There is something that bugs musicians and I'm wondering if anyone besides me (and other musicians I know) notices it. The thread by hotballa made me think about it. In the video, there is a really horrible singer imitating Kurt Cobain. The band is not bad, but the singer is awful. hotballa referred to the whole video as cringe-worthy and he's right...about the singer. What I wonder is if anyone actually pays attention to music beyond just the beat. I often hear people ask, "Hey, who sings this song?" My smart ass response is usually, "Do you want the actual name of the singer in the band or the name of the band that performs it?" Every competition (save the one coming next year) is a singing competition. Even the non-singing competition relating to music is about the lyrics. It used to be that music was equally important. Name That TUNE wasn't about lyric or even groove, but melody - sometimes the melody generated by the music, other times by the vocal. I just wonder when that switch happened and what you non-musician music lovers think.
You weren't the only one to notice it, I just didn't reply. And the singer wasn't that bad until he tried to hit the high notes. He should've gone down an octave, but then that wouldn't have sounded right, either.
Looks like Jeff is getting a major case of lead singer envy. Actually, I was about to reply to your post in the other thread that I thought the band kinda sucked. The lead guitar had too much distortion in the opening, I think (though I'm not sure) he used a freaking whammy bar during the stanzas, plus the drummer completely screwed up the drum intro right before the chorus. Or, perhaps my non musical ears just aren't as in tune as yours...
The last time I played with ima_Drummer2K's band, I came off the stage during a song I wasn't playing on and a drunk said "Hey, why don't ya'll play a song with some horns in it?" Funny, I thought that's what I'd been doing for the past 4 hours.
This may be quasi-relevant to the conversation. Let me give background by saying that my wife and I are both amateur singers in the sense that we're pretty good at karaoke (having placed in contests and stuff) and have been known to perform in church, etc. before, but we're by no means trained musicians. I also play the violin and the piano to some extent, whereas my wife plays the flute. So with that kind of background you know where we're coming from. I have a running argument with my wife because I claim that she never "listens" to music because it's evidently beyond her to actually hear and retain the lyrics from a song. It's like she ONLY hears the music. If either of us is trying to remember the name of a song, it's like we speak a different language. For example, if I were trying to remember the name of "Hotel California", I would say something like "it's that song about hopeless addiction, you know where they say 'you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave'". My wife would just hum the chorus. Held at gunpoint she couldn't tell you what the song was called or what it was about. I always remember the melody as well, but one thing I really noticed when I started playing Guitar Hero is that my brain doesn't naturally latch on to some of the other parts. Focusing on the guitar and/or bass part of the songs on Guitar Hero was kind of like rediscovering different nuances of a lot of songs that I thought I already knew like the back of my hand. I don't know if that helped at all, but there you have it.
I'll cut the singer some slack as well. They're Japanese; English obviously isn't their first language. I tend to think that most people don't actually listen to music, which is why we must be beaten over the head with crap "music" on the radio. Just my two cents.
La Villa Strangiatto YYZ Great songs with unbelievable rhythms and melodies. I have always favored music that has competent rhythm and melody both (which is why I generally dislike rap, most of which has no melody). The best music has masterful composition, rhythm, melody, and performance (from all genre's). Sadly, however, I believe I am in the minority. With the advent of computers, music is now grown in a lab (studio) using samples and loops. This has greatly de-valued talented musicians. Who needs to hire a guy who has spent his life perfecting his guitar chops when.. 1) That's NOT what people want to hear 2) People really want fancy dance moves, offensive lyrics, and a looped rhythm. 3) the above music (2) can be obtained cheaply by somebody who has a computer and requires no skill, talent, or even simple musical know-how. And... if you think THAT's bad.... ..I play piano. Talk about musical death. Piano-playing is nothing but accompanying music now.
i play guitar even though i suck. so i don't consider myself a musician. but i usually enjoys melody in the music. i can listen to instrumentals. and a lot songs have really bad lyrics, which is a big turn off. i get addicted to solos too. personally, i treat vocals as another instrument that has meaning.
I should point out that, despite my previous post, these are perhaps my favorite Rush songs, so there's something to be said for my good taste.
I've always cared more about the music part of any song moreso than the lyrics or the singing. Hell, there are still plenty of songs that I never bothered to learn the words to, but I still love them.
I've always heard the music first, and the singer second. Whether is was Jimi, the Kinks (a very vocal driven band and highly underrated musicians), the Stones (regardless of Mick's unique voice, how could anyone listen to this band without being grabbed first by Charlie Watts and Keith Richards incredible playing?), or Al Stewart, I'm always listening to the music. I'm groovin' to the rhythm section and waiting on the guitar break, or the piano break. Vocals are great, but what are they without the music? Crap put out by Disney.
I usually like music that has good guitar parts to it as well as interesting instrumentation like keyboard riffs or drum solos or bass being played as a lead instrument. I just like hearing how all the instruments come together to form the song. Words aren't really that important to me unless it is a song by Dylan or Leonard Cohen or someone like that. I have liked many artists that haven't had the greatest singing voices to the ear in people like Dylan, Cohen, Neil Young, Wayne Coyne, Billy Corgan, amongst others. It is hard for me to explain but I just have to like how everything comes together - not only the singer's voice but the band backing him or her. One thing that I enjoy is listening to something that every time I hear it, I hear something new or different. I usually experience that when I listen to something by Can or Miles Davis (during his 1st fusion phase) or Brian Eno. I am more of a music fan that appreciates the "artiness" of the music. Yet my wife has gotten me back into pop music and even classical crossover music with people like Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, Sarah Brightman, Buble, and Groban.
I've always considered the vocals as just another instrument. I know the words to songs, but I don't pay attention to what they mean.
I agree, great question. I'll hold off on my thoughts as to not skew the answers, but I'm in full agreement...just like great movies aren't solely because of the lead actor/actress. But for the knocks against the Japanese cover of Teen Spirit, I'll tell you I'm pretty sure Nirvana themselves didn't play it as tight as the cover band did plenty of nights.
I know I keep piping in on this, but I just had another thought. I think it's much more difficult to "hide" a bad lead singer than other members of the band. For example, I've witnessed some pretty sloppy guitar work by Alex Lifeson. (yeah I said it, I'm willing to face the consequences) But for some reason it doesn't seem to detract from the whole as much as a really bad lead singer. A bad lead singer is like a hot girl with really bad breath all the time. Some things are just a deal breaker, and for me that's one of them.
