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***Dan Lambskins Top 100 Favorite Vocalists*** 10 - Chris Cornell (2 Viewers)

44 - Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits

Speaking of MTV, everyone knows Money for Nothing and Sultans of Swing but I like some of their lesser known stuff like Skateaway

She gets rock 'n' roll and a rock 'n' roll station
And a rock 'n' roll dream
She's making movies on location
She don't know what it means
But the music make her wanna be the story
And the story was whatever was the song, what it was
Roller girl, don't worry
D.J. play the movies
All night long, all night long


For as long as they’ve been around I need to do a deeper dive into their catalog because I really like their sound
Knopfler does his "real" singing with his guitar. I've always found his voice mediocre. But it does work with the material he writes.
 
43 - Deborah Harry - Blondie

I was a little young (or more like not born yet) during Blondies rise to fame, so my exposure is more from classic rock radio. Debbie has an amazing voice and commanding presence, big fan of all of her stuff, whether is more rockin like One Way Or Another or Call Me or the poppier stuff like Heart of Glass or The Tide is High

Good actress too, love her in Videodrome
 
42 - Phil Collins - Genesis

do music nerds prefer the Gabriel led Genesis? I like both but prefer Phil, and enjoy is solo stuff as well, especially In The Air Tonight

As far as Genesis, some of my favorites
I Can’t Dance
Invisible Touch
I’m Too Deep
That’s All

I could leave, but I won't go
Though my heart might tell me so
I can't feel a thing from my head down to my toes
But why does it always seem to be
Me lookin' at you, you lookin' at me
It's always the same, it's just a shame, that's all
 
41 - Mike Ness - Social Distortion

another band where the height of their popularity was a little before my time, I first remember hearing I Was Wrong in 96. A few years later I picked up Live At The Roxy, and while I’m generally not a huge fan of live albums, this one slaps…Mike just makes you want to live that punk rock lifestyle

A few of my favorites
Story of My Life
Prison Bound
Mommy’s Little Monster
Ball and Chain

Well I'll pass the bar on the way
To my dingy hotel room
I spent all my money
Been drinkin' since a half past noon
I'll wake there in the mornin'
Or maybe in the county jail
Times are hard getting harder
I'm born to lose and destined to fail


Couple of good covers too with Under My Thumb and Ring of Fire

Sadly have not had a chance to see them live yet, was hoping to catch them last year.
At 62 not sure how well Mikes voice is holding up
 
39 - Zack de la Rocha - Rage Against The Machine

does anybody in modern music do politically driven angst better than Zack? If they do let me know

Couple of my favorites, but pretty much their entire catalog is great

Sleep Now In The Fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Testify

Bulls on Parade
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the **** off the commode
Wit' the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Killing In The Name Of
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses


Freedom
Brother, did ya forget ya name?
Did ya lose it on the wall playing Tic-Tac-Toe?
Yo, check the diagonal, three million gone, come on
'Cause you know they're counting backwards to zero
Environment, the environment exceeding
On the level of our unconsciousness
For example, what does the billboard say?
"Come and play, come and play
Forget about the movement"

(Anger is a gift)
 
38 - Gwen Stefani - No Doubt

No Doubt certainly has their share of hits like Just A Girl and Don’t Speak but I like some of the deeper cuts too like Bathwater and Marry Me

As far as solo stuff love her backing vocals on Southside and Let Me Blow Ya Mind an Sweet Escape is a great one (I first heard that one in a Mexican strip club, took me awhile to figure out it was her)

Some of her stuff is a little too poppy for my tastes, but it’s bananas that this Hollaback Girl was able to make the transition from punk to pop, pretty sure she could end up being a star in any genre
 
38 - Gwen Stefani - No Doubt
Like de la Rocha, a local. Apparently she went to a "battle of the bands" contest at UC Irvine that my band played at (I was away at college and didn't take part) back in like 1993-4 and told my best pal/lead singer that we "sounded awesome and should open for them sometime" :scream:
 
