Greatest Rock Vocals Ever: Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, Rob Halford,..?

[WernerZero]

Here's a few I didn't see in earlier posts:
Jimmy Barnes (Cold Chisel)
Midnight (Crimson Glory)
Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche)
Michael Kiske (Helloween and Place Vendome)
Bob Catley (Magnum)
Lisa Dalbello
Tina Turner
Stevie Nicks

Some vocally very good and some just fit their genre very well...

 

[rhymesgalore]

I agree with almost everything mentioned before (especially Daltrey and Mercury), but i'd like to add Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Especially on their first album his voice is so powerful!

 

[Relayer71]

Peter Gabriel - Genesis/Solo: Very expressive even with his limited range, and original (and one of the finest lyricists to boot!).

Robert Plant - Led Zeppellin: I'm not a huge Zep fan these days but if anyone
defines "Rock Vocalist" it's Robert Plant!

Chris Cornell - Soundgarden: Talk about power AND great tone!

Freddy Mercury - Queen: I never really liked Queen but Mercury had one of the most pristine and musical voices in rock.

Layne Staley - Alice In Chains: Very unique (dare I say scary?) voice, gave me chills! One of the few hard rock/metal singers who could actually sing (listen to the EPs).

Roland Orzabal - Tears For Fears: One of the most underrated singers in pop/rock.

Thom Yorke - Radiohead: Great sense of melody, original.

Bono - U2: I'm not 100% sure of this...perhaps he's better suited for a Best Frontman list since I don't find his vocals that consistently great...but there's no denying his appeal as a singer.

Edit: How can I forget Jon ANderson???? Hehe. I'd list him too, he has a great voice and Awaken is SUCH AN AMAZING song...thing is how can you take his great singing seriously with all the non-sense he sings (see Lyrics for "Close To The Edge" , lol).

 

[Amarok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellsprout /img/forum/go_quote.gif no mention of bono from u2?

I believe the name of Bono speaks for itself.
I heard that someone called him "Bono Voce," which in Italian means Good
Voice.

-=A=-

 

[Riordan]

bono's is a stage name, just like the edge - early albums credited one 'bono vox' as singer. so it's not italian but latin (at least the surname is), and the someone calling him thus was a certain paul hewson - himself

while i agree that bono is a good rock singer and an even better frontman, there is simply no comparison to the best of them all: farrokh bulsara, also known as freddie mercury. he wore the crown, didn't he?

 

[Relayer71]

The story goes...

In their teens (before U2 formed) the boys gave themselves nicknames as a kind of "club" (I don't want to say "gang", hehe) ritual. Paul Hewson took the name off a sign for what I think was hearing aids, "Bono Vox" which is Latin for good voice. I think he took the name because it looked cool - at that point he was still just a guitar player (interestingly enough, when U2 was forming he was told he couldn't be the guitarrist because he was awful so he gave singing a go).

Supposedly he dubbed The Edge such because of his angular facial features.

Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton (Drummer, Bassist) were not in this "club".

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia /img/forum/go_quote.gif But I guess that it is politically incorrect to praise Jethro Tull on this site.

Adam, can you explain this?

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Relayer71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bono - U2: I'm not 100% sure of this...perhaps he's better suited for a Best Frontman list since I don't find his vocals that consistently great...but there's no denying his appeal as a singer.

He sure isn't consistent, but one need look no further than Rattle and Hum to get an idea of what he's actually capable of.

It was nice to hear the Edge sing Van Diemen's Land on that record too.

 

[AdamCalifornia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif Adam, can you explain this?

Certain artists/bands from the fifties, sixties or seventies are not well received on this site
due to the fact that many head-fi'ers are, say, under 18 years old.
For them the fifties, sixties, or seventies are simply ancient times. Ha, ha, ...
Examples are Elvis Presley, Jethro Tull, The Animals, and you bet, the Beatles,
and the list goes on ....

 

[MaZa]

Overall singing: Freddie Mercury of Queen. Its simply awesome.

Omnipotent style: I.C.S Vortex alias Simen Hestnaes, ex Borknagar, nowadays Dimmu Borgir.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75EgBXWfuU (too bad soundquality sucks, but awesome voice still heard)

Metal/Rock power: James Hetfield of Metallica

Blackmetal-style ghastly/haunting shrieking: Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir. Too bad he screws up his sound with special effects... not to mention sucky music they play nowadays

or

Nortt of Nortt. Cant pick

Deathmetal cookiemonster growling: Sauron of Decapitated

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Certain artists/bands from the fifties, sixties or seventies are not well received on this site due to the fact that many head-fi'ers are, say, under 18 years old. For them the fifties, sixties, or seventies are simply ancient times. Ha, ha, ... Examples are Elvis Presley, Jethro Tull, The Animals, and you bet, the Beatles, and the list goes on ....

I've never seen anyone on these boards presenting any kind of ageist mentality with regard to music...

Was there a particular reason Jethro Tull triggered that comment? Many of the artists being touted in this thread are from those eras.

 

[AdamCalifornia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've never seen anyone on these boards presenting any kind of ageist mentality with regard to music... Was there a particular reason Jethro Tull triggered that comment? Many of the artists being touted in this thread are from those eras.

... it happens sometimes. Once I mentioned the Eagles (not my band at all)
and Jethro Tull on some thread and some responses were like: 'Oh, no, no, ...'
It's just an anti-sentiment towards anything before the 1980s and perhaps including the 1980s.
The same would be with the Monkees, Beach Boys, etc. and as I said above, the Beatles.

You might get the comments like this (quoting from memory):
"I don't know why people are still talking about Beatles' music.
I guess it's just nostalgia.", etc. ....

Once I've read a review about rock music, or something like that,
and the reviewer (an American expert) said something like this (quoting from memory):

"As concerns Jethro Tull their only 'positive' was that sang in English with British accent."

It was this expert's evaluation of Jethro Tull's music.


Let's not go into this stuff on this thread because it's off topic.

 

[Amarok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riordan /img/forum/go_quote.gif bono's is a stage name, just like the edge - early albums credited one 'bono vox' as singer. so it's not italian but latin (at least the surname is), and the someone calling him thus was a certain paul hewson - himself

Yeah, but Rome is in Italy!
So there.

Hey! They got a better winky!

-=A=-

 

[Amarok]

I'm in the "Old Fart" demographic, so I'll add some "Old Fart" singers

Ann Wilson
Ian Anderson
Roger Daltry
Tom Waits (an acquired taste)

Greg Lake (when he sings in *his* range)
Tort Elvis -- Dread Zeppelin

Justin Hayward

-=A=-

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amarok /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tom Waits (an acquired taste) Greg Lake (when he sings in *his* range)

Oh wow, another vote for Tom Waits here, too. Greg Lake I'm on the fence with, but your caveat works. I also like it when he's a little playful/dirty, for example on the track "Living Sin" off of Trilogy.