The Greatest Female Vocalist ever?

Gassage · February 2017

Was discussing this amazing lady with some of my Facebook mates this morning...

Lisa B Fischer. The only woman ever recorded who could hit 6 octaves. Utterly bloody amazing.

p90fool · February 2017

I can't listen to this at the moment, (at work) but does she sound as good as Karen Carpenter?

not_the_dj · February 2017

Saw her perform "Gimme Shelter" with the Stones on the Voodoo Lounge tour, just fantastic.

Recetly been watching the "Totally Stripped" DVDs from that same year.

If you've not seen it check out the docu "20 feet from stardom" a large part of that focuses on her.

Dopesick · February 2017

I'll go for Lisa Gerrard.

stimpsonslostson · February 2017

Yup. Totally agree.
I watched "20 Feet from Stardom" too- she blew me away.
*Warning, this video contains Sting- I apologise*

dogload · February 2017

There's loads I like from the sixties and seventies folk and psy-folk bands. Current fave is Meg Baird of Espers and Heron Oblivion. And Trish Keenan of Broadcast was bloody good too.

Gassage · February 2017

Call be obvious, but before her coke issues- Tracy Chapman.

EricTheWeary · February 2017

p90fool said:

I can't listen to this at the moment, (at work) but does she sound as good as Karen Carpenter?

Lovely easiness to her voice that transcends the sickly arrangements.

I'll put in a bid for Pauline Black at her peak. Slightly crazy lady , often angry. One of the things that made her angry , back in the day, was being told how great Kate Bush was. So some of The Selecter songs have these high bits where Pauline was showing she had more range than Kate.

My inroad into jazz is pretty much female singers. Cassandra Wilson did some blues songs with a fantastic rich voice. Anita ODay made singing over a big band sound so easy.

I like singers who can carry a melody, and although I'm fairly happy with those who can't at all, I hate the X Factor speak the words, do a big note at the end of the chorus type singing. I'll take Doris Day instead.

Oddly enough I was watching a Lady Gaga thing on YouTube this morning. She can sing but it's such an ordinary voice.

Anyway, I'll watch the clip in the OP later

vasselmeyer · February 2017

Aretha Franklin.

Thread over.

Gassage · February 2017

@EricTheWeary Re Gaga, we forget she does everything- writes, plays, arranges...

lasermonkey · February 2017

Elizabeth Fraser.
Jesus, she could sing the telephone directory (and may well have done, for all I know) and still reduce me to a gibbering wreck.

thebreeze · February 2017

Sandy Denny
Karen Carpenter

jellyroll · February 2017

Karen Carpenter

Ella Fitzgerald

Although admittedly, neither of them do that "I can't reach the actual note so I'll just sing some other notes instead " thing so beloved of many singers today.

starwarsnosebleed · February 2017

Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees.

EricTheWeary · February 2017

Gassage said:

@EricTheWeary Re Gaga, we forget she does everything- writes, plays, arranges...

I don't disagree but she is a sub standard singer compared to the Franklins, Carpenters,etc, and it just seems a pity that the current aspirational standard is so low; the idea that being able to go wayhayhayayeah at the end of a song is all it takes to be a great singer.

Budgie · February 2017

Sandy Denny
Kate Bush

PolarityMan · February 2017

In terms of the Carpenters Im not sure you can tell. When I was doing some singing lessons my teacher had me working on california dreaming and theres so much harmonic distortion in the vocal parts that I find it tricky to pick out what voices are doing which notes in some places. I suspect that if you copmared like for like in a modern production the difference might not be as big as you think it is.

jellyroll · February 2017

PolarityMan said:

In terms of the Carpenters Im not sure you can tell. When I was doing some singing lessons my teacher had me working on california dreaming and theres so much harmonic distortion in the vocal parts that I find it tricky to pick out what voices are doing which notes in some places. I suspect that if you copmared like for like in a modern production the difference might not be as big as you think it is.

I fink dat's de mamas & papas, no?

EricTheWeary · February 2017

PolarityMan said:

In terms of the Carpenters Im not sure you can tell. When I was doing some singing lessons my teacher had me working on california dreaming and theres so much harmonic distortion in the vocal parts that I find it tricky to pick out what voices are doing which notes in some places. I suspect that if you copmared like for like in a modern production the difference might not be as big as you think it is.

Was there a version by The Carpenters? The best known version was by The Mamas and the Papas.

PolarityMan · February 2017

Sorry your right, im being a fool

Reverend · February 2017

Gassage said:

Was discussing this amazing lady with some of my Facebook mates this morning...

Lisa B Fischer. The only woman ever recorded who could hit 6 octaves. Utterly bloody amazing.

There are a couple of other female singers with 6 octave ranges.

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The Greatest Female Vocalist ever?

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