Oh, by the way... this thread asked for opinions. Connick Jr. was MY opinion, so it surely does belong in this thread. Again, that's just my opinion. Was that repetitive? |
Definitely IMO the prophet Edward Kaspel from The Legendary Pink Dots. Has anyone here ever heard him? |
How about Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance? |
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Two of my favorite male voices are Nat King Cole And Shawn Phillips (Second Contribution -1970 ) |
Don't forget Cat Stevens, Boz Scaggs, and Brian Setzer. In my opinion these three are very talented. |
Freddy Mercury from Queen. Excellent! Coreographer, stage presents, range of voice and enthusiasm projected. Enveloping a concert within his creativte grasp and then... BAM! making you part of it. It don't get any better than that. Anyone missing queen in their prime has truly been deprived of their wounderous concerts. A true rock and roll band for the people, and concert goer. My Rock & Roll Opinion!!! |
Michael Stipe?? Is this the "Best Whiners" thread?? Rod Stewart??? What makes these guys think they're soul singers?? Who's next?? Michael Bolton?? Rob and Fab are supremely talented compared to him!! My votes go to Sam Cooke (Mr. SMOOTH); the INCOMPARABLE Jackie Wilson (He really could sing anything!! Even cut an album of Al Jolson tunes!!) And my all time fave- Rudy West of the 5 Keys. Now those guys could sing !! Can't believe nobody listed Jackie Wilson unless I missed it. |
Freddie Mercury of Queen was without a doubt the best male vocalist. Range, talent and an entertainer without peer. |
Another vote here for Raul Malo. Most of his great songs with the Mavericks are on their greatest hits CD "Super Colossal Smash Hits Of The 90's" but two others are on compilation CD's "True Love Ways" from the "Not Fade Away" Buddy Holly tribute and "Hot Burrito #1" from the "Return of the Grievous Angel" Gram Parsons tribute. |
Jussi Bjoerling, sans dout. |
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I,m quite surprised that the 20th cent. singer I,ve picked is not mentioned on this survey. First, I never realised how sublimely superior this singer was, partly because I was first n foremost a country rock, big sound instrumental music fan. Then,one day I was killing time in one of these used c.d shops and I happened to find a copy of " Nat K. Coles After midnight session" "What the heck. for five bucks if it stinks I"ll toss it or give it to my sis" So, check this out. I get up to my country house,activate my modest little sys. A van alstine amp, dac, rotel c.d. and a pair of modified Avids, I put the c.d. in sit on the couch and its all over. By the end of trk one I,m messmerized, by trk 8 I,m in some kind of catatonic trance , And by the 16th no. I still haven,t moved an inch. Every, I mean Every song was great. Forget Sinatra, please The maidens of muse would resign if one suggested these two were in the same league. Nat Coles voice is an in credible instrument, his Phrasing and control are unbelieveble . Nats voice also has this smooth roll off which is so flat that it sounds effortless. Still, every intricate layer of jazz vocal was there ; beautiful but never boring and transmuting its self into an instrument of nuance. One thing he does that demon. his control vocalizations I can only describe in terms of sking. He'll bring bank and turn dip and tuck and finally seem to come out of the musical glade to a juction drop where he holds on to his note , almost suspended in time n space while he decides which way he,ll take the tune great stuff. Oh, and by the way, his piano playing kicks ass. It gets worse by this point two full plays I,m having a complete auditory break down because Ive just read the c.d jacket. It seems that this album was a sort of breaking in project for the new Capital or Rca equipped studio. The same equip that left artist like elvis pres. sounding so,so. Finally, I discerned the incredible essence of this work.The essemblage of muscians that accompany Nat Cole reads like an all time ,allstar baseball team. These guys were among the greatest musicians of their time. They played w Elington ,Dorsey, on andon. pioneers and the best at their crafts. In leaving I must say that what makes this album evidence of the best male singer also capitulates it as the best album is the fact that this was informal and impromptu just for fun. Little wonder that Nat King Cole ,his trio, and a few guest stars are able not only to convey notes,but also a sense of love, kindness and generosity in this magnificent piece of art. |
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My, my, the fur is flying once again. Why is it that no one can handle any criticism of their choices? If you believe so strongly in them, you shouldn't be so bothered. I won't even attempt to name any names, but I must say that as a professional musician with training and degrees in classical, popular, jazz, as a pop vocalist and pianist, and as a former Chicago Symphony Chorus singer, I think my discernment of musical art is at a higher level than the average person. This is not conceited -- a certified auto mechanic is much more qualified to judge the quality of the mechanics of an engine then the guy next door is. I have made music my life. I am appalled at some of the choices people have made in this thread, but I see it all the time and hear it when I turn on the radio and am subjected to noise trash like rap & other ilk. It is a sad commentary on our culture that such garbage exists. The peasants of Italy in Verdi's time hummed opera arias & neopolitan songs and went to the opera house. They knew what beautiful melodies and phrases were. The simple Britney Spears, et al dreck that is the same regurgitated prefab trash that kids (& adults!) consume is not music. I can analyze its harmonic & melodic content in less than a minute, since it is so simple and devoid of any redeeming musical value. Since others go on their soapboxes, so will I. Some of the criticisms of choices for best male singers are warranted. They simply are not, in any objective MUSICAL sense. |
