Who has the BEST voice in rock?

[Classic_Rock]

I dont get why so many think hetfield got a good voice

He can have both an anodyne voice and an aggressive voice.

Edited May 12, 2007 by in_love_with_GNR

[rQueen]

Why does everyone think Ian Gillan is that good?

Because he is

He is the reason I don't like Deep Purple, too much. I like the stuff with Coverdale and I like Rainbow, but there are very few Deep Purple songs I like, mainly because of his voice.

[highvoltage]

Matt Bellamy, Muse.. Maybe the greatest voice ever. It's amazing how good control he has on his voice.

Seriously, no.

Sebastian Bach/Freddy Mercury.

LOL - Bellamy might not be the greatest voice in rock, but he's leagues ahead of a guy like the "savage animal".

Oh yeah, because having a fantastic vocal range and being able to hit everything, and scream like no one else renders you leagues behind a bloke who attempts to sing falsetto and fails miserably?

I've given him his due - but to say Bach is less than Bellamy is laughable.

Being able to hit really high notes doesn't neccesarily have anything to do with being a great vocalist. A guy like Eddie Vedder is a pretty respected vocalist, despite having a limited range. There are plenty of qualities to admire about a vocalist that don't include screaming or hitting high notes.

Bach sounds like a carbon copy of every other 80's cock rock singer around. He has no unique qualities about his vocals that make him stand out from the crowd - he sounds like every other washed up 80's relic from back in the day. I could never understand the attraction to his screaming either - his rasp has a really wet, "phlegmy" quality to it that makes him sound like a strangled cat with influenza. In his peak period he had some decent vocal deliveries, but on the whole, he's nothing special. He's also a big, dumb, empty vessel.

Bellamy actually tries to do something special with his voice. His style is unique - nobody sounds like Matt Bellamy. He has a really, really strong falsetto - but he also has quite a big range when he's singing in his full voice. If you listen to his phrasing, he does some pretty cool shit - and his vocal melodies are astounding. There's nothing generic or boring about Matt Bellamy - he's technically proficient and very creative.

For that reason, I definately rate Bellamy above Bach. I've got 3 Skid Row albums that feature Bach too - it's not as though i'm unacquainted with his work.

[artfromtex]

dear God, we should all be ashamed that this thread is 6 pages long and Roy Orbison has yet to be mentioned.

[frankwhite]

Buddy Holly.

[The Sandman]

Matt Bellamy, Muse.. Maybe the greatest voice ever. It's amazing how good control he has on his voice.

Seriously, no.

Sebastian Bach/Freddy Mercury.

LOL - Bellamy might not be the greatest voice in rock, but he's leagues ahead of a guy like the "savage animal".

Oh yeah, because having a fantastic vocal range and being able to hit everything, and scream like no one else renders you leagues behind a bloke who attempts to sing falsetto and fails miserably?

I've given him his due - but to say Bach is less than Bellamy is laughable.

Being able to hit really high notes doesn't neccesarily have anything to do with being a great vocalist. A guy like Eddie Vedder is a pretty respected vocalist, despite having a limited range. There are plenty of qualities to admire about a vocalist that don't include screaming or hitting high notes.

Bach sounds like a carbon copy of every other 80's cock rock singer around. He has no unique qualities about his vocals that make him stand out from the crowd - he sounds like every other washed up 80's relic from back in the day. I could never understand the attraction to his screaming either - his rasp has a really wet, "phlegmy" quality to it that makes him sound like a strangled cat with influenza. In his peak period he had some decent vocal deliveries, but on the whole, he's nothing special. He's also a big, dumb, empty vessel.

Bellamy actually tries to do something special with his voice. His style is unique - nobody sounds like Matt Bellamy. He has a really, really strong falsetto - but he also has quite a big range when he's singing in his full voice. If you listen to his phrasing, he does some pretty cool shit - and his vocal melodies are astounding. There's nothing generic or boring about Matt Bellamy - he's technically proficient and very creative.

For that reason, I definately rate Bellamy above Bach. I've got 3 Skid Row albums that feature Bach too - it's not as though i'm unacquainted with his work.

But, Bach DOESN'T sound like every other 80s singer around. My admiration stems not just from having such a great vocal range, but powerful voice - and stage prescence. I agree - it's not just those two characteristics - but both of which trump Bellamy. I honestly can't hear a "phlegmy" rasp - show me where to look - I'll look. In his "peak"? He's still delivering vocals - and top notch ones at that. I'm hoping when you see him live your view of this'll change.

