Miss Heidi Vanderlee summed it up best just a few posts ago, in a justified rant trashing Rolling Stone for its lack of depth, knowledge, and completeness regarding its shoddy 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list. I am almost ashamed to admit that I’ve been stewing about this since I first spied the list yesterday afternoon, and have been thinking long and hard about who I'd include on my own personal register. Do you agree with some of Rolling Stone’s choices? Roy Orbison, Bowie, Patsy, Sam Cooke? Indubitably. To deny these singers their time in the sun would be foolish...However, I can't just sit back and watch Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney, and several other stock singers get top billing over dozens of vocalists who can carry their tune deeper and much more powerfully. I just can't.That all said, I've compiled my own personal list of favorite singers. My lone criteria is not to include a single vocalist chosen by Rolling Stone, both to bring attention to several glaring omissions, but to be mindful of redundancy. Otherwise, the list below will appear in no particular order. Is your favorite on the list? Click and see, and feel free to add any I may have missed!
1. Scott Walker (The Walker Brothers, solo)
A once forgotten teen idol turns art-damaged crooner. In his earlier years as a member of the Walker Brothers, Scott sold hundreds of records with his mournful baritone. As his solo career careened through decades of isolation and experimentation, that croon grew more paranoid and painful, but no less impressive.
Essential listening: The Walker Brothers- 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore,' Scott Walker- 'Farmer In the City.'
2. Kate Bush
As Heidi pointed out, Rolling Stone's original list neglected several prominent female vocalists, and this is one of the more glaring omissions in my book. Kate Bush is equal parts saccharine and equal parts batshit, using her impressive set of pipes as both a springboard for perfect pop as well as curiously unique sounds.
Essential Listening: 'Pull Out the Pin,' 'Army Dreamers,' 'The Hounds of Love'
3. Klaus Nomi
Underrated in his era and perhaps far too out there to ever be truly understood, Nomi brought a beautiful operatic voice to a budding synth-pop movement, proving that classically trained chops had a place in the modern world. One of the first semi-prominent AIDS victims, we can only dream of what could have been had Nomi lived to this day.
Essential Listening: 'The Cold Song,' 'Total Eclipse'
4. Frank Sinatra
Seriously? Way to drop the ball, Rolling Stone.
Essential Listening: 'The World We Knew (Over and Over),' 'I Get Along Without You Very Well'
5. Neko Case (solo, The New Pornographers)
A rather new player, Neko's powerful voice not only calls the ghosts of Patsy Cline to mind, but she forges her own blend of sultry, swoon-worthy alt-country that tugs right at the heartstrings. I prefer her solo work, but it’s hard to deny her occasional contributions to the New Pornographers.
Essential Listening: 'Look For Me (I'll Be Around), 'Hold On, Hold On'
6. Nick Cave (The Birthday Party, the Bad Seeds)
This one may seem like a personal bias, but I can’t help but include Mr. Cave, who’s earliest shrieks were far more primal than Iggy Pop himself, but who’s latter day croons make me weak in the knees.
Essential Listening: ‘Into My Arms,’ ‘Love Letter,’ ‘Loverman’
7. Billie Holiday
Another glaring omission. Billie may not have had the sweetest voices of the jazz era, but she certainly had one of the most unforgettable. Stifling and smooth, and just imperfect enough to adore.
Essential Listening: ‘Gloomy Sunday,’ ‘I’m a Fool to Want You’
8. Notorious B.I.G.
Don’t give me any of that “rappers don’t sing” malarkey, Biggie Smalls’ voice is the equivalent of black velvet and silk-spun perfection, the perfect compliment to his equally slick music.
Essential Listening: ‘Hypnotize,’ ‘Juicy’
9. Russell Mael (Sparks)
If Rolling Stone can include Freddie Mercury (hard to contest this choice), I can pick my own favorite ambiguous glam/art rocker, n’est-ce pas? As lead vocalist of Sparks, Russell brought a combined an impressive falsetto and a solid vibrato, adding a touch of overdramatic inflection for good measure.
Essential Listening: ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us,’ ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’
10. Marc Bolan (T. Rex)
While we’re talking glam-rockers, allow me to indulge and include Marc Bolan, the tragic brainchild of T. Rex, who's perfectly sexy and airy delivery is perfectly offset by the occasional dose of pure, unabashed testosterone. Pure perfection!
