpkins at one of the Bridge Concerts. I was not too familiar with the band, but I remember being stunned at how bad the vocals were.
Smashing pumpkinhead dude is horrible
He sounds whiny like many other alternative bands at the time.
Been re-visiting early REM lately. Love it.
Chris Martin to me sounds like someone trying yodel while being throttled
Personally I can't stand Rod Stewart. Every time I hear him sing I want to clear my throat. I agree with most of what you said, and you always give me a chuckle or two. But I would like to know who told Axl Rose he could sing. Quite possibly his mother.
STEWART has only gotten worse
Agree on Rod.
Rod was great back in his Faces days
@@lorrainebennett7528 The best Faces song is not sung by Rod.
Dylan’s voice in context can be superb. Would not want to hear anyone like Adele for example singing the magnificent Man In The Long Black Coat
I'm not an Adele fan, but her cover of To Make You Feel My Love is pretty good.
Joan Osborne does a great job on it, I actually prefer it
Sure, that's a batter version. I only mentioned Adele because she was referenced in the immediately previous comment to mine.
“Dylan’s voice in context” : see the CIA Playbook on Torture, or Abu Ghraib for instance 😂
Adele rubbish how she made it big ill Never understand.
Wow … I personally love Roger Chapman’s voice
Barry...wow! You really are objective!
When I saw this title, I immediately thought,
"...wonder what he's going to think of Roger Chapman?"
I bought Family's "Fearless" album from a cut-out bin for $1.00
in like 1977. It may be my greatest scouring music find. Brilliant!
Incredible musicianship and THAT voice! I think Roger has real balls to
even open his mouth in front of a mic.
...and I love him for it!
Naysayers be damned! He is impassioned and a powerhouse...of sorts.
Agree with your takes on the rest...I would have flipped categories with Waits and Chapman. Waits is comical but vocally unlistenable at times.
Again, great insights on your part.
Always liked Family. Chapman has the weird vibrato of Buffy St. Marie paired with gravel. Cool!!
I'm shocked that Billy Corgan and Dave Mustaine didn't get their obligatory shoutouts in this video. 😳
Yeah but mustaine suits his music. Big difference
@@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479 lol... uh, sure
@@a.williams1945 oh yeah imagine a voice like plant or perry singing peace sells or holy wars 🤦♂️
@@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479 Or imagine a voice like Mustaine's singing "Whole Lotta Love" or "Don't Stop Believin'" 🤮
@@a.williams1945 so you only like singers who are tone perfect? Yeah that's a boring outlook.. Thank God for mustaine ozzy Osborne bon Scott etc etc
2:20 - Ian Anderson
I've always liked Ian Anderson's voice, even now, because as I wrote below - Ian plays his voice like he plays his instruments, he does whatever he can with it - creatively, professionally and tastefull. So I enjoy all the recordings, but what I've never liked so much, even back in his prime was the way he sounded live. That probably has more to do with the fact that I live in the SF Bay Area in CA, USA - almost always the last stops on their tours and by that time Ian is froggied out! I remember him best around the time of Heavy Horses, even though the first concert I attended was Passion Play in a huge stadium from the nosebleed seats stage right.
On albums Ian seems to know how to double track his voice and sing in harmony to back himself up like an orchestra.
Live, my problem is, it just hurts to listen to Ian - not because he cannot reach the notes, but to me sounds like a timing issue ... he seems to always start singing just at the last microsecond, and it kind of pulls the music back and creates the most unpleasant feeling for me. Like he is not going to make it, or the band has to slow down for him. He hits the notes, at least well enough for me, but it's his phrasing that is not right - at least to me. I guess all those people who attend the concernts feel differently - and that is great - I'm glad.
Ian really gets a lot of shite, deserved or undeserved for not writing songs like he used to, to not being able to sing, to always including sort of ugly or politically incorrect imagery in his lyrics, to never writing about anything remotely personal, to flinging Martin Barre away like a used tissue ... all of which are kind of unfair. I just try to detach Ian from his music. I hate it when I see all these worshipful comments about rock stars, but this guy is an amazing talent in that he has written so much music and worked so hard - you just have to give him credit for what he has accomplished.