Key word in the next paragraph is "tries" - he fails. It is unqiue, but a squeally pre-pubescent voice from a person in pain isn't something to be proud of. His falsetto can't be called "strong" either - and certainly, is weaker than Bachs. Whilst creative (and I don't believe technically proficient is a fair way to describe the over use of guitar effects), it's not condusive to helping himself- or Muse.

Likewise - I'm not unacquainted- I also (funny that, must be the magic number) have three Muse albums. Aside from Time Is Running Out, it's relatively bland and samey. Bach > Bellamy thanks.

[highvoltage]

Matt Bellamy, Muse.. Maybe the greatest voice ever. It's amazing how good control he has on his voice.

Seriously, no.

Sebastian Bach/Freddy Mercury.

LOL - Bellamy might not be the greatest voice in rock, but he's leagues ahead of a guy like the "savage animal".

Oh yeah, because having a fantastic vocal range and being able to hit everything, and scream like no one else renders you leagues behind a bloke who attempts to sing falsetto and fails miserably?

I've given him his due - but to say Bach is less than Bellamy is laughable.

Being able to hit really high notes doesn't neccesarily have anything to do with being a great vocalist. A guy like Eddie Vedder is a pretty respected vocalist, despite having a limited range. There are plenty of qualities to admire about a vocalist that don't include screaming or hitting high notes.

Bach sounds like a carbon copy of every other 80's cock rock singer around. He has no unique qualities about his vocals that make him stand out from the crowd - he sounds like every other washed up 80's relic from back in the day. I could never understand the attraction to his screaming either - his rasp has a really wet, "phlegmy" quality to it that makes him sound like a strangled cat with influenza. In his peak period he had some decent vocal deliveries, but on the whole, he's nothing special. He's also a big, dumb, empty vessel.

Bellamy actually tries to do something special with his voice. His style is unique - nobody sounds like Matt Bellamy. He has a really, really strong falsetto - but he also has quite a big range when he's singing in his full voice. If you listen to his phrasing, he does some pretty cool shit - and his vocal melodies are astounding. There's nothing generic or boring about Matt Bellamy - he's technically proficient and very creative.

For that reason, I definately rate Bellamy above Bach. I've got 3 Skid Row albums that feature Bach too - it's not as though i'm unacquainted with his work.

But, Bach DOESN'T sound like every other 80s singer around. My admiration stems not just from having such a great vocal range, but powerful voice - and stage prescence. I agree - it's not just those two characteristics - but both of which trump Bellamy. I honestly can't hear a "phlegmy" rasp - show me where to look - I'll look. In his "peak"? He's still delivering vocals - and top notch ones at that. I'm hoping when you see him live your view of this'll change.

Key word in the next paragraph is "tries" - he fails. It is unqiue, but a squeally pre-pubescent voice from a person in pain isn't something to be proud of. His falsetto can't be called "strong" either - and certainly, is weaker than Bachs. Whilst creative (and I don't believe technically proficient is a fair way to describe the over use of guitar effects), it's not condusive to helping himself- or Muse.

Likewise - I'm not unacquainted- I also (funny that, must be the magic number) have three Muse albums. Aside from Time Is Running Out, it's relatively bland and samey. Bach > Bellamy thanks.

What do you equate stage presence with? Arms up in the air, clapping high above your head like an idiot? Yelling out "fuck" every 3rd word due to a lack of something better to say? Bach hardly has any mystique - he's too candid in his words and actions (see here) to garner any. I wouldn't even call him a magnetic force on the stage - he's just there running around yelling at the audience to "rock the fuck out" etc. I don't rate that as stage presence - I call that embarrassing and cliched...

Bellamy is captivating... he's an energetic performer, but he doesn't give too much away to an audience - he's got an aura about himself on stage that Bach just doesn't have. You really struggle to peel your eyes away from him when you see him live. I could get the experience of Bach live from an above average band at my local pub - Bellamy and Muse clearly offer something more than that.

Anyway - he DOES sound like every other 80's singer around. I think someone said it best the other day when they described him as "a slightly better Vince Neil". They sound pretty similar (Bach is what... a little rougher?) What's unique about screaming at the top of your lungs? Everyone in the 80's did the same thing. His melodies are pretty simple - i've never seen him come up with anything impressive a la Freddie Mercury - yet people are mentioning the two in the same breath in this thread. This is a travesty.

You say Bellamy "fails" - how? He's hardly weak live - he has a powerful voice, there's nothing wrong with his falsetto at all. You could argue that his vocal style is maybe not to your taste, but to describe it as a "squeally pre-pubescent voice" is both wildly innaccurate and untrue. If he couldn't back up his studio work live, then maybe you could say he "fails" - but he doesn't. I don't see people ragging on guys like Jeff Buckley or Prince for using falsetto (forgive me, because i'm not suggesting that a guy like Matt Bellamy in even in the same stratosphere), so how can you criticise Matt for using it too?

