Best Prog Lead Vocalist

I voted for Peter Gabriel - for me the best prog lead singer.  Good selection chosen as well except for Phil Collins - great voice but IMO he is a Pop singer not prog

Cheers

marktheshark wrote: But I'm sorry, Geddy's voice just doesn't stop scratching my butthole!

Good range, but just not enough richness. But his voice became more tolerable later. I've always found that Geddy's voice became less a factor in their musicianship over the years since the late 70s.

Definitely true in the '90s. He didn't sound as uninspired. That's not the case with Vapor Trails, but I won't recommend it because it's the hardest-sounding thing they've done in ages.

Are you more of a guitar fusion dude, or keyboard fusion? I lean towards keys, myself, but I let my ears be the judge(s).

marktheshark wrote: Well, not to sound like a grodgy old man. But you learn to appreciate all the musicians in any band. Whether it be guitarist, keyboards, bassist or drummer. They all have their work to do. Some stand out more than others. In the case of Rush, I just can't help but love these 3 guys for their endurance. Especially after what Neil has gone through. That man has really shone what a heart can do under the most toughest pressure. They may not be the most original artist in rock all around (in fact, I've sometime considered them as copycats) but they sure don't stop.

Yes, "each has done his part," to paraphrase a well-known song. But in the case of non-prog rock bands a player or players may not stand out the way s/he would in a fusion band. Of course, in some rock groups, the singer and [lead] guitarist get all the glory. But this all falls under "given" (remember high school geometry?). And then there are your exceptions to these "rules" which aren't really rules or norms, they only seem that way. When I meant keyboard fusion, guitar fusion, bass fusion, etc., I meant if you were more a fan of guys like McLaughlin, Coryell, DiMeola, Holdsworth, Verheyen, Wright, et al., or Hammer, Corea, Zawinul, Duke, ad infinitum. I figured you lean towards guitarists. I lean towards keyboard-oriented music, as keyboards (particularly analog synths, the Mellotron, and the Hohner Clavinet, before organ & piano) and bass are my favorite instruments to listen to. Naturally, if I like something when I hear it, I simply like it. The instruments employed aren't necessarily a factor. Al Di Meola is one of my favorite guitarists. But my fave period of his is the 'classic era' from 1975-82, and Jan Hammer (one of my all-time fave keyboarders) played with Al during that time. But again, while I have my fave keyboardists, bassists, guitarists, drummers, etc., I'm not afraid to betray a healthy bias, but my formative years were spent listening to tons of electronic music (not the sissy dance/new romantic kind).

Every artist/band is influenced by somebody/something. Rush began life as a Led Zeppelin near-clone. Aside from that, I'm not sure who they were flagrantly copying if you say you sometimes consider them "copycats." Now Starcastle, I could understand!

Greg Lake had the most suitable voice for prog.He could sing baritone (like Battlefied) or higher pitched as on The Sage.Emerson 'threw' a lot of stuff at him but he coped well.Of the other nominees I would say Jon Anderson is totally one dimensional (but still great before I get Yes fans on my back ) while Gabriel is Gabriel..there's only one.

Collins is technically a very good singer,not to be dismissed lightly but not as good as the other three IMO.

Tough one but I went for Jon Anderson for his sheer harmony work and timings...

Peter Gabriel's vocal character is so creative though and Greg Lake has that awesome gutsy/alto voice...

Phil's voice is consistent but he never really 'rinses' it.  Suits the songs he did for Genesis though and sounds really good for the atmospheric qualities on Brand X.

Don't forget Geddy Lee, Annie Haslam, John Wetton (especially on RED and UK) and of course and undoubtedly Ian Anderson - I think he should have been in the poll for sure the guy is a genius...he properly takes you to another world with his vocals and lyrics.

Also please note Cedric from The Mars Volta, incredible range, character and he's proved it live

Ill go with Greg Lake then!

My favourit is Fish especially in Misplaced Childhood or Script for a jester´s tear.