Top Ten 'Singers' who cannot sing

[Captain Hilts]

It's kind of a male thing. And, let's note that most of those mentioned here also do not have matinee idol looks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/6654478/Top-ten-great-singers-who-cant-sing.html

Bob Dylan: “A voice like sand and glue” in Bowie’s memorable phrase. Contrary to what many of his critics would assert, Dylan actually sings in tune but his harsh, barbed-wire timbre & attacking delivery has been inspiration for every tone deaf poet with a guitar. But with songs like these, who cares whether he can really sing or not?

Tom Waits: Started out gruff and soulful but deliberately ravaged his vocal chords with whiskey & cigarettes to sound older & more lived in. In the history of vocals, I am not sure anyone has ever done more with less.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Neil Young, not on the list but should be.

[Warpy]

2. Agreed, like having a mosquito in the bedroom at 3 AM

but the man could write and do harmony.

[Captain Hilts]

7. Yes. A serious omission, as much as I love his music. nt

[Quantess]

47. Neil Young has an interesting voice, which blends well with statements,

political and otherwise, that he makes in his music.

Neil Young has a lot to offer in so many other musical aspects, so I can forgive him for not having the greatest range.

Crosby, Stills, or Nash? Meh. Those guys are milquetoast in comparison.

[Ganja Ninja]

3. No Rod Stewart?

:wtf: How is he not on that list?

[tridim]

4. That's actually a list of the top ten singers who don't use Autotune

Real voices, even if not perfect are much better than most of today's "singers" who rely on electronic help.

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. I don't get their Johnny Cash bash at all.

Johnny Cash: Even as a youngster, his voice was shaky & low, but he sang in time and in tune and like he had lived every word.

Ummm... so he "can't sing", but he sang in time and in tune and like he had lived every word? Sounds like a great singer to me, by any reasonable definition.

What this really comes down to is whether or not we're going to let assholes like Simon Cowell define what it means to be a "singer".

Nobody on that list would have ever won American Idol. Nor would Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Jerry Garcia, or Tom Petty, just to name a few off the top of my head. Freddie Mercury might have won, but only singing opera or something, not as part of a rock band named Queen.


I'm reminded of something Billy Idol said in an interview for MTV in 1982:

Everybody thinks you gotta be bloody Mick Jagger or Robert Plant to sing. What a load of shit. Mick Jagger can't sing, and Robert Plant CAN. But do I listen to Robert Plant? Fuck no, I listen to Mick Jagger because he CAN'T sing, and he's great!

[TwilightGardener]

11. Yup. Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant. They're pretty awful live, frankly.

Rock music is a forgiving medium, voice-wise.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young can be HORRIBLE singers in concert.

A friend who's a real fan of theirs says so!

[TwilightGardener]

18. I just saw them on a PBS special, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thingy.

Yeah, they were not nearly as harmonious live as in their old recordings.

[shadowknows69]

25. I saw them twice too, in the 90's, and they were pretty spot on.

Perfect? No, but you know you're listening to a real singer that way. Dues been paid to get voices like that.

[Sebastian Doyle]

17. Tom & Mick sound about the same live as they do on their records.

Plant, on the other hand, started to lose his singing voice around 1975.

Cigarettes and alcohol ain't easy on the vocal cords.

[shadowknows69]

21. Never saw Plant, but Petty and Jagger sounded pretty good to me.

[medeak]

27. Petty was great live....agree! n/t

[n2doc]

6. Elvis Costello should be on the list n/t

[PM Martin]

12. Yes he should be.

[izquierdista]

8. December fool!

I'll bet this "Neil McCormick" moniker is a pen name for Cruella Chirppigeon.

[earthside]

9. Here's a female ...

Melissa Etheridge.

She moans and groans with stuffed-up sinuses and it is called 'singing'.

[Captain Hilts]

14. She's kind of a female Tom Waits. nt

[Hell Hath No Fury]

10. Let's see, who would I rather listen to sing --

Tom Waits or Placido Domingo???

One is certainly a more gifted vocalist, but I the other a much more compelling singer. :shrug:

[MISSDem]

42. Personally, I would much rather hear Placido

than Tom.

[Patsy Stone]

13. Madonna

Famous despite the fact that she can't sing. Years of voice lessons (see: Evita), and the technical prowess of William Orbit have helped, but if you've ever really listened, she can't carry a tune.

I know some will think this is blasphemy, but it's true.

[Captain Hilts]

16. I'm not that familiar with the songs she's sung. But I have heard that

she is the poster girl for auto tune.

[Lemonwurst]

19. I'm not a Madonna fan, but in her defense...

...Auto-tune didn't even exist for most of her career.