What's the best food??? Well it depends on your mood/hunger doesn't it? Sometimes you want a nice big juicy steak to sink your teeth into, at other times a sweet sugary desert. What's best is what satisfies your hunger at the time. I prefer to believe I have an educated palate. For "standards". I'll take Sinatra of the 40's and 50's. He sings every song like he's livin' it. Like he's singing the song for the first time. As though he where speaking his thoughts/feelings not interperting someone elses words. Johnny Hartman with John Coltrane is so smooth. Armstrong sings like he plays his horn. Out of this world! Pavarotti in the 70's. Heavy metal in tights! Does Hank Williams count? Maybe he should be listed under one of the best songwriters of the 20th century along with Dylan, the Gershwins. Anyway these on my menu for now. Howie |
Kevziek, I grew up in a house that had a Steinway in almost constant use and we were all conservatory trained on that and other instruments so our tastes are similar. And in terms of classical, you are right. On that basis, I would vote for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. However, I would rather hear Nat King Cole than Sinatra so Nat must be the best, Rod Stewart and that guy from Led Zeppelin are derivative of Sam Cooke so ... Taj Mahal is my favorite blues man, there's another vote, Roy Orbison has a nice voice as does Justin Hayward, Steve Windwood,(oops, Windwood is derivative of Ray Charles) Jim Morrison "Riders on the Storm" is good music, and of course, Jimi singing "All Along the Watchtower". So who's right? Answer, everyone, music is about emotion. |
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While jazz,opera, blues have been adequately covered here, I beg to differ with those who feel that rock means you don't have a voice. Au contraire. and folk has some great pipes as well.
I have heard Marty Balin of Jefferson Starship and Gordon Lightfoot up close and in person, and they were incredible.
(And yes, I love all genres and have a good basis for comparison.) And let's not forget the great voices of Broadway, like Larry Kert(the original Tony in West Side Story, or Gordon McRae(Carousel) or Jerry Orbach(Carnival).
Of these Mcrae was the strongest voice, actually holding his own with Shirley Jones in her prime. Oh, yeah, back to rock- how about Jon Anderson of Yes or Sting? Or Bob Weir's
vocal magic for the Dead or later Ace? (Jerry being better instrumentally). Jackson Browne has a quality voice,
as does Greg Lake, John Mellencamp, and let's not forget one of the best set of lungs out there - the Boss.
Marvin Gaye had one of my all time favorite sounds, as does
Al Green(for a crooner.) Peabo Bryson and James Ingram have
major chords.
As a classically trained pianist, guitarist, etc. I still think almost any genre has some great singers in it.
Sure, there are about 20 on my Lengendary Opera Tenors CD,
but Iglesias(the father not the son) doesn't exactly suck . |
I wandered into the C&W room after everyone had already left. In terms of white popular music (apologies to Charlie Pride, etc., for the generalization), that's where real vocal talent is cultivated, IMO. Some male singers with amazing chops were mentioned in the C&W thread. You don't have to have a very good voice to make it in rock (altho there are plenty of good voices)-- I'm with those who think it's more about attitude. I'm not knocking it; I listen to a heck of a lot more rock than country. They are just two very different approaches, either one of which can communicate feeling and emotion. To me, Springsteen is one of the great male rock vocalists. He's got some chops, but he's not on the same level as someone like Merle Haggard. Doesn't mean I enjoy him any less. |
So many... but a few of my favorites: Harry Connick, Jr., Buddy Holly, Pavarotti, Sinatra, Jim Reeves, Jim Nabors, and Johnny Mathis |
Jayboard, I stand appended, as it were. Randy Travis, Waylon Jennings and countless other C & W artists can lay claim to awesome voices - it is hard to fake it in C & W without the pipes. Note: Dylan's vocal work on Nashville Skyline/Blood On The Tracks or Desire show off a voice better than you would guess otherwise. |
Sam Cooke had the best voice. |
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Mario Del Monaco, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Belafonte, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison |
Chet Baker - Tom Waits - nuff said uh-huh |
Robert Gordon, check out Fresh Fish Special |
Merle Haggard. I ignored this thread thinking it was all about opera types. Sam Cooke as someone says above had the best voice and comes in second in my book. Merle Haggard. |
We're all responding to this topic for an important reason. We are audiophiles and we love music. I don't think it's cool to knock anyones' favorites, so don't look for slags here. To overlook Pavarotti would be a crime. One listen to "Nessun Dorma", and you know why people go nuts. If you don't respond to that, you simply don't have a pulse and should call your local coroner. I love McCartney. The man has been responsible for some of the most exciting moments in Rock history. You can go back a little further to the early 50's......there's this guy by the name of Elvis something or other......some people called him the King. I haven't even started with the great Motown singers. Was anyone cooler than James Brown? You get my point by now I'm sure. There is just simply too many. If I were stranded on the proverbial island, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't hear the late, great Pete Ham of Badfinger singing some of the purest, sweetest pop songs ever written. |
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Sinatra, by far but a close second- Van Morrison, Jim Croce, and Sting. |
Freddie is my favorite but the list offers quality choices |
Rob Halford, then its the King (Diamond of course), then Bruce Dickinson. Or reverse the order of the second two. Clearly the top three.
