Out-of-Tune Singers
- Thread starter JOv2
- Start date
GDBY2LV
Well-Known Member
Fleetwood Mac is the worst. They use auto tune machines now. Their appearance on the Todsy Show a couple of years ago was embarrassing. Carole King often sings a bit off key. The music is so good, I can tolerate it. Her hit “Jazzman” is s good example. She often doubles her voice to cover it up.
Early Bette Midler on ballads. She has s hard time staying on key.
Early Bette Midler on ballads. She has s hard time staying on key.
I always thought Bob Dylan was an excellent writer but a terrible singer.
From reading Ruy Castro's book about Bossa Nova, she had sung earlier, before "Girl from Ipanema." So it's not like the romantic version of her sitting in the studio and magically walking up to a mic and recording her first-ever vocal performance on a hit single.
I will say she improved over the years, as she made more albums. On A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, her pitch is sometimes all over the place. Skip ahead several years and she's pretty much on target.
I know a LOT of people think Stevie Nicks has a great voice, but to me she sounds like bleating billy goat with her forced vibrato... Only Phil Ochs has a worse vibrato!
JOv2
Well-Known Member
Then there's Anthony Newley.
DAN BOLTON
Well-Known Member
Bob Goulet always seemed to go flat at the end of nearly every phrase...
I've never been a huge fan of Stevie's voice, but these days she should probably just hang it up -- she can't hit any notes that are even "slightly" high anymore and winds up singing her iconic songs with way-compromised melodies.
GDBY2LV
Well-Known Member
That’s why they are using auto tune in concert now. Really really bad. My friend helped with set up at the venue here and saw the equipment they use. It’s under the stage he said. I had mentioned how terrible they sounded on the Today show. That was about 2-3 years ago? Not sure. First tour without Christine McVie anyway. We decided to skip the concert after seeing them on tv. Guess the viewing audience didn’t like what they heard either. I agree, hang it up.
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I don't recall which modern country singer it was, but it was said (over 15 years ago in a forum I was part of) that her road crew included two engineers who ran autotune.
I think we pick up on autotune since there isn't a single vocalist out there who can perfectly hit every single note--it's almost imperceptible with the best singers as they sound dead accurate. But if the pitches are too exact (I want to say "mathematically precise"), we notice that as sounding unnatural.
I think we pick up on autotune since there isn't a single vocalist out there who can perfectly hit every single note--it's almost imperceptible with the best singers as they sound dead accurate. But if the pitches are too exact (I want to say "mathematically precise"), we notice that as sounding unnatural.
Chris Montez had a couple of early tunes that sounded off.
JOv2
Well-Known Member
...and he's heavy on the vibrato -- following up on Mr. Bill's earlier point.
You know, that whole Mrs. Miller business has yet to be settled in some quarters -- but I guess technically she was considered a comedy act.
Indeed, "mathematically precise" perfect pitch is unnatural (as are mathematically precise drumming patterns). On the other hand, "natural" (for lack of a better modifier) perfect pitch is truly something to behold! Check out Howard Kaylan from the Turtles or Peter Cetera from Chicago; and a step beneath them would be David Crosby from the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Artie Garfunkel.
Someone should mention "Jonathan And Darlene Edwards" who had a little comical side career of playing and singing off-key.
Whole albums were recorded by this husband/ wife duo. He played piano, she sang. In reality of course, these were made-up names for Jo Stafford and Paul Weston.
The albums were popular at the cocktail parties of the day where the host would slip the record in with the Steve & Eydie albums, and wait for his unsuspecting guests to notice. Then laughs would abound.
These two were amazingly talented enough to pull it off. If you have any musical talent at all, then singing off-key can be a challenge.
Seek them out on YouTube. Jonathan & Darlene Edwards.
Whole albums were recorded by this husband/ wife duo. He played piano, she sang. In reality of course, these were made-up names for Jo Stafford and Paul Weston.
The albums were popular at the cocktail parties of the day where the host would slip the record in with the Steve & Eydie albums, and wait for his unsuspecting guests to notice. Then laughs would abound.
These two were amazingly talented enough to pull it off. If you have any musical talent at all, then singing off-key can be a challenge.
Seek them out on YouTube. Jonathan & Darlene Edwards.
I was visiting friends in California back in 1998, and he pulled out a record and told us, "You have to hear this." So yeah, we got our first exposure the same way.
Speaking of "In Concert Trickery," when I was in film school back in the glorious 1980s, one of the actressses I hired for one of my student film had a most interesting full-time gig. She was off stage singing the high notes for Frankie Valli; these were the higher passages which he could no longer reach. She said she was one of two girls who rotated that duty when they toured.
--Mr Bill
--Mr Bill
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
I remember hearing some of their "better," stuff years ago somewhere...she was very good at being very bad, but only because she was such a very good singer (with a compelling voice all her own) - never recall hearing her sing anything out of tune - I'm not sure if Karen would have been good at deliberately singing off key, as singing on pitch was as natural to her as breathing (and God only knows how very well she could breathe) - she was talented enough to pull it off, but she would have had to work at it a bit...
