Overrated.....Underrated....

Yeah I should mention David Lee Roth as overrated as a vocalist but being a fan and what the band did in hard rock history I can’t. Great singer? Yeah we all know the answer: Unique and new and game changing vocal style with animalistic screams (aside from the showmanship/personality/charisma bc I’m trying my best to keep this on vocalizing), he didn’t shake rock as much as Eddie’s playing and the fresh style, but he did do something Uber cool and different. Does that make him an underrated vocalist? Negative, just the opposite. But I was never happier with VH than when they had Dave back in the band.
 
Seeker of Rock said:
Roger Daltrey .... he had some great moments, but still would consider him overrated as a vocal legend
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I've made this point for a number of years now. I have long found him to be really overrated. To me, his voice is, well, it's OK. It's not a bad voice, a barely tuneful voice, a controversial voice or anything like that. It's not even really a particularly distinctive voice. It's an OK lead vocal voice but in my hearing, devoid of personality. Even the singers in Wishbone Ash had more personality.
Whenever I hear the Who, I don't think of Roger when I hear the singing, I hear "the thoughts of Pete or John." Whereas, while Geezer Butler was one of the most brilliant, yet underrated lyricists in rock across Black Sabbath's first 6 albums, when I listen to those songs, Ozzy so identified with those lyrics and possessed them, that he kind of Ozzified them and so it's him I hear rather than Geezer, if you know what I mean.
 
grimtraveller said:
I've made this point for a number of years now. I have long found him to be really overrated. To me, his voice is, well, it's OK. It's not a bad voice, a barely tuneful voice, a controversial voice or anything like that. It's not even really a particularly distinctive voice. It's an OK lead vocal voice but in my hearing, devoid of personality. Even the singers in Wishbone Ash had more personality.
Whenever I hear the Who, I don't think of Roger when I hear the singing, I hear "the thoughts of Pete or John." Whereas, while Geezer Butler was one of the most brilliant, yet underrated lyricists in rock across Black Sabbath's first 6 albums, when I listen to those songs, Ozzy so identified with those lyrics and possessed them, that he kind of Ozzified them and so it's him I hear rather than Geezer, if you know what I mean.
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So now when Ozzy sings, you just hear an old Geezer. I had to do it.
 
Seeker of Rock said:
Roy Orbison
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Seeker of Rock said:
Freddie
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Interesting. They may be underrated now, but if that's the case, it must be a recent thing because for centuries, they were both, in my opinion, what I call correctly rated. Both were excellent vocalists.
On the subject of Queen, I thought Brian May and Roger Taylor were somewhat underrated as singers. I wouldn't have minded having those two among my back-up arsenal to display on my songs !
Seeker of Rock said:
Oh yeah, Michael Jackson
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Another funny one. I've loved Michael Jackson's songs since 1972 and I was a huge J5 fan and I still love nd listen to their stuff. It was them that got me into albums, actually.
But when I narrow it down to just the singing, I don't think Michael Jackson is overrated. In fact, I don't even think he's rated ! No one ever actually talks about his voice. They talk about him growing up and taking control, they talk about his albums, they talk about his dancing, his cultural impact, the whole gamut. But I cannot think of any time his voice has actually been talked about, let alone rated. I love those J5 songs and I love the singing on them but if I had a gun held to my kneecap and was forced to rate his actual voice, the best I could come up with would be "yeah.....it's good."
But not exceptional. Jermaine had a better voice.
Seeker of Rock said:
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
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When you throw George {I thought he had a one-track voice, but a spectacularly wonderful one-track voice !} into the mix, Ringo had access to some pretty handy backing vocalists, didn't he ! 😅
 
Seeker of Rock said:
David Lee Roth....Great singer?
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Funnily enough, I think he was a great singer back in the early days of Van Halen. When I first appreciated them {via 1980's "Women & Children first"}, I loved his vocals. I still do. Some of his vocalizing on songs like "Take your whiskey home" {the last verse especially} and "Fools" and even "Everybody wants some" and "The cradle will rock" are superlative.
But I've never actually heard anyone really speak of his vocals. His showmanship, yes. His ego, definitely. But not his singing. I always say, apply the blind person test. Forget all the attendant package and just listen. With that in mind, I think he was a fantastic singer. Not overrated at all. If anything, underrated because he just doesn't get rated.
 
DLR is probably ok, as long as you put him in a studio where he could do the vocals over and over until he got them right. Back when they first came out, I heard a broadcast of one of their concerts on the radio (a small box that picked up wireless streaming music before Apple Music was invented :unsure:) and the vocals were absolutely cringeworthy! He missed as many notes as he hit. Yeah he's a showman, and he's got a decent range and recognizable voice, so that helps especially with live shows.

Maybe he's gotten better with all the years of doing it, but in the early days, it sounded to me like he needed a pretty big basket to carry the tune.
 
As previously mentioned John Paul Jones, underrated

Paul McCartney (bass alone and not including the other things he is badass at), underrated

Geezer Butler, underrated (at least today or at least I don’t hear his name come up with today’s generation). He is, imo, a very good versatile bassist, knowing when and what to play where. As a bonus, he’s technically proficient as well.
 
Cliff Burton got a lot of due credit in the first 3 records but I remember the time. There were “thrashers” and a somewhat isolated social group that followed that genre, outcasts I would say. So the true Metallica fans pre-black album knew Cliff was an incredible bass player, and could adapt to whatever style he played. But so many Metallica fans today never got a chance to hear the early stuff bc “best Metallica song” on an internet search likely pulls up enter sandman or unforgiven
 
There are several classics that are phenomenally skilled players and legends that deserve mention but above is my list of ones I feel are underrated or worthy of mention.
 
It might be interesting at this juncture, to ask people how they determine something or someone to be under or overrated.
For me, it's to do with volume and the amount of comment {or articles, or documentaries etc} on a particular feature. So, for example, Paul McCartney is one of the most written/spoken about people in music history ever. You can't escape Macca. After all, he was a Beatle.
But it's bloody rare to find much about his actual bass playing. The same with John Paul Jones. It's always mentioned that he was Zeppelin's bass player. But hardly anywhere do I find anyone actually discussing Zeppelin bass lines or what Jonesy brought to the table, bass wise. That's partly why I find him to be underrated.
 
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