This was a quote from my wife when listening to Carter USM.
I know lots of people who may think Carter are rubbish, but I've been wracking my brain to try and think of a single song by anyone, that I love....all apart from the singers voice?
After not being able to think of one, I've decided that a good song has to be made up of a decent tune and a singer who's voice you actually like too.
Can anyone think of a great tune sung by a God awful singer?
Anything sung by Ian Brown live.
I think this is gonna be a long list!
90percent of bob dylans back catalogue
Lots of songs by Connor Oberst.
I agree with Bob Dylan's voice but wouldn't his songs be just as rubbish sung by someone else? I'm probably going to get flamed for that one.
Coldplay - Chris Martin's voice is so dull to my ears. My wife love them and can't understand why I find them so bland.
90percent of bob dylans back catalogue
+1
And add Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen to the list for starters
Trent Reznor and Prince are two whose stuff I often prefer performed by someone else.
Pleeeeease don't tell me you prefer Johnny Cash's version of NIN 'Hurt' ?
****ed Up maybe? I could do without pinkeye's vocals a lot of the time. David Comes To Life has a plot apparently, I can't tell because half of the lyrics seem to be sung by an angry dog. I don't hate it, sometimes it's brilliant, but it annoys sometimes.
Jim's voice isn't that bad though!
Neal Young has written some amazing tunes but my god his voice grates on me. 😥
Going to get flamed here but some Beatles songs... Sorry
Pleeeeease don't tell me you prefer Johnny Cash's version of NIN 'Hurt' ?
Me, Trent Reznor & a lot of other people do. Not many songs hit me, stop me in my tracks & almost move me to tears on a first listen.
Neil Young
Noooooo. His voice is brilliant.
Guess it depends how you define a "good" voice. I like a voice to sound a bit different, bit raspy - to have some character.
Music would be just horrendous if all vocalists could hit all notes.
Music would be just horrendous if all vocalists could hit all notes.
Which is why Autotune should be banned.
There have been many brilliant singers with awful voices, e.g.
Joe Cocker
Captain Beefheart
Ian Dury
and my personal favourite "rubbish singer"
Roger Chapman (Family).
[i]I know lots of people who may think Carter are rubbish[/i]
[i]Were[/i] rubbish surely. not that I think they were, but can't imagine bothering to listen to them now.
I used to hate The Jam because of Weller's voice. Then Strange Town became one of my favourite songs ever.
Duran Duran's songs may have been superb, but Le Bon's the shittest singer ever (apart from maybe Howard Jones), so I couldn't listen to a single one of them.
More up to date: Sam Smith. makes me vomit.
Hmm, I haven't done what the op asked have I? Oh well!
The Smiths.
Yep, loads of music that I like but can't stand the singer.
Smashing Pumpkins - Billy Corgan's thin whine 🙁
Not gonna flame but you should give Thea Gilmore's version of John Wesley Harding (the whole album) a go sometime.I agree with Bob Dylan's voice but wouldn't his songs be just as rubbish sung by someone else? I'm probably going to get flamed for that one.
Absolutely brilliant.
Muse?
Smashing Pumpkins - Billy Corgan's thin whine
This ^
Also Richard Thompson, it's taken me years to enjoy his songs actually sung by him.
Bob Dylan, or at least his more recent stuff, he's become a parody of himself.
I love Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Cerys Matthews, but I can understand people struggling to enjoy hearing them sing.
Doesn't make them rubbish, mind.
Another vote for Connor Oberst. There's about 10 albums of beautifully arranged, written, performed but poorly sung songs.
Lua, Gold Mine Gutted for two. But that's coke for you.
Also Richard Thompson
No no no no no no no no NO NO NO.
RT is a brilliant singer with a GOOD voice.
Never has a thread been more guaranteed to not arrive at a consensus without mentioning driving.
FWIW I'd agree with the Smiths and Duran Duran and a big "WTF! Really??" to Billy Corgan.
Philistines and / or people of sound judgement, the lot of you.
DezB - Member
Duran Duran's songs may have been superb, but Le Bon's the shittest singer ever....
I agree about Simon Le Bon - flat, whiney, terrible timing and diction.
I love most of the others named on the thread though - technical ability is the least important attribute of any musician - they all convey the emotion behind the music beautifully, even if they couldn't hit a note if it was tied to a chair in front of them.
🙂
CountZero - MemberAlso Richard Thompson, it's taken me years to enjoy his songs actually sung by him.
His voice just makes me cry - no idea why, but I just end up in bits whenever I hear him sing - had to stop going to see him live, it was getting embarrasing.
For example:
See?
Sorry, just got something in my eye........
Manic Street Preachers
The Smiths
Muse
I've always loved New Order, but I'd have to say Barney Sumner would rank highly on the list of crap singers.
Joy Division...
*Gasp.*
Just to add weight to my (and cfinnemore's) suggestion:
literally anyone else singing this would be an improvement.
Billy Bragg. Lovely songs, terrible voice.
Brian Johnson.
I've never heard actual cats being strangled, luckily for me, thanks to AC/DC, I never have to imagine what it might sound like .
Billy Bragg. Lovely songs, terrible voice.
True, but also the perfect voice for those songs.
Not gonna flame but you should give Thea Gilmore's version of John Wesley Harding (the whole album) a go sometime.
Absolutely brilliant.
+1 on that and I'm an enforced Dylan fan!!
I'd add Jimi Hendrix to the list. Love his music, some incredible tunes but an awful singer.
Can I add Nick Cave to the list?
Can I add Nick Cave to the list?
Christ no. Now go and wash your mouth out.
Good call onBilly Bragg. Love the guy, but Could he not just have Kirsty sing them all? New England is approximately 23,456,789 times better when she sings it.
