best rock / hard rock singer?
 

#1 on my list is Chris Cornell. Others near the top: Ian Asbury,Ozzy, Plant, Bruce Dickenson, Sebastian Bach.
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Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Billie Joe

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

my personal #1: James Maynard Keenan

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Mike Patton owns

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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#1 on my list is Chris Cornell.

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Absolutely, he can scream like no one's business.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

yours truly

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Elvis Presley.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

If you're talking frontman, it's David Lee. If you're talking pure singer, it's Freddie Mercury.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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yours truly

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Just got done watching a Priest concert on VH1. Although I love Bruce, Halford's range- especially for a guy that old who has been pounded in the ass repeatedly- rules.

http://www.eventpop.de/how/rueckblic.../halford_1.jpg

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

I'd agree freddie mecury is incredible. Though i have to say that there is just something about both Robert plant and jim morrisson that just give me chills sometimes. Like they obv are not the greatest rock singers, but they rip [censored] up and just blow me away sometimes.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Chris Cornell is unbelievable.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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Chris Cornell is unbelievable.

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yep, though I liked him way more with soundgarden.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

A couple of Canadian bands have lead singers who are very good live performers.

Jeff Martin (Tea Party)
Gord Downie (Tragically Hip)

Freddie Mercury is a very good choice.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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Mike Patton owns

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He is a very good one. I suspect he would be drastically under-rated.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

chris cornell sucks for turning audioslave into a shittyt band.

maynard james keenan has always been my favorite.

This will prolly get me made fun of, but I really like Peter Steele's voice, even tho he isnt that great a singer.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

David Lee Roth, Iggy Pop, Eddie Vedder, Scott Weiland and Bon Scott all deserve a mention.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Ronnie James Dio

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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I'd agree freddie mecury is incredible. Though i have to say that there is just something about both Robert plant and jim morrisson that just give me chills sometimes. Like they obv are not the greatest rock singers, but they rip [censored] up and just blow me away sometimes.

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Jim Morrison is not that great of a singer, but he gets by just fine. Robert Plant is a phenomenal singer, certainly one of the best.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Mike Patton, Rob Halford, John Bush and Bon Scott

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Mike Patton's my favorite. Bruce Dickinson and Geoff Tate deserve at least a passing mention this thread too.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Two without mention that should be IMO:

Paul Rogers
Robin Zander

Now if they were mentioned and I missed them, I blame lack of coffee.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Certainly not "hard rock", but Paul Rodgers is one of the best rock singers of all-time.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Jeff Buckley or Freddie Mercury

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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yours truly

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Just got done watching a Priest concert on VH1. Although I love Bruce, Halford's range- especially for a guy that old who has been pounded in the ass repeatedly- rules.


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Yes, it is truly remarkable. He is the ultimate rock vocalist. No one comes close imo. And as a younger man there is certainly no contest.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

#1 Freddie Mercury
#2 Chris Cornell

that will probably be my top 2 until I die

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Paul Rodgers.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

http://carolzinhalegionariadestaque....axl_rose1x.jpg

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

My other favorites have been mentioned, so I'll just throw Glenn Danzig out there.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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http://carolzinhalegionariadestaque....axl_rose1x.jpg

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Took a while for this one to be mentioned. I think his voice (at his peek) is nothing but amazing. Chris Cornell and Bruce Dickinson are very solid mentions too.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Freddy Mercury or Paul Rodgers.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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#1 on my list is Chris Cornell

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try listening to a live performance

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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Mike Patton, Rob Halford, John Bush and Bon Scott

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Wow, this is like 50% of my choices.

Bush is the ultimate metal singer. Patton is sick versatile. Adding Maynard.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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#1 on my list is Chris Cornell

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try listening to a live performance

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Not sure if you were trying to provide a counterpoint, but I thought he was excellent in that video.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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#1 on my list is Chris Cornell

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try listening to a live performance

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Ya, like you can't find some questionable performances from any singer. It sounded like he was experimenting in the first verse/chorus, but listen to the 2nd verse on, and he sounds good. I also saw him live in Winnipeg about a year ago, he sounded great.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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Ya, like you can't find some questionable performances from any singer. It sounded like he was experimenting in the first verse/chorus, but listen to the 2nd verse on, and he sounds good.

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i picked the first audioslave song that came into my head and clicked the first link, honest. i saw soundgarden at lollapalooza (twice?) and his voice was bad then, also bad on snl, also bad on live performances on mtv. it's a great studio sound and i'm sure he'll remain a common fan favorite, but i don't think he's anywhere near the top of any legit live vocalist list.

the first google hit for 'chris cornell live voice' is http://www.amazon.com/Audioslave-Liv.../dp/B000B7QCQS and even fans are ripping on his live performances all over the comments.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

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Ya, like you can't find some questionable performances from any singer. It sounded like he was experimenting in the first verse/chorus, but listen to the 2nd verse on, and he sounds good.

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i picked the first audioslave song that came into my head and clicked the first link, honest. i saw soundgarden at lollapalooza (twice?) and his voice was bad then, also bad on snl, also bad on live performances on mtv. it's a very interesting studio sound, but i don't think he's anywhere near the top of any live (read: real) vocalist chart.

the first hit on google for 'chris cornell live' is http://www.amazon.com/Audioslave-Liv.../dp/B000B7QCQS and even fans are ripping his voice in the comments.

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Alright, fair enough. But can I at least blame the years of smoking? I'm coming to grips with the fact that he won't get back to the form he had on Temple of The Dog or Superunknown, but in his prime he's amazing. I think it's really more of an age/smoking thing than live/studio. There are a bunch of live Soundgarden clips on youtube where he sounds incredible.

Blow up the outside world

Outshined (awesome hair in this one too [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] )

Black Hole Sun (acoustic and recent)

We'd have to disqualify guys like Robert Plant too if we're going to count how their voices hold up over time/hard living.

I'm glad I went to look this stuff up, it was fun to listen to all of these songs.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

well the first lollapalooza performance was in what should have been his prime, and that's when i was first disappointed with his live voice. i glanced at those amazon comments and one of the guys that said his voice was horrible on that live cd/dvd was lamenting it because he said he was great in hartford at what must have been close to the same time. maybe he is just hit or miss, or his voice gets blown out easily. i'm sure he's delivered great live performances at some point and i still think his studio sound deserves mention, but i think true top vocalists should hold up better under the random microscope test. i can't think it's bad luck that just about every time i've run into cornell live i've been jolted by how off he was. i wasn't looking for it, it just hit me.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

The answer is still and probably always will be Freddie Mercury.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

The lead singer of Hatebeak.

Re: best rock / hard rock singer?
 

Anyone who says Freddie Mercury must not have ever seen him live. Saw Queen 2x and he never had anything close to the voice he has on the studio albums. Sang everything WAY lower and had no sustain at all. The 2nd time I saw them was later so he might have had the hiv by then, but the first was early 80s and he should have been in good form. The band was awesome, Brian May was worth the ticket price alone.

I'd go out on a limb here and say Pat Benatar, but she didn't sound spectacular live either. Best vocal range ever for a rock singer tho, cept maybe for Elvis.

I'd rank David Coverdale ahead of Robert Plant. Even tho he was always considered a Plant ripoff artist, he kept his range late in his career, unlike Plant.

I don't care for his voice but Steven Tyler should be mentioned. The latest decade or so of Aerosmith blows, but his voice is still top notch.