Best male and female vocalist of all time?

Totally agree the singers of today could be just as polished as some of the greats were even into the 19th century (Nellie Melba for example) but mostly it isn't possible to know except from written accounts of their artistry.
Many famous composers we're inspired by the facility of their talents to create roles for them too.

Your comment about Bach is interesting - possibly another angle on that is that in his day (in fact even until around 150 years later) there was no distinction made between sopranos voice types/categories as there is now.
I have learned so much since my wife joined the Pretoria Bach choir. the previous conductor worked with Floor Jensen when she was still singing solo work with Choirs before she moved into recording artist world.
 
Never been a fan of Queen because Freddie Mercury's voice leaves me cold. I don't hear any connection between the notes and the heart. A not-so-perfect pitch who sings from the b@lls - now that's something to listen to.

Just dropping this here for interest's sake:

If we're going back in time Yma Sumak has to be up there. She won a Guinness World Record for the Greatest Range of Musical Value in 1956.

For those who understand music (I don't) :
"She had five octaves according to some reports, but other reports (and recordings) document four-and-a-half at the peak of her singing career. Shortly after her death, the BBC noted that a typical trained singer has a range of about three octaves."
The questions around vocal range are always interesting, but for me are essentially a sideshow. I find elegance and beauty of tone more interesting . In essence I place more importance on timbre and evenness throughout the range. In other words a decent useable range wins out over having a huge range.
On a side note (see what I did there) as a singer most of the professional singers I've worked with have on average 2 to 2.5 octave ranges. I've only ever met one with 3 octaves. I have 2.5 useable (more if I use falsetto). So I reckon the BBC quote is best taken with a pinch of salt.
 
I wanted to say that as a joke and wanted to link the video where Chuck berry looks at her like she just ate his cat in front of her, but I deleted the post berfore I posted it because I already scolded one person for being factually incorrect.

but congrats, you managed to be more wrong than the person who said Steve Hofmeier

Yoko is not trying to sing like Mariah Carey. And thank goodness for that, the world doesn’t need more divas. She’s a legitimately respected artist though
 
Yoko is not trying to sing like Mariah Carey. And thank goodness for that, the world doesn’t need more divas. She’s a legitimately respected artist though
limp bizkit is a respected artist. Nickleback is a respected artist. Justin Bieber is a respected artist. mumble rap had a follwing.

there is no accounting for taste.
 
limp bizkit is a respected artist. Nickleback is a respected artist. Justin Bieber is a respected artist. mumble rap had a follwing.

there is no accounting for taste.

None of those examples are avant- garde artists. There’s a lot of stuff out there that isn’t trying to sound “good” at all. I thought you were a metal guy.

*note I’m not saying I’m much of a fan of her singing, but I think some of her music is quite interesting like this

 
None of those examples are avant- garde artists. There’s a lot of stuff out there that isn’t trying to sound “good” at all. I thought you were a metal guy.

*note I’m not saying I’m much of a fan of her singing, but I think some of her music is quite interesting like this

you make a fair point. I am a "metal guy" but at the moment I have hardstyle blaring so I can be left alone, yesterday was deathcore. music is all about what makes you happy in the momemnt. and as someone who listens to prog metal and deathcore, I can appritiate when someone goes left field to make something that is new.

that being said, she does not try to make something different, she tries to make the worst possible sounding stuff and seeing who believes it is good. she is like the "modern art" artistws who tape a banana to a wall and call it art. she is taking advantage of people wiht too much money having no taste.
 
you make a fair point. I am a "metal guy" but at the moment I have hardstyle blaring so I can be left alone, yesterday was deathcore. music is all about what makes you happy in the momemnt. and as someone who listens to prog metal and deathcore, I can appritiate when someone goes left field to make something that is new.

that being said, she does not try to make something different, she tries to make the worst possible sounding stuff and seeing who believes it is good. she is like the "modern art" artistws who tape a banana to a wall and call it art. she is taking advantage of people wiht too much money having no taste.

Again, it's not really true. She made some boundary pushing music that influenced a lot of respected artists like B-52s, Lady Gaga, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo, and she was a clear precursor to the US punk movement. I felt like smashing my face in a clear glass window goes pretty damn hard. That whole album does actually.
 
Again, it's not really true. She made some boundary pushing music that influenced a lot of respected artists like B-52s, Lady Gaga, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo, and she was a clear precursor to the US punk movement. I felt like smashing my face in a clear glass window goes pretty damn hard. That whole album does actually.
I will give it an honest try and see if I can manage it. I am going in with a pre conceived Bias, but I will try my best to keep an open mind.
 
I will give it an honest try and see if I can manage it. I am going in with a pre conceived Bias, but I will try my best to keep an open mind.

Well lol you might hate it tbh, there is an awful lot of warbling and high pitched squeals. But all I'm saying is, it isn't *objectively* bad music. There are a lot of people who respect Yoko Ono and she's only grown in popularity since the 1970s. She gets a bad rap because people blame her for breaking up the Beatles but honestly that's not true, they were already in a bad place when she met them.

If you want to talk about really bad vocalists there's no shortage of them in the world. How about Lewis fkn Capaldi for one thing, that joker doesn't even sing in his own native key.
 
The breath control on this performance is spectacular. As are her improvisations on the outro. Definitely shot up the list of best vocalists for me

 
There is only one winner. Close the thread

yoko ono - here is something quite good
this version disappeared from youtube, fortunately i had downloaded it some time back - so, i re-uploaded to youtube.
there are a few versions of this track, this one is rather interesting
if you like, grab it while you can
 
Last edited:
I was blessed today to see Billy Joel's 100th live show at Madison Square Gardens in New York. A truly awesome show. Once more showing he is one of the greatest of all time.
 
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter