Entertainment For Lively Minds
Sole singers
Posted by Lying Doggo on 5 July 2011 - 8:14pm.
Just getting round to watching the recently shown Pulp performance at Glastonbury 1995. One thing that strikes me is how Jarvis Cocker sings pretty much all the way through most songs - with very few instrumental breaks. Not only that, but there is absolutely no backing singing going on. None of the other four members even has a microphone on stage.
That's quite unusual really, isn't it? In most bands, others get to join in, even if they're mixed right down to nothing.
(Now there's a subject: famously turned-off microphones)
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when i saw the header
'Sole Singers'
I could only think of, er, Fish.
The Strokes
The only other example I can think of who don't use backing vocals is The Strokes.
I think I'm right in saying that Ian McCulloch was the
only singer in the Bunnymen, with Messrs Pattinson, Sergeant and de Freitas warbling not a word.
and ... let me see now ... the Smiths, possibly? I don't recall Marr, Joyce, Rourke or Gannon doing much warbling. Perhaps one of the big Smiths fans on this board will correct me on this.
Led Zeppelin?
I could be wrong here but apart from Sandy Denny in The Battle Of Evermore, I can't think of an occasion when he had a backing singer. Certainly never on stage.
It pains me to say this but I'm not sure U2 have ever been adorned with back ups either....
The Edge
I think you're right about Led Zeppelin, but The Edge sings quite a bit in U2. Sometimes on record I think Bono will do both vocal parts (The Fly for example) but The Edge does the falsetto part live.
Doesn't the Edge take the lead vocal
on "Van Diemen's Land?"
Van Diemen's Land
He does indeed. He also sings lead on "Numb" from Zooropa.
Zep
Not so. When they did The Ocean live, even Bonzo used to have a go. Ditto Communication Breakdown (ace track btw.)
JPJ would sing the
Sandy Denny part on "Battle of Evermore", whilst wrangling a mutant three necked mando-guitar
[edit] and of course, here it is on YouTube
Did anyone...
...apart from Paul Rodgers sing in Free?
The Cure?
I remember thinking that watching 2+ hours of harmony-free Bob was quite the marathon.
no other smiths
sang on records or live (kirsty wasn't a smith)..
boz, alain and that other ones moz has now do...