What is it with Prog and vocals?

[Buddhabreath]

Originally Posted by Buddhabreath
I would prefer Rush with someone other than Geddy Lee doing the vocals as well,

Don't get me wrong Geddy is an awesome musician and performer and technically he knows how to sing IMO, I just personally don't care for his voice much. I get that people very much disagree with that. If it were, say Steve Walsh doing the singing I would probably listen to Rush more often.

[Adinfinitum]

In some instances, I don't mind a program vocalist pitch being off. For example, Peter Nichols of IQ. From the first album, be greatly improved; kwever, it didn't matter. What was more important was the presentation, the character. Same goes with Fish. I will always prefer Fish to Hogarth who, although has an amazing voice (and I love Season's End), whatever he is singing, just sounds to me, at least, that It is just thrown into the music soundscape. You can say the same about Fish, but his lyrics, presentation, are great.

Nobody is perfect and having perfect vocal pitch on every note, especially when you are creating the melody, is difficult.

But wow, Steve Walsh and Freddie Mercury had great vocal chops. George Michael, Michael Jackson, Ann Wilson,

John Wetton developed into a great lead vocalist, same with Phil Collins. Love Rick Emmitts vox.

To me, the most important thing is do the vocals and lyrics fit the song? But yeah, there are unlistenable prog, especially from the 1980's when albums and CDs were homegrown.

Still love Geddy screeching up until Moving Picture than the crooner version.

Hearing Jon sing Heart of the Sunrise live on the first ARW tour, perhaps for the last time for me was one of the most beautiful, peaceful moments of my life. His vocals can bring tears to my eyes.

[Progatron]

What do you guys think of these vocals?

[Man In The Mountain]

Ben Folds just came out with a new autobiography. He has a chapter where he talks about his style of singing. He says there are two types of signers. There are the "Singers(TM)" who people here probably would describe as Steve Walsh, Freddie Mercury, Annie Haslem, Steve Perry, etc... and then there are "Non-Singing Singers" who Ben Folds falls into that category, as well as prog guys like David Gilmour, Andy Latimer, Steven Wilson, David Cousins, etc....

[frinspar]

What do you guys think of these vocals?

Laughed so hard I cried.

[Progatron]

Laughed so hard I cried.

I lost it around the "Eat a dot" point.

[TheH]

I lost it around the "Eat a dot" point.

Me too but I heard "Eat a Dog" and that was it for me...

[progmatist]

In the Flower Kings, Hasse is an excellent vocalist, but an OK guitarist. Roine is an excellent guitarist, but an OK vocalist.

[yesman1955]

I have a musician-friend whose main complaint about J. Anderson's 1000 Hands is that Jon sings over the whole thing. He doesn't allow the band/session players any room to shine even for a moment. He says he wishes that Jon would just shut up long enough for him to hear the music. And this is a guy who loves Yes and saw them live in 1971 when they toured the States with Tull!

[Mythos]

I love the music, but the vocals I can't stand

The music is great, if I could only get past the vocals

So if you care, comment on this.

My only comment is, that my favorite bands over the last 20+ years include:
Ozric Tenticles
My Sleeping Karma
Vespero
Korai Orom
Zone Six
God is an Astronaut
Ole Lukkoye
Maserati
Papir
The Spacious Mind
Causa Sui
Salvatore
Bosch's with You
Circle
The Cosmic Dead
Dead Sea Apes
Follakzoid
Polska Radio One
Pyschic Ills
Radar Men from the Moon

[zumacraig]

I like all the classic prog voices, but tons of stuff from the 90s to now has just awful vocals. Literally flat, sharp and so bad. I'd say that over the last decade, at least, 'prog' has fallen into this lifeless, flat, wet production style. Competent musicianship, cliche metal riffs and these awful vocals buried in the mix. IMHO.

[JKL2000]

(On Cruise to the Edge a few years ago, someone was interviewing the band Electric Asturias, and said... "I see that you've chosen not to have vocals. How is that working out for you?" ...as if he felt that vocals are somehow obligated).

This is yet another point, as the interviewer here obviously isn't even aware - or doesn't quite acknowledge - that a significant percentage of progressive artists throughout the years have expressed themselves without vocals. In other words; either he doesn't know or he doesn't care - which is about equally sad.

Is it possible that the other version of the band (that is I think more acoustic) DOES have vocals, so he was asking how the newer version without vocals was doing? I think the other version is just called Asturias.

