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aapatsos View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Female vocals - boosting prog?
    Posted: February 07 2006 at 21:12

I was listening to several songs and came to the conclusion that female vocals give a different feeling in many songs and probably convert them from very good songs to masterpieces. Examples from prog metal can be seen in Suite Sister Mary (no need to mention the band) and Ayreon's Isis and Osiris (these are the first that come into my mind, sure there are a lot more)

Note: I don't mean bands that have a permanent female vocalist (Gathering etc.) which most of them are great IMO (never listened to a 'crappy' prog band with female vocalist thus far)

so does anyone feel the same? any further examples, thoughts, disagreements...

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Bern View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2006 at 21:21
For some reason, I always prefered men vocals in a band. Sure there are some greats woman vocalists that are great to listen to but it always seems to bug me after a while. Often, female vocalists are chosen for their fantastic vocal perfomances but I prefer to hear singers that don't have those «perfect» voices. It may be a bit weird but it is my opinion.

(sorry for my bad english)

RIP in bossa nova heaven.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2006 at 21:27

I honeslty can't say I've heard any prog with female vocals( except for SFAM). But it ihnk it could be alright

 

Ususally i tend to thing that girl's vocies in rock sound out of place.  Great example is Barracuda. Its a great song, and even though her voice is really strong, it would be better asa  guy.

I can strangle a canary in a tin can and it would be really original, but that wouldn't save it from sounding like utter sh*t.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2006 at 21:30

I greatly enjoy Ayreon's albums, and that is owed greatly to the female vocals. I think they meld perfectly with what Lucassen wants to do.

Vocals work where they work. They can't be forced. If something is meant to be sung with female vocals, then there could be no other way.

And, I must mention Renaissance, as I do in all threads related to female vocals in prog. Annie Haslam is the greatest.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2006 at 21:32
RENAISSANCE 

RIP in bossa nova heaven.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2006 at 22:16
Voice of an angel: Annie Haslam.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 01:03
Originally posted by BePinkTheater BePinkTheater wrote:

I honeslty can't say I've heard any prog with female vocals( except for SFAM). But it ihnk it could be alright

 

Ususally i tend to thing that girl's vocies in rock sound out of place.  Great example is Barracuda. Its a great song, and even though her voice is really strong, it would be better asa  guy.


Wow, appreciate your opinion, but I have to totally disagree.  "Barracuda" is a very good song, but I can't imagine how it could have been better with a man singing it.  Ann Wilson has one of those voices that will always get my attention.

IMHO, a female voice in any band, but particularly progressive, metal, and symphonic bands is nearly always an asset to the music.  The various Ayreon and Ambeon works are great examples (so are a bunch of collaborations Jah Wobble has done with female singers).  The Gathering, Thinking Plague, Stream of Passion, Nightwish, Renaissance, Amon Düül 2, Babe Ruth, Gong, Art Bears, Curved Air, Mostly Autumn, Iona,... too many bands to mention whose music wouldn't be the same without the women whose voices help make their music special. 

On the non-prog side, Heart, Jefferson Airplane, Kate Bush, Pretenders, Cranberries, Belly, Chicken Shack, Ramatam, Lone Justice, Rilo Kiley, SSQ, The Killjoys, The Arcade Fire, Blondie, Walls of Jericho, 10,000 Maniacs, Cowboy Junkies, Blondie, Cocteau Twins, Portishead, are all bands who wouldn't be nearly as good as they were/are without their female members.

There are far fewer male singers (again, IMHO) who really stand out for their vocal abilities than there are women.  Steve Walsh, James LaBrie,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, there's two.  Not many others.

"Peace is the only battle worth waging."

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 01:12
Lets face it female vocals work so well in prog , I agree I can`t think of one crappy prog band with a female singer .. not one 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 01:16
ANNIE HASLAM ALL THE WAY!