Oh I forgot, he is so money-hungry, with all the releases and merchandising! ;-)
Gotta say who else's music have I consistently enjoyed so much for 50+ years and who is still writing amazing stuff. No one.
I don't think Ian is money hungry. I think he just wants to give the fans as much as he can - while making a good buck doing so!😅
@justgivemethetruth, Tull are one-of-kind and, with such a big and varied catalog, it's made it a pleasure listening regularly for decades. Zero interest, however, in anything they've done since the novelty Christmas Album, and sacking Martin (and Doane) really rubbed me the wrong way. In my opinion, Ian is doing his legacy a big disservice in continuing to put out dull new music and tour as a 'singer'. I haven't seen him since 2008-ish. Friends of mine -- only mild fans -- saw him in November '23 and said was bad. I saw Martin live in Oct '23, which was fun.
I was totally expecting you to mention Geddy Lee's voice. I love Rush and, to my ears at least, Rush just wouldn't be Rush without his voice. Growing up, I knew of more than one of my friends' would not allow us to play their music in the house while they were home.
Others I could mention are Neil Young, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth), and King Diamond (Mercyful Fate).
Almost every person I know who dislikes Rush cites Geddy’s voice as the reason. I honestly live It.
I like the Cookie Monster comparison with Tom Waits.
I'm a big fan of his and so is my ex partner. I remember us playing one of his songs to her father, who is a professional jazz musician. It was 'Somewhere' from West Side Story.
Her Dad was enjoying the arrangement of the intro, but when the vocal kicked in, he grimaced and said: "He sounds like a f***ing muppet!"
Axl “Buggered Cat” Rose…something to have proudly engraved on his tombstone one day.
It seems to me that the more accurate description here is that there are singers who can write and arrange music that fits around their voice to make voice, musicians and song an ensemble, and there are singers who seem careless and charmless with the songs they choose to perform. One voice you did not mention is that of Jerry Garcia which was okay for the first twenty years of The Grateful Dead but was in a state of steady decline for the last ten years.
I was hoping Axl was on this list! Appetite came out when I had just graduated high school. My bandmate got the album early and would SCREAM like Axl the whole way to rehearsal. It took me a while to warm up to that record because of him!
I absolutely adore Family, one forgets Roger's vocal idiosyncrasies (namely, the 'warble') because the songs and music are so great. I just accept the vocals because they're part of the whole glorious package (and learn to love them).Surely the whole weird caboodle makes a prog band complete, that's why many of us are so fanatical about them.
One Family CD is shocking and definitely not enough - you've got to go for the whole collection. Family are surely, and genuinely, one of the most criminally underrated bands and actually had a massive role in the development of adventurous and startling progressive rock. Tragically Family didn't stick around long enough.
Don't forget streetwalkers 😊😊
Roger Chapman sounds like a goat, as a friend of mine says. Although he had a particular proeminent stage-presence, its the sound that counts, specially in a band so music-orientated as Family.
If he was the lead-singer in, for instance, early Genesis or Gentle Giant (instead of Peter Gabriel or Derek Schulmann, both of whom were not vocal experts, but played the role as well as possible), these 2 bands would have been in serious problems back then.
Roger has also said that he doesn't regard himself as a singer, but an instrumentalist, using his voice as an instrument, and there's a lot of variety in what he does.
@@antitheist2000 i still listen to them often, hugely underrated band
@@antitheist2000 Red Card. ❤️
Sidebar: Paul Rodgers is the only notable hard rock singer of his era who kept his pipes intact after age 55 or so.
Guess again, Ronnie James Dio.
Robin mcauley still sounds good listen to the Black Swan albums.
Robert Plant. Geddy Lee. I could go on but won’t.
@@philknight6844 Plant's voice was a ragged remnant of its former glory as early as Unledded in the Nineties.
@@TheSanityInspector That does not mean he is not still a fantastic singer. It just means its different now. Is Mark Knopfler a shit guitar player now because he isn’t knocking out a new Telegraph Road solo every week? He is by your logic. Bit of friendly advice from an old muso, think less, enjoy more. Likes and clicks aren’t everything. If one of my crap vids got a tenth of the likes most on here do I would worry.