37 - Sarah McLachlan

Been a fan since Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, took the wife to see her live last year, we also saw her years ago (can’t remember exact date but probably late 90s or early 00s)

Beautiful voice and she seems really nice and down to earth

Couple of favorites
Sweet Surrender
Adia
Possession
Hold On

While Angel is a good song I will forever associate it with the sad dogs commercial. I think I also saw it on a list somewhere as the worst song to make love to, although my vote for that goes to Frosty the Snowman
 
37 - Sarah McLachlan

Been a fan since Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, took the wife to see her live last year, we also saw her years ago (can’t remember exact date but probably late 90s or early 00s)

Beautiful voice and she seems really nice and down to earth

Couple of favorites
Sweet Surrender
Adia
Possession
Hold On

While Angel is a good song I will forever associate it with the sad dogs commercial. I think I also saw it on a list somewhere as the worst song to make love to, although my vote for that goes to Frosty the Snowman
We seem to have similarly eclectic taste in music. Songs like Possession would be sandwiched between Life of Agony and Snoop Dogg in my college days playlist.
 
37 - Sarah McLachlan

Been a fan since Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, took the wife to see her live last year, we also saw her years ago (can’t remember exact date but probably late 90s or early 00s)

Beautiful voice and she seems really nice and down to earth

Couple of favorites
Sweet Surrender
Adia
Possession
Hold On

While Angel is a good song I will forever associate it with the sad dogs commercial. I think I also saw it on a list somewhere as the worst song to make love to, although my vote for that goes to Frosty the Snowman
We seem to have similarly eclectic taste in music. Songs like Possession would be sandwiched between Life of Agony and Snoop Dogg in my college days playlist.
I have a huge Amazon library and just have it make randomized playlists…it’s all over the place, if I’m not in the mood for something I just skip it (or my wife does for me if it’s something she doesn’t like)
 
36 - Neil Diamond

When I was a kid my godmother used to tease me she’d get me Neil Diamond albums for Christmas if I didn’t behave. Years later i realized he’s actually pretty entertaining

While Sweet Caroline is a great song it’s completely overplayed and I think somehow associated with Boston sports and nobody likes that

So hard to pick favorites. Holly Holy reminds me of Midnight Mass (maybe I overlooked that in the TV rankings but it was a lot of talking)

Solitary Man…love that one
Don't know that I will
But until I can find me
A girl who'll stay and
Won't play games behind me
And I'll be what I am
A solitary man
Solitary man

Desirée is one of the best songs about banging cougars (another one of those coming a bit later)

Beautiful Noise love to scream along to that one
It's a beautiful noise
And it's a sound that I love
And it makes me feel good
Like a hand in a glove
Yes it does, yes it does
What a beautiful noise

If You Know What I Mean
And the radio played like a carnival tune
As we lay in our bed in the other room
When we gave it away for the sake of a dream
In a penny arcade, if you know what I mean


Man now I wanna watch Saving Silverman
 
39 - Zack de la Rocha - Rage Against The Machine

does anybody in modern music do politically driven angst better than Zack? If they do let me know

Couple of my favorites, but pretty much their entire catalog is great

Sleep Now In The Fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Testify

Bulls on Parade
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the **** off the commode
Wit' the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Killing In The Name Of
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses


Freedom
Brother, did ya forget ya name?
Did ya lose it on the wall playing Tic-Tac-Toe?
Yo, check the diagonal, three million gone, come on
'Cause you know they're counting backwards to zero
Environment, the environment exceeding
On the level of our unconsciousness
For example, what does the billboard say?
"Come and play, come and play
Forget about the movement"

(Anger is a gift)
Look for Zack's earlier band, Inside Out. I think they only had 5 or 6 songs... but it's awesome. If you can't find it I'll hunt around.
 
