Top 25 Favorite Singers countdown thread! (Top 2 Revealed!!!)

[King Postwhore]

 

Tele's aren't prog either. Lol it's a sonics thing. Of course the younger generation used PRS guitars ect...

[lonestar]

Definitely predates me.

[Animal]

I know it is not a competition but...3 out of 6. And I am increasingly more confident that quite a few more singers on my list will make the collective Top 25..

Glad to see Einar get at least some love (and some who-the-hell-this-guy-is reactions but this is to be expected). As the highest ranker, I obviously think very highly of him. He might be the only singer in prog/rock/metal I know who is even more technically sound that Geoff Tate. On the top of that, he has that gorgeous rich tenor sound with a shit ton of harmonics and a lot of depth as well. I like Leprous quite a bit but as of now, they are far from being my favorite band - it is mostly Einar's sublime vocals that makes me go back to them and appreciate their unique music more and more.

Never listened to Alice in Chains, heard Stanley's name but that's it. At least I have a new singer to explore - that's why I like these countdown threads so much.

[Animal]

As for the stratocaster debate, any band that uses guitar, bass or drums (let alone keyboards) is neither prog nor metal enough. And, upon further reflection, true (and I really mean true, not just some sissy form) metal or prog has no use for vocals either.

[bosk1]

Well, since some others have done something similar, here are a few of my favorite Layne performances:

Would?:  Layne just slays on this track.  I love when he goes from his softer head voice into the gritter chorus, and how he subtly changes up the chorus each time to give a slightly different feeling and emphasis each time through.

Down in a Hole Unplugged:  Not as clean as a lot of what you might hear from him, but I love hearing his emotional, powerful delivery, stripped of all the studio layering and effects, and without the loudness of distorted guitars to compete with.  Such a raw performance.

Them Bones:  Maybe my favorite AiC song.  I can't separate this song from the Beavis and Butthead sketch where they are watching this video for the first time and just stare wide-eyed at the screen in silence for a few seconds until Butthead says "...this is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life.  These guys are PISSED OFF." 

Rooster:  Just a great song.  And lots of dynamics from Layne that show off both his abilities and his uniqueness as a--WHOA, IS THAT CHARLIE SHEEN?!  Wait, sorry, where was I?

Anyway, I'm not the biggest fan of the band as a whole.  But Layne is a singer that definitely made an impression on me.

[DragonAttack]

25 Mikael Akerfeldt: NR  I totally get his being ranked, just not on my radar.

24 Peter Gabriel: NR   I liked/loved so much of early Genesis, but was never a fan of his singing.  Heard his albums when he hit the ‘Big Time’  in the 80s,  but they didn’t catch my fancy.

23 Brad Delp: NR   I purchased the first three Boston albums within weeks of their releases (over a ten year span …oy)    Side One of ‘Don’t Look Back’ is easily one of my Top Five nonQueen album sides.  Great singer...his name just didn’t register.  I think back to the days of AOR radio, and the DJ would sometimes say….’that was Freddie Mercury and Queen’, or ‘Steve Perry and Journey’, ‘Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin’ etc.  For ‘just another band out of’…it was ‘Tom Sholz and Boston’….

Sometimes it's image....a lead singer of a band isn't supposed to have a beard, are they?

oh.....and king.....great story!!!!!

22 Paul McCartney: #2   I remember two events before I was six years old:  the entire weekend of JFK’s assassination, and The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.  My Mom, who was 38 years older than me, loved the band.  My cousin, eight years older than me, bought every Capitol LP and 45 that were released the week they came out.   There’s ‘Yesterday’ , ‘Here There And Everywhere’,  to grittier singing on ‘Helter Skelter’, his Little Richard-ish singing in ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘I’m Down’, …and then the ranges shown in ‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Golden Slumbers’ / Carry That Weight’ / ‘The End’. 
Those two part lead harmonies with John ….

Solo wise….disappointing. Totally fell off my radar after Wings.  But, there’s ‘Live And Let Die’, 'Maybe I'm Amazed', and ‘My Love’, along with the 'Ram', 'Band On The Run', and 'London Town' albums.

21 Layne Staley   NR   not an AiC fan of their music or image, but I can hear why those that like this like him.

20 Einar Solberg: NR   I’ll be serious…other than Queen reissues and Dream Theater, I’m not familiar with 99% of what was released this century.  Not sure if their style fits me.

[The Realm]

The Alice in Chains unplugged set is a tough watch for me these days. Layne was pretty much on his last legs with his addiction at this point and his performance is filled with a raw emotion, as much of his singing was.

There are youtube clips of him singing live at his peak, which are a great watch for anyone interested, sorry I can't provide any links but they are easy to find.

[pg1067]

Steven Wilson and Alex Lifeson used a Fender Telecaster.   

Gilmour used a Strat.

Lifeson also used a Strat (probably more than he used the Tele), as did Steve Howe on occasion.


Like Bosk, I also assumed from the name that Leprous was a death/black metal band.  I did check out about half of one song.  It wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  I might even check out some more stuff.  However, if that singer uses that castrato voice a lot, I won't be sticking with it.

