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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
 Posted - 06/07/2008 : 19:16:41
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Mine would be:
Marty Balin - whose remarkable tenor vocals characterised much of the classic Jefferson Airplane sound. Later, he fronted the Oakland based band, Bodacious for one excellent album - before Paul Kantner and Grace Slick realised that they could not really afford to be without his songwriting and performing talent.
Sandy Denny - her beautifully ethereal voice graced ground breaking work by the Strawbs, Fairport Convention and her own band, Fotheringay. Several essential solo albums followed but her life was tragically cut short in 1978 when she was thirty-one. I think that my abiding memory of her, though is her haunting vocal on Led Zeppelin's 'Battle of Evermore'. |
Edited by - John9 on 06/07/2008 19:17:32 |
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ed the bear
Fourth Love
USA
215 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 03:50:49
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John,
"Blues From an Airplane" is one of my all-time favorites, also "I Saw You."
But overall I have to rank John Lennon highest. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," "Wait," "Girl."
Chrissie Hynde tops my list of female vocalists. But that's just me. There are a lot of fake-tough women in rock, but she's the real thing. At the other end of the spectrum, Sandy has no rival, though.
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Tina
Old Love
United Kingdom
678 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 08:30:41
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| Present company excepted - Al Green and Dusty Springfield. Are they soul rather than rock? Then lets go for Robert Plant and Kate Bush. But I must admit I keep coming back to Joni Mitchell when I want to soothe my brain. |
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jellybean
Fifth Love
316 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 12:25:43
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I agree john9, marty balin singing coming back to me wins hands down every time for me.
I love Janis Joplin's voice and I do quite like the older marianne faithfuls voice. I like a voice that sounds like it's been through hard times! |
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rocker
Old Love
USA
3606 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 14:31:53
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| all great singers there.....one singer who I think is pretty unique is Bryan Ferry..when he sings he has this peculiar way of enunciating words that enhances the lyric...I find it on his "More Than This" with Roxy....and right Lennon is a great singer..when you listen to "Twist and Shout"..man, he rocks that tune!....;-)... |
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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 18:02:14
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Yes, I'll definitely go with these. Marianne Faithful's rendition of 'Sister Morphine' I find especially chilling and I've been on Perrier ever since! One of my most treasured cd possessions is the Kate Bush 'This Woman's Work' box set - with all its forgotten b-side gems. It is now unavailable of course and it is curious that Miss Bush seems reluctant to see her albums given the 'remastered with bonus tracks' treatment.... although of course they did do that with 'Hounds of Love'. Dusty's voice was extremely powerful and my own favourite of hers is "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself".
I find it remarkable how Joni seems able to turn her voice almost into an additional jazz instrument - especially on 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns'.....and also on the live version of 'Rainy Night House'. And I've always enjoyed Ferry's television performances.
Ed - just to pick up your question from the other thread for a moment - of course I've got stuff from the last twenty years in my collection. Why, only the other day I was playing the 'Forever Changes Concert'! Those John Lennon performances you mention are amongst his best - and certainly his most natural. I remember hearing George Martin once say that he could never understand John's later preference for having his voice modified by production techniques. |
Edited by - John9 on 07/07/2008 18:05:17 |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 23:16:48
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I'd have to say Brian Wilson (with great respect to Marty Balin). Brian's octave range is amazing.
Can't forget Roy Orbison!!
Joni Mitchell's Blue for me, with Dusty in Memphis neck & neck.
all o' god's children gotta have their freedom |
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bob f.
Old Love
USA
1308 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 03:28:13
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Dusty Springfield always gives me chills."you don't have to say you love me"!
John lennon, on "happiness is a warm gun", when he hits that high note at GUN, !!! he could be tender,... and fierce.
Arthur Lee!
Janis Ian!
...what the world needs now... |
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Tina
Old Love
United Kingdom
678 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 08:08:42
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Another guy, who Lizzy and I seeing perform live in a couple of weeks, stands out for me - Leonard Cohen. Especially the "I'm your man" album.
Incidentally I'm reading a really interesting book at the moment
http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Your-Brain-Music-Understanding/dp/1843547155
The reviews on Amazon are mixed but it makes a lot of sense to me - great music sung by great voices definitely touches parts of my brain that nothing else gets near. My background is much more maths / science orientated than it is artistic - but then they say that great maths is an art (I never got even close to that level!).
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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 10:13:54
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Tina - I don't know if you caught it but there was a fascinating interview with Leonard Cohen on Radio 4's Front Row a few weeks back. 'I'm Your Man' is a great album - but I still love his early work as well - especially 'Songs Of'. And I wonder just how many bedsit walls across studentland hummed gently to the sound of it late at night back then.
Lemonadekid - yes I do have to agree with your choice of Roy Orbison. 'It's Over' was a massive hit here in 1964 and my parents thoughtfully bought it for me as a present. But it was the B-side, 'Indian Wedding' that I really loved at the time. Looking back now, I think that 'It's Over' must be one of the finest vocal performances by anyone in popular music. And I really do miss the time when a great single could monopolise the national consciousness like that. |
Edited by - John9 on 08/07/2008 10:16:57 |
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jellybean
Fifth Love
316 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 12:36:26
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i'm glad you said that Tina, I've always been rubbish at maths so to think I may be more numerical than I thought makes me happy, although I don't think carol vorderman is feared for her job on countdown quite yet!
patti smith... love her vocals on gloria, very edgy
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rocker
Old Love
USA
3606 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 14:28:34
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| watched "McCabe and Mrs Miller" the other day wouldn't you know Leonard C was in there singing his tunes in the film....the music was right on for the film and the time... |
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Old_Man
Old Love
United Kingdom
668 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 21:24:32
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| Mike Scott of The Waterboys for me has a great voice. The best female would have to be Mamma Cass. |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 14:18:19
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Laura Nyro!!! Saw her in '71 just before her 5 year "retirement" at the old age of 24. Eli & The 13th Confession,
New York Tendaberry, Christmas & The Beads Of Sweat.........the holy trinity of her LPs....what a voice, what a songwriter, what an artist.
all o' god's children gotta have their freedom |
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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 15:53:21
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quote:
Originally posted by lemonade kid
Laura Nyro!!! Saw her in '71 just before her 5 year "retirement" at the old age of 24. Eli & The 13th Confession,
New York Tendaberry, Christmas & The Beads Of Sweat.........the holy trinity of her LPs....what a voice, what a songwriter, what an artist.
all o' god's children gotta have their freedom
Lemonadekid - Laura is definitely my favourite US girl singer. I don't know if you are aware, her 1978 album Nested has recently been released by SONY through their ICON CLASSIC imprint - and it is a beautifully presented package. It has never been released on CD before (at least not outside Japan) and the same company is promising to deliver the one prior to that - the live set, Season of Lights. This time though, it will be the complete concert rather than the heavily edited version that appeared on vinyl all those years ago. I would imagine that the concert you were at was similar to the Live at Fillmore East collection that came out a couple of years ago, Alas, I never saw her. |
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ed the bear
Fourth Love
USA
215 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2008 : 05:50:51
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I don't know why, but I was reading through this thread again and suddenly -- upon reading the words 'Octave Range' in LK's post -- said to myself, "Roy Orbison!"
How could I have not mentioned him. If he'd been born in a big city, he'd have been an opera star. If he'd been good-looking, he would have been bigger than Elvis. But we have that voice. In beautiful dreams, we'll always have that voice. |
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Your Favourite Male and Female Singers