Last edited:
39 - Zack de la Rocha - Rage Against The Machine

does anybody in modern music do politically driven angst better than Zack? If they do let me know

Couple of my favorites, but pretty much their entire catalog is great

Sleep Now In The Fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Testify

Bulls on Parade
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the **** off the commode
Wit' the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Killing In The Name Of
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses


Freedom
Brother, did ya forget ya name?
Did ya lose it on the wall playing Tic-Tac-Toe?
Yo, check the diagonal, three million gone, come on
'Cause you know they're counting backwards to zero
Environment, the environment exceeding
On the level of our unconsciousness
For example, what does the billboard say?
"Come and play, come and play
Forget about the movement"

(Anger is a gift)
Look for Zack's earlier band, Inside Out. I think they only had 5 or 6 songs... but it's awesome. If you can't find it I'll hunt around.
It’s on Spotify, though i have the cd (humblebrag)

No
Spirtual
Surrender
 
39 - Zack de la Rocha - Rage Against The Machine

does anybody in modern music do politically driven angst better than Zack? If they do let me know

Couple of my favorites, but pretty much their entire catalog is great

Sleep Now In The Fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Testify

Bulls on Parade
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the **** off the commode
Wit' the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Killing In The Name Of
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses


Freedom
Brother, did ya forget ya name?
Did ya lose it on the wall playing Tic-Tac-Toe?
Yo, check the diagonal, three million gone, come on
'Cause you know they're counting backwards to zero
Environment, the environment exceeding
On the level of our unconsciousness
For example, what does the billboard say?
"Come and play, come and play
Forget about the movement"

(Anger is a gift)
Look for Zack's earlier band, Inside Out. I think they only had 5 or 6 songs... but it's awesome. If you can't find it I'll hunt around.
It’s on Spotify, though i have the cd (humblebrag)

No
Spirtual
Surrender
Nice! I just have the mp3s that I copied from someone a while ago. If I'm alone in the car, volume definitely goes up.
 
We cannot separate
We cannot cut the cord
We can't deny to relate
More ignorance we can't afford
We cannot quiet the truth
We can't stop the undertone
 
73 - Carina Round - Puscifer

While I primarily want to highlight her work with Puscifer, she also has a pretty extensive solo career as well, and has toured with other bands like Tears For Fears doing backing vocals for them. I’ll admit I’m not familiar enough with her solo stuff to link any specific songs, but I have all her albums in my library so they pop up on shuffle quite a bit and I always like what I hear

I didn’t fully appreciate her work until I saw Puscifer live and realized how seamlessly some of her backing vocals come in almost like another instrument (sometimes she’s just cooing in the background or making little train noises like on Bullet Train To Iowa , or offering a little juxtaposition to the lead vocalist (more on him later) like in Fake Affront )

She’s more heavily featured as a co lead on songs like The Remedy

I just think she has a beautiful voice and probably not as well known as some other on this list…definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of female vocalists

Same Girlfriend is another good one
 
36 - Neil Diamond

When I was a kid my godmother used to tease me she’d get me Neil Diamond albums for Christmas if I didn’t behave. Years later i realized he’s actually pretty entertaining

While Sweet Caroline is a great song it’s completely overplayed and I think somehow associated with Boston sports and nobody likes that

So hard to pick favorites. Holly Holy reminds me of Midnight Mass (maybe I overlooked that in the TV rankings but it was a lot of talking)

Solitary Man…love that one
Don't know that I will
But until I can find me
A girl who'll stay and
Won't play games behind me
And I'll be what I am
A solitary man
Solitary man

Desirée is one of the best songs about banging cougars (another one of those coming a bit later)

Beautiful Noise love to scream along to that one
It's a beautiful noise
And it's a sound that I love
And it makes me feel good
Like a hand in a glove
Yes it does, yes it does
What a beautiful noise

If You Know What I Mean
And the radio played like a carnival tune
As we lay in our bed in the other room
When we gave it away for the sake of a dream
In a penny arcade, if you know what I mean


Man now I wanna watch Saving Silverman
My dads a big Neil fan. Used to spin the vinyl quite often back in the day. I feel like there are more singers from that "vinyl" era that my dad loved, that will be on this list.
 
