Worst Singer EVER

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I have a Neil Young footnote too.

I love Neil Young. I have a good handful of his records. He's written many great songs and has a lot of heart. But I do think he is a pretty poor singer, technically. He would probably even agree with me. He doesn't record and perform to dazzle everyone with his amazing vocal ability. That's not what it is about.
 
I agree with Billy Corgan. Live he's horrible. Although, I do think Gish was a masterpiece. But, everything since has pretty much blown.

Can I pick two?

How about Tracy Chapman (that fast car girl). I think the vibrato in her voice kinda sounds like a goat.
 
Yeah, Bob Dylan DOES completely suck as a singer. No one here seems to be arguing his songwriting ability. I personally like his lyrics and some of his songs. But, putting that aside, I can't consider him someone who can sing. Emotion, style, personality, substance and good songwriting makes for a great act and maybe a musical icon, but it doesn't automatically mean "great singer". I believe the post was originally about who's the worst singer.

And as far as being remembered 100 years from now...who gives a shit? Most of us probably will be dead. It's about what's hurting our ears NOW. And many "music awards" nowadays don't really mean shit either. I mean, have you watched any of the latest "music award" shows? How 'bout them rap awards? Yeah...a lot of talent there. Come on...for the most part, award shows are about the clothes that are being worn and who's showing the most skin while they hump the microphone stand. Bling bling yo yo...

And Corgan is definately hurting my ears. Nasally and whiny.
Then there's Joe Cocker singing "You Are So Beautiful". Sure, lots of emotion...but geez!
OH...and surprised no one's mentioned Dave Mathews. Wow...THAT'S bad.
 
OOOO, im glad i stumbled up on this one. Imma break it down a little.

Rock:
Mustane(loved the music, hated singer)
the singer from Coldplay(ACK)
and the guy from modest mouse.

Non rock:
MACY GRAY! she sounds like she needs to cough up a hairball!

Nuff said
 
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I can't believe I didn't think of Macy Gray myself! I feel so inadequate...
Anyway, I'll give that a hearty second - her voice makes me cringe.
 
Barbara Streisand.

Whenever I hear her voice, I just cringe. She's a vocal drama queen - so overwrought! :eek:
 
well, if Ashley Simpson ended her life, i wouldnt be dissapointed.
 
How about that band that stole Cinderella's DNA............oh yea Britny Fox. He blew huge ass!
 
MadAudio said:
I take back Geddy Lee and submit Axl Rose. I would've loved GNR if they'd had a different singer - or been an instrumental band!!!!!!!!


Yep.

Axl!!! Back slowly away from the dipthong!!!
 
I can't consider him someone who can sing. Emotion, style, personality, substance and good songwriting makes for a great act and maybe a musical icon, but it doesn't automatically mean "great singer". I believe the post was originally about who's the worst singer.

I truly believe that anyone who believes Dylan can't sing --or is even in the running for worst singer-- must be basing their opinion on his much later works or have never listened to his early stuff.

At worst in his early years he dipped into the spoken story song but that doesn't make him a bad singer. Certainly not the worst. Listen to:

Desolation Row - Highway 61 Revisited
In My Time of Dyin' - Bob Dylan (1962)

As a matter of fact just go listen to the whole 1962 album "Bob Dylan" then come back and tell me Dylan can't sing (with the exception of the first track "You're No Good"). Then I can call you a liar, because either you won't have listened to the album or you will have refused to acknowledge the fact that he sings at least as well as many of the great folk and blues vocalists. Not only that he has some pretty good guitar work there as well.

High Spots: "House of the Rising Sun"; "Talkin' New York" is such a spot on Woody Guthrie impression it is scary; "Highway 51"; "Gospel Plow" (For those that claim he couldn't play the harmonica); "Freight Train Blues" (for the same reason); "Song to Woody", here he melds the old Bob -- the one that sounds like Woody, and the new Bob that wont come out for a few more years -- the one that sounds like Bob. And he sings it as well as Robert Johnson ever sang a damned thing."See that My Grave is Kept Clean". Remember that there was no pitch shifting or auto correction then. He nails every note. You may not like his vibrato, but his pitch doesn't waver beyond the average.

