Rolling Stone's Best Singers of All Time List is Rough

hey hi and hello everyone Anthony fantano here internet's busiest music nerd I hope you are doing well yeah we're here we're back it's the new year and uh Rolling Stone has seen fit to Grace us with a list of the 200 greatest singers of all time gonna go over this list and uh see exactly what is in it given that it is rolling stone uh there's going to be some fire picks there's going to be some questionable ones uh let's go over it and see what exactly uh this list is working with quick shout out to our sponsor though good people over at the ridge still making these amazing fantastic minimalist metal plated wallets that fit nicely in that front pocket new pickup line for 2023 is that a ridge wallet in your front pocket or are you just happy to see me oh it's actually a ridge wallet I'm not happy to see you at all I don't like you hit up the link down below promo code 10 off that order and uh yeah you're the best wow let's do it 200 it's Rosalia I mean you know Rolling Stone in order to stay relevant you figure they're going to put some some new heat on the list uh so I mean does someone like Rosalie deserve to be on a list of the 200 greatest singers of all time I think so maybe even like a top 100 in my mind but uh I mean you know still good on them for including her Glenn Danzig and then sort of odd Billy doesn't bring the strongest voice to the table though I do like her as an artist and a Lyricist and I think she does uh you know conjure some good Melodies in it and I think her vocals have improved a bit on her second record over Rosalia seems weird and also over Glenn Danzig Glenn I think vocally is a bit a smidge of a one-trick pony but like he does bring some good vocals to the table I I do love a lot of Glenn era Misfits and also much of his solo stuff too I think uh you know he should be on this list but maybe a little higher Randy Anoni good good singer fire uh Jungkook okay Frank Ocean uh Joan Baez but then Fela cootie obviously I love fela's [ __ ] uh you know the most essential afrobeat artist of all time love is music love his message love is influence but like even the blurb here seems to kind of like put the message of his music over uh like his his talent as a vocalist are we are we ranking this on like voices in terms of like being the voice of a generation or something how abstract are we getting with the term voice Chris Stapleton great singer fire to see him uh get placement in this list that's for sure oh and here he is the big problematic boy himself Mr Morrissey who I think is a fairly good singer has a distinct style and tone and and also I guess a a lyrical style as well if we're counting that which it seems like a lot of the blurbs thus far are 159 Mississippi John Hurt 158 Carrie Underwood and then we go to 157 Robert Smith like the the range is so chaotic Robert Smith is the goth shade excuse me but I will say this this blurb on Barbra Streisand is a pretty accurate Barbra Streisand has an objectively great voice even if many people may not really be into her on choices or might think she's quite campy but going from there to Ruth Brown and then PJ Harvey again the range is insane and I guess like you know reflects how interesting um the Canon of modern song is in terms of like what vocal chops and abilities are in terms of like you know public assessments of that what we see collectively as like good singing or good vocals I mean I give it to Rolling Stone because putting together a list like this is very hard because you know as as much as we may be able to look at someone like Adele for example and say wow great vocalist very good singing so on and so forth she definitely has something there in terms of like ability or even Celine Dion that other people just do not have but simultaneously um there's such a wide array of different singing Styles out there all of which are valid and many of these various people thus far have had very long and successful careers doing what they do despite many of them not necessarily fitting into uh that very sort of agreeable Adele kind of Convention of uh you know quality singing even if they aren't doing it perfectly because how can you rolling stone is at least like taking that into account which I I think is is nice now Jeff Buckley interesting I mean as far as like popular singers and songwriters if we're just talking like pure vocal chops he would be more in the top 100 for me I feel like he's also a little lowballed here frankly uh especially if we are putting him under Miss Courtney Love and and also uh Rob Halford this is wow I mean Rob Rob also deserves to be higher I think Rob's also getting lowballed a little bit here thus far on the list too it's pretty clear that Rolling Stone is uh taking a very narrow approach in terms of like what metal vocalists they're considering and what metal vocalists they are not which um you know I I think is fair in a sense because someone like Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford in a traditional sense do sing in I guess a more uh virtuous way but I don't know you can't tell me that on a 200 Top vocalists of all time someone like um I don't know corpse grinder for example isn't uh you know an interesting pick because he is so good at what he does uh I'm also guessing Surge from System of a Down is probably not going to make it onto this list I'm just guessing that maybe I'll be wrong maybe I'll be eating this hat uh when we near the top of the list or whatever look I like John Fogerty I like Credence Clearwater Revival like one of my favorite bands of all time no question hands down but John Fogerty's vocals I'm a little iffy on because like they're just such a [ __ ] put on this man and Credence know nothing of being a bone by the bag you they're from [ __ ] Northern California like there's not a bayou in sight there's a bit of masking going on with John's vocals frankly uh that even though I do enjoy credence's songs I feel a little you know uneasy about if we are putting John Fogerty at 118 especially over all of these like black artists what exactly are we congratulating him on like you know doing this really elaborate impersonation of somebody from nowlands great songwriter and I don't doubt his chops as a singer but uh there is an element of impersonation to his music that frankly to me just feels very inauthentic and and considering how many blurbs in this list so far all about like yeah this person's all about this like the Chet Baker inclusion here is cute but um obviously this is not what he's primarily known for and I think they're they're much more formidable vocalists on the list thus far he