Here's my list:
- Liam Gallagher - The arsehole frontman of Britpop legends Oasis (and then the disappointing Beady Eye), Liam has an extremely sharp voice. He pretty much just shouts. Honestly, listen to Oasis songs and it's clear. Liam sings the heavy songs like "Cigarettes & Alcohol", "Acquiesce" and "Live Forever" while Noel (who can sing) takes songs like "Half The World Away" and "Don't Look Back In Anger".
- Billie Joe Armstrong - Very good frontman. Very good songwriter. Ok singer. He's not bad, but he's not particularly good. Listen to "Time Of Your Life". Great song, and it's the "everyman" appeal which draws people to Billie. He could be just anyone.
- Ian Curtis - Curtis almost sings like a caricature of a singer. It's very deep and very strange. It sounds like he's doing a bad impression of someone else, but it works.
- Johnny Rotten - The quintessential Punk. He can't really sing, but he's outragious and a showman. If he wasn't such a good showman, he would have faded away and be forgotten.
- The Clash - The Clash are arguably the most influential Punk Rock group of all time, and not one of them can sing in tune fully. They each adopted lead vocals for different songs, for instance, listen to songs like "Bankrobber" (Strummer), "Guns Of Brixton" (Simonon) and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" (Jones).
- Tom Waits - Not many ordinary people know of him, but those who appreciate truly excellent and raw music think he's a genius (which he is). His voice is unique and has been described as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car." Listen to his early stuf (such as the studio version of "Ol' 55") and it's clear that he can just about sing, but it's the rawness and phenominal lyrics which make him an Icon; albeit an often overlooked one.
- Lou Reed - Simply a legend. He helped define and shape not only an era, but also music itself. He voice is strange. It is deep and almost vacant, like an echo. When listening to "Perfect Day", Reed is clearly out of tune in parts, but that's what makes the song. It gives it a melancholic feel which is distinctive to Reed.
- Jim Morrison - Regularly called the greatest frontman ever, Morrison wasn't the world's best singer. He was good, he could hold a note, and he could blow nearly any audience member's mind, but his voice didn't hit you hard. It wasn't particularly original, but he was.
- Iggy Pop - The Godfather Of Punk (who unfortunately now does car insurance ads and sings on American Idol) as often mocked with The Stooges for simply being weird, and barely able to sing or play their instruments. But this was the birth of Punk. It didn't matter. Iggy is regarded as quite possibly the greatest frontman ever, and the fact that he wasn't that good a singer was part of the Stooges' experience.
- Kurt Cobain - Extremely influential. Desperately sad. For me, he sums up Generation X. He's regularly named one of the greatest singers ever, yet his voice isn't perfect. There's better singers out there, but his voice was sorrowful and bleak. It was imperfect, just like him, and just like eveything Nirvana was.
- Jimi Hendrix - The greatest guitarist ever. Period. But, as far as I can tell, he sort of cheated everyone when it came to singing. He's good, but when you listen a bit closer, he just appears to be half singing/half speaking. It's a strange mix which really worked. He is a definition of the 60's, as far as I'm concerned.
- Bob Dylan - Often credited as the greatest songwriter ever and the 20th Century Shakespeare, Bob Dylan has influenced numerous performers over the years. However, if you listen to him, his singing voice is pretty shit. It whines and grates like an untuned violin, yet he's still considered a musical genius.
So, if you're a good enough song writer with a voice which is barely in tune, you can still become an Icon. Which means there's still some hope for me if I get some singing lessons....and talent.
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