Best Vocal Harmonies - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Abstrakt

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 01:53

Gentle Giant - Knots

Yes - I've Seen All Good People

Pink Floyd - Echoes

Pink Floyd - Time

Faaip_De_Oiad View Drop Down

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 01:59

Anything By The Almighty Koenjihyakkei!!

If you count that, that is..

Edited by Faaip_De_Oiad - September 11 2006 at 04:55

Orez17

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 02:15

Spock's Beard - Thoughts parts 1 & 2 and also the ending part of 'Devil's Got My Throat'.
Pocurine Tree - the vocal solo on Trains.

jplanet

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 02:22

I always loved Steve Miller's harmonies on "Swingtown"...in fact, I think it was that combination of harmonies and cool Moog sounds that eventually hooked me on to Yes.

Crosby Stills and Nash...I think I've see Jon Anderson quoted as saying Yes' harmony sound was influenced by CSN.

Early Heart, lots from Dreamboat Annie, Magazine, Dog & Butterfly. (Mistral Wind and Soul of the Sea are amazing little prog epics, too!).

..::welcome to the shadow circus::..

Philéas

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 04:32

Schizoid Man wrote:

4. For God's sake people, listen to "The Dark Third" by Pure Reason Revolution for harmonies that are every bit as good as the three I listed above. Specifically the song "The Exact Colour".

Some of the lovliest vocal harmonies ever on that album!

I also like Porcupine Tree's vocal harmonies, and the vocal harmonies in the song Beyond and Before on Yes' debut.

pero

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 04:39

I agree with some above mentioned:

Gentle giant - masters of vocal harmonies

Queen - Bohemian rhapsody (only queen song that survive the test of time)

Certif1ed

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 06:33

Queen have loads of songs that stand the test of time - just about everything on Queen II, for example - and their harmonies are the very best there are, after Gentle Giant.

The tight and authentic barbershop harmonies on "Bring Back Leroy Brown", and the amazing multi-tracked vocal harmonies on "The Prophet's Song" are simply outstanding.

Radiohead shouldn't be overlooked either - the vocal harmonies on "Paranoid Android" are sublime, and Muse have recently been dabbling in Queen-like harmony pallettes.

Necronomicon's "Tips Zum Selbstmord" contains some gutsy Monk-style chanting that is quite brilliant for that style of music, and there's some brilliant folk-style harmonisations from Barbara Gaskin on Spirogyra's "St Radigunds".

Finally (for now), what the Beatles did to Buddy Holly's vocal harmony style is legendary - there are too many great examples of Beatles harmony to mention, but "Nowhere Man" springs immediately to mind, and you can't mention vocal harmonies without mentioning the Beach Boys.

I can't stand Yes' cheap CSN style harmonies - they shouldn't even be in the running, IMNSHO.

Edited by Certif1ed - September 11 2006 at 06:34

The important thing is not to stop questioning.

Big Ears

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 08:59

Anything by Yes usually includes excellent multi-part harmonies. Apparently they were influenced by the Fifth Dimension. For anyone who likes harmonies I can recommend Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, David Crosby's first solo album, Smile by Brian Wilson, Abbey Road by the Beatles and anything by the Four Seasons (if you are open minded enough).

Yito

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 11:22

For my Thoughts parts 1 & 2 of Spock's Beard is a fantastic updating of the vocal harmonies of Gentle Giant, but my favorite vocal harmonies ever is the middle section of Close To The Edge by Yes.

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sing to the LORD, all the earth.

philhepple View Drop Down

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 11:30

The vocal harmonies on "Make Us All Aware" by Ambrosia off their debut CD are stunning!

BiGi

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 11:53

My favourite vocal harmonies are the ones performed by Queen...Freddie was a real master of this art!
My personal top of the list is the middle section from The Prophet's Song with its perpetual chase...

Also Gentle Giant and Echolyn display very good technique at this kind of experiment.
And what about the Beatles' Because?

It comes to my mind that Spock's Beard are good too (with and without Neal Morse...Thoughts I & II, Sid's Boys Choir, I was never lost are outstanding examples

A flower?

Rocktopus

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 12:04

Everything Certif1ed said, except I haven't heard Necromonium, or really cared enough for Muse to mention them myself. And early Heart, like jplanet mentions.

Gracious - Heaven, Introduction...
Klaatu - The Loneliest of all Creatures
King Crimson - ITCOTCK - the track
Alphataurus: La Mente Vola
and Trees, Moody Blues,

I can think of loads non-prog/prog related.

Alice in Chains - Dirt (everything, really)
The Zombies - Odyssey's Oracle (and more: She's not There..)
Hollies - Butterfly (King Midas in Reverse)
The Pretty Things - SF. Sorrow
Bee Gees - most of their songs from the 60's.

Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
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Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me

jcleary

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 12:19

philhepple wrote:

The vocal harmonies on "Make Us All Aware" by Ambrosia off their debut CD are stunning!

Yeah you nailed it! The harmonies by Ambrosia on "Make Us All Aware" are BRILLIANT!

alterpower View Drop Down

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 14:46

i dont know if this would quality...but the vocal solo on Amazedisgrace by 3 / joey eppard. its "other worldly" but im no professional at judging vocal work.

Oh I don't know [incert activity] but I did listen to a prog album last night.

Open-Mind

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 14:48

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond - PF
2. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
3. Roundabout - Yes
4. Russia On Ice - PT
5. The Court Of The Crimson King - KC

Edited by Open-Mind - September 11 2006 at 15:53

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Syzygy

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 16:44

Faaip_De_Oiad wrote:

Anything By The Almighty Koenjihyakkei!!

If you count that, that is..

Good call! Angherr Shisspa is their best album for vocals. Yoshida also has a purely a capella outfit called Zubi Zuva (sometimes Zubi Zuva X) - deeply strange, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Magma have some stunning vocal harmonies, particularly on MDK and Wurdah Itah. K.A. has some beguiling harmonies as well. Offering and Les Voix take this even further.

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I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
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Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom

Syzygy

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 16:49

Big Ears wrote:

Anything by Yes usually includes excellent multi-part harmonies. Apparently they were influenced by the Fifth Dimension. For anyone who likes harmonies I can recommend Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, David Crosby's first solo album, Smile by Brian Wilson, Abbey Road by the Beatles and anything by the Four Seasons (if you are open minded enough).

All fine examples, but you should also try the first Crosby-Nash album (or indeed any of them, but the first is the best); A Critical Mass is stunning.

As for Yes, I've Seen All Good People and I Get Up I Get Down are both favourites of mine for harmonies, although in general I don't really think it's one of their strong points.

'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'

Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom

Syzygy

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 16:51

And while I'm spamming this thread

...

Frank Zappa had a pretty good way with harmonies as well. Sheik Yerbouti has a particularly rich vocal sound when Bozzio isn't taking the lead.

'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'

Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom

eddietrooper View Drop Down

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 17:19

I get up I get down (Yes). Anderson, Squire and Howe bring tears to my eyes when I listen to their beautiful vocal harmonies on that track, even knowing that Howe is not a good singer.

Leningrad

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Posted: September 11 2006 at 18:44

Certif1ed wrote:

I can't stand Yes' cheap CSN style harmonies - they shouldn't even be in the running, IMNSHO.