# Singers that make you reach for the dial **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 12, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480 "2024-02-12T16:46:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/81 "2024-02-14T16:19:04Z")
I don’t much like Rush — but they’re okay — and I think Geddy’s voice is fine and perfect for the band. But he always shows up in these types of threads. To be honest, I wish I could sing as well as he can. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/82 "2024-02-14T21:29:40Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Anybody who uses auto tune should be run out of town Many folks have said similar things in many threads. Without meaning to dispute you, how would anyone know an autotune sound from natural? I’ve never identified any such thing. Which suggests I’m clueless about whatever this is or what it sounds like. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/83 "2024-02-14T21:49:05Z")
Re: Geddy…I think it’s because his voice sounds shrill as a result of his affection for the highest parts of his register. He certainly knows how to nail his notes, but singing is not just hitting notes. It’s nuance, it’s knowing when to caress a song and when to floor it. His voice is like a synthesizer that has one setting and one volume. I think lots of singers subsequent to Robert Plant seemed to think that scraping the top of your register is the sign of a real rock singer, and they spend most of their time there. I encourage them to listen to Sinatra or Aretha. One more thing re: Plant. I have never gotten the adulation for him as a singer. When he’s “crooning” he sounds like a dad who can basically carry a tune. When he’s shrieking in a head voice, he just sounds bad. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/84 "2024-02-14T21:52:05Z")
My guess is they are talking about autotune as an effect, like in Cher’s “Believe.” Or who was that rapper? T-Pain that popularized it? But that’s not what a lot of autotune is. Much of it is natural sounding pitch corrections, depending on how it’s applied. It doesn’t have to be a sledgehammer, but also if you’re well off pitch, even autotune (as far as I know) won’t be able to completely hide it. There’s still some audio artifacts left behind you can discern as a careful listener. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/85 "2024-02-14T22:37:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > My guess is they are talking about autotune as an effect Yeah, a lot of modern music has vocals that sound processed and unnatural, in a way that’s a real turnoff for me. I don’t think there’s anything objectively wrong with it; I just don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/86 "2024-02-14T22:42:34Z")
Yeah, that’s a deliberate aesthetic. I mean, I’m sure a lot of those people aren’t the best singers, but I’ve heard what I would call decent singers use it purposefully cuz that’s what the kids wanna hear. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/87 "2024-02-15T02:03:34Z")
Omg. AMEN. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/88 "2024-02-15T03:03:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > My guess is they are talking about autotune as an effect, like in Cher’s “Believe.” In my case, that wasn’t what I was talking about. I’m talking about more subtle uses to help a singer that has pitch problems. If it is used very sparingly to fix a note or two, it can be hard to detect. But many of the singers who use it aren’t using it for an effect. They are using it because they aren’t great singers. They have the look but not the voice. And for those, I find it very noticeable and annoying simply because it is used so often that it is glaring to my ears. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/89 "2024-02-15T06:51:27Z")
The late Boston singer Bradley Delp out-sopranoed Geddy Lee by leaps and bounds (and yes, they did do double or even triple bills with other hard rock/prog bands in the late 1970s) and when I saw Boston in 1995, he already had an understudy to help with those extreme high notes. (Sadly, the show was a bore, although I’m not sorry I went.) Later, after Delp died, the band hired another Boston-area male soprano, Michael Sweet of Stryper, to perform with them, although I’m guessing that as a Christian singer, Sweet did not sing “Smokin’” or “Party.” ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/90 "2024-02-15T06:58:35Z")
Mom couldn’t stand to listen to him sing “You’ve Got a Friend.” She said he didn’t sound very happy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/91 "2024-02-15T08:15:12Z")
Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell are the only vocalists that drive me off right away, because I just can’t stand that mumbled hunger-dunger-dang style. The latter’s cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” is the only exception, which is odd in and of itself because I can’t stand any other version of that song. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/92 "2024-02-15T13:26:37Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Later, after Delp died, the band hired another Boston-area male soprano, Michael Sweet of Stryper, Interesting, I did not know that! @nelliebly, I’ll be laughing at that, next time I hear “You’ve Got a Friend” (as I reach for the dial). ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/93 "2024-02-15T15:30:57Z")
The Wings of Pegasus channel does many deep analyses of various singers pitch corrections, and also many cases “remasters” of older recordings (Sinatra, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc) getting stealth-autotuned to sound more “modern”. Here’s one example: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtUfYNljgw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtUfYNljgw) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/94 "2024-02-15T17:37:12Z")
I know this is going to be unpopular, but I really, really do not enjoy Karen Carpenter’s voice. Not saying it isn’t technically great, just that I personally have an aversion. I recently had a long discussion about this very subject with my brother who is a fan and who is very knowledgeable about all things music. What I tried to explain is that I find her voice soulless. Or maybe it’s her phrasing(?) Bro played **Superstar** as an example of her greatness. That was a great example . . .of my point. “Baby, baby, baby, baby” sounds ridiculous coming from her. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/95 "2024-02-15T19:03:45Z")
Are you dissing your home boys? tsk tsk Cornell’s got a powerful voice that gives me chills. It doesn’t even hint at cracking in the upper register. My vocalist friend says he’s difficult to cover because of his range. On the other hand, Steven Tyler also has a powerful voice, but whenever an Aerosmith ballad starts to play, I will hit that button. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/96 "2024-02-15T19:05:13Z")
Not from me. That voice is as hollow as her anorexic body. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/97 "2024-02-15T19:18:01Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > On the other hand, Steven Tyler also has a powerful voice, but whenever an Aerosmith ballad starts to play, I will hit that button. I was at a game once at Fenway where he sang the national anthem. It was fucking excruciating. Then again, I also saw Ray Charles sing the national anthem there, so the anthem giveth, and the anthem taketh away. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/98 "2024-02-15T22:19:46Z")
[Moderating] > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Not from me. That voice is as hollow as her anorexic body. Let’s not go there. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2024, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/99 "2024-02-15T22:40:00Z")
Problem with Karen Carpenter, especially on that song, is that she sounds like a bubble kid going on about life–that she’s only seen from her sterile plastic enclosure. Listen to Bette Midler singing “Superstar” and you get it, the longing, the abandonment, the hopeless yearning. That’s someone who got used and dumped. Karen? Yeah, not so much. Like a blind person trying to tell you about colors. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2024, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480/100 "2024-02-16T04:03:36Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Chris Cornell I Acknowledge your Opinion, Sir, But **Do Not** Respect It! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-that-make-you-reach-for-the-dial/997480.md?page=6)