Essential Listening: ‘Cosmic Dancer,’ ‘Metal Guru,’ ‘The Slider’
11. Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins)
I admit this one may be a bit much for most delicate sensibilities, but any properly informed list should at least tip their hat to Miss Fraser, who’s work with the Cocteau Twins (as well as with Massive Attack) showcased her voice as a truly dynamic instrument, above all. Hell, she hardly ever sung proper lyrics, proving that her voice was just as otherworldly as it was unconventional.
Essential Listening: ‘Five Ten Fiftyfold,’ ‘The Spangle Maker,’ 'Lorelei'
12. Edith Piaf
You’d think Rolling Stone would have jumped all over this one, what with several new generations rediscovering the work of the beloved Sparrow. She almost makes it look easy…
Essential Listening: ‘Milord,’ ‘La Vie En Rose’
13. Blixa Bargeld (Einsturzende Neubauten, Nick Cave & the Badseeds)
As a member of Nick Cave’s Badseeds, Blixa offered the occasional dose of pure vocal fury alongside his guitar slinging, but it’s his own band, German experimentalists Einsturzende Neubauten, that showcased Blixa’s intense, abrasive, yet remarkable set of pipes. Even his whispers are captivating, but those high register shrieks invoke the fear of God himself.
Essential Listening: ‘Armenia,’ ‘Die Interimsliebenden’
14. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
Where’s the fuckin’ metal, Rolling Stone? Here’s the love, right here…As second vocalist for Iron Maiden, Dickinson’s extraordinary (and somewhat uncomfortable) voice hasn’t aged a day, last I checked.
Essential Listening: ‘The Trooper,’ ‘Wasted Years’
15. Damo Suzuki (Can)
The second and superior vocalist for avant-Kraut rockers Can, Suzuki’s vocals may sound a bit understated in execution, but carried the passion of a thousand men, speaking countless languages.
Essential Listening: Can discography 1971-1973.
16. Neil Diamond
This guy is smooth. Period. Though I haven’t seen him sing in the flesh, I’ve heard countless recounts of his voice still making women both young and old melt into a giant puddle. Undeniable!
Essential Listening: ‘Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show,’ ‘Solitary Man’
17. Mina
This is a strictly personal choice, as Mina’s passionate pipes are a standout among dozens of solid Italian torch singers from forgotten eras. Her blend of soul and Italian standards set her apart from the pack and earned Mina several prestigious awards. Though she retired from public appearances in the late 1970s, she still releases albums to this day.
Essential Listening: ‘Io Vivro Senza Te,’ on repeat for days.
18. Betty Davis
No, not Bettie Davis, this particular songstress is a solid soul mistress, passionately crooning one minute, and yelping like a banshee in heat the next. A sexy, psychedelic alien, if you will, and a true badass.
Essential Listening: ‘He Was a Big Freak,’ ‘If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up’
19. Yma Sumac
This true Peruvian Songbird just recently passed, sad to say, but her powerful four-five octave range will live on forever, I pray.
Essential Listening: ‘Chicken Talk,’ ‘Tumpa’
20. Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)
When Depeche Mode first broke on the scene, they were dismissed as a synthetic boy band, but in time, the band’s music would take on a much more complex edge, and main vocalist Dave Gahan would find his own set of cords growing in both power and range. Though Martin Gore can have all the credit for writing most of the band’s best tunes, they just wouldn’t be the same without Gahan’s edgy vocals.
Essential Listening: ‘When the Body Speaks,’ ‘I Feel You’
As an added bonus, here’s another handful of fantastic singers sadly snubbed by Rolling Stone:
21. Diana Ross (The Supremes)
22. Lux Interior (The Cramps)
23. Ian Astbury (The Cult)
24. Marianne Faithful
25. Peter Murphy (Bauhaus)
26. Lee Hazlewood
27. Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star)
28. Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music)
29. Diamanda Galas
30. Shane McGowan (The Pogues)
31. Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance)
32. Carla Thomas
33. Beth Gibbons (Portishead)
34. Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
35. Al Bowlly
36. Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
37. Ian Curtis (Joy Division)
38. Stephin Merrit (The Magnetic Fields)
39. Mark E. Smith (The Fall)
40. Connie Francis