She's a songwriter and talented overall performer first, and a singer second. I heard but cannot confirm that her first album was entirely her. Reportedly she wrote and sang all the songs, did all the synthesizer programming (sequencing) and played the few non-synth instruments on the tracks. Of course, her experienced producer Reggie Lucas had everything to do with making it into a viable Top 40 release, but her stage persona belies the work she herself puts into her songs.

And yes, her vocal parts don't have a lot of range, but that just makes sense. As a songwriter, she would naturally avoid where her weaknesses are.

But my point is, she's primarily famous for being a singer though that is just a small part of her overall musical skill set.

[Captain Hilts]

20. Yes, I think she's smart and has talent. nt

[Patsy Stone]

22. She's an amazing performer

and you have to admire what she's done with what she had. But, as we all seem to agree, she's not a good singer.

[applegrove]

23. I saw a concert of hers. She is a great dancer, I like the autotune cause

her songs then sound exactly like they do on the album. She's very creative and puts on a good show.

[shadowknows69]

24. "exactly like they do on the album"

defeats the entire point of a live music experience IMO. Some bands actually do pull it off without all the electronic mumbo jumbo and if they miss a note or forget a lyric for a second; even freakin better. I like going to see musicians, not "Stars".

[applegrove]

26. I agree I like to hear a live show. But I like dance too and Madonna is one gifted dancer.

I wasn't expecting a rock & roll experience and I didn't get one.

[shadowknows69]

28. I hear ya. That's why I think there's too much emphasis on choreography and showmanship.

But then I'm a Grateful Dead fan, and they never did much dancing lol.

[donheld]

39. I think you're completely full of shit

but it's all a matter of opinion.

[netsurfer2]

50. Totally agree

There must be a lot of people out there who like crappy music.

[CatWoman]

29. what?? no vote for Britney Spears?

:wow:

[Captain Hilts]

34. This is a dreadful oversight. THANKS for the reminder! REALLY bad!

[Iggo]

30. Shoulda been "Top 10 singers whose voices you don't like."

[Captain Hilts]

32. I really like Johnny Cash, but he cannot sing worth a damn. nt

[Iggo]

35. Oops.

I hope that didn't sound accusatory when I said "...you..." in quotes in my previous post.

I was imagining the quoted words as the title of an article, and the "you" in question would be all of us, either the music-listening public, or at the very least the readers of the article.

I read it again later, after I got home from work and I thought, "Damn! That sounds mean right there!"

Anyway, my apologies. I didn't mean You "you"...I meant Us "you." :hi:

[Captain Hilts]

37. No, your 'you's are fine!

[otohara]

31. Leonard Cohen

worst voice ever

[Captain Hilts]

33. Yeah, he stinks, but I still like some of his versions of his songs. nt

[mackerel]

36. Swap out Cash for Elvis Costello

Cruel putting Leonard Cohen on list...brilliant lyricist.

[scummyjob]

38. some more

Bruce Springsteen-
Stevie Nicks
Tom Petty
Mick Jagger
I wouldn't even know about any new people

[alp227]

40. C'mon, elitist critic! Here's some names that make Dylan look really talented

Any lame music on Disney or Nickelodeon channels
T-Pain or any singer who relies excessively on Auto-Tune
Most of the mainstream pop music these days

And the title here is misleading... you left out the word "great" from the original title.

[argyl]

41. David Lee Roth.Great front man,sex appeal and charisma to burn but a lousy singer.

[MISSDem]

43. No one picked Beyonce Knowles. I can't believe that she was

allowed to sing Etta's song for the President and the First Lady.

[Captain Hilts]

44. Good one. But she did a pretty good job on the song. And she gets dap from me for

her 'save' at the awards ceremony vis a vis West and Swift.

But, I hear she is Miss Auto Tune. Whitney Houston was so good and so popular, it ruined a generation of female singers trying to sing like that. And Houston can't sing like that any more either. Nearly all lip-synch in concerts.

[hammer22]

45. Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is my favorite singer. I have listen his all most all songs. I have good collection of his songs also....



_____________________________________
watch Pushing Daisies || watch Curb your Enthusiasm

[AllenVanAllen]

46. " I am not sure anyone has ever done more with less."

You got that right!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiJ2E0xGOv8&feature=player_embedded

[Quantess]

48. Ricky Martin, anyone?

The first time I heard "Livin' La Vida Loca" on the radio, I thought it sounded like sour milk breaking through the carton. But later, I happened to see Ricky Martin dancing and shimmying on the TV screen, looking really hot, and then I understood.

[Captain Hilts]

49. I LOVED "She Bangs." nt

[Cowpunk]

51. The ultimate-Brody Armstrong of The Distillers-and she's female!

I can understand about 10% of the words she's singing, but her voice has a timbre that warms my belly like fine scotch whiskey.

Here's an example: Gypsy Rose Lee.

[Captain Hilts]

52. I'd not heard of her. thanks for the link. nt