The first time I heard Geddy Lee's voice on a Farewell to Kings I was so shocked I briefly stopped the record. But I adapted to it fairly quickly and now I love it.
another voice I cant take for even a minute
RUSH ! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Same. First time I heard Rush was Moving Pictures. I was like, what the hell is this?! But they quickly became my favorite band and still are.
I have always loved Roger Chapman's voice and have never had a problem with it.
Tom Waits sounds like an old coal furnace full of gravel and spiders
Excellent description....paints a picture!
OMG, I'm cryin' and dyin'!!!🤣🤣🤣That's funny as hell! I'm picturing Tom as a chimney sweeper straight outta Mary Poppins!
My brother had a friend tell him that Rick Ocasic sounded like he was in the bathroom taking a dump!
I love Neil Young and find his voice comforting, especially the older stuff. I was surprised he did not make your list as I know a lot of people have problems with his vocals.
with Neil many people through the does realize it's not a shtick they're pretty much used to the sound of his whiny Canadian voice. People have come to appreciate it through the years along with his fantastic songwriting
I agree with you Gregory on both points.
But Trucker, I don't know what's particularly Canadian about Young's voice, especially whininess.
@@peztopher7297 Linda Ronstadt said Neil's voice sounded like a cold Canadian wind (or something like that).
Speaking of voices...I'm fascinated by yours. You should be a villain in one of Guy Ritchie's good films.
Just when it was getting really great, it ends. Hoping for a part two of voices you really can't stand..
I saw Bob Dyan on Liverpool Empire 1966 I was 16 ,back then he was at his best brilliant show still long time Bob Dyan fan play his music on weekly basis but I would want to pay to see him now
Rush's Geddy Lee gets called out a lot simply based on his singing on the early albums, but if you listen to anything from the 80s onward he lowered his voice quite a lot. He ended up being a decent if unremarkable singer and certainly the best fit for Rush's music.
Geddy is a really good vocalist if you really listen.
I have never been able to get past his strangled-chicken-yodeling. Rush is a band I admire as long as I don't have to listen to them.
Agreed, ironic that Clockwork Angels is vocally one of his best but I really don't like listening to him doing the classic stuff after about 95. Maybe Angels had studio help.
Even when Geddy lowered his voice over the decades, I still thought it was a woman singing, basically because I was introduced to Rush in the later period (around the time of Vapor Trails, to be precise).
I could never understand the Donald Duck delivery from Getty, the band are great musicians tho.
I love the Axl Rose comment! I always described his voice like that of a wailing cat but your description is perfect.
He lost that voice…. That’s worse.
I’ve always likened his voice to channeling Shemp and Curly Howard from the grave😳
I always referred to it as a cat being strangled.
Like I've been carping on elsewhere, the only plus card for Axel is that he's getting old and he'll be dead before too long. Then, everyone can make him into a martyr and a legend or whatever. They'll have their departed saint, I'll have relief that he's gone.
When Tom Waits sings in his "natural" voice, I really like it..... It's when he does that odd, deep, guttural "put on voice" that I quickly lose patience with it...... x
His "natural" voice was his first couple albums (Closing Time and The Heart of Saturday Night). I think the voice we hear after that was a combination of his natural voice degrading due to lifestyle and a conscious choice to adopt a gruffer and stranger personality (partly to shield himself from intrusive fans, also because this correlated to the new vistas he wanted to explore). He's acting, and you really have to choose to go along with it if you want to enjoy it. To me, it's worth it, because the bulk of his albums are crammed full of gems.
Waltzing Matilda by Waits is shite.
Yeah, songs like "Martha", "Ol' 55", etc., have that natural quality, which is really nice. But I also like the guttural stuff when the song is fun. Discovered him in the late 80s when he was on David Letterman's show, singing "Tango 'til They're Sore", "Straight To The Top", etc. 😁 It's all on RUclips now.
At some point he became Bukowski Guy.