39 - Zack de la Rocha - Rage Against The Machine

does anybody in modern music do politically driven angst better than Zack? If they do let me know

Couple of my favorites, but pretty much their entire catalog is great

Sleep Now In The Fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Testify

Bulls on Parade
The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the **** off the commode
Wit' the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Killing In The Name Of
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses


Freedom
Brother, did ya forget ya name?
Did ya lose it on the wall playing Tic-Tac-Toe?
Yo, check the diagonal, three million gone, come on
'Cause you know they're counting backwards to zero
Environment, the environment exceeding
On the level of our unconsciousness
For example, what does the billboard say?
"Come and play, come and play
Forget about the movement"

(Anger is a gift)

He was a year ahead of me in high school. Want to hear junior high school Zack singing Stray Cat Strut?

You’re welcome
 
77 - Tobias Forge aka Papa Emeritus - Ghost

I’m not sure how many here are into Swedish arena rock (I have a hard time considering them metal), but perhaps you’ve heard the hit song Square Hammer

I tend to gravitate to some of his more melodic vocals like Mary On A Cross but my favorite is Pro Memoria

Don't you forget about dying
Don't you forget about your friend death
Don't you forget that you will die


On my list to see live, was hoping to catch them at an outdoor amphitheater a few years back but didn’t work out. They’re doing an arena tour this year, still debating if I want to pay for “good” seats or not.
Rats
 
71 - Corey Taylor - Slipknot / Stone Sour

hopefully I don’t lose everyone with back to back Nu-Metal entries. While Slipknot is somewhat of a gimmick band, Corey has one of the most versatile voices in metal

He’s much more subdued and clean on some of his Stone Sour tracks like Through Glass or a cover of Wicked Game (Chris Isaak does not appear on this list despite that song being an absolute banger)

I’m not sure there’s a better combination of rap / screaming out there than their debut album Slipknot (this one is just simply too good to try and pick a few favorites from)

as far as raw emotion goes, check out Iowa which Corey recorded “completely naked, vomiting all over himself, and cutting himself with broken glass”
excellent range with this guy. Big fan
 
35 - John Fogerty - Creedence Clearwater Revival

love me some CCR. Don’t know much of his solo stuff outside of Centerfield which is a bit cheesey but I do like to fire it up for baseball season

Hard to settle on favorite here but I’ll go with

Down on the Corner

Fortunate Son - had a buddy back in college whip out an amazing karaoke version of this one

Lookin’ Out My Back Door
Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon? Doot, doo doo
Wondrous apparition, provided by magician
Doot, doot, doo, lookin' out my back door
Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon? Doot, doo doo
Bother me tomorrow, today, I'll buy no sorrows
Doot, doot, doo, lookin' out my back door


Long As I Can See The Light

Bad Moon Rising AKA There’s A Bathroom On The Right (I can’t unhear it)
 
33 - Serj Tankian - System of a Down

I think Serj has a really unique vocal range, where he can hit those guttural growls but also knock out some great melodies

Their self titled album as well as Toxicity are both amazing, I would give the edge to Toxicity though

Sugar was the first song I remember hearing and immediately bought the album

Suite-Pee is another great one from the self titled

Trying to come up with a few highlights from Toxicity is tough, that might be a perfect album with no bad tracks

Aerials
Aerials in the sky
When you lose small mind, you free your life
Aerials, so up high
When you free your eyes, eternal prize
Aerials in the sky
When you lose small mind, you free your life
Aerials, so up high
When you free your eyes, eternal prize


Prison Song

Toxicity
You, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder? Disorder
Now somewhere between the sacred silence
Sacred silence and sleep
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
Disorder, disorder, disorder


Deer Dance

I know they do a few festivals here and there but I really hope they can find a way to do an extended tour, one of the few bands I’d be all in to see if they come to town
 
32 - Lou Reed - The Velvet Underground

just love Lou’s deadpan voice and vocal delivery…nothing quite like it IMO some of his stuff just puts me in a trance

