Could have had two or three guys from each genre - I admittedly skimmed it but I don;t recall seeing either Rotten or Strummer for instance. Ozzie? Did I miss Chuck D somehow too?
on Sinatra...all on the list belong but, and I realize that as a female blues artist she has a lot of competition, to not put Beth Hart somewhere there, questions questions.
And we now know that "all time" starts in 1956 or so.
Not including any of the Jazz/Blues/Big Band greats is just wrong. Sinatra, Ella, Tony Bennet, etc. I put Ella easily in the top 5. And "singers" aren't just vocalists, they are stylists. Sinatra was all that. He also sold 150 million records, which counts for something.
Finally, I know all about this argument on Dylan that he helped change the meaning of popular singing, blah, blah, blah. I just don't buy it. As a singer, he was a wonderful, spectacular songwriter.
Aside from the fact that it's missing Bessie Smith (it has other blues artists, but not the "Empress") it seems to conflate musical success and record sales with vocal achievement. I love the Beatles, but there is no way in hell that Lennon and McCartney touch the top 15 of any list of great pop singers, as just one example.
stage presence/aura/style was as important as singing ability.
That's what puts the likes of Iggy Pop on the list. It's what puts most of them on the list.
In that regard, it's really a random subjective list.
I love Johnny Cash, but he's not much of a singer, nor is he much to watch on stage. Songwriting was meh for a top of the charts guy. He just had an 'it' factor. I wouldn't have put him on the list, though.
I mean, how do you compare singers of totally different styles and genres in order to rank them? Your subjective preference for the type of music comes heavily into play.
That said, I think everyone can agree as to Dylan. I mean he's a genius, but he wasn't a great singer even in his younger days. Him over Freddie, Plant, etc. is a joke.
stage presence/aura/style was as important as singing ability.
That's what puts the likes of Iggy Pop on the list. It's what puts most of them on the list.
In that regard, it's really a random subjective list.
I love Johnny Cash, but he's not much of a singer, nor is he much to watch on stage. Songwriting was meh for a top of the charts guy. He just had an 'it' factor. I wouldn't have put him on the list, though.
I listened to a cover of a Johnny Cash song. It was just wrong.
Young Plant is one of the greatest singers ever. It's top 'singers' not best 'voices'. Hence Plant, Dylan and others high on this list. As they should be.
LOL - there is no Robert Plant if not for him aping Steve Marriott. (Link related)
Any great singer; Paul Rodgers, winwood, etc., etc., m would tell you that Marriott was THE MAN.
What a joke list. Link - ( New Window )
Talk about taking an extreme view. Did Zep play fast and loose with some copyrights? Yep. That doesn't account for 7 albums that range from epic to really good. As a vocalist plant doesn't need to validate anything. His tracks and live performances speak for themselves. Eloquently.
Talk about taking an extreme view. Did Zep play fast and loose with some copyrights? Yep. That doesn't account for 7 albums that range from epic to really good. As a vocalist plant doesn't need to validate anything. His tracks and live performances speak for themselves. Eloquently.
Yes yes you’re right, sorry to piss off any Zep lovers. Plant is great, but the point is thatZep’s “whole lotta love “ is blatant theft of “You need lovin”, by the Small Faces - a band that Plant was a big fan of and followed closely as a youngster.
Page has said that when he was forming LZ he was looking for a Marriott-style singer, and he certainly found one in Plant.
But Steve Marriott was the original article. He was the standard that many emulated but no one duplicated.
He was a vocal stylist that voiced ( and I think the only one who could have voiced) some great songs ( and many he wrote can be done better than others) that I don't see the light of day without his version of them out there.
Same holds true of Rap and many Blues singers. Did they sound conventionally like "singers"? not at all. Look at the write ups for Willie Nelson's line readings and syntax and look at the write ups for Lou Reed. That's where on the list Dylan belongs as a singer. If there at all. What he taught songwriters is the freedom to write what you want and not what sounds good...if the package of delivery and lyrics works it will work.
One other thing: Dylan eventually became a great arranger of music. Singing his and other songs to blends of bluegrass, sing, jazz, gospel, several forms of country
So can Howlin Wolf or Son House or Eminem or RunDMC's lead singer or JayZ be considered a great American Singer? Probably not. Did they voice things we now agree should have been said? yep
So I can see some rationale for including him or excluding him from a list of singers.
As an American songwriter its hard to compare his total output and great peaks with many others. Cole Porter? Porter wrote many fewer songs at a time where many fewer songs were written. Stephen Foster? Was he a songwriter or a compiler of what had been written at the time? ( I don't know). Rogers and Hammerstein? I don't know.
Holland Dozier Holland? I could see them in the top 3 or 4
and it looks surprisingly good. About right, I'd say.
Newsflash folks, our musical opinions, no matter how well-founded, are not going to be reflected by a Rolling Stone top 100 list. Blues and Jazz always get screwed. Sinatra and Bessie Smith definitely belong near the top, but they always leave out those artists that don't bleed directly into that greater Pop Rock, Beatles and on-centered catalog.