@@jeffhampton5040it’s called “Tom Traubert’s Blues” and it’s sublime. It’s better than anything by you.
Speaking of warblers, i remember Pavlovs Dog. Was the singer David Sanborn? I remember listening to Julia, thinking why?
Michael Stipes early voice wasn't a purr, it was a Murmur ❤
He's not really rock to me, but when I hear Michael McDonald, I want to puncture my own ear drums
Could not agree more. The voice itself plus the fact that the Doobie Brothers were a legit rock band before pivoting to adult contemporary when Michael McDonald joined (Not saying their radio-friendly 70s rock was anything special, only that their music was unquestionably rock before MM)
I SO agree.
The Doobies were a pretty good band until the day MM joined. Then they became a syrupy pop nightmare.
I can't even listen to 'Peg' from Steely Dan because I can hear him in the background.
I'm with ya brother. Me thinks Tom Waits-Franks Wild Years is one great album. His uneasy, unusual vocals accentuate the bold 'n amazin' creation he produced then. Top notch.
You had me at "chewing on a bag of toffees"
You have to love Barry's insights into artist's vocal qualities,spot on with many artists.
Another unusual voice that I love is David Byrne. Any other opinions?
I LOVE David Byrne. I admire that he can be serious or silly in his vocal delivery. Very expressive voice.
Paul Morrisey? i can' t stand his voice, it sounds plaintive and depressing to me
"Buggering a cat".... Brilliant !!!
Bon Jovi sounds like constipated yelling.
A great voice in the early days.... but can't really do it anymore
Constipated yelling?! Insulting...to constipated yelling
Used to get a lift to work with a guy who only ever played ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ by ByJovi in his car……..I didn’t think much of them before……I came to absolutely despise them……
Or dry heaving
i actually don't mind jon bon jovi but his music and songs are doo-doo, imagine him singing bay city roller tunes which would sound amazing
So with you on Chris Martin!
you know,your honesty is refreshing.I thought it was just me.
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong would improve immensely if only he had some nasal decongestants and a box of tissues. Never been a fan.
BJA always sounds like he's struggling on the pot trying to push one out. He bugs me.
The Guess Who needs to be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. No band hand had such great heartfelt music that rocked the world melodically and had massive sales. OMG American Woman, Star Baby, No Time, No Sugar Tonight, These Eyes and many more. There must be someone really pissed off with major influence to keep these guys away from the Great Hall.
And Burton Cummings had/has a great voice; one of the best ever
All the better that the RnRHoF's got nothing to do with Rock'n'Roll then....
The Monkees first then Guess Who you guessed it
I’d throw in David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears in there with Burton as well! 👍
Bob Dylan is not a "rock" singer. He's a folk artist. "Blood on the Tracks" is amazing in its scope and power.
As I commented earlier...He's a poet who stored his guitar in front of his typewriter in the closet.
Never minded Coldplay that much (honestly I quite like their earlier stuff), but I can understand the overplay being irritating to someone who doesn't like them, and it's been a long time since they've put an album out that I really like.
The vocals of Family have been a barrier for me as well, and like you, I like the instrumentation. Man, your ways of describing these vocalists' voices is beyond entertaining. I also think you were spot on with Axl Rose; I also like his lower register voice applied to more melodic fare.
Thanks for this very entertaining video. I feared Peter Hammill's distinctive voice might get blasted by your caustic humour. I love Peter's voice, and Roger Chapman's and Mick Jagger's. Don Van Vliet's voice is an acquired taste, but I love the good Captain. Bob Dylan's voice I can't stand, also Leonard Cohen, also Joni Mitchell.
I love Roger Chapman's voice ('A Song For Me' is the album you have). As I've mentioned before, he doesn't regard himself as a singer, but as an instrumentalist, using his voice as an instrument, and there's a lot of variety in how he uses it. Joan Baez I can't handle at all, like having a 3 foot shard of jagged glass being slowly pushed through your eardrum and into your brain. A general problem I have with most modern prog singers (Steven Wilson, for instance) is they have no character at all.
I agree with you about Chapman. The first time I heard him sing "Hung Up Down" I just loved his voice.