Venus In Furs
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears


Heroin

Stephanie Says

Walk On The Wild Side
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side

Pale Blue Eyes might be my favorite though
Sometimes I feel so happy
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
Baby, you just make me mad
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Thought of you as my mountaintop
Thought of you as my peak
Thought of you as everything
I've had, but couldn't keep
I've had, but couldn't keep
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I'd put you in the mirror
I put in front of me
I put in front of me
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Skip a life completely
Stuff it in a cup
She said, "Money is like us in time
It lies, but can't stand up"
Down for you is up
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
It was good what we did yesterday
And I'd do it once again
The fact that you are married
Only proves you're my best friend
But it's truly, truly a sin
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
 
32 - Lou Reed - The Velvet Underground

just love Lou’s deadpan voice and vocal delivery…nothing quite like it IMO some of his stuff just puts me in a trance

Venus In Furs
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears


Heroin

Stephanie Says

Walk On The Wild Side
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side

Pale Blue Eyes might be my favorite though
Sometimes I feel so happy
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
Baby, you just make me mad
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Thought of you as my mountaintop
Thought of you as my peak
Thought of you as everything
I've had, but couldn't keep
I've had, but couldn't keep
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I'd put you in the mirror
I put in front of me
I put in front of me
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Skip a life completely
Stuff it in a cup
She said, "Money is like us in time
It lies, but can't stand up"
Down for you is up
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
It was good what we did yesterday
And I'd do it once again
The fact that you are married
Only proves you're my best friend
But it's truly, truly a sin
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
A guy who couldn't really sing "well" conventionally but whose voice was perfect for his material.

By the late '80s, though, he wasn't really singing at all, more like talking melodically. Leonard Cohen's voice evolved/devolved in the same way.
 
33 - Serj Tankian - System of a Down

I've told this story in the music drafts before but I also head "Sugar" and was so blown away I pulled into a gas station and just sat there with my jaw agape. There had been nothing like that on the radio ever before (or maybe since, really, because nu metal never lived up to System's output).

32 - Lou Reed - The Velvet Underground

Him singing "Perfect Day" with one of the three tenors was interesting.

Lou is sui generis, though the Cohen comparison upthread is a good one regardless of how singular Lou was.
 
32 - Lou Reed - The Velvet Underground

just love Lou’s deadpan voice and vocal delivery…nothing quite like it IMO some of his stuff just puts me in a trance

Venus In Furs
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears


Heroin

Stephanie Says

Walk On The Wild Side
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side

Pale Blue Eyes might be my favorite though
Sometimes I feel so happy
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
Baby, you just make me mad
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Thought of you as my mountaintop
Thought of you as my peak
Thought of you as everything
I've had, but couldn't keep
I've had, but couldn't keep
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I'd put you in the mirror
I put in front of me
I put in front of me
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Skip a life completely
Stuff it in a cup
She said, "Money is like us in time
It lies, but can't stand up"
Down for you is up
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
It was good what we did yesterday
And I'd do it once again
The fact that you are married
Only proves you're my best friend
But it's truly, truly a sin
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
A guy who couldn't really sing "well" conventionally but whose voice was perfect for his material.

By the late '80s, though, he wasn't really singing at all, more like talking melodically. Leonard Cohen's voice evolved/devolved in the same way.
He was kinda like that early on, too - right? I mean, I guess he's singing on "A Perfect Day" but "Walk On The Wild Side" is a rap. So is "Sweet Jane". In any case, Reed was certainly a unique vocalist.
 
35 - John Fogerty - Creedence Clearwater Revival

love me some CCR. Don’t know much of his solo stuff outside of Centerfield which is a bit cheesey but I do like to fire it up for baseball season

Hard to settle on favorite here but I’ll go with

Down on the Corner

Fortunate Son - had a buddy back in college whip out an amazing karaoke version of this one

Lookin’ Out My Back Door
Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon? Doot, doo doo
Wondrous apparition, provided by magician
Doot, doot, doo, lookin' out my back door
Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flyin' spoon? Doot, doo doo
Bother me tomorrow, today, I'll buy no sorrows
Doot, doot, doo, lookin' out my back door


Long As I Can See The Light

Bad Moon Rising AKA There’s A Bathroom On The Right (I can’t unhear it)
CCR was such an odd band. They were weird because they were so un-weird at a time when so many of their contemporaries were flying their freak flags. Meanwhile, CCR is pumping out record after record - I think 7 LPs in 3 years and all are like "greatest hits" collections. Most of their singles were short, which was a good thing (their 10-minute version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" bores me to tears).