Dylan definitely belongs up there. I opened it and said Sam Cooke has to be near the top. Elvis, yup. Marvin and JB in the top ten. All correct. Aretha is not my favorite ever but I get it.
Just reading that ... makes me giggle every time.
And we now know that "all time" starts in 1956 or so.
Not including any of the Jazz/Blues/Big Band greats is just wrong. Sinatra, Ella, Tony Bennet, etc. I put Ella easily in the top 5. And "singers" aren't just vocalists, they are stylists. Sinatra was all that. He also sold 150 million records, which counts for something.
Finally, I know all about this argument on Dylan that he helped change the meaning of popular singing, blah, blah, blah. I just don't buy it. As a singer, he was a wonderful, spectacular songwriter.
Aretha or Whitney Houston are hard to outdo by anybody.
Lou Reed? Come on. I could pick everybody that sang karaoke this weekend at the local bar that can sing better than him.
...and Robert Plant HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Dylan even being in the top 100 is questionable and I'm a fan of the raspy vocals of Tom Waits, Howling Wolf and Dr. John.
I've been to probably hundreds of concerts over the years and the last time I saw Dylan was the worst vocals I've ever heard at a concert; by far.
Greg Lake
Lowell George
George Harrison
Richard Manual
David Gilmour
Pete Townshend
and a bunch of others who maybe just weren't popular enough for this list.
That's what puts the likes of Iggy Pop on the list. It's what puts most of them on the list.
In that regard, it's really a random subjective list.
I love Johnny Cash, but he's not much of a singer, nor is he much to watch on stage. Songwriting was meh for a top of the charts guy. He just had an 'it' factor. I wouldn't have put him on the list, though.
gregg allman (not even listed in top 100)
freddie mercury
gregg allman (not even listed in top 100)
freddie mercury
well, maybe bowie 3 and mercury 4.
bob dylan should be around 9,000
That said, I think everyone can agree as to Dylan. I mean he's a genius, but he wasn't a great singer even in his younger days. Him over Freddie, Plant, etc. is a joke.
No Sinatra - he is an icon and a fantastic singer
Mercury should be top 10
Van Morrison, Mick Jagger (See Dylan)
awful
Mercury and Steve Perry should be up there.
That's what puts the likes of Iggy Pop on the list. It's what puts most of them on the list.
In that regard, it's really a random subjective list.
I love Johnny Cash, but he's not much of a singer, nor is he much to watch on stage. Songwriting was meh for a top of the charts guy. He just had an 'it' factor. I wouldn't have put him on the list, though.
I listened to a cover of a Johnny Cash song. It was just wrong.
Is Rolling Stone Mag still relevant ??
Any great singer; Paul Rodgers, winwood, etc., etc., m would tell you that Marriott was THE MAN.
What a joke list.
Link - ( New Window )
Yes yes you’re right, sorry to piss off any Zep lovers. Plant is great, but the point is thatZep’s “whole lotta love “ is blatant theft of “You need lovin”, by the Small Faces - a band that Plant was a big fan of and followed closely as a youngster.
Page has said that when he was forming LZ he was looking for a Marriott-style singer, and he certainly found one in Plant.
But Steve Marriott was the original article. He was the standard that many emulated but no one duplicated.
not really concerned with the order of those selected- splitting hairs in some cases.Some that were left off stand out.
Bob Dylan is the 8th greatest "singer"? Seriously?
The list goes on
Thom Yorke?
Dylan?
He was a vocal stylist that voiced ( and I think the only one who could have voiced) some great songs ( and many he wrote can be done better than others) that I don't see the light of day without his version of them out there.
Same holds true of Rap and many Blues singers. Did they sound conventionally like "singers"? not at all. Look at the write ups for Willie Nelson's line readings and syntax and look at the write ups for Lou Reed. That's where on the list Dylan belongs as a singer. If there at all. What he taught songwriters is the freedom to write what you want and not what sounds good...if the package of delivery and lyrics works it will work.
One other thing: Dylan eventually became a great arranger of music. Singing his and other songs to blends of bluegrass, sing, jazz, gospel, several forms of country
So can Howlin Wolf or Son House or Eminem or RunDMC's lead singer or JayZ be considered a great American Singer? Probably not. Did they voice things we now agree should have been said? yep
So I can see some rationale for including him or excluding him from a list of singers.
As an American songwriter its hard to compare his total output and great peaks with many others. Cole Porter? Porter wrote many fewer songs at a time where many fewer songs were written. Stephen Foster? Was he a songwriter or a compiler of what had been written at the time? ( I don't know). Rogers and Hammerstein? I don't know.
Holland Dozier Holland? I could see them in the top 3 or 4
Newsflash folks, our musical opinions, no matter how well-founded, are not going to be reflected by a Rolling Stone top 100 list. Blues and Jazz always get screwed. Sinatra and Bessie Smith definitely belong near the top, but they always leave out those artists that don't bleed directly into that greater Pop Rock, Beatles and on-centered catalog.
Dylan definitely belongs up there. I opened it and said Sam Cooke has to be near the top. Elvis, yup. Marvin and JB in the top ten. All correct. Aretha is not my favorite ever but I get it.