Geddy Lee of Rush and the late Burke Shelley of Budgie. Both distinctive. Although I like both
Burke Shelley was awesome and perfect for Budgie stuff !!
@@paulkazakoff9231 Yes. Pity Budgie stopped performing in 2010 due to Shelley's illness. He died January,2022 aged 71.
Thank you for the Axl Rose comments! I have never been a fan, and radio stations won't quit playing GnR songs! It's one of the reasons I don't listen to the radio anymore. I hate that ridiculous "ai-ai-ai-ai" thing (or however you would spell that sound) and his ridiculous Davy Jones dancing. I mean, the guy could hit a note, but it wasn't a pleasant note!
I agree with you about Roger Chapman. I once joked they should do an album called Larry the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The voice I have never been able to listen too is Brian Ferry
Excellent analysis and descriptions.
Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Damon Albarn, Ronan Keating and Eric Clapton make me wince.
Oddly enough, I love David Gedge's delivery.
Brian Molko (Placebo) and Jello Biaffra (Dead Kennedy's) are two that come to mind, personally I like them both but I can understand why some people can't get away with them.
Roger Chapmans voice is certainly unique but I love it.
The first few times my wife heard Placebo she kept looking at me with a WTF face. I kept telling her to keep listening, then one day at work, I heard her singing "Begin the End". I knew I had made a convert!
Jello sounds even worse when he's talking.
Ever since I first heard it 50 years ago, I've claimed that "Songs of Love and Hate" by Leonard Cohen is the greatest anti-depressent ever invented. No matter how suicidal you may feel, when you listen to this you realise that there are people in a worse mental state than you.
I always thought "Songs of Love & Hate" by Godflesh was better.
The best thing I can think to ssay about him, is that he's gone now.
These people the host talks about, they underline the message over and over again-- if you can't cut it, scoop up what's left of your dignity and get out of the vocal business. Go retire, take up knitting, write memoirs, produce for new acts, write books (honest ones)---- but for ****sakes, don't sing anymore!
@@keithbrown7685Browned off
In college someone played some cohen for me. EVERYBODY was aghast when I said I could make better sounds by stomping on a cat's tail. I was odd man out and to this day I can't figure it.
Dylan’s voice is great on Nashville Skyline and Desire and Slow Train and even Saved. But I do understand him not being some peoples cup of tea.
I agree, he made the decision to actually sing on those records, particularly 'Desire'. Beautiful tone he had there, briefly.
Completely agree, particularly with Nashville Skyline.
I agree! Lay Lady Lay from Nashville Skyline was Excellent! Dylan’s voice was on point!
@@patrickknotts3921 When I was a kid it was years before I realized that Lay Lady Lay was sung by Bob Dylan.
Kind of like I didn't know that Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In was sung by Kenny Rogers.
That’s mostly because he quit smoking.
When someone tells me my favourite singers can't sing (Waits, Doors, Bowie, Lou Reed, Dury etc.) I reply with "Why let technical excellence ruin a good song?" I love the mood that their voices conjure. I really relate to the atmosphere that their voices create.
I'm open minded for the most part but nobody better say around me that Bowie can't sing. Them's fightin' words.
@ I agree. My wife said he couldn't sing but apparently that kind of unreasonable behaviour does not legally constitute grounds for divorce.
I’ve just come across your channel today and this is the 3rd video I’ve watched. I love your droll sense of humour and I laughed so much at your remarks and your followers’ comments that I’ve almost put my back out😂
Up there are Axl Rose “ cat being buggered” or “ cat being neutered without anaesthetic” and Brian Johnson “ Donald Duck on cocaine” and Geddy Lee “the voice of a 1000 year old goblin”🤣🤣
My twopenneth - I love Rush up to Permanent Waves musically but I do see Geddy Lee’s vocals as a detractor, I’m surprised you didn’t mention Jon Andersson and I don’t think Yes have aged well and I think Bowie is seriously flawed as a singer but I love his output with Mick Ronson.
On a positive note, the greatest rock vocalists IMHO are The King, Freddie Mercury, Phil Lynott, Ian Gillan and Phil Mogg..