Re: Sound quality / Peter Gabriel's "Us"

[as010b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (andrew david simchik)]

In <1992Dec8.235603.5117@cltr.uq.OZ.AU> mattd@cltr.uq.oz.au (Matthew Deshon) writes:

>as010b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (andrew david simchik) writes:


>>I didn't print the entire article, but Mr. Ludwig's post mentioned that
>>Peter Gabriel was "a d*mn good singer"...

>>We won't mention technical aspects, but aesthetically he doesn't have the
>>most beautiful of voices, does he?  I love his stuff, as I love Robyn
>>Hitchcock's, but oft have I wished they had more dulcet pipes.  Peter's
>>songs are gorgeous, and as correctly as he sings, I wish someone with a more
>>pleasant timbre were singing them.

>I reckon PG's voice suits the music he sings perfectly.  Do you not listen
>to Lou Reed, Billy Bragg, Tom Waits, etc, simply because they don't have
>perfect voices?  These people know how to write music which their own
>voice will enhance.  

>I totally agree that his songs are gorgeous!

>matt

>--
>Matt Deshon	  				
>Applications Programmer,                     "And all my instincts they return,
>Centre for Language Teaching and Research     The grand facade so soon will burn
>University of Queensland		      Without a noise, without my pride
>email : mattd@cltr.uq.oz.au		      I reach out from the inside."
>Phone : +61 7 365 6915				- Peter Gabriel

Oh, I listen to a lot of people with inferior voices.  Robyn Hitchcock,
Robert Smith of the Cure, Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones, Peter Murphy ex of
Bauhaus, and the Johns of They Might Be Giants.  Let me clarify inferior:
what I mean is less-than-classically-beautiful.  Hitchcock can be nasal and
often lacks sufficient breath support, Smith is generally wavery, Edwards is
painfully hoarse and often has to strain for higher notes, Murphy chews his
vowels as if they were Double Bubble, and the Johns are appropriately nasal. 
This rarely diminishes my enjoyment of their music, as it is highly
appropriate to the style/feel of their music, and well, hell, not everyone's
a trained vocalist, and you don't have to have a terrific voice to sound
pleasant.

*However...*

I think Gabriel's voice, while it goes very well with his music, still
belongs to the above class of less-than-classically-beautiful voices.  I
would love to hear a less hoarse voice on some of these lovely songs.

LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS!

I love PG's voice, I love his music, and I love all of the above artists
dearly.  But I can still be a music-snob and express my feelings about their
voices.  Objectively I don't like their voices; subjectively I love their
voices.  We are essentially in agreement, you and I; I simply failed to make
myself clear.

By the way, I love Lou Reed's music; Billy Bragg's I can take or leave
depending on the individual song; Tom Waits fascinates me but his voice is
so otherworldly that I can't bear to listen to it.  It honestly terrifies
me.  (Oh, and I hate Shane McGowan's voice (the Pogues), and I hate his
music, too, so there's an instance where objectively and subjectively I
agree.)

Drewcifer
-- 
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