Fogarty as a vocalist reminds me most of Jimi Hendrix. He has this warm growl that gets straight to whatever point he's trying to make. And when he gets into righteous indignation like he does on "Fortunate Son", he is absolutely ferocious.

Fun fact: John Fogarty got sued for plagiarizing his own music :loco:
 
34 - Elvis Presley

I’m certainly no Elvis historian but such a tragic figure IMO. Another example of how fame just ruins some people

Blue Suede Shoes

A Little Less Conversation

Can’t Help Falling In Love

While all those are great I can’t seem to get the fat, sweaty Elvis version of Unchained Melody out of my head…it’s a great performance but also kind of sad to watch

On and since I’m a sucker for Christmas songs If Every Day Was Like Christmas is one of my favorites
I don't know of any singer who has had more whiplash reactions to their reputations than Presley. It seems like every 5 or 10 years there is some hot take on how he sucked or that he was great. Folks like Gil Scott-Herron & Chuck D went after him hard for ripping off black artists. I do not think that was Elvis' intention at all - he loved the blues and gospel that he heard living on the same wrong side of the tracks as most of the artists he admired. I DO think, though, that the folks handling him were ready/willing/able to steal whatever they could for their own benefit. Hell, Sam Phillips (Ur-producer for most Boomer rock critics) said it out loud.

As for Presley's voice, he could pretty much do what he told Phillips in 1954 - "I sing all kinds". As he got later into his career/life, he started relying on proven tricks and mannerisms. But, man oh man, that kid in the mid-50s could bring it. And he could still bring it when the mood struck later on.

I know the above sounds like I'm lionizing him. I'm not. He was a screwed up dude and turned into a pathetic narcissist. I just think he was a better singer than the people who concentrate on his frailties would like to recognize.
 
32 - Lou Reed - The Velvet Underground

just love Lou’s deadpan voice and vocal delivery…nothing quite like it IMO some of his stuff just puts me in a trance

Venus In Furs
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears


Heroin

Stephanie Says

Walk On The Wild Side
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side

Pale Blue Eyes might be my favorite though
Sometimes I feel so happy
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
Baby, you just make me mad
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Thought of you as my mountaintop
Thought of you as my peak
Thought of you as everything
I've had, but couldn't keep
I've had, but couldn't keep
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I'd put you in the mirror
I put in front of me
I put in front of me
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Skip a life completely
Stuff it in a cup
She said, "Money is like us in time
It lies, but can't stand up"
Down for you is up
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
It was good what we did yesterday
And I'd do it once again
The fact that you are married
Only proves you're my best friend
But it's truly, truly a sin
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
A guy who couldn't really sing "well" conventionally but whose voice was perfect for his material.

By the late '80s, though, he wasn't really singing at all, more like talking melodically. Leonard Cohen's voice evolved/devolved in the same way.
He was kinda like that early on, too - right? I mean, I guess he's singing on "A Perfect Day" but "Walk On The Wild Side" is a rap. So is "Sweet Jane". In any case, Reed was certainly a unique vocalist.
Kinda. But he stopped pretending that he was singing after a while.
 
31 - Janis Joplin - Big Brother and The Holding Company

I’m sure I heard her before that, but I didn’t really get into her until some artsy chicks I knew played one of her CDs at a little get together I had, and I was instantly hooked

I’d have guessed she was a 45 year old smoker instead of yet another gone too soon artist

Love the way she belts out the lyrics in Piece of My Heart
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good


Mercedes Benz …love singing along to that one

My favorite though is her rendition of Me and Bobby McGee

Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
 
31 - Janis Joplin - Big Brother and The Holding Company

I’m sure I heard her before that, but I didn’t really get into her until some artsy chicks I knew played one of her CDs at a little get together I had, and I was instantly hooked

I’d have guessed she was a 45 year old smoker instead of yet another gone too soon artist

Love the way she belts out the lyrics in Piece of My Heart
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good


Mercedes Benz …love singing along to that one

My favorite though is her rendition of Me and Bobby McGee

Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
In the current countdown thread I had One Night Stand on the list. Produced by Todd Rundgren with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band backing. Recorded not long before the Pearl sessions. It's amazing.
 
