Falsettos: Search & Destroy

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When boys sing like girls.

― Curt, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I can't think of anybody who's had the balls to really pull this off since, ohhh, "Ain't not particular sign I'm more compatible with."

― Curt, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Russell Mael. Beck pulls off a credible one in "Deborah".

― Sean, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Prince is, er, the King of falsetto. Search Dirty Mind, all of it. After hearing it here & there for years, I finally bought this ablum about six months ago and I can't believe how good it is. That's the best production Prince ever had, so stripped down & metallic. Good falsetto, too.

― Mark, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Dirty Mind" is indeed a must-own.

― Sean, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jeff Buckley had a great falsetto. I think Thom Yorke has an OK one, though to be honest, I think he's trying to emulate Jeff Buckley. Of course, there's Brian Wilson's way back when.

― dleone, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

tim buckley had a great falsetto. (of course "great voice, nothing to say" is his whole problem as we've been over before.) i'm sure if mitch was around right now he would pop up to mock my weepy christmas eve listening to "song to the siren."

― jess, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jeff Buckley. Of course!

Beck's I don't quite buy. Nor Jon Spencer's.

I just thought of another one I like a lot: Sam Prekop

― Curt, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sugar baby love by The Rubettes.

― Billy Dods, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

R. Kelly

― Kris, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jimmy Somerville had a decent falsetto. To my knowledge, Phillip Bailey still has a great falsetto. Rachelle Farrell has a female falsetto that puts Mariah Carey's to shame. Bruce Dickenson and Sebastian Bach both have big falsettos that evenly match their head voices, giving them huge, practically seamless ranges.

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Search Shudder To Think's "Pony Express Record" for Craig Wedren's falsetto.

― dan, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Unpopular and indie-centric as it may be, I like Ian Svenonious'. It's more of a screech than a falsetto at times but on the last Make Up record (Save Yourself, I think) it's put to good use on all the Nuggets-wannabe tunes. I also totally second the Craig Wedren mention. He's great no matter what he does.

― adam, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

every neptunes produced single!

― chippy, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You would say that now wouldn't you Mr. "Hexenduction." ;-)

― Clarke B., Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

search Bob Wills and D'Angelo.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Destroy them all. Falsettos are vile. If you can't sing that high in your natural range, then DON'T.

― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No need to destroy, it's just a different application of the voice. If you can create the sound, it's in your natural range, whether it's fully voiced or falsetto. Here's two to add: Hawksley Workman and Martin Tielli.

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the only falsetto which doesnt make me wish to vomit my brains out is John Robb's. check 'i want to fuck you slowly' on the first Gold Blade album.

― Wyndham Earl, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Marin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, Ernie Isley, and the guy from Heatwave. Totally classic falsetto stuff, IMO.

― popmusic, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The guy from Fine Young Cannibals.

Indeed, she drives me crazy...

― JM, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

One of my choir teachers (the young inexperienced one) always gets drafted to sing with the sopranos when the older one's teaching and he can hit pretty much any of their notes. It's great.

― Maria, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jeff Buckley. Of course!

Jeff Buckley is dead. We must keep his corpse from rising from the grave.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't understand how Thom Yorke could be emulating Jeff Buckley as Pablo Honey came out a year before Grace, and Thom most certainly had a falsetto then. It has since changed though, I think Thom's voice used to be more histrionic 93-95, but has since grown to be more of an impassioned wail than dramaturgic and stylized acrobatics. Nothing against Jeff Buckley, but he was certainly in love with the sound of his own voice and its abilities.

― Melissa W, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jeff Buckley is dead. We must keep his corpse from rising from the grave.

What's this "dead" of which you speak? There'll always be more live albums.

― Curt, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Search: guys from the Delfonics and the Stylistics

Destroy: Eddie Kendricks

― Curt, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There'll always be more live albums.

Like father like son.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

For me the singers in Puressence and Geneva both simultaneously hit some marvellous peak of little-boy-lost falsettos in British indie, following which I just cannot bear to hear new variants. Unless they're doing something interesting with it as Thom Yorke tends to.

That entire generation of post-Jeffs should be locked in rooms by themselves with a bullet, a gun and a stereo that plays their albums to them over and over again.

― Tim, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Clarifying a bit Re: Thom Yorke vs. Jeff Buckley, there are obviously timbral similarities between their voices but they're stylistically worlds apart. Jeff drew from soul, utilizing vibrato and melisma; whereas Thom rarely uses vibrato and never demonstrates melisma.

― Melissa W, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Destroy everything ever recorded by the singer of Sigur Ros. People say he sings like a whale. I can only hear affectation and whining. I really wish him to succeed in his efforts to sing above 20,000 hertz. It would spare my ears. Dogs and other animals would then be a great exclusive audience for him.

― alex in mainhattan, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jonsi's voice I love, his band is what I have problems with.

― Melissa W, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is it my imagination, or has no-one added (apart from a tiny Brian Wilson mention) The Beach Boys?

― Jez, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Billy Dods is very much OTM with The Rubettes. But can anyone name the person who sang the falsetto on the fantastic Sugar Baby Love?

Both Buckleys = tiresome.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What's about all these soul/blues singers? Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder had quite impressive falsettos hadn't they? Ray Charles (I think so) and Stevie Wonder are blind. Is there a relation between intense falsetto singing and blindness? The blues boy Blind Lemon Jefferson was a falsetto singer as well I think.

― alex in mainhattan, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

any thoughts on morrissey's falsetto? surprised he hasn't been mentioned yet.

i generally find falsettos unsettling to listen to, morrissey's included.

