I went to the Forum last night and saw a blast from (my) past The Godfathers. Audience was like a harder version of a Madness concert. Great guitar based music and all that but the front man was never really (and hasn't suddenly become) a singer. Now on the long trek home a couple of bands came on my transportable music cassette pod walkie playman thingy being Ash and, very embarrasingly, Snow Patrol.....now these are also bands with singers who can't really sing. But in the case of Ash and the Godfathers it doesn't stop them being good bands. So I wondered what other bands fit this category. If I was being harsh you could say that Howlin' Pelle Kyssttommmhhhheeeennn from the Hives struggles in the singing department but is a great frontman. Jimmy Pursey, pre-using-the-form-of-dance, was a good shouter.
So do singers need to be able to sing?
C'mon, c'mon.....we're going down the .......etc
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Well some might suggest that Bob Dylan can't really sing.
Certainly Wayne Coyone of the Flaming Lips and Stephen Malkmus of Pavement have a few troubles in this area. But as Malkmus once said, in a lyric, "a voice coach taught me to sing, couldn't teach me to love". And that's the key - I think. You need to sound like you care whether you can sing or not. If the message is boring to the lead singer you know you're in the middle of the road.
Ian Brown has never had much of a singing voice either, but it doesn't seem to matter too much.
Courtney Love is a great vocalist but a rubbish singer. She's also a hideous rentaquote gobshite nightmare though so that puts me off her more than anything.
oh dear, hope I haven't touched a raw nerve with Big Al and will soon be excluded from this blog for reminding him Dylan can't sing. Was reminded of the lyric "I can't sing, I just shout" from the Fall, fronted by Mark E Smith, now there's someone who's singing style hasn't stopped him over the years.
Heartily agree with all the comments about being a good frontperson is more important than being a good singer.....
This link is for the user earworm. You visited my blog and requested the following link; http://squeezemylemon.blogspot.com/2007/09/request-from-down-under-for-bessie.html
It is to a Bessie Smith page. I hope that helps, sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
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