Among the essential characteristics that make-up a rock band, aside from guitars, drums, and bass, is a lead singer that sings at the top of his range. And the higher the range, the better. It just sounds more like rock; it's high-energy. Bands like The National and Crash Test Dummies are also rock artists (I guess), but it's not the same.
I was listening to some of rock's best vocalists, and thought I'd make a list that we can add to. I'll start with the quintessential rock sound - a gravelly voice that can go really high. And one of the qualifiers for my list is that the artist can (at least at one time) sing it live, in the same key. So this is Bob Seger singing what I believe to be his highest-keyed song:
Bob Seger – Feel Like a Number (live)
Paul Rodgers is known as one of rock's best front-men, and highest singers:
Bad Company – Good Lovin’ Gone Bad (live)
This is actually the song that inspired this thread. I call it the "balls in a vice" effect. At 2 minutes in, it's unreal, almost uncomfortable:
AC/DC – Thunderstruck (live)
And what's a thread like this without the scrodeling elf himself - Geddy Lee? He's probably the most effortless at singing this high:
Rush – Fly by Night (live)
And of course, I've got to include Lou Gramm.
Foreigner – Juke Box Hero (live)
I tried to include Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), but neither of them sing the same live. I also want to acknowledge that there's a whole class of hard rock/metal that's based on screeching vocals, but just like singers who do falsetto, I don't feel they qualify.
I was listening to some of rock's best vocalists, and thought I'd make a list that we can add to. I'll start with the quintessential rock sound - a gravelly voice that can go really high. And one of the qualifiers for my list is that the artist can (at least at one time) sing it live, in the same key. So this is Bob Seger singing what I believe to be his highest-keyed song:
Bob Seger – Feel Like a Number (live)
Paul Rodgers is known as one of rock's best front-men, and highest singers:
Bad Company – Good Lovin’ Gone Bad (live)
This is actually the song that inspired this thread. I call it the "balls in a vice" effect. At 2 minutes in, it's unreal, almost uncomfortable:
AC/DC – Thunderstruck (live)
And what's a thread like this without the scrodeling elf himself - Geddy Lee? He's probably the most effortless at singing this high:
Rush – Fly by Night (live)
And of course, I've got to include Lou Gramm.
Foreigner – Juke Box Hero (live)
I tried to include Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), but neither of them sing the same live. I also want to acknowledge that there's a whole class of hard rock/metal that's based on screeching vocals, but just like singers who do falsetto, I don't feel they qualify.
