70s Prog vocal style

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Is there one?

― Brian Ottlestone, Friday, 5 November 2004 22:30 (twenty years ago)

singing-through-the-very-big-teeth (all songs sung by John Wetton)

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:33 (twenty years ago)

there are many, not one.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:34 (twenty years ago)

Reading that Pink Floyd piece on that other thread, I noted the bit about Dave Gilmour's 'great singing voice'. While I'll agree he has a pleasingly throaty, sometimes raw voice, doesn't he sing in the same constipated way as most other white singers in prog bands?
You'll soon gather my range of reference is not big - I've listened to Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, a few others. But is there a shared vocal style?

― Brian Ottlestone, Friday, 5 November 2004 22:36 (twenty years ago)

quivering, wavering, moodybluesmeets4seasons does it for me. and lots of dramatic emphasis right before the flute solo.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:36 (twenty years ago)

xx-post there

Pashmina, I know you're one of those more well-educated in the arts and history of Prog on this board. Is there nothing to my aimless thoughts?

― Brian Ottlestone, Friday, 5 November 2004 22:38 (twenty years ago)

No, there isn't, really. I suppose you could draw a line thusly:

jon anderson ----- geddy lee ----- david surkamp

and I suppose a lot of the canterbury scene bands had similar sounding vocals, but I don't thin there's anything like a unified vocal style in '70's progressive music.

Check out the first 2 Family albums!!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:39 (twenty years ago)

I can't imagine any connection between, say, Jon Anderson and Peter Hammill.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:40 (twenty years ago)

On second thoughts, maybe a highly enunciated middle class Englishness?

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:41 (twenty years ago)

Don't underestimate the influence of Justin Heyward.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:42 (twenty years ago)

(sorry brian, that sounded a bit snarky, it wasn't meant to, honest)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 5 November 2004 22:43 (twenty years ago)

"Check out the first 2 Family albums!!"

I'm familiar with Roger Chapman, but those abums are 1968 and 1969 respectively....

x-post no that's okay, i'm asking an honest question so it's nice to have honest answers

― Brian Ottlestone, Friday, 5 November 2004 22:46 (twenty years ago)

I think "progressive" music draws on so many backgrounds, jazz styles, folk musics, avant-garde elements, blues, etc., that it's as eclectic a genre as "pop". I guess it's a subset of "pop", but I don't suppose that's logically inconsistent.

― Pangolino Again, Friday, 5 November 2004 22:50 (twenty years ago)

I think there are several singers (the one from Locanda Delle Fate for example) that have drawn some mannerisms from Peter Gabriel's earlier style.

― Pangolino Again, Friday, 5 November 2004 22:53 (twenty years ago)

I think "Prog" (broadly thrown) has a pretty huge share of vocal diversity, for rock/pop music. Thinking just of the British bands, there's Anderson, Wetton, Gabriel, Hammill, Robert Wyatt, Annie Haslam, the counterpoint vocals of Gentle Giant. Moving out to other, non-UK countries, you have some additional, pretty diverse (for rock) vocal styles: Demetrio Stratos (Area), the operatic bombast vocals of Magma (Klaus Blasquiz, Christian Vander, Stella Vander), Damo Suzuki's samurai mumblings if you were to include Can, lesser-known vocalists like Jenny Sorrenti from Saint Just and Pascale Son from Cos (she was kind of a Belgian forerunner of Elizabeth Fraser's improvised vocalise/scatting).

I would agree that the several of the non-UK symphonic prog bands, particularly like those from Italy and France, that many looked to the U.K. 'biggies' (Gabriel, etc.) for some degree of vocal inspiration, even if their actual voice sounded not too much like them. There are some interesting evolutions to be found even here, though. One example that jumps to mind is a symph-prog band from France in the 70s called Pulsar. On their first album, they were clearly mimicking Pink Floyd's music, and the vocalist (the band's bassist) was clearly imitating David Gilmour's sedated, "Us & Them"-ish vocals, except with French lyrics. Then, the bassist left, and the guitarist took over vocal duties, and the band gradually changed to singing English lyrics. The guitarist had a heavy accent, with very odd (okay, bad) pronunciations of the English words. Though I suppose it was completely by accident and usually I dislike it when bands sing in their non-native language, Pulsar's badly accented attempt at English came off way more original sounding than their faux-Floyd, and it also fit perfectly the tone of their music (kind of this doomed, melancholic, 'Sorrows of Young Werther' atmosphere).