Ian brown is God like deity, but can't sing for toffee!
Anyone who's mentioned the Smiths needs to see Johnny Marr live now he's doing Smiths songs in his set. The best songs ever written, but with the bonus of no Morrisey. Result!!! He's a lyrical genius but also a complete bell end!
Not gonna flame but you should give Thea Gilmore's version of John Wesley Harding (the whole album) a go sometime.
Absolutely brilliant.+1 on that and I'm an enforced Dylan fan!!
I'd add Jimi Hendrix to the list. Love his music, some incredible tunes but an awful singer.
I like Hendrix singing
As to Dylan, All Along The Watchtower and Angel are pretty good; sung by Hendrix rather than Dylan.
I Saw Her Standing There sung by Paul Rudolph[Pink Fairies] sounds better than, is it McCartney?
I prefer Siouxsie singing Dear Prudence, rather than Lennon.
Nobody's mentioned Rush yet?!
[i]Nobody's mentioned Rush yet?![/i]
that's cos the music's as bad as the vocals 🙂
Mrs Gti last week: "Can we go to Canada? I want to see Gordon Lightfoot in concert!"
WTF?
NW - I Would agree about F***ed Up. Think they decided that they were being a bit too musical for a hardcore band so decided to go with the angriest singer imaginable. Still really like them....just get the feeling I would like them more if it wasn't for Pink Eyes.
I nominate Future Islands. His voice already annoyed me a bit but then I saw this 😯
Many songs but john Lydon, PiL and the pistols. He knows that he's not a 'good' singer technically but great songs.
It really really really,really, really doesn't matter if the singing isn't perfect, it is the content and emotion that make a good song/artist. You might as well watch sh1te saturday night talent contests on itv if the quality of the voice is more important.
And no,Kirsy's version of New England is definately not better than Billy's
That Future Islands is fab by the way 😀
That Future Islands is fab by the way
Check out his mind moves at 3min 12....can just imagine him saying "try to hit me.....go on try"
I agree with Bob Dylan's voice but wouldn't his songs be just as rubbish sung by someone else?
A short collection of Dylan music that I think has been done much better than Dylan
[url= http://open.spotify.com/user/stilltortoise/playlist/12rfhNVsIDkb0hEPseeiYB ]Dylan can't sing[/url]
[i]That Future Islands is fab by the way[/i]
In a Paul McShane fronting Flock of Seagulls with your dad dancing to it a wedding type way? Yeah, fab.
I love that people who think Dylan can't sing are missing out on such genius as Subterranean Homesick Blues etc etc etc etc etc.
In a Paul McShane fronting Flock of Seagulls with your dad dancing to it a wedding type way? Yeah, fab.
My sarcasm detector is going off but if someone invited me to a gig describing it like that I'd be there like a shot.
Just dragged the 15 yr old out of bed to watch Future Islands on You Tube. Needless to say he isn't coming to the cricket club disco next week, I'm sharpening my moves 😀
When we play The Smiths in the car my boy always makes the same comment - "I love the music but not the singing!"
[i] if someone invited me to a gig describing it like that I'd be there like a shot.[/i]
You need help! 🙂
I used to like The Verve until I noticed Richard Ashcroft's hideous fake American accent. Can't listen to them any more. You're from WIGAN!
Love Mercury Rev's early stuff - Jonathan Donahue's vocals work great with the heavier sound.
Their later stuff is not my cup of tea at all - his voice sounds really exposed in the more trad arrangements. Seems like they had a bit of a Bez situation - someone in the band who is doing fk-all on the face of it (David Baker in MR), but when he leaves the whole thing changes dramatically.
I know what you mean, but this is fab -
I always thought his voice was one that didn't make sense on record but really worked live. Them doing The Dark Is Rising at a gig in Leeds is one of my top live music moments ever.
How about Barney Sumner? Not a singer, but I love his voice. Expected it to be horrible live, but I was mesmerised.
@NorthWind - have you see this before? Just stumbled across it today. Seems to be a notable improvement with the kids singing instead of Pink Eyes....pretty cool vid also.
I'd have paid more attention in music if she'd been my teacher 😆
I dunno, I think his voice works really well on queen of hearts, weirdly it's the less melodic songs that it grates more.
Ach, I take it back, I'd not change them for anything... It's the wounded bear vocals on One More Night that make it perfect, it all sounds ripped from the soul
No rappers been mentioned yet.. so: Tupac - can't understand the popularity, just a rubbish rapper to my ears!
stilltortoise - Member
I agree with Bob Dylan's voice but wouldn't his songs be just as rubbish sung by someone else?
😯
Of course not! Don't be silly, there's nothing wrong with Dylan's songs, and as I said in my earlier post, his voice was much better on his earlier songs, but has become almost a parody on later recordings.
And I also said that I really struggled with Richard Thompson's voice, but I've grown to appreciate it over the years, which is partly his voice having matured, along with my own appreciation changing.
Same with Bill Bragg; I saw him in Frome a year or so ago, and his voice has grown in depth and richness as he's got older, not an outstanding voice, but much better than it was, and really good live.
Someone mentioned Thea Gilmore; now that girl can really [i]sing[/i]!
And her voice has gained in richness and depth as she's got older, too, and having a baby helped as well, apparently.
No rappers been mentioned yet.. so: Tupac - can't understand the popularity, just a rubbish rapper to my ears!
Can I add JayZ, Lil Wayne, Kanye, Drake & A$AP Rocky to that list.
Billie Holiday's voice isn't great. Lack of range and fragile, but distinctive. I love listening to her, as she packs emotion into her songs, even if it is generally misery.
Also Sonny Boy Williamson II. What he lacks in vocal talent, he makes up for in blues harp playing.