(1) I usually listen to music when working out in the basement. Recently it's been Nirvana, which I didn't care for too much back in their heyday, my being old enough at the time that I thought I ought not to expose myself to bad influences. Time to grow up and put aside childish things.
Same for Green Day. Enough already. Time to move on, but here I am now listening to it in the basement during deadlifts and pullups at age 53, old enough to be a grandfather.
That said, the lyrics of that kind of music are fairly easy to ignore, when they can be understood at all. To me it's a sort of abstract expressionism. Singer? What's that?
(2) About two days ago, in anticipation of power cleans, just for kicks, I popped "Out to Lunch" in the CD player. I was doing science, why not?
Surprisingly good to work out to. Ignoring the lyrics was easy.
I imagine Eric Dolphy and company took themselves quite seriously, that sort of virtuoso technical facility being the product of much hard work. I doubt they'd appreciate me using it as background music as if it were "She's a Maniac" or "Let's Get Physical."
Even worse, every now and then I'd find myself getting this sensation that I'm like a three-dimensional, living, breathing, flesh-and-blood character in a real-life animated cartoon. Incidental music, comically incongruous.
I was drinking heavily at the time and full of endorphins, would be my defense.
Can't argue with number 1 or 2, but to say that John Lennon is a better singer than even Paul McCartney, let alone that either of them are better than Etta James (and a host of singers not cracking the top 20) shows this list to be a joke.
To an extent it seems they've confused "influential" with "great." No doubt Bob Dylan is an "influential" singer. He is not a great singer though. He does his own thing and style well, but it's not based upon great singing.
Did I miss her, or did they miss Allison Krauss? There are some good singers on that list, but she's top 25 in my book (at least), and a more neutral observer would put her in top 50 territory. I like Bonnie Raitt, but AK is a better singer, easy.
The idea of ranking popular singers is great for a magazine article or a website trying to attract clicks, but not much good for anything else.
I looked through the first 25 and they are all very formidable guys, but the list is very heavily weighted toward 60s era singers, as you would expect from Rolling Stone. If Frank Sinatra is not in the top 10, what in the hell kind of list is that?
Not only no Frank Sinatra, but no Ella Fitzgerald in the top ten. The list is more idiotic than idiosyncratic......The idiosyncratic choice of several great composers like Jerome Kern and Cole Porter was Fred Astaire. Astaire had a thin voice with a narrow range but he never tried to upstage the melody and precisely enunciated the meaning of the lyrics. Astaire wouldn't be my top choice, but he's the most underrated of the male vocalists and the one who introduced most of the great songs of his era.......The four best selling singers of the 20th century were Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. Jolson and Crosby are fading into obscurity and haven't made the posterity cut. Presley is appreciated more as the first great rock star than for his vocal gifts. I think future generations will look upon him they way we look upon Al Jolson......The iPod nano is where posterity lodges. I think every person alive has at least one song by Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald on their playlist. They're the gold standard.
Rolling Stone is a joke and this is its list from a very baby bobber rock and roll perspective. I am surprised Etta James even made the list and his high as she is (although she absolutely deserves it and am glad she is there and she should be higher up).
Both Ella and Sinatra are top voices, but they were not rock singers hence why they are not there. McCarthy and Lennon are not great voices, but great song writers (they are on the wrong list).
Even if they're not going to include the old jazz singers (in which case Elle and Frank should be #1 and #2), this list still sucks hemorrhoids. I'm down to number 37 and still no Roger Daltry. For rock singers I could easily put him at #1. (The list includes more than just rock & rollers, though, so maybe not number one overall.) But so far almost none of the rock guys, and damned near none of the R&B guys mentioned, comes close. Really, Jagger, McCartney, Springsteen Lennon and Dylan ahead of Daltry? No fucking way.
It's no surprise that the folks at RS like Obama if they're this incompetent themselves.
Got through the list, and it's terrible. Daltry just ahead of Lou Reed and Axl Rose? No k. d. lang? (Whatever one thinks of her otherwise, she is a fantastic singer.)
It's just all wrong. And I thought their lists (they ave done it at least twice now) of the 100 Greatest Guitarists sucked, but compared to this that other one is straight from God HisOwnSelf.
19 comments:
I read she didn't take too kindly to Beyoncé doing that song at one of Obama's inauguration balls in 2008...
Speaking of which... not the inauguration, but what comes at the other end... the gacefull step down at terms end...
My tweet this morning...
"Has anybody ever heard #Obama say he will step down when his term of office ends? #justwondering"
Things that were taken for granted have a way of not coming to pass when Obama is... in charge.
(1) I usually listen to music when working out in the basement. Recently it's been Nirvana, which I didn't care for too much back in their heyday, my being old enough at the time that I thought I ought not to expose myself to bad influences. Time to grow up and put aside childish things.
