I guess David Palmer had a "better" voice than Donald Fagan
― President Keyes, Friday, 9 February 2018 19:21 (six years ago) link
Fagen
― President Keyes, Friday, 9 February 2018 19:22 (six years ago) link
I'm very surprised that people can't tell Yule's and Reed's voices apart.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Friday, February 9, 2018 6:47 PM
"Couldn't tell Lou Reed from Doug Yule" was an MES taunt. It was supposedly about Bowie
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Friday, 9 February 2018 19:25 (six years ago) link
I'm trying to think of a rock band with more than one singer of the same sex who sound utterly distinct from each other and I'm having trouble.
The Who - Townshend's voice obviously suits some songs much better than Daltrey's, Entwhistle's voice works better on tracks like 'Whiskey Man' and 'My Wife' than Daltrey's would have done, and Moon's theatrical character driven delivery is perfect for 'Bellboy' etc..
― 2018 has to be better (snoball), Friday, 9 February 2018 19:37 (six years ago) link
Also there's Queen - Mercury, May, and Taylor are very different sounding singers.
― 2018 has to be better (snoball), Friday, 9 February 2018 19:39 (six years ago) link
The singers of Animal Collective don't distinguish themselves from each other by the timbre of their voices largely because of the way they're recorded and produced-- lots of layers. They are such polar opposites when it comes to melody-writing and text-setting tho that I always find them easy to tell apart
The Cars are the first band I thought of when I saw this thread title
And I always prefer the female vocalist to the male vocalist except in the case of Blonde Redhead
― flamboyant goon tie included, Friday, 9 February 2018 19:54 (six years ago) link
They are such polar opposites when it comes to melody-writing and text-setting tho that I always find them easy to tell apart
right, and this is a pitfall to look out for itt. separate songwriters in bands may write very different types of songs but still have similar voices. imo the test here is if you can tell the singers apart when they're harmonizing or singing in unison, i.e. Mould & Hart in Husker Du, who always sound distinct even when they're singing the same melody at the same time.
― flappy bird, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:01 (six years ago) link
FWIW all my favorite The Band songs are the Richard Manuel songs, don't know if that counts.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Friday, February 9, 2018 2:14 PM (forty-nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
The Band said they considered Manual to be their lead singer, but it always seemed to be more of an even split. For example, on the self-titled album Manuel sang lead on 5 songs, Helm on 4, and Danko on 3
― hoooyaaargh it's me satan (voodoo chili), Friday, 9 February 2018 20:06 (six years ago) link
The Cars are weird because Orr seemed to have two distinct singing styles, one that sounds really different from Ocasek and one that sounds pretty similar (e.g. on Candy-O)
― soref, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:22 (six years ago) link
Madness : Chas vs Suggs.
i love it when Chas is in charge.
― mark e, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:25 (six years ago) link
Cats eyes - Rachel is a more versatile and engaging singer than the horrors guy
― kolakube (Ross), Friday, 9 February 2018 20:25 (six years ago) link
"I'm trying to think of a rock band with more than one singer of the same sex who sound utterly distinct from each other and I'm having trouble."
Don't think Bob Weir sounds all that much like Jerry Garcia. Back in the 60s early 70s the Dead used to do more gang singing also adding in Phil, but that faded a way as time for the most part as time went on.
― earlnash, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:31 (six years ago) link
first act to occur to me after seeing the thread title was Tears for Fears, and how they started out with pretty much a 50/50 lead vocal split between Curt and Roland on the Hurting before Curt is gradually edged out over the course of the next two albums despite having the better voice
― soref, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:33 (six years ago) link
Both Andy McLusky and Paul Humphreys are average-cabbage singers (whose voices I adore) but I'd edge Paul out over Andy some days
― flamboyant goon tie included, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:44 (six years ago) link
Not really pertinent to this original question but I love that chronologically the first voice you hear on a Neu! record is two-and-a-half albums in and it is Michael Rother whispering and simpering pathetically, only for Klaus to start screaming endlessly and perfectly a track later
― flamboyant goon tie included, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:48 (six years ago) link
any of the wilburys songs not primarily sung by orbison
― mookieproof, Friday, 9 February 2018 20:50 (six years ago) link
Joe Goddard > Alexis Taylor in Hot Chip, especially as Taylor has gotten slightly worse since their second album
― Haribo Hancock (sic), Friday, 9 February 2018 21:05 (six years ago) link
At this point, I much prefer Townshend's croon to Daltrey's corn, but in general you can sense that Daltrey based his delivery on what he heard in the demos, his own character coming out only when he pushes the chorus to the all out growls and screams. As I was becoming a fan, I had a hard time telling them apart. His solo stuff is where you get Daltrey unadulterated, and clearly he benefits from adulteration.
Same phenomenon happens in the Cars - a lot of Orr vocals seem like smoother extensions of how Ocasek probably presented the songs. Same in the Velvets with Yule. I can certainly picture Reed, Ocasek and Townshend putting a damper on broader interpretations of their material on albums they were masterminding. No, the fucking melody goes like this goddamnit.
― Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Friday, 9 February 2018 21:08 (six years ago) link
What track is Rother's voice on? Also there's vocals on all of their albums!
― Video reach stereo bog (Tom D.), Friday, 9 February 2018 21:11 (six years ago) link
i think it's rother on "Leb' wohl" from "75"
― budo jeru, Friday, 9 February 2018 21:35 (six years ago) link
Sonic Youth? Lee Ranaldo's voice is passable at best, Kim Gordon's voice is 100X more distinctive.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 9 February 2018 21:37 (six years ago) link
Sounds like Dinger to me. (xp)
― Video reach stereo bog (Tom D.), Friday, 9 February 2018 21:37 (six years ago) link
I adore "Eminence Front"
― I will finish what I (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 9 February 2018 21:57 (six years ago) link
i mean, it sounds like that to me too. but i've seen it credited to rother in a number of places. i'm not really sure if it's true though, especially since i've also seen the vocals credited to dinger (and dinger's vocals on "hero" credited to rother).
xpost
― budo jeru, Friday, 9 February 2018 21:58 (six years ago) link
Rother doesn't seem the type to indulge in any "By the way, I'm totally out of my gourd here, man" vocalizing.
― Video reach stereo bog (Tom D.), Friday, 9 February 2018 22:08 (six years ago) link
― budo jeru, Friday, 9 February 2018 22:23 (six years ago) link
imo
― budo jeru, Friday, 9 February 2018 22:24 (six years ago) link
That as well.
― Video reach stereo bog (Tom D.), Friday, 9 February 2018 22:37 (six years ago) link
Ugh if there are vocals on Neu! and Neu! 2 then I've forgotten, I've only got Neu! 75 on vinyl
I was always under the impression that Rother wrote (and sang) what is on the A-side of Neu! 75 and Klaus Dinger did the same for the B-side
Either way "Hero" is great, thank you very much, good bye
― flamboyant goon tie included, Friday, 9 February 2018 22:59 (six years ago) link
People who are new to XTC tend to find an entry point with Colin Moulding's more melodic vocal style than Andy Partridge's nasal West Country bark
i don't disagree but most of partridge's singing comes in an irritating faux-american accent
― rove mcmanus island (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 9 February 2018 23:06 (six years ago) link
NEU!’s recording commitment with Brain/Metronome was three albums. In order to fulfil this contract and because I felt a musical interest working again with Klaus Dinger to realize certain ideas, which weren’t possible in the Harmonia context, I composed some tracks and Klaus and Conny Plank went to the new Conny Plank Studio in 1974. It was my agreement with Klaus, that we would record one side of the album in the classic NEU! style just the two of us, and the B side would be recorded in a four piece band, in which two drummers would take over Klaus’ drum part: Thomas Dinger, Klaus’ brother and Hans Lampe, who had worked as an assistant engineer with Conny Plank. Klaus back then insisted on performing live and for this purpose he had trained both of those musicians with his style. For me this line-up wasn’t musically satisfactory for a live performance, but in the studio we did alright. "Hero" is one of my favourite NEU! tracks (when I am in the mood). After recording NEU! ‘75 I moved on with Harmonia and Klaus started his project La Düsseldorf, still working with both drummers.
