Simple question:
Who's you favourite vocalist from this list.
1) Dennis DeYoung.
2) Tommy Shaw.
3) Steve Walsh.
As much as I enjoy the Styx duo,the Kansas warbler gets my vote! His vocal range is immense on their classic seventies releases!
Simple question:
Who's you favourite vocalist from this list.
1) Dennis DeYoung.
2) Tommy Shaw.
3) Steve Walsh.
As much as I enjoy the Styx duo,the Kansas warbler gets my vote! His vocal range is immense on their classic seventies releases!
In this order:
1) Steve Walsh
2) Tommy Shaw - but it's close
3) Dennis DeYoung is a distant 3rd.
Brad Delp would be ahead of all of them, however.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Steve Walsh, in his prime, beats all of them. DeYoung is too theatrical for me, and Shaw more or less just does the job.
"Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)
Are there other choices?
From the list of choices I will go with Tommy Shaw. I'm in the minority group that likes his Girls With Guns album.
I don't like Kansas. Dennis DeYoung is ok.
Whichever choice was the guy who sang the Styx songs that were on the radio: Not that guy.
Tommy Shaw, but...who really cares?
In their prime I would go with Walsh. Today though I would go with Shaw. I just saw Styx back in the fall and I think Shaw’s voice has actually improved with age. His vocal range is still amazing and can still hit all the high notes. It has been a few years since seeing DeYoung but his voice was still in amazing shape as well.
Dennis DeYoung, hands down. With very few exceptions, I only listened to Styx for his songs.
As great and technically amazing Steve's voice is/was there's a little cheese factor there that gives Tommy the edge for me. As for Dennis, I prefer JY
Tommy Shaw has an amazing upper register, and he can belt out rock tunes without sounding like he's a cast member in "Glee". So he gets my vote, and it's not even close.
Steve Walsh, in his prime, has the best range of all them and that is not even close. Jeff Glixman Kansas producer from their prime said that when Steve sang higher his voice got stronger. His range on this song recorded in 1973 before he polished his chops is crazy.
I used to play with a singer who did a great, dead-on impersonation of DeYoung's Broadway-esque vibrato-heavy style.
DeYoung was the best of the three on the early albums, but once Shaw came in, I'd go with Shaw.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
My favorite is Steve Wash. He had power, emotion and pitch in equal measure. That faded with time though, and even at his peak, he is not the best singer I have seen live. DeYoung was picture perfect every time I have seen him. He is a great showman, and his pitch is ALWAYS perfect. A true professional, and a great keyboard player as well, though he never seems to get any credit for that.
Steve just edges him out because he is more of my style, and I like Kansas music better.
As far as Shaw goes, with as much shit as DeYoung gets for being corny, I'd say that I find Shaw's hamfisted "I'm such a rocker, I'm such a rebel bad-ass" pose to be far more corny. Yuck.
It's hard to choose between DeYoung and Shaw. They've both held up extremely well. I guess I'd have to say I find DeYoung a bit more interesting in that he employs more varied techniques than Shaw in his vocals. TS is a bit more "vanilla".
<sig out of order>
Dagmar, Hammill, Wyatt
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Tommy Shaw has held up the best. In fact, out of most rock singers from the 70's, he might just be on top of the list of rockers who still have their voice.
Out of the three in their prime, I would say Dennis DeYoung is my favorite before he got Broadway-cheesy. Just because I like his tone and his style. He's very under-rated as a singer and keyboard player. The guy has so many classic keyboard runs it's crazy. His voice has held up very well today too.
Tommy is more poppy... I never disliked his style, but just not a favorite of mine. Steve Walsh was incredible in the day, way better than Shaw, had an amazing range, but he has a slight twang in his voice that I never quite got along with. It worked for Kansas though!
I don't like or listen to Styx or Kansas or Journey or Boston.
1. Tim Smith
2. Morrissey
3. Neil Young
4. Christy Moore
5. Bruce Dickinson
Dennis.... Definitely!
Steve.... Close 2nd!
Tommy.... really??
Bookmarks