[Samsara]

The Alice in Chains unplugged set is a tough watch for me these days. Layne was pretty much on his last legs with his addiction at this point and his performance is filled with a raw emotion, as much of his singing was.

There are youtube clips of him singing live at his peak, which are a great watch for anyone interested, sorry I can't provide any links but they are easy to find.

I actually enjoy going back to that unplugged set. More often on audio, not so much video. The realness and raw struggle Layne is going through is there for the world to see, and he still delivers, vocally. Layne, Chris, Andrew...there will always be a sadness with the singers from Seattle's late 80s and early 90s rock scene. Some of my favorites, gone way too soon. Andy Wood would have been his generation's David Lee Roth. He was that flamboyant...and had the songwriting and singing skills to back it up.

Anyway, love the credit Layne has gotten on this forum. 

[King Postwhore]

Well, the Hentor Barberian was a mongrel of the strat with a different neck and more but yes.  It's all about textures. Not genres

[pg1067]

Well, the Hentor Barberian was a mongrel of the strat with a different neck and more but yes.  It's all about textures. Not genres

He played a Strat regularly on the Moving Pictures and Signals tours (pre-Hentor).  It's most prominent in the Exit...Stage Left video.

[The Realm]

The Alice in Chains unplugged set is a tough watch for me these days. Layne was pretty much on his last legs with his addiction at this point and his performance is filled with a raw emotion, as much of his singing was.

There are youtube clips of him singing live at his peak, which are a great watch for anyone interested, sorry I can't provide any links but they are easy to find.

I actually enjoy going back to that unplugged set. More often on audio, not so much video. The realness and raw struggle Layne is going through is there for the world to see, and he still delivers, vocally. Layne, Chris, Andrew...there will always be a sadness with the singers from Seattle's late 80s and early 90s rock scene. Some of my favorites, gone way too soon. Andy Wood would have been his generation's David Lee Roth. He was that flamboyant...and had the songwriting and singing skills to back it up.

Anyway, love the credit Layne has gotten on this forum. 

Yes, totally agree. I am not sure the Seattle scene gets that much love overall on the forum but good to see it getting some with the inclusion of Layne on this list. He definitely was my favourite from that era but the other guys you mention were also great.

[King Postwhore]

Well, the Hentor Barberian was a mongrel of the strat with a different neck and more but yes.  It's all about textures. Not genres

He played a Strat regularly on the Moving Pictures and Signals tours (pre-Hentor).  It's most prominent in the Exit...Stage Left video.

Yup.  That's why he went to modifying one.  Look at The Big Money video.


Not to take over RJ's vocal pics. I'll stop here. I just listened to Priest today. I'll assume he's on RJ's list. Plus Rik Emmit.

Edit:  I'm a dummy. I'm mixing up posts. Though I'd love to see both make it but I bet Emmit won't.

[wolfking]

I'm 0-6 so far! 

Same... and I pulled a 'you' this morning, as my initial reaction to the post was

0-6 for me too.  No idea who the Leprous guy was also.

[Lethean]

I'm 0-6 so far! 

Same... and I pulled a 'you' this morning, as my initial reaction to the post was

0-6 for me too.  No idea who the Leprous guy was also.

I hope the "who" in jingle's post was also referring to Einar, because not knowing who Layne Staley is must certainly be way more shocking than not knowing who Brad Delp is.. 

[twosuitsluke]

I'm 0-6 so far! 

Same... and I pulled a 'you' this morning, as my initial reaction to the post was

0-6 for me too.  No idea who the Leprous guy was also.

Good lord 

I forget sometimes that there are areas of DTF where bands like Leprous are never discussed. I get it, as I'm obviously never in the threads where everyone is all about The Delp, but still.

I have sampled the singers I've been unfamiliar with so far, and I hope others are doing the same for the Einar's out there.

My recommendation for a Einar performance...

https://youtu.be/1QKx_2yg4cU

(bonus performance, Baard absolutely killing it on the drums). It gets off to a slow start but stuck with it.

I guess we need a playlist at the end of this that consists of vocal performances of all 25 singers. I'd be down.

[wolfking]

I've checked Leprous a few times and while I can kind of see why they appeal to some, but I just don't like them at all.  I remember not being a big fan of the vocals either.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Layne was fantastic.  Probably in my top 100, maybe 75.  AIC in general was incredible, and Jerry's playing and harmonizing were a big part of that as well, or even the others, but Layne was one of the relative few whose "yarling" has actually aged well. 

Einar is clearly incredibly gifted, but so far it just hasn't been the sort of voice for me. 

[Adami]

I can admire the hell out of Layne's voice, but I am only the most casual AiC fan. I like some of their big hits but never dug deeper into their catalogue, so his name was never going to be on my list for that reason alone. But I totally understand why he's on people's lists and don't begrudge him being on this.

[Zoom E]

I’m 0 for 6 as well.

As much as I am a fan of AIC, I never considered Layne Staley for my list.

I own one Leprous album and don’t remember much about it, though I do recall that the vocals are decent.

