Peter Hammill’s Voice!!

Ladies and gentlemen I give you one of the most influencial and thrilling voices in all of prog rock. There are those out there who believe that Hammill possesses a bad voice, well these people who ever they are simply do not have ears, nor the understanding to comprehend what he is doing.

First off lets tackle whether or not he has a quote on quote, "good" voice. Obviously he does. If you are a naysayer who thinks he doesn't, I want you to do me a favor. If you have the Album Still Life, put it on and go to track 4, it should be My Room (Waiting for Wonderland). If you can listening to that track, and hear that man sing, and walk away saying he's a bad singer than you should just chop off your ears, because they are obviously of no use to you.

Now yes, I do realize that there are times, when he.....umm, "screams"....I guess thats a good word for it. But it is important to understand why he is singing the way he is. One of the reasons why I like him so much, is because there is a sense of theatre, of theatrical interpretation. Have you guys ever heard of a "character voice"??? Peter Gabriel does it ALL the time, where he changes his voice to fit a certain character he is portraying in the song. Listen to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer....Brain Salad Surgery, the voice that Greg Lake uses on Benny The Bouncer, is a character voice....it's not his real voice.....but the voice in which he sings on that particular song, fits the style and character of that piece.

Go to NYC, go to a Broadway Show.....go see a musical.....people use character voices all the time. Both Peter Gabriel and Peter Hammill contain this theatrical side to their singing. Both are great storytellers......I always said VDGG and Genesis (early Genesis), could have written for theatre plays.

When Hammill is "screaming" or singing something in an unorthodox sort of way, it is done for dramatic effect, after all, VDGG music is very dramatic. But that is not his real voice. Hammill is not a bad singer.

He's also the most versatile singer in prog rock in my opinion. He can change his voice, so drastically that you almost believe its a different person. I'm sort of reminded of Ella Fitzgerald. There were so many colors, characters, and emotions with her voice, that you got the sense that you were never hearing the exact same singer every time. You kinda, get that with Peter Hammill.

A good example of this is on the album Pawn Hearts, the last track, A Plague of lighthouse keepers......there are four verses in the beginning and each time he sing it differently. He's "putting on" a voice..but he is not a bad singer.

I would also put Ian Anderson up there with Hammill as being one of prog rocks greatest singers. I would also say Jon Anderson, for the simple reason that he is from Mars.....I have never encountered a voice like Jon Anderson. He's not a counter-tenor, he's not singing in his falsetto, his singing voice is in the alto range.... he's a grown boy soprano....its like he never went through puberty. It is the most interesting voice. And it's a voice that grew stronger with time. Jon Anderson sounded better in his 50s than he did in his 20s....that's a amazing....most singers, as they get older, their voice weakens, but not Jon. Whats ever more amazing, is that he still sings in the SAME range as he sang in his 20s..you listen to YES now...they dont change keys, he can still hit every high note. Jon Anderson is a freak of nature.

hammil is amazing lyricist and singer

I love Hammill's voice.

Amen to all that stuff, but in the last paragraph you mention both Ian and Jon Anderson!

I agree 100% with everything you say though.

I like your love for Gabriel, both Andersons and Hammil of course

My favourite singer is Anderson (Yes) such a beautiful, melodic voice and your right, he sounds just as good now!! Have you heard 'Magnification'? His voice has become slightly dreamier, It loses some of his edge but It's still so dam good!!!

Edited by Winter Wine

Jon Anderson sounds like his testicles have been trapped in a vice!

Fish, altough a burly Jock he may be, still sounds 100% Peter Gabriel-derived.

Now, unless you're DEAF you can't deny that, can yer?

     If you think Jon Anderson's voice is strictly
one-of-a-kind, I suggest listening to the
singer/bassist Bob Drake on Thinking Plague's "In
Extremis", and especially on 5uu's "Hunger's Teeth".
Talk about freaks of nature, he sings like Anderson
and plays bass exactly like Chris Squire on Fragile &
CttE, which is to say ballsy and fantastic. Both of
these groups use this vocal similiarity to create an
interesting post-modern progressive that seems like
speculation as to where Yes had gone had they
continued in the experimental vein of Relayer,
dissonant and avant-garde. I don't find much other
interesting vocal music nowadays, and of couse
Hammill remains the best.

Hamill can sing indeed, but he's not as great as some folks say he is!

Snow Dog wrote: chopper wrote: Snow Dog wrote: I like his lyrics..asnd his voice is not bad I guess...not that good either though. Sounds to me like he's singing in an amateur production of some stage show! Looks like you're gonna have to have your ears removed then Snowy! He can try!

Leave it to you, to be negative.....forget about EVERYTHING ELSE I said in the post.....but chop off the ears....thats one for the record books

Winter Wine wrote: I Like Your Love For Gabriel, Andersons(s) And Hammil Of Course My Fave Singer Is Anderson (Yes) Such A Beautiful, Melodic Voice And Your Right, He Sounds Just As Good Now!! Have You Heard Magnification? His Voice Has Become Slightly More Dreamy, It Loses Some Of His Edge But Its Still So Dam Good!!!

Yeah Jon's singing on Magnification is wonderful!!!!!!!!!