Best Vocals We can’t ignore the Singers

The Dark Bishop said:

I would also like to say many singers were great at one time but drugs and alcohol really killed their careers.... Ray Charles is a prime example.... Awesome ability in singing, song writing, and showmanship while being blind. SRV is another.... He was great at everything but again left us too soon.... Being a metalhead I have to add Phil Ansalmo. Before heroin hurt his great future after his addiction to painkillers after blowing out several disks in his back, the album Far Beyond Driven went Platinum in record time and 1st on the billboard 200 rankings in days after the release. He was one of the last lead vocalist that could do 6 octaves and sound as good live as in the studio in the metal genre. Far Beyond Driven went on to prove metal isn't dead and changed the landscape. While Metallica enjoys the same company, Pantera never went commercial and kept true and still broke records.... Alot to do with the late Dimebag Darrell on Lead, Rex on Bass, Vinnie on Drums, and Phil as the Lead Vocalist.

While Phil is still making hits with a band called Down, he is limited to 2-3 octaves now. A shame really..... If only he could have fixed his back before the release of Far Beyond Driven. Pantera might still be together and we would not have lost a great Guitarist like Dimebag after the split due to an awful fan thinking it was Dimebag and Vinnie fault for leaving the band. Such a punk move killing one of the greats for playing with another band. Dimebag will be missed by all of metal.

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The Dark Bishop said:

Don't get me wrong, David Draiman does not drink at all and does singing lessons to keep his voice 4-6 hours every other day with a person to work on keeping his range. That is dedication, but he is still 3-4 octaves at best.

As far as Axel is concerned he can hit 5 octaves but can't hold range but within 3 of them. There is a reason he cancelled the snake pit tour with Metallica in 1990. When your opening act outdoes you, you might want to come up with the idea of switching closings and openings. Instead he threw a fit and walked off after 3 songs and cancelled the tour. A bit of a child move but you get the point.

With today's technology they both would sound awesome even live with the editing we can do with mixing boards to even vocals, but in their prime, they both were decent at best live..... Seen them both several times live and much like Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, only technology can help make them fit a best vocalist category....

I love all three and enjoy their music, but not fitting for best vocalists.

When I think of vocalists that fit all time greatness, I look for range, pitch, and yes showmanship. Not the biggest Aerosmith fan but Steve Tyler fits the bill..... Bad Company with rather Paul Rodgers or Brian Howe fits the bill. While I am barely a fan of Judas Priest, Rob Halford fits the bill. There are many that can do it live just as well as they do their fully edited albums. While not the biggest name to be thrown out here so far, I think David Gilmour should be added here..... No he is not Roger Waters but he can still do it all and in 5 octaves......Insane considering his age and being the back up vocalist.

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the_h0wey said:

Robert Plant and Maynard James Keenan are by far my 2 all time favorite voices

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Aven8 said:

Although I am way too young to have seen him, etc my favorite of all time is Nat King Cole.

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Roadtrip635 said:

Personally, when I think of great singers I don't think about their range or ability to hit certain notes. I can appreciate the technical talent to do it, but I want them to make me feel, not just hear what they're trying to convey. For me great singers depends on the type of music and getting their emotional message across. Guys like Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits don't have great technical voices, but are great vocalists for what they do and set the mood for the song. There's tons of metal singers that sing with anger or rage, but very few that can make you feel that rage like Lemmy. Blues is the same way, plenty of folks that can sing them, but listen to someone like Son House and you instantly feel them. Townes Van Zandt, technically not a great voice, but when he sings a sad song, you feel his pain. I've heard a lot of great singers that can do amazing things with their voice, but for me the greatest singers are the ones that can connect emotionally.

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blindzebra said:

4 pages and nobody has said Joe Cocker, shame on you guys, lol

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gp_cowpolk said:

He sang better than any other frog i ever heard

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