Favourite Bad Singers

Something a little different today. I got this idea from a Youtube video I saw, where people talked about their favourite bad singers. This topic immediately got me thinking about some of my favourite bands... and how their singers were not exactly the cream of the crop.

With rock music, and possibly other styles, too, being technically skilled as a singer is not necessarily all that important. It's often more about the feel, emotion, and attitude. These attributes convey an honesty that speaks more intimately and strongly to the listener. As an example, Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses (not one of my choices, by the way; I like some of the band's music, but I'm not too keen on Axl's vocals) has a high-pitched, kind of whiny voice that gets on my nerves after a while. But between his method of delivery and that vocal timbre, it works well with the mean, dirty, streetwise heavy rock that GNR doles out. Axl expresses a nasty quality in his singing that simply works in that context.

But as for "bad" singers that I do like, here we go:

Joe Walsh, a fave guitarist, for sure, but also such a distinctive vocalist. Whether singing with James Gang, Eagles, or his solo tunes, Walsh always stands out from the rest of the singers out there. Sort of a thin, reedy, nasally - even slurring (drunken?) - quality, but I find it likable and suited to the rock'n'roll realm. Outside of the Eagles, especially in his solo work, there's a fun and tongue-in-cheek quality to Walsh's voice. And somehow his imperfect voice always finds just the right place in Eagles harmonies.

Snake (AKA Denis Bélanger) of Canadian prog-thrash metal band Voivod. Okay, now this is a band that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Their brand of discordant extreme music is raw and aggressive, yet there is always an experimental edge to every one of their compositions. A sort of free jazz meets Rush meets thrash mindset there. And Snake's snarling, shouting, barking, off-key outbursts fit seamlessly with the band's chaotic instrumental gnashings. Again, attitude reigns here, especially suited to all of the lyrical themes of outrage against dystopian societies, futuristic violence and war.

Lemmy (Kilmister) of Motörhead. Yep, the grandaddy of speed punk/thrash metal himself. His whiskey-cigarettes-broken-glass vocals were absolute perfection for the ear-blistering emanations of good ol' Motörhead. Only slightly more tuneful than Snake, Lemmy's gravelly, even damaged-sounding, tones were shouted with authority into that high-mounted microphone, searing themselves into our metal fan eardrums and brains. He lived the rock'n'roll lifestyle 'til his final days, and his music reflected that ethos.

David Lee Roth. No introduction necessary, really. You know, that outrageous showman-entertainer who headed up Van Halen during their glorious 70's and early 80's heyday. And his somewhat spotty solo career. As a serious fan of Roth-era Halen, I can easily cite the man as a primo frontman, one of the greatest in rock, yet I can also admit that his vocal abilities left a lot to be desired. He was competent enough to get the gig with the Halen brothers (and knock out multitudes of club shows in California), but I've learned from various sources that he was a lot of work in the studio recording sessions. Dozens of takes to get him to hit the right notes. Seriously. And just listen to any live concert recordings of Van Halen... Roth is all over the place,  vocally, rarely in key, barely singing sometimes, just shouting and talking. But I can forgive him that weakness, for he brought a charisma, style and attitude to the band that helped them reach superstar status.

Udo Dirkschneider of Accept. I can't even describe how his voice sounds - a raw and rough quality? He seemed to actually sing sometimes, also howling, shrieking, shouting, growling, chanting... and it all melded just right with Accept's Germanic metallic crunch. The diminutive frontman was capable of great power and volume, key requirements in metal music. Udo had a solid enough arsenal of vocal weapons at his disposal to lay claim to a certain territory of metal, even without the given gifts of a Halford or Dio.

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. Heh, say no more. I know a lot of people gripe about Dave's voice, and hey, it even took me a while to warm up to his sound and style. His snarling, sneering whine might not even work outside Megadeth, but he channels his dissatisfaction and anger into his songs. Mustaine's smart, biting lyrics tend toward dark themes about war, politics, black magic (though not since he became born again), etcetera... anything he feels is worth complaining about or telling a story about. And I feel like his type of voice suits that purpose. Nothing fancy, not exactly powerful, not very melodic, not much range - but his growls, howls, and snarls do convey emotion at an animal level in contrast to the sharp lyrical content. Yes, dial it up to 11, sir.