[Cool Chris]

I never liked Staley's voice much on its own, it really only works for me when complimented with Jerry's, as it is with one of my Mt Rushmore songs, Don't Follow.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Layne Staley - Made it to my shortlist, but landed at #64 ultimately. I love his voice though and he probably should have ended up higher (probably not top 25 but, eh...). While it's true there was a magic to the harmonizing between Layne and Jerry, Layne was a beast in his own right.

Einar Solberg - He was my #5 and I thought for sure I would be the top ranker. What a voice this guy has! Wide range and a large variety of styles. Plus he has only improved with time. He was admittedly a little rougher around the edges on Leprous' first couple albums, but has really cemented himself as one of the greats, in my opinion.

[jingle.boy]

Definitely predates me.

Hell, it predates me - or just wan't memorable.

[Lethean]

Einar Solberg - He was my #5 and I thought for sure I would be the top ranker. What a voice this guy has! Wide range and a large variety of styles. Plus he has only improved with time. He was admittedly a little rougher around the edges on Leprous' first couple albums, but has really cemented himself as one of the greats, in my opinion.

Ranking twins

[DTwwbwMP]

25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14   
13
12
11
10
9
8
7 Paul McCartney
6
5
4
3 Brad Delp
2
1

[KevShmev]

I am happy to say that both of today's featured singers finished in my top 25! 

19 Jon Anderson

Appeared on 8 of 36 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (lonestar)
3 Top 10 Finishes

Definitely one of the more unique voices in rock.  I have always been a fan; I ranked him 15th.  There is an ethereal quality to his voice that is so appealing.  Yes at their creative peak was adventurous rock in full bombast mode, and it wouldn't have been the same without Anderson's voice.


18 Anneke van Giersbergen

Appeared on 9 of 36 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (Adami)
5 Top 10 Finishes

Ah yes, the goddess that is Anneke! I ranked her 23rd and kinda feel like it should have been higher, but I think the lack of material (that I listen to regularly) where she is the main singer is why I didn't put her higher, as the material I listen to the most with her are the albums she has done with Devin and Arjen.  Slowly getting into The Gathering more and more each day, though.  Her voice is just heavenly, and I am a little stunned that she was only on nine of the lists here.

[SeRoX]

Finally a name that made to my list.

I love Anneke. She has a powerful voice and her live performance is so consistent. I ranked her #16.

[Tomislav95]

Just saw Anneke's solo acoustic show less than a month ago in Belgrade, great great performance. Just her and guitar, and it sounded awesome. Love her latest solo albums, covers were cool as well (especially Kate Bush ones). I'm not usually fan of female vocals (especially operatic) in metal (sorry) but her works well in the most stuff she's in, maybe because she often has that folky tone. Would love to hear her do more work with Amorphis. Ranked her at #5.

[lonestar]

Anneke should've made my list, just slipped my mind.


My feelings for Jon are pretty obvious since I had him at #1. Great voice, great performer, great writer, and a great human being. Just delivers on all fronts, and is still singing with perfection 50 years later. Totally worthy of my top spot.

[twosuitsluke]

Neither made my list but I appreciate both being here.

I prefer Anneke out of these two, but although I've sampled some of her other stuff it's mainly her work with Devin that I know. I think her voice really compliments Devin's and they work so well together. I guess Devin is good at picking out female singers as Ché Aimee Dorval is also incredible.

Like Tim, I had zero female vocalists in my list, but Anneke, Ché and Cammie Gilbert were closest to making the cut.

[ReaperKK]

Anneke wouldn't have made the list, I know very little over stuff.

I can appreciate Jon but he never did anything personally, I could never get used to the timbre of his voice.

[Metro]

Didn’t consider Anneke for this list. Great voice, but I’ve always enjoyed her more in a supporting role rather than lead vocalist.

Jon Anderson was #11 for me. Great voice, though his lyrics can be strange sometimes. (I’ve yet to understand what “rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace” means. My liver is just fine thank you.)
In a band full of instrumental virtuosos, the vocals are always what stood out to me the most in Yes.

25. Layne Staley
24.
23.
22.
21.
20.
19.
18.
17.   
16.   
15.
14.
13.
12.
11. Jon Anderson
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2. Peter Gabriel
1.

[hefdaddy42]

Neither made my list, but it makes sense they are here.

Anderson has one of those voices that I almost but not quite dislike (Geddy Lee is another), maybe well-suited for the music he makes but it's a good thing the music he makes is as good as it is or I wouldn't put up with listening to the voice.

Anneke is a fairly recent discovery for me, and I like what I've heard, but her voice doesn't strike me as groundbreaking or anything.

[lonestar]

Is mine the first #1 vote revealed?


23- Peter Gabriel
10- Brad Delp
1- Jon Anderson

[Adami]

WOOO I FINALLY GOT ONE!

Yes, I have loved Anneke for years now. Seen her live with the Gathering once, solo once, acoustic solo once, and with Ayreon once. I love her Gathering albums, her stuff with Arjen, Devin, etc., and also her own solo albums (including Agua de whatever). She can sing me Stadler's post and somehow I'd agree with them all.