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Top 10 best singers of all time (Or something like that).

Discussion in 'TV, Music and Movies' started by Mcduffie81, Sep 6, 2019.

  1. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    I love music. I play too (drums). These are my favorite singers. I’ll only list 10 in no certain order except #1. Subject to change as I think of more and might kick some off the list.

    Put your list down. Tell me why my list sucks if you want.

    Roy Orbison
    Sade
    Chrissie Hynde
    Phil Collins
    Stevie Nicks
    Michael McDonald
    Willie Nelson
    Elton John
    Freddie Mercury

    Stands alone as my all time favorite - Glenn Danzig

    Honorable mentions: Lou Gramm, Gwen Stephani, Hayley Williams, Ronnie James Dio, Maynard James Keenan
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2019
  2. Pauly

    Pauly Season Ticket Holder

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    1) Ella Fitzgerald. Range, emotion, rhythm and on top of that does a killer zlouis Armstrong impersonation.
    2) Diana Damrau, she gets her teeth into the Queen of the Night aria and rips it to shreds.
    3) Bon Scott. Not so much for his limited talent as a singer but more for his showmanship and ability to convey sleazy in a way no one else has.
    4) Freddie Mercury. Ella Fitzgerald but without her gravitas.
    5) Luciano Pavarotti. Makes opera seem easy in a way that no else except Enrico Caruso did. Caruso was more talented but far less dedicated.
    6) Brian Wilson. Harmonies are tough and he did it across a wide range.
    7) Astrud Gilberto, the Queen of the Bossa Nova.
    8) Bob Marley. For songs that everybody thinks they can sing along to, but are far harder to sing well than they seem. There’s a good reason why Bob Marley is the only reggae singer that connquered the world.
    9) Paul McCartney. The true musical genius in the Beatles.
    10) Pedro Suarez. Peru’s rock minstrel and you can’t listen to “Mi auto era una rana” without smiling.
     
  3. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    I can’t take this seriously. You don’t have an avatar......


    Jk. Interesting list. You gave me a little homework to do.

    1. My wife walked (ran crying) down the isle to the song “At last” at our wedding.

    2.?

    3. He’s a badass.

    4. Love him.

    5. Have yet to find my appreciation for him or that genre.

    6. Love Beach Boys and agree with you 100%.

    7. ?

    8. Love Marley! But as a singer? I’d push back a tiny bit just for the sake of arguement.

    9. I’m more of a Lennon guy, sorry!

    10. ?
     
  4. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    In no order:
    Lennon - It’s the freakin Beatles man. What else needs to be said?
    Dave Matthews - See him live before you tell me he doesn’t belong here. And if you still don’t like him, fall in a ditch or something cause I don’t know what to tell ya.
    Hendrix - See 1, except sub in Hendrix name where applicable.
    Bob Marley - Agree with Pauly
    Luther Vandross - You talk about signing? Whoooo Luther can sing.
    Chris Cornell - My Favorite from the early 90’s alt rock genre he could switch octaves as well as anyone. And his daughter inherited the gene.
    The Isleys - See Luther.
    James Hetfield - His voice is what helped bring heavy metal to the mainstream in the 80’s and 90’s.
    Ozzy - Paved the way for bands like Metallica and his voice and lyrics were unlike much else at the time.
    Ben Folds - Musical genius.
     
  5. phinswolverinesrockets

    phinswolverinesrockets If he dies, he dies

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    I was born and raised in Detroit, aka MOTOWN. Most of my list comes from that era. Man, I love anything with soul.

    In no particular order (well, kinda)...

    Bobby Womack (my all time fav)
    Al Green
    Sam Cooke
    Nina Simone
    Otis Redding
    Freddie Mercury
    Patti LaBelle
    Stevie Wonder
    Smokey Robinson
    Aretha Franklin
     
  6. phinswolverinesrockets

    phinswolverinesrockets If he dies, he dies

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    Ron Isley was a honorable mention on my list. What a voice!!!
     