http://www.furious.com/perfect/michaelrother.html
― budo jeru, Saturday, 10 February 2018 00:25 (six years ago) link
― rove mcmanus island (Autumn Almanac)
cf. the beginning of this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR8MQOmIVoQ
― flappy bird, Saturday, 10 February 2018 01:31 (six years ago) link
this arguably applied to the Goo Goo Dolls before Takac took a backseat to Rzeznick, but some would argue the opposite
― Hi diddley dee, hen fapper's life for me (Neanderthal), Saturday, 10 February 2018 03:06 (six years ago) link
xp good lord
― rove mcmanus island (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 10 February 2018 03:24 (six years ago) link
Nash Kato and King had pretty different vocal stylees in Urge Overkill. Nash was the hipster. King usually had the emo story tunes.
― earlnash, Saturday, 10 February 2018 03:33 (six years ago) link
the cars
― mookieproof, Friday, February 9, 2018 10:36 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Hi diddley dee, hen fapper's life for me (Neanderthal), Saturday, 10 February 2018 03:34 (six years ago) link
Straitjacket Fits - Andrew Brough's voice much easier on the ears than Shayne Carter's, regardless of which one you prefer...
― henry s, Saturday, 10 February 2018 14:56 (six years ago) link
Who was considered the lead singer in the Monkees? I always figured it was Davey Jones, mainly because he didn't seem to play any instrument beyond the tambourine. And Mickey Dolenz clearly had the better voice. But then again, Dolenz sang lead on many, if not most, of their big hits. I'm so confusing!
― henry s, Saturday, 10 February 2018 15:06 (six years ago) link
I don't know that the Monkees really had a lead singer. Dolenz and Jones contributions were fairly evenly split with Nesmith not terribly far behind.
― Nonsense Ape Debones His Foot (Old Lunch), Saturday, 10 February 2018 15:22 (six years ago) link
always thought James Iha had a more pleasant voice than Billy Corgan but I didn't particularly "like" Iha's voice either.
― Hi diddley dee, hen fapper's life for me (Neanderthal), Saturday, 10 February 2018 15:25 (six years ago) link
Bill Ward was a better singer than Ozzy technically, though he'd have never fit the doomier stuff.
― Hi diddley dee, hen fapper's life for me (Neanderthal), Saturday, 10 February 2018 15:29 (six years ago) link
also Corrosion of Conformity, Pepper was a better vocalist than Karl Agell on the Blind album which is largely why he became the lead vocalist after that album (that and Karl's departure).....
Most SY albums have an approximately equal number of Moore-sung and Gordon-sung songs, with one or two Ranaldo songs thrown in. Not sure who counts as "lead singer" in this case.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Saturday, 10 February 2018 16:07 (six years ago) link
Oddly, I sometimes argue that Gordon was the better singer but Sister and Murray Street, maybe the two that are most Moore-dominated, are two of their albums that I play the most.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Saturday, 10 February 2018 16:12 (six years ago) link
The Flaming Lips should let Steven Drozd sing lead on more songs
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 February 2018 16:48 (six years ago) link
they'd certainly be less irritating without wayne
― global tetrahedron, Saturday, 10 February 2018 17:00 (six years ago) link
Joy Division
― brotherlovesdub, Saturday, 10 February 2018 17:03 (six years ago) link
No
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Saturday, 10 February 2018 17:05 (six years ago) link
I suppose you are the expert. Well argued. I would delete my comment if I could but my humiliation will just have to live on.
― brotherlovesdub, Saturday, 10 February 2018 17:06 (six years ago) link
https://senselessramblingsofthemindless.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/butthurt.jpg
― Hi diddley dee, hen fapper's life for me (Neanderthal), Saturday, 10 February 2018 17:22 (six years ago) link