― rener, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

curtisgould you are right!!: YAY the STYLISTICS guy

(whose name i knew when my memory still worked: don't get old kids it's EMBARRASSING!!)

― mark s, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Frankie Valli.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmm, this is thread is a little rockist. I remember reading that the metal falsetto (Robert Plant, Geddy Lee etc) developed as a consequence of the Marshall stack ampage of the guitarists rendering a "regular" chest voice inaudible (see here for an intriguing discussion of head vs chead voices, and a tantalisingly non-existent link to an article on falsetto).

But, yes soul and disco I find more intriguing. I'm amazed that no- one has mentioned the Bee Gees so far, who made a concious decision to go falsetto... what are the gender/queer implications of the disco falsetto here or in Sylvester/Bronski Beat etc? It's more complicated than simple vocal drag (esp for the Gibbs) I think, but I'm not sure how. It is to do with *melodrama*?

Also: Robert Wyatt. Green Gartside.

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

eek! my link is here: secure2.ihwy.com/belcanto/pages/chestvoice.html

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I forgot Kurt Wagner from Lambchop. Though I love their music I find Wagner's take at falsetto rather unsuccessful as it seems forced and quite unnatural. There already was a thread on ILM some time ago but I could not find it.

― alex in mainhattan, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keiji Haino
Jeff Buckley
Chap from JJ72
Chap from Muse

― Kodanshi, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, the BEE-GEES! Those guys are incredible!

I don't see how this list can be rockist when earlier up I listed the lead singer from Earth, Wind, and Fire _and_ Jimmy Sommerville. My thoughts on Morrissey's falsetto: "Don't do that!"

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My thoughts on Morrissey: Carry On Falsetto

Beyond falsetto: Klaus Nomi

hilarious falsetto: Tiny Tim

wouldbe-falsetto: Jimmy Sommerville

― erik, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Barry White obviously.

Jeff Buckley couldn't write a song to save his life. His version of that Van Morrison song was good though. It's all a bit wanky though.

― Ronan, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Top of the Falsettos: Billy McKenzie (The Associates)

― erik, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If Billy is invoked (and he should be) we must all acknowledge the True Master -- Russell Mael.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I completely missed out Russel Mael, who's he?

― erik, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sparks, my friend. The most scarifying falsetto ever in ways, but in a good happy way.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ooooooh, yes! Billy Mac's best ever falsetto: the beginning of 'Those First Impressions'. Actually, this may be the best moment in the history of recorded music.

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sorry yes, the Mael bros of The Sparks, he's probsably the only one who can sing entire albums in falsetto, while others only manage to get false at the end of a song (William it was really nothing etc.)

― erik, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

frankie lyman (and the teenagers)

― dbini, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Most over the top 70s soul falsetto: "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman. And Arthur Brown is good and shrieky at times.

I like Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals but I think I mentioned that on the last falsetto thread.

― Arthur, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

he's probsably the only one who can sing entire albums in falsetto [...]

This is where I bring up TAKE 6 and CHANTICLEER...

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And now, the best lyrics ever sung in falsetto:

If I were a business man
I'd sit behind a desk
I'd be so successful
I would scare Wall Street to death
I would hold a meeting
For the press to let them know
I did it all
'Cause I'm stone in love with you

The Stylistics I'm Stone in Love With You

― Curt, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Tiger Lillies.

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

The greatest falsetto performance ever is a song called There's gonna be a showdown by the Rance Allen Group. Their lead singer Rance Allen is astonishing makes falsetto singers like phillip Bailey, Marvin Gaye, Howard Tate sound ordinary. His range is in the Mariah Carey league but obviously he's better

― Alan Johnston, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Morrissey's falsetto: passable except for "Miserable Lie", which is horrible!
Klaus Nomi: Oh yes!

― OleM, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

SMokey Robinson, THe small righteous brother, MAXWELL.

― Poops McGee, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I found David McAlmont's falsetto ultra-convincing. Whatever happened to...?

― Hunter, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

He's working on another record with Bernie Butler apparentlee

― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Smokey Robinson singing "Bad Girl". WOW!

― Poops McGee, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So whats everyones opinion on that Coldplay dude? He's a falsetto, right?

― Lord Custos, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

He has a less whiny falsetto than many. But it's still daft.

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

AL GREEN.

That is all.

― Jordan, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

Who can forget one of the greatest falsetto voices of all time... Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations.

― patrick c evans, Saturday, 30 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fifteen years pass...

I saw Eddie Holman live Saturday night. He still sounds good (did his hit ""Hey There Lonely Girl" in both sets) although he spent much of the night telling the audience how great he is and that he has the best falsetto in soul (because he stays in shape and has been singing since childhood he claimed). His falsetto is good, not sure if its the best

― curmudgeon, Monday, 26 February 2018 18:24 (eight years ago)

two years pass...

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9476603/rance-allen-dead-obit

Gospel singer and guitarist great could do falsetto and deep voiced vocals alike. Just died at 71 (social media says Covid but no official announcement of cause)

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 1 November 2020 18:04 (five years ago)

This could easily be a search or a destroy, but I was always impressed with Jerry Dammers for going all in on this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi_uV6ojDSs

― enochroot, Tuesday, 3 November 2020 23:47 (five years ago)

Toby Twining Music (strictly speaking this is countertenor)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBGAoBZzx8A

― balsamic jihad (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 3 November 2020 23:58 (five years ago)

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