[JKL2000]

2. Even some bands that can write good tunes often have vocalists that are either just plain bad or lack emotion in their delivery. Examples that spring to mind are Camel, Caravan, King Crimson, ELP...

It is absolutely no coincidence that the "big" prog bands are the ones with good tunes and proper vocalists who can hit all the notes but also crucially know how to deliver a performance, viz. Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Marillion, Rush, Jethro Tull

Canterbury bands such as Caravan (and I'd include Camel as a Canterbury band for this purpose since Camel's vocals aren't that dissimilar to the other Canterbury bands, especially when Richard Sinclair was the vocalist) are known for having a "matter-of-fact" style to their vocals. I think it's what they were going for.

Also, do you feel that John Wetton and Greg Lake sang with less emotion than Geddy Lee, or that they were "just plain bad?"

[The Dark Elf]

Bad progressive rock singers: Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed (and Nico), Tom Waits, John Lydon, Fred Schneider, Nick Cave, Shane McGowan, Axl Rose, Joey Ramone, Bob Weir...

I guess I'm not understanding the original poster's position.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

My only comment is, that my favorite bands over the last 20+ years include:
Ozric Tenticles
My Sleeping Karma
Vespero
Korai Orom
Zone Six
God is an Astronaut
Ole Lukkoye
Maserati
Papir
The Spacious Mind
Causa Sui
Salvatore
Bosch's with You
Circle
The Cosmic Dead
Dead Sea Apes
Follakzoid
Polska Radio One
Pyschic Ills
Radar Men from the Moon

a lot of good music in that list... and a lot I need to go find now!

[hFx]

Thanks for finally revealing the true meaning of "Symph weenie", as the ppl who are whining about how the vocals in prog hinder them from appreciating the fretting noises to the full extent!

[Fracktured]

There's been many times over the years that I've bought a record or cd and hoped to enjoy it. The music would be enjoyable and I'm thinking I'm getting into it and then the vocals come in. Ugh! Vocals for me are a strange thing because I love opera and still enjoy rock vocals, but there are some I enjoy and others I can't take at all. For me at least it's just a personal take or leave.

[Top Cat]

I have a musician-friend whose main complaint about J. Anderson's 1000 Hands is that Jon sings over the whole thing. He doesn't allow the band/session players any room to shine even for a moment. He says he wishes that Jon would just shut up long enough for him to hear the music. And this is a guy who loves Yes and saw them live in 1971 when they toured the States with Tull!

I saw this tour and your friend's comments are absolutely not the Jon A or concert that I saw. There was a perfect balance between his vocals and the band, and there were moments when the keyboardist, violinist, wind instrumentalist and drummer were allowed to highlight their parts.
The band was mixed well, and they seemed to be having a good time on stage and enjoyed playing the music and being on stage with Jon A.

Of course the concert we attended was just one of many, but I thought they sounded fantastic, and some of the Yes songs I enjoyed more than the Yes classic version we saw on the last tour.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Is it possible that the other version of the band (that is I think more acoustic) DOES have vocals, so he was asking how the newer version without vocals was doing? I think the other version is just called Asturias.

This doesn't distract from the main point; instrumental (vocal-less) progressive rock is supposedly something "exotic" and different from the "usual" recipé, which is apparently to have a given set of exact roles in a band to achieve that eternal goal of coming as close to the precise sound of [---] or [---] as possible.

Progressive rock as an artistic concept with a disparate set of creative virtues in order to accomplish something on par with the greatness of former exponents - nah. Meh. We don't want that, 'cause oldies are best.

[Zappathustra]

Thanks for finally revealing the true meaning of "Symph weenie", as the ppl who are whining about how the vocals in prog hinder them from appreciating the fretting noises to the full extent!

Cheers!

[Scrotum Scissor]

I always thought it was symph wiener or viener, like the sausage.


Damn.

[JJ88]

What do you guys think of these vocals?

Is that for real??

With the possible exception of Dee Snider, hair-metal had so many awful vocalists. And always had that nasal whine.

In 'prog' David Surkamp was one I really couldn't get on with at all.

[Progatron]

Is that for real??

Yep. He can hardly breathe, and is barely intelligible. It's not like he ever was a good singer anyway, but still... this is just appalling.

[JJ88]

^I gather they are coming out of 'retirement' again soon...yikes!

Meat Loaf's AFL performance is notorious in Australia.

[TheH]

Hmmm.. by far the most of my favourite singers are form Prog or close Genres.

I can't see any Problem with vocals in Prog. There are no more than a handful singers in Prog I can't stand.

Only one that Comes to mind that I really can't take