This video is an example of his impressive range - http://youtube.com/watch?v=ryxfVB_MIfA . He's only using falsetto in small parts of the song - you can see that he's a fantastic live performer with a vocal style that sets him apart and compliments the music well. I really haven't seen any videos of Bach where he's either as technically proficient or creative as Bellamy is in his music.

As for Muse being "samey" - that's pretty rich coming from a Skid Row/Bach fan.

I'm not suggesting that Matt Bellamy should be mentioned amongst the greatest vocalists of all time - he shouldn't - but he's a fuckload better than Sebastian Bach.

[Estranged Reality]

Sebastian Bach is pretty much the epitome of every bad stereotype of 1980s hair metal singers.

[highvoltage]

Sebastian Bach is pretty much the epitome of every bad stereotype of 1980s hair metal singers.

Thankyou. This is my point.

[Guest Satanisk_Slakt]

What is "epitome"?

[Randy Lahey]

I can't believe you guys are talking about that clown from MUSE. Why don't you guys give credit to the voice he tries to imitate and list Thom Yorke.

[Raw Power]

Haha, thank you for a good laugh.

[highvoltage]

What is "epitome"?

If Baz is the "epitome" of bad 80's singers, then that means he's a really good example of one - i.e. long hair, wears leather, stupid stage moves, cheesy lyrics - he has the whole package.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epitome

[carsonskitz]

I can't believe you guys are talking about that clown from MUSE. Why don't you guys give credit to the voice he tries to imitate and list Thom Yorke.

your actually right, dont get me wrong matt bellamy is a great singer, but thom yorke is extremely good

[Raw Power]

Tom York is a great singer, but I can't see how you think Matt is a copy of Thom.

[M_B]

nowadays, jack white and josh homme i think have great voices...

oldies...ian astbury, peter murphy, jim reid, nick cave, trent reznor (doesnt get enough credit for his voice, really emotive), jim morrison, david bowie, robert plant, shane mcgowan, beefheart...a few of my favourites

[The Sandman]

Sebastian Bach is pretty much the epitome of every bad stereotype of 1980s hair metal singers.

Thankyou. This is my point.

What is wrong with that exactly? Biggest and best - and keeps on rocking. Bach > Bellamy.

[browser]

Sebastian Bach is pretty much the epitome of every bad stereotype of 1980s hair metal singers.

Thankyou. This is my point.

What is wrong with that exactly? Biggest and best - and keeps on rocking. Bach > Bellamy.

uhm, you are SO wrong! Bach is at best a MEDIOCRE singer! he is an ERA singer.

[Dead Flower]

Bach > Bellamy.

Citizen Erased vocal performance >>>> Anything I've heard from Seb Bach.

[BassLikeHot]

i am the killer of people

you look like a meatball

i'll throw away your toothpick

and ask for your giveness

because of this thing!

because of this thing!

because of this thing!

that's in me

is it not in you?

is it not your problem?

a baby to a mother...

[Lentry]

So many sub-categories...best singer, best voice, best performer...when it's all said and done, none shall hold a candle in any category to Axl Rose, though Sebastian Bach isn't far behind. Other notables: James LaBrie, Sammy Hagar, Glenn Danzig, and I'll even throw in a lesser-known unexpected candidate...Donnie Hamby from doubleDrive. If you haven't heard him, then you're missing out on rock altogether.

[M_B]

Sebastian Bach is pretty much the epitome of every bad stereotype of 1980s hair metal singers.

Thankyou. This is my point.

What is wrong with that exactly? Biggest and best - and keeps on rocking. Bach > Bellamy.

bach does what he does well...doesnt mean its good. his voice was acceptable back then, it serves no relevance now...no wait, HE serves no relevance now.

[Guest Satanisk_Slakt]

What is "epitome"?

If Baz is the "epitome" of bad 80's singers, then that means he's a really good example of one - i.e. long hair, wears leather, stupid stage moves, cheesy lyrics - he has the whole package.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epitome

Ok. Thank you for the answer!

[The Sandman]

Sebastian Bach is pretty much the epitome of every bad stereotype of 1980s hair metal singers.

Thankyou. This is my point.

What is wrong with that exactly? Biggest and best - and keeps on rocking. Bach > Bellamy.

bach does what he does well...doesnt mean its good. his voice was acceptable back then, it serves no relevance now...no wait, HE serves no relevance now.

But he does do it well - and has a great voice

Anyway, it's all opinion. Y'all go listen to some Bellamy, and I'll go listen to some Bach.

[Nightrain_Kid]

Buckley's Jeff and Tim or Tom Waits