It's not hard to see why Springsteeen chose to emulate the vocal style of the person who has been consistantly voted the worst vocalist.

I'd rather listen to Bob Dyaln all day long than listen to most of the wailing cats in heat that fronted metal bands throughout the 80's.
 
GoldFalcon said:
At worst in his early years he dipped into the spoken story song but that doesn't make him a bad singer. Certainly not the worst. Listen to:

Desolation Row - Highway 61 Revisited
In My Time of Dyin' - Bob Dylan (1962)

QUOTE]


Heard it....not impressed at all with that "vocal talent". I take more note of his songwriting ability and learn to accept his bad vocals. That's part of the whole vibe of Dylan anyway.

"Worst" singer ever is very hard to define, since everyone's opinion differs. But there's gotta be a reason so many people refer to Dylan when joking about bad vocals. I honestly respect him as a musical icon and enjoy some of his stuff, but don't assume I "haven't even have listened to the album" or "refused to acknowledge the fact that he sings at least as well as many of the great folk and blues vocalists", because then I can "call you a liar".

Personally, I think most folk and blues vocalists suck at singing anyway. Take note: I said "most" not "all". And that's just my opinion. A lot of emotion and feeling though, and I will give them credit for that. I enjoy some of that style, but it gets old after a while.

By the way, has anyone mentioned Yoko Ono??
 
Joey Twangdillo said:
By the way, has anyone mentioned Yoko Ono??


Okay. Now we're on to something here!!!

I retract my earlier vote and transfer it to Yoko!!!!

(That should at least slightly appease the Dylan fans.)
 
Well, all I can say is that "In My Time of Dyin'" is sung at least as well as Robert Johnson's "Come on in My Kitchen", and Robert Johnson is often cited as a definitive blues vocalist. Now if you don't care for folk or blues vocal styles then my assertion that Dylan is as good as most other Blues or Folk vocalists is a moot point anyway.

In Blues the vocals are supposed to stay out of the way of the instrumentation and arrangement; in folk they are supposed to stay out of the way of the lyrics which is why blues and folk singers eschew the trappings and tricks of the center stage vocalist in the same manner that we avoid guitar solo's in folk and meaningful lyrics in Blues.
 
Incanus said:
Okay. Now we're on to something here!!!

I retract my earlier vote and transfer it to Yoko!!!!

(That should at least slightly appease the Dylan fans.)

I second that... Can't believe I didn't think of her.
 
one more for yoko. there are a lot of people in music that i have mixed feelings about, but there's no conflict about yoko.
 
My opinion: YOKO WINS!!!

Gold Falcon, your comments are agreeable. While we aren't denying the influence and impact that blues, folk, etc has made on the music world, we are still searching for the worst singer. I believe we should call it a landslide and give the prize to Yoko. If William Hung was actually a professional singer in the business, he'd probably take second place, but he's just a joke that's been able to make a few bucks for some assholes in suits.

And just what does anyone have to say about Ethel Merman?
 
Right.
In my mind, I early discounted 'novelty' singers as even belonging to the discussion: William Shattner, or anyone else not normally associated with singing that had a go once or twice; that kind of thing. (I once heard on a 'bad music hour' radio show a song sung by the 'Leave it to Beaver' kid, (Jerry Mathers?) back in the day when he was still young. Truly horrid.)

But I think Yoko takes the cake here.

Hilarious.
 
The worst singers EVER are those R&B/Hip hop shitheads who think every song verse has to be split into several hundred syllables at a different pitch level. I think it's just a way to mask the fact they can'tcarry a tune in a bucket. Just sing the song, god damn it!!
 
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