is literally near the top 100. Ozzy the 100 out of the top 100 I top one [ __ ] hundred where's Bruce Dickinson I mean I guess you know you you could put Bruce Dickinson over Ozzy but like Ozzy's all the way down here Fiona Apple kicked out of the top 100 Abel kicked out of the top 100 Lou [ __ ] Reed didn't even make the top 100 oh my God if I were doing a list like this just purely based on vocal chops I I don't think Lou would make my top 100 either but clearly that that is not the criteria of the list thus far and Lou is at 107. like if you're talking about ooze style personality message so on and so forth ooh influence like Lou should be way higher should be in the top 50 at least um but it seems like sometimes that matters in this list it seems like sometimes it doesn't Eddie veterans is pretty much responsible for my least favorite vocal style in the 90s foreign yeah I can't take uh much uh singing with that kind of Timbre to it seriously I just think it's goofy Leonard the top 100. not necessarily that I think she should uh you know be up there personally but um you know it kind of seems like popularity and relevance is a ranking pretty hard in this list thus far man this this top 100 has got to look good if all these people are getting booted out okay number 100 Elton John we're starting things off pretty strong Bob Marley in terms of style influence and also usher in terms of like you know technical ability Chuck Berry too I'm liking the list so far it's got some solid placements Diana Ross in the top 100 uh was a given but should be higher and 86 Michael Jackson he's not even in the top 20 not even the top 15 arguably the most influential and talented pop vocalist of all time at 80 [ __ ] six there's so many vocalists that I I know are going to be higher on this list now that I've seen Mike here that just objectively speaking are not as good as singing like underneath Steve Perry I mean yeah I I I love those Journey bangers as much as the next guy but Chris Cornell fire do you love Chris Cornell I do think he is uh you know worthy of of being in such a list maybe not this high but still should absolutely be in this list and as far as like you know those types of 90s singers go that have kind of that husky aggressive alt Rock voice I would say Chris Cornell is like one of those instances where it's done very well and done very Tastefully and it's not sort of like you know um super gross and unintelligible and obnoxious like Chris Cornell I think is so much more pointed um with his uh vocals and enunciation articulations melodically and you know just in terms of lyricism as well Tina Turner in the top 100 makes sense but she should be top 50. Mick Jagger didn't even make the top 50. wow okay Joni Mitchell number 50 we're starting off strong uh Rod Stewart not my favorite artist but as a vocalist do respect him do like him is top 50 a little um a little much yes but like yeah I I get that he's here and I I respect it it's fine Tony Braxton but like over Tina Turner I don't know Mavis Staples Ella Fitzgerald absolutely should be top 50. James Brown absolutely top 50. uh Ari Ari over all of them what are we doing what are we doing what are we doing this makes no sense Ari is a formidable vocalist yes she has range she has technical ability but is she the most expressive singer does she have an incredible amount of style I am I would argue no Kurt Cobain in the top 50 was bound to happen honestly I think worthy of the spot too even if he's not like the most technically proficient singer out there um he did have a lot of style and he did have you know for his time a fantastic ability for bringing some aggressive performances screamed raspy uh vocal stylings but still have them you know deliver a melodic appeal of some sort straddled a lot of different boundaries successfully and I think that uh you know makes him significant and impactful as as a singer as a vocalist Paul McCartney in in top 26 a man who also not not as bad not as bad but like like John Fogerty uh did engage in in you know his his fair share of a yeah now I'm gonna do my Blues Man voice I know we're doing in the road good singer though but like you know sometimes a tad bit of of a goofster Adele not even making the top 20 kind of surprised about that but uh you know she should rank high she deserves to rank high uh Nina Simone not even breaking the top 20 uh but then we have uh Marvin Gaye okay I mean these are all great singers good placements and uh Mr Frank Sinatra I mean obviously essential voice for vocal Jazz but to me a little style over substance um you know do I think he should be this far above Ella Fitz [ __ ] Gerald no okay princess 16. that's fair that's good but do I think he's a better singer than Bob Dylan I do love Bob's voice and and I'm more forgiving to his vocals than than many are who you know just pretty much every era of his singing is a non-starter because yeah they don't give his it pulls me and it pulls me in personally as a fan of music but um it's it's not for everybody and it's not necessarily the most technically impressive you know that you can find out there I I think 15 is a little a little overrated frankly Beyonce at number eight wait wait hold on hold the [ __ ] phone Whitney Houston ain't even on this list oh [ __ ] you thank god wow okay there she is there she we got it yeah the standard Bearer but no Janet Jackson no Janet Jackson on the list I know she's not number one I hate the music worlds and the media's like continued Erasure of Miss Jackson uh even though like objectively fantastic vocalist uh objectively super influential I feel like just because you you get Michael on the list uh they don't need to think of any other Jacksons there are other Jacksons who frankly uh on occasion would make more artistically intriguing works because I think that Rhythm Nation and um also Velvet Rope are way better and more solid records than Thriller thank you but yeah Whitney Sam Cook Billy Holiday Mariah Carey Ray Charles Stevie Wonder I'm not uh taking too much of an issue with this top 10 thus far who is it number one didn't Aretha also make their singles number one yeah no that's that's fine all right I think uh we can leave it there no Jeff Mangum either no my boy Jeff I love you Jesus Christ Jesus Christ I love you yes I do Jesus Christ I love you yes I do oh

Channel: fantano

Views: 840,831

Keywords: music, anthony fantano, needle drop, rs, rolling stone, magazine, list, 200, vocalists, vocals, singing, voice, best, top, all time, ever, classic, rock, pop, reaction, review

Id: HqkNgvYxo9c

Length: 15min 39sec (939 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 04 2023