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  7. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Its obviously a matter of total personal preference, but I simply don't really enjoy listening to people with a gravely voice all that much. I can't tell you how many songs that I've listened to over the years, and thought how much better it would be if someone else was doing the vocals.

    I've always been a much bigger fans of the Fleetwood Mack songs featuring Christine McVie than Stevie Nicks because of that. And while I've been a DMB fan since high school in the early 90s, I've never once thought of him as a good singer. Its just fun music overall.
     
  8. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    In no order:

    Toni Tennille
    Sam Cooke
    Martha Wash
    Adele
    Whitney Houston
    Bobby McFerrin
    Chris Cornell
    Brian Justin Crum
    Everly Brothers (count as 1)
    Louis Prima
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2019
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  9. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    Fleetwood Mac is one of my all time favorites. Mick Fleetwood is my favorite drummer, which is funny to say because my roots are in hardcore/punk/metal.

    But anyways listen to Stevie song this song. She has such a sweet innocent voice when she wants to. Tell me what you think....

     
  10. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    Nice list but 1 thing......Toni Tennille? You’ve got me racking my brain. I think of only Captain and Tennille and wonder who or why someone has delved into their Discography. Got an example of what I’m missing?
     
  11. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Yes her.

    She has so much power in her voice she could probably knock down a building with it. Listen to her belt.
     
  12. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    This might take time...

    Darn.

    Whitney Houston - First person I thought of. Incredible voice.
    Hayley Westenra - Don't listen to classical voice often at all, but I remember hearing Hayley's voice on some pieces and finding it haunting.
    Mariah Carey - Effortless range. So talented. Sadly she's not now what she once was.
    Michael Jackson (don't forget his time in the Jackson 5)
    Billie Holiday - Powerful, emotional voice. Not a fan of jazz in general but I do own some Billie Holiday.

    Going to need to come back to this one...
     
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  13. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    It’s not that I think you’re wrong. It’s just a curious choice. Is there a specific song?
     
  14. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    yeah he can sing. I can listen to most anything (as you can see by the list varying from hard rock to r &b)...Ron Isley can definitely sing.

    Actually it was late last night and if you like those old school runs from singers tben Chris Stapleton can belt em out with the best of em. I listen to no country music...but I can listen to Chris Stapleton for hours.
     
  15. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    i'm not saying their music is good or that I love their songs, I don't.

    But for pure signing prowess, power and ability, Toni Tennille was incredible. She had pipes like howitzers.

    I didn't find much, but really listen, when she sings it sounds like two to three people are actually singing to me.

     
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  16. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    I’m not judging. Roy Orbison is on my list. It’s just not often you hear of Captain & Tennille. I’ll give it a listen when I can have some piece and quiet.
     
  17. Pauly

    Pauly Season Ticket Holder

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    Diana Damrau: The setup for the “Der Holle Rache”, or The Queen of the Night Aria, is that the queen’s daughter has returned after running away from home and being captured by the Queen’s rival. The Queen feeling betrayed sends her daughter back to kill her rival. This can be played many ways, a queen ordering a subject, a stern mother enforcing duty, as persuasion (you’ll do it if you love me), as a guilt trip. Diana Damrau plays it as pure rage.
     
  18. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    1) Sam Cooke


    2) Paul Rodgers


    3) Van Morrison
     
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  19. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    4) Chris Cornell


    5) H.R.


    6) Ronnie James Dio
     
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  20. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    7) Danny Joe Brown


    8) Freddie Mercury


    9) Rob Halford
     
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  21. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    10) Chris Stapleton


    11) Ann Wilson


    12) Phil Mogg
     
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  22. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Can't believe it took 5 posts for someone to mention Stevie Wonder. My favorite singer of all time. So much energy, so much soul.
     
  23. ToddPhin

    ToddPhin Premium Member Luxury Box Club Member

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    Johann Holzel
    Brad Roberts
    Cyndi Lauper
    Weird Al Yankovic
     
  24. phinswolverinesrockets

    phinswolverinesrockets If he dies, he dies

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    I finally got around to checking out Chris Stapleton. I dig it.
     
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  25. Pauly

    Pauly Season Ticket Holder

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    Can’t believe we’ve all missed Franky Crankypants. For me the biggest part of what made him so relevant for so ling was the way he changed his repertoire in line with his age. Starting early in his career with songs like “All or Nothing at All”, “Blue Skies”, and “Night and Day”, moving on to “The Lady is a Tramp”, “l get a kick out of you”, and “One for my baby (and one more for the road)” and moving onto his later career hits like “It was a very good year” “Strangers in the night” and of course “My way”.
     
  26. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    That’s stylistic engineering. Dave Grohl always doubles his vocal tracks.

    The music is so bad! But she’s got a strong voice.
     
  27. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Its not. She actually sounds like that.
     
  28. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    Those are vocal effects. If you don’t think so I’d like to see why you disagree.
     
  29. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    An ex girlfriend who was a singer herself, saw her sing live a few times at a few smaller venues. And that’s what it was like according to her.
     
  30. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    Here’s a version without that vocal effect.

     
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  31. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Its always interesting how different people can look at the same question, and come up with answers that are so vastly different from one another. There are a few that were listed that I would have specifically called out as some of the worst popular singers of my lifetime, had the question been reversed, lol.

    But some of the people who I think have the best voices (and that's how I interpret the question) are, in addition to others who have already been mentioned:

    Karen Carpenter
    James Taylor
    Carly Simon
    Kenny Loggins
    Luther Vandros
    Lionel Richie
    Sarah McLachlan
     
  32. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I don't listen to Mariah Carey, at all, but from a technical standpoint, she would go on the list. This girl below wouldn't go on my Top 10 list, but her main inspiration and the artist she is covering in this song, Sade, would. That being said, Amber Mark is incredibly young and her natural dark, smoky, but warm timbre is completely unfair (she's a looker as well). Props to the particular run at 1:49-1:53, which was a Sade trademark. Sade personally signed off on Amber's cover.

     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2019
  33. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    This guy would go on my Top 10 as well- incredibly adept at a wide range of styles. I'm a fan of his more gospel-y stuff, but he sounds pretty at home when singing songs like "They Call the Wind Mariah", etc. Versatile guy.

    Edit: I see @adamprez2003 has mentioned Sam Cooke already.
    Edit 2: I'm a douche, I see tons of people have mentioned Sam Cooke. I agree with all of you!

     
  34. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Other ones previously mentioned that I agree with:
    • Ella Fitzgerald (the queen of jazz singers, on that note I'd also nominate Mel Torme)
    • Brian Wilson (one of the best falsettos and melody-writers ever, melodies so painfully beautiful)
    • Ron Isley (style style style)
    • Aretha Franklin (effortless, she stills the air and moves it at the same time when she sings)
    • On a lesser level, Louis Prima (he gets the nod for just being incredibly unique and gregarious).
     
  35. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Just going to leave this here. Guy sounded incredible live back in his heyday.

     
  36. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    C'mon guys. Also surprised no one mentioned Brad Delp from Boston, as well.

     
  37. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Boston is one of my favorite bands. I have three of their albums and it rocks. But though unique, I don't think his voice is "good".
     
  38. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    There’s no right or wrong with these answers. When I started this thread it was really a thread for your own personal favorites, not “who’s the best” despite the tongue in cheek thread title.

    Some people love technically in voices. I personally don’t care all that much about the notes or range a singer can hit in MOST cases.

    I tend to value natural vocal tone or unique voices. Of course everyone is trying to be different and some singers take it over the top trying to be unique and that’s an instant turn off.
     
  39. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    <3
     
  40. Mcduffie81

    Mcduffie81 Wildcat Club Member

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    See, this is one of those things I don’t dare act like I know what I’m listening to when I hear this. No doubt it’s beautiful. But that genre is so foreign to me that I can’t really appreciate it the same way you do. That’s like next level stuff.
     

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