She did wonders with Renaissance.Simply wonders!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 01:23
although a small part I love Time Stand Still by Rush with Aimee Mann
"The rock and roll business is pretty absurd, but the world of serious music is much worse." - Zappa
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 01:58
Heh thanks for this thread.  I've always thought so, but i've never really heard many female vocals outside of Ayreon.  Luckily some of the band name drops in this thread are leading me to investigate something that'll hopefully reap solid rewards.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 02:28

I’m not trying to be sexist but I don’t think the female

Voice is very well suited to prog.

"I can't see through my eye lids"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 02:40
Annie Haslam has a great voice - no doubt about it. She's been one of my favourites for 30 years.

But Heather Findlay of Mostly Autumn is even better. She has a more varied emotional range and a similar purity. The other female vocalist who compares is Karen Mathieson of Capersaillie (not prog but very good).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 03:19
Originally posted by aapatsos aapatsos wrote:

I was listening to several songs and came to the conclusion that female vocals give a different feeling in many songs and probably convert them from very good songs to masterpieces. Examples from prog metal can be seen in Suite Sister Mary (no need to mention the band) and Ayreon's Isis and Osiris (these are the first that come into my mind, sure there are a lot more)

Note: I don't mean bands that have a permanent female vocalist (Gathering etc.) which most of them are great IMO (never listened to a 'crappy' prog band with female vocalist thus far)

so does anyone feel the same? any further examples, thoughts, disagreements...

I dont think I could say that female vocals make a materpeice but I think that they have a definately have a wonderful place in prog yet sadly they have yet to fill that place.They mostly seem to make small appearances through many prog albums yet never(rarely) are lead vocalist.A damn shame really.

Didn't Curved Air have a Female Singer??

 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 03:21
[QUOTE=Thufir Hawat]

I’m not trying to be sexist but I don’t think the femaleis very well suited to prog.

Voice 

[/QUOTE]REALLY?HOW ABOUT MOSTLY AUTUMN ,MAGENTA,AFTER FOREVER ,LANA LANE,.REALY COOLS  BANDS

Edited by martinprog77
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 07:54

Originally posted by s1ipp3ry s1ipp3ry wrote:

Lets face it female vocals work so well in prog , I agree I can`t think of one crappy prog band with a female singer .. not one 

I think its the first time I agree with you in any topic thus far  

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 08:04
Originally posted by aapatsos aapatsos wrote:

Originally posted by s1ipp3ry s1ipp3ry wrote:

Lets face it female vocals work so well in prog , I agree I can`t think of one crappy prog band with a female singer .. not one 

I think its the first time I agree with you in any topic thus far  

   

Edited by s1ipp3ry
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 09:27
Originally posted by Oxygen Waster Oxygen Waster wrote:

Originally posted by aapatsos aapatsos wrote:


I was listening to several songs and came to the conclusion that female
vocals give a different feeling in many songs and probably convert them
from very good songs to masterpieces. Examples from prog
metal can be seen in Suite Sister Mary (no need to mention the
band) and Ayreon's Isis and Osiris (these are the first that come into
my mind, sure there are a lot more)


Note: I don't mean bands that have a permanent female vocalist
(Gathering etc.) which most of them are great IMO (never listened to a
'crappy' prog band with female vocalist thus far)


so does anyone feel the same? any further examples, thoughts,
disagreements...



I dont think I could say that female vocals make a materpeice but I
think that they have a definately have a wonderful place in prog yet sadly
they have yet to fill that place.They mostly seem to make small
appearances through many prog albums yet never(rarely) are lead
vocalist.A damn shame really.


Didn't Curved Air have a Female Singer??


 



There have been many hundreds of progressive bands over the years with
female lead vocalists.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 10:59
Kaipa (on their latest albums) and Glass Hammer, for example, have very good female singers that contribute to the music in a great way.
Of course the female voice is as suitable for progressive music as the male voice, people are just not used to hearing it often enough within these genres to fully accept it. There is a great need for more female prog singers, I think.
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Igha View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2006 at 11:10
I just don't like female vocals...don't know why, it's stronger tham ne. And I don't like male voices sounding feminine.




Edited by Igha
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