Thanks,
Chris |
David Bowie, if intensity & diversity of styles are the criteria used to judge the "best". He's in the same league with Freddie Mercury. |
I hate to burst everyone's bubble but if you sit down with all his cd's and listen,I mean really listen to his vocal range and tonal quality there is NO DOUBT that Chris Isaak is the 20th centuries best male singer!As a matter of fact there is only one other male singer in musical history to better him & that was Elvis! |
I think Sinatra probably, but other greats are Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Jimmy Rushing. Some of these other postings are preposterous; they're so wrong as to be unintentionally funny - Chris Isak, Van Morrison, David Bowie? Somebody should be kidding but they're probably not. Ignorance of what constitutes real musical ability apparently is unbounded. |
Kevziek-
I've also had some training in music -certainly not to your level- so am naturally predisposed toward classical/opera. That said, I am sure you will be labeled an elitist, snob, dilettante, pick your name. I do listen to a fair amount (probably more than is good for my sanity) of popular music, but I never make the mistake of equating mediocre talent with the real greats. Sometimes the baser side needs its time to partake of other than Verdi, Mozart, et al.
As you, I won't offer any names for the simple reason that when the inevitable criticisms follow, I'd feel compelled to defend them. Their singing appeals to me; if you don't care for it, I don't give a jolly rip!
BTW, I wonder if that one guy is describing Mario Lanza, Caruso's contemporary? |
Er, um, I think that Mario Lanza was born the year Caruso died. Not exactly contemporaries. My guess was Gigli. |
Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Harry Neilsen, Buck Owens (in his later years) and to me Pete Townshend singing Daultry's parts (as he has been doing recently). The best voice to me is one that moves me |
PS: I would like to add Tom Waits to the above list (though I always feel a little greasy while listening to him). I must be remembering his appearence on the Dinah Shore show. |
Adamanteus & Kevziek, I just went back and read Kevziek's comment, and agree 100%. That's why my vote for the single, sole, only best singer of the 20th C is Merle Haggard. I did like William Bolcom (sp?) a lot. Opera singers are a dime a dozen. Real men who can interpret real men's songs are few and far between. |
Well, gee coach....
T'was only a wild guess.
So who the hell is it? |
I dont know. I said my guess is Beniamino Gigli. Maybe somebody should send an Audiogon email to Tubegroover and ask him. |
Ok, sent an email. Before he responds, let me guess again; John McCormack. |
You got it Paul, the Great Irish Tenor, I'm impressed. Now I wonder, how many have even heard of him? His first recordings were made when Louie Armstrong was a little boy. |
No one has heard of him. Proves your point, I suppose. Although, everything that happens in popular culture now is preserved on videotape and computer discs and there is so much interest in "historical" retrospectives on film and tv, I would guess that someone like Sinatra, who with his movies and tv appearances had a wider audience, might still be remembered 100 years from now. |
The interest is only to those interested. I guess if the material 100 years is as dated as McCormick's recordings are today the interest may be left to a small minority of those that "discover" it in the archives. Greatness and general acceptance by the masses only comes through broad appeal. I'm not so certain Sinatra will stand the test of time. We won't be around then to know for sure. My bet his his appeal will be more as a personality than as a great artist. |
Oh, Tubegroover, I agree. Sinatra as a personality. One issue is the material. Some people do still sing and listen to Danny Boy and I Hear You Calling Me. I can't imagine anyone listening to anything Sinatra did 100 years from now. Maybe someone else would be a better example. |
Paul I believe you just made the point. 100 years will bring a lot of changes in styles, tastes and music. I think only the good music will last. The artists will be viewed by most for the period they came from. I really can't think of one that will have broad lasting appeal. The critics will have their favorites but the masses will have long forgotten or when they see a clip will view it as nostalgia. Elvis may be canonized a Saint by popular demand, not for his art but the "miracles" he performed in his life. BTW I still listen to McCormick only because my father used to sing some of those songs to us as kids. He listened to his records when HE was a kid and was greatly influenced by him. |
Johnny Hartman, Billy Eckstine, Roy Orbison....all for
pure voice quality.......singers with poorer voices, but
were able to convey emmotion...Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra,
Del Shannon...yes...he even had influence on The Beatles,
ELO...and many others... |