Same for Green Day. Enough already. Time to move on, but here I am now listening to it in the basement during deadlifts and pullups at age 53, old enough to be a grandfather.
That said, the lyrics of that kind of music are fairly easy to ignore, when they can be understood at all. To me it's a sort of abstract expressionism. Singer? What's that?
(2) About two days ago, in anticipation of power cleans, just for kicks, I popped "Out to Lunch" in the CD player. I was doing science, why not?
Surprisingly good to work out to. Ignoring the lyrics was easy.
I imagine Eric Dolphy and company took themselves quite seriously, that sort of virtuoso technical facility being the product of much hard work. I doubt they'd appreciate me using it as background music as if it were "She's a Maniac" or "Let's Get Physical."
Even worse, every now and then I'd find myself getting this sensation that I'm like a three-dimensional, living, breathing, flesh-and-blood character in a real-life animated cartoon. Incidental music, comically incongruous.
I was drinking heavily at the time and full of endorphins, would be my defense.
I do not see Beyoncé or Britney Spears anywhere on that list. Good!
Can't argue with number 1 or 2, but to say that John Lennon is a better singer than even Paul McCartney, let alone that either of them are better than Etta James (and a host of singers not cracking the top 20) shows this list to be a joke.
To an extent it seems they've confused "influential" with "great." No doubt Bob Dylan is an "influential" singer. He is not a great singer though. He does his own thing and style well, but it's not based upon great singing.
In my view, Willie Nelson deserves much higher than 88. He has an excellent voice, and uses it well.
Jesus, definitely above Don freakin' Henley.
I agree, Patrick.
Based on vocal ability alone, the list would be much shorter, and completely re-arranged.
Did I miss her, or did they miss Allison Krauss? There are some good singers on that list, but she's top 25 in my book (at least), and a more neutral observer would put her in top 50 territory. I like Bonnie Raitt, but AK is a better singer, easy.
The idea of ranking popular singers is great for a magazine article or a website trying to attract clicks, but not much good for anything else.
I looked through the first 25 and they are all very formidable guys, but the list is very heavily weighted toward 60s era singers, as you would expect from Rolling Stone. If Frank Sinatra is not in the top 10, what in the hell kind of list is that?
I meant to say 'gracefull' up there.
Why is Tracy Chapman not among the top 22?
Not only no Frank Sinatra, but no Ella Fitzgerald in the top ten. The list is more idiotic than idiosyncratic......The idiosyncratic choice of several great composers like Jerome Kern and Cole Porter was Fred Astaire. Astaire had a thin voice with a narrow range but he never tried to upstage the melody and precisely enunciated the meaning of the lyrics. Astaire wouldn't be my top choice, but he's the most underrated of the male vocalists and the one who introduced most of the great songs of his era.......The four best selling singers of the 20th century were Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. Jolson and Crosby are fading into obscurity and haven't made the posterity cut. Presley is appreciated more as the first great rock star than for his vocal gifts. I think future generations will look upon him they way we look upon Al Jolson......The iPod nano is where posterity lodges. I think every person alive has at least one song by Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald on their playlist. They're the gold standard.
Rolling Stone is a joke and this is its list from a very baby bobber rock and roll perspective. I am surprised Etta James even made the list and his high as she is (although she absolutely deserves it and am glad she is there and she should be higher up).
Both Ella and Sinatra are top voices, but they were not rock singers hence why they are not there. McCarthy and Lennon are not great voices, but great song writers (they are on the wrong list).
Rolling Stone lists suck hemorrhoids, generally.
As long as that guy from The Pogues isn't on the list it will have something to recommend it.
Even if they're not going to include the old jazz singers (in which case Elle and Frank should be #1 and #2), this list still sucks hemorrhoids. I'm down to number 37 and still no Roger Daltry. For rock singers I could easily put him at #1. (The list includes more than just rock & rollers, though, so maybe not number one overall.) But so far almost none of the rock guys, and damned near none of the R&B guys mentioned, comes close. Really, Jagger, McCartney, Springsteen Lennon and Dylan ahead of Daltry? No fucking way.
It's no surprise that the folks at RS like Obama if they're this incompetent themselves.
Got through the list, and it's terrible. Daltry just ahead of Lou Reed and Axl Rose? No k. d. lang? (Whatever one thinks of her otherwise, she is a fantastic singer.)
It's just all wrong. And I thought their lists (they ave done it at least twice now) of the 100 Greatest Guitarists sucked, but compared to this that other one is straight from God HisOwnSelf.
Ice, is there a way to just see the whole list at once?
I didn't see one on the site, but someone has probably put it up somewhere. I'd look but I'd have trouble transferring the url on my phone.
I just looked at them by tens and hovered over the pics to see the name in the url.
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