31 - Janis Joplin - Big Brother and The Holding Company

I’m sure I heard her before that, but I didn’t really get into her until some artsy chicks I knew played one of her CDs at a little get together I had, and I was instantly hooked

I’d have guessed she was a 45 year old smoker instead of yet another gone too soon artist

Love the way she belts out the lyrics in Piece of My Heart
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good


Mercedes Benz …love singing along to that one

My favorite though is her rendition of Me and Bobby McGee

Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
In the current countdown thread I had One Night Stand on the list. Produced by Todd Rundgren with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band backing. Recorded not long before the Pearl sessions. It's amazing.
I have a complicated relationship with Janis.

On the one hand - and feel free to call me a hypocrite as someone who often touts Otis Redding as the greatest singer of the 1960s - she goes overboard too much (especially early on in her career).

On the other, her version of "Me And Bobby McGee" is a master class in control for such an explosive voice. You can tell the power is there, but she's holding back which - to me - makes the performance so much greater. She does cut loose towards the end, but it feels more earned to me. Joplin - had she lived - I think would have been a nice offset to Aretha, Carole, Joni, Carly, and Gladys in the early '70s among front-lining female singers.
 
30 - Eminem

Yeah he borders on corny at times, but he’s just such a great lyricist. Live rap / hip-hop is generally not my thing but I did catch him early on in his breakout at Warped Tour

Lose Yourself is a great track
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's chokin', how? Everybody's jokin' now
The clock's run out, time's up, over, blaow

Snap back to reality, ope, there goes gravity
Ope, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so mad

But he won't give up that easy, no, he won't have it

My Fault is a more underrated track that I really like…just love the delivery on this one

She said, "Help me, I think I'm havin' a seizure"
I said, "I'm high too, *****, quit grabbin' my T-shirt

you can really feel the emotion in a song like Kim even if it’s a bit dark sided

Stan is a damn masterpiece IMO…just great storytelling in that one

Oh yeah can’t forget his work with D12 on Purple Pills

and he’s a huge Lions fan so that gets him some bonus points
 
29 - Bon Scott - AC/DC

I probably mentioned elsewhere, but Dirty Deeds was one of the first tapes I ever bought from a little record store by my house

Just love Bons voice, bummer we lost him too soon. I still like the Brian Johnson led band but not nearly as much

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Big Balls
Some balls are held for charity
And some for fancy dress
But when they're held for pleasure
They're the balls that I like best


Im not sure how well this one is liked, but
The Jack might be my favorite

But how was I to know
That she'd been shuffled before
Said she'd never had a Royal Flush
But I should have known
That all the cards were comin'
From the bottom of the pack
And if I'd known what she was dealin' out
I'd have dealt it back
 
Sorry for the long hiatus, hopefully get one more in and get the list cleaned up and then try to get this knocked out on the next week or so
 
29 - Bon Scott - AC/DC

I probably mentioned elsewhere, but Dirty Deeds was one of the first tapes I ever bought from a little record store by my house

Just love Bons voice, bummer we lost him too soon. I still like the Brian Johnson led band but not nearly as much

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Big Balls
Some balls are held for charity
And some for fancy dress
But when they're held for pleasure
They're the balls that I like best


Im not sure how well this one is liked, but
The Jack might be my favorite

But how was I to know
That she'd been shuffled before
Said she'd never had a Royal Flush
But I should have known
That all the cards were comin'
From the bottom of the pack
And if I'd known what she was dealin' out
I'd have dealt it back
Great singer and frontman and maybe an even better backstory. His wiki page has all kinds of interesting tidbits about his youth.

 
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