― Joe (Joe), Saturday, 6 November 2004 08:23 (twenty years ago)

I agree that prog has a diverse and interesting range of voices. I'll defer to Joe's and Pashmina's judgments as they know way more than I do but it seems to me that there is a common thread between these vocal styles in their combination of a rock type of voice production with a classical sort of theatricality. A lot of it sounds kind of like they were trying to create new types of aria and recitatif using overtly rock voices - this is one of the things I personally find most interesting and appealing about prog; I realize it's also the main thing that turns most people off. The clear enunciation, dramatic bombast, "too many words per line" (by pop standards) quality, and tendency for many singers to sing either different 'roles' or sing 'against' a chorus all seem to fit with this. These qualities do seem common to Anderson (Jon and Ian! Maybe even Laurie!), Gabriel, Hamill, Frith, Lee, Waters (especially on The Wall), Thinking Plague's singers, Krause, Wetton, and Lake. It also seems that alt/indie bands who draw on proggy elements seem to negate this quality most of all in distinguishing themselves, either by singing in a voice that is more deadpan or weakly enunciated or buried under the music or processed heavily (Sonic Youth, Voivod, Slint, Radiohead, Pumpkins, Jane's) or else by just leaving out vocals altogether (post-rock).

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 6 November 2004 17:07 (twenty years ago)

Don't underestimate the influence of Justin Heyward.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 6 November 2004 18:50 (twenty years ago)

I keep thinking he's the guy from the Darkness but that's Justin Hawkins. Who's Heyward?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 6 November 2004 21:26 (twenty years ago)

Moody Blues guy.

― Pangolino Again, Saturday, 6 November 2004 21:30 (twenty years ago)

Oh, cool. I haven't actually heard much MB aside from the song "Nights In White Satin", which I feel a little guilty for kinda liking. Wasn't Patrick Moraz with them? He rules. I'm a little intrigued by Mark Prindle's adoration for the MB.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 6 November 2004 21:51 (twenty years ago)

definitely check out some moody blues. they were great. and a huuuuuuge influence on prog. hell, everyone from king crimson to hawkwind was influenced by them. i mean, nights in white satin alone....but not just that.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:16 (twenty years ago)

wr2 yes, don't underestimate the dual influences of (a) simon and garfunkel and (b) crosby, stills, and nash wr2 their vocals.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:21 (twenty years ago)

ESP (b) -- there are moments when yes sound like the weird english relatives that graham nash wouldn't let anywhere near the hollies!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:22 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, that's sort of what I'm talking about - they seem to be drawing very much on CSNY in the arrangements, maybe S&G, the Beatles and Byrds for sure - but to try to use that type of singing in a more classically theatrical way.

xpost Oh yeah, "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" (do I have the name right? I always mix it up with "Suite Madame Blue") kinda seems to be a template for one side of them (that really comes through on The Yes Album, at least in terms of the vocal harmonies and melodies.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:25 (twenty years ago)

"...The Yes Album)"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:26 (twenty years ago)

On second thoughts, maybe a highly enunciated middle class Englishness?

Jon Anderson? Middle class?!??!?

― Soon Over Dadaismus (Dada), Sunday, 7 November 2004 15:47 (twenty years ago)

Blimey, you're right. I've just read a bit of Jon's bio and I'm amazed. And he's from Accrington! I always heard his singing accent as being kind of Gloucestershire-y, certainly Southern. Respect increased.

Still, I guess you could say his singing voice sounds middle class. He certainly doesn't sound like George Formby.

Also, re. Simon and Garfunkel. Yes did a great version of "America" so the influence was obviously acknowledged.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 7 November 2004 16:21 (twenty years ago)

Greg Lake also came from a pretty poor background.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Sunday, 7 November 2004 16:23 (twenty years ago)

Greg Lake could often sound suspiciously like Justin Heyward.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 November 2004 16:33 (twenty years ago)

I'll stop. I promise I'll stop.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 November 2004 16:33 (twenty years ago)

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