Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What singers in the UK or US for that matter had compositions that transcended their vocal talents. That is, what performer caused you to cringe a little or a lot but listen anyway?

My example of such a talent is Neil Young. I have always found his voice to be somewhat irritating but at the same time I am pulled into his music as a result of the overall performance and what he has had to say.

To qualify for this forum as examples I will offer: Down by the River" "Cowgirl in the Sand"
"Cinnamon Girl" and "Helpless."

Neil is definitely no Pavarotti, but a great songwriter. I had some difficulty with Joe Cocker (maybe it was the visual image).

Agreed Stan. Along with Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart comes to mind (I am hoping that Faces squeaks in before 1970). Songs like Maggie May were classics with the raspy voice, however, as the recordings progressed I became less taken with the same vocal "tonality."

How about Janis Joplin? I, for one, actually am a fan of a lot of her songs, but for many her songs get ignored because her voice certainly isn't for everyone.

I'll take raw emotion over vocal technique anyday!

Another good one Bob. I also agree that raw emotion is good, however, there is something to be said for a voice that has a tone that is appealing over the long haul, song after song.

I agree with you on that, Peter. While I'm a big fan of Janis, I can only handle her in cleverly-portioned doses!

Truly rare, I think, is the singer who can balance the two... make you hear the joy or the tears in their voice while still using a voice that sounds more like a fine instrument. I guess they can't all be Roy Orbison (my wife's jaw hit the floor when I chose him as the #1 singer I'd want to play behind...)!

I had a bit of a problem with Donovan. The songs seem to be really nice, but the vocals... well, i know many people like him but me falls asleep...

Isn't anyone going to put Bob Dylan on the list? He seems to be an all too obvious case of a great songwriter with a bad (intentionally bad?) singing voice. I happen to enjoy it, together with his sloppy guitar playing, and noisy harmonica.

You're right, Randy about 'one take' Bob. But he shocked a few folks with his vocals on Nashville Skyline. It was like, is this the same guy?

Just heard Donovan on Terry Gross's show the other night. I was never a cultish fan, but enjoyed most of his Top 20 output (Sunshine Superman is tops). He did have some interesting tales to tell. He works a good deal too hard at sounding mellow, or maybe it's the drugs. But seems to be a good bloke. What was he doing between 1972 and 2002, though?

Peter, you did not restrict this to any decade, so I'll pick the late '60s on, with a gal who never fails to irritate me, both in choice of material and choice of key: Linda Ronstadt. She always steers for the shallows, and either sings out of her 3/4 octave range, or picks a key that doesn't intersect with same.

Her best all-time song was "Different Drum", and it went steadily and surely downhill down hill from there. She has the endearing quality of hitting the high notes with her throat all choked up.

I'll always be a Neil Young fan. The only guy in CSNY who could see beyond his Laurel Canyon abode to a world awash with narcissists, and hoist them on the headstock of Old Black. The four songs you mention are 66% of my NY faves, the other two being "The Needle and the Damage Done" and "Alabama". I still play my vinyl "Journey Through the Past" double set for a slice of early-seventies' take on the late '60s. Neil stuck with the 1960s all the way into 1987 or so, and thank God for that.

Rod Stewart? I think Patrick Stewart is a better singer. Never could take anything he sang for more that 20 seconds. Don't like his purple leather Rock God persona, his penchant for younger, more compliant females, his rooster hair, his...

How about Bob Dylan? I remember proudly listening to "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in my girlfriend's house back in '65, when her mother came into the room and told me to turn the horse race down... At least in the early days, he sounded, er, unique. Then he got mostly worse, with a few bright spots.

Bit 'O' Trivia:

Neil is a tinplate electric train enthusiast, and he built a big ol' prefab steel building on his land up here to house some of his collections, which he runs with his wheelchair-bound son (muscular dystrophy, I believe). He put together a computer-controlled, mouth-operated system for regulating the layout's features.

He is also part owner of the Lionel Train Corporation.

Randy: I did not want to start with what is perhaps the best example.

Niel also puts on a charity concert (at his place, I believe) every year for afflicted kids. Big names always show up. NY is and always has been one of my top two faves. Learned guitar to the Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere album. His voice is like his guitar solos, hit or miss. Seen him twice in concert.

Donovan's released some pretty good CD's lately, and I think Dylan's voice is great today, raspier and further out of control. Love his recent stuff.

The voice that makes me cringe (throw up actually) is probably limited to 70's and up, so I can't mention this revered Canadian prog-bassist here.

I saw a documentary on Janis, the live concert footage, mostly from European TV, had better musicians behind her, and her performances were excellent. Like a few artists, I think her recordings didn't do her justice. Hmmm, this sounds like a topic for another thread..."Better live than on tape"

Randy spot on with Dylan and Stan equally spot on as far as I am concerned as Nashville Skyline is the only Dylan Album I have in my collection.

Surprised at Linda Ronstadt, not a huge fan but did buy a number of albums by here at one time, Love Has No Pride a great song.

I actually think her version of Different Drum, beats the original by the writer Mike Nesmith, or did she record it before he did not 100% on that.

My pick is Randy Newman. His voice sounds like he's singing inside a paper bag and the tonality makes him appear less than intelligent, but his early stuff (particularly the SAIL AWAY album)is brilliantly understated and lyrically unique. too bad that nowadays he seems to write trite little songs for kid movies.