Good one San Diego. Sinclair smells just a :censored hair better than your mother.
BakersBrew first Wrote:In fact most people in the music business believe Gord is a poor excuse for a singer. Obviously, he gets by on theatrics. There are other members in the band who have said the same thing with respect to Gord.......
and then Wrote:This was said off the record (no bullshit), cmon these guys have records to sell, they arent going to shoot themselves in the foot. It was a comment made by a certain person in the group who is often amazed at how musicians who continue to make a meek living playing clubs have a far superior singing voice in comparison to Gord, yet can't make it to the big stage. Gord's voice is unique, and certainly legendary in Canadian music. So is Neil Young. But do they have great singing voices? Most people in the music business would say no.
There is a giant difference between saying that "Gord doesn't have a great
singing voice" and "Gord is a poor excuse for a singer".
I would quickly agree that there are many frontmen of rock bands both past and present whose singing voices are "better" than Gord's, and I bet he and the other members of TTH would also agree.
But I would vehemently disagree with the statement that "Gord is a poor excuse for a singer". He is no such thing. He is a fine lead vocalist for a band like the Hip. His voice isn't silky-smooth or richly textured, but so what? It's dynamic and forceful, it can convey a range of emotion, and he rarely has any issues with pitch and tone.
Furthermore, the skills associated with creating strong
melodies and mastering
cadence and
intonation are arguably the most important facets of a vocalist's contributions to a rock band's product. Gord's abilities in these areas are perhaps as solid as anyone I've ever witnessed.
BakersBrew Wrote:Good one San Diego. Sinclair smells just a :censored hair better than your mother.
See, not you're just resorting to insults so you're obviously a troll. I take back my statement about you being a good one, though. A good one would have made some ridiculous story up about going to school with Rob Baker and seeing them play the Copperpenny or something like that.
Hey ScrewBall. do you even know where Kingston is? Let me guess, you've figured out Mapquest.
"Thank God it's only music."
Gordon Downie, July 28, 2002, Somerville Theatre, Boston.
Stop bickering.
It's pointless.
BakersBrew Wrote:Hey ScrewBall. do you even know where Kingston is? Let me guess, you've figured out Mapquest.
Not sure but let me send an IM to my buddy Neil Young he's Canadian I'm sure he knows where it is (Kingston is in Canada right??? Nova Scotia I think???) but I'm always wary of talking to him because every time we strike up a conversation it always devolves into him crying and telling me about how pathetic he is and what a shitty singer he is and blah blah blah this guy really has some serious self-esteem problems.
(P.S. I'm actually Canadian but don't tell anyone because I hear Gord Downie secretly reads this board and one time when we were having a beer together in L.A. I told him I'd never been to Canada so he felt sorry for me and flew me to Vancouver on a private jet for a show in '04. Gave me backstage passes and everything and let me babysit his kids.)
Ahhh you're a kiddy diddler with a keen sense of direction.
See, I'm trying pretty hard and all you do is call me a pedophile. You're a disgrace to trolls all over the Internet.
The Horrible Esthete Wrote:BakersBrew first Wrote:In fact most people in the music business believe Gord is a poor excuse for a singer. Obviously, he gets by on theatrics. There are other members in the band who have said the same thing with respect to Gord.......
and then Wrote:This was said off the record (no bullshit), cmon these guys have records to sell, they arent going to shoot themselves in the foot. It was a comment made by a certain person in the group who is often amazed at how musicians who continue to make a meek living playing clubs have a far superior singing voice in comparison to Gord, yet can't make it to the big stage. Gord's voice is unique, and certainly legendary in Canadian music. So is Neil Young. But do they have great singing voices? Most people in the music business would say no.
It's dynamic and forceful, it can convey a range of emotion, and he rarely has any issues with pitch and tone.
Furthermore, the skills associated with creating strong melodies and mastering cadence and intonation are arguably the most important facets of a vocalist's contributions to a rock band's product. Gord's abilities in these areas are perhaps as solid as anyone I've ever witnessed.
You've said it better than I did, that's for sure.
I particularly agree with your second paragraph.
Josh Finlayson says it well:
"The other thing is how he delivers a vocal, both live and in a recorded
sense. What really blew my mind from take to take was that he could deliver a vocal that would be so consistent. And he would change words, which would dictate that the phrasing would be slightly different. In between takes, he would scribble something down phonetically, and the syllables would change the way he would have to sing something. Some singers, that would throw them completely off, but for him, that’s like, he relishes that stuff. That’s the challenge. Working the way he has in The Hip for so many years has given him
a skill I’m not even sure he’s conscious of. I think that’s true of anyone who’s done something for so long — you forget how honed you’ve crafted your skill and what you do. It’s a combination of the singing, the melodic content of these songs, and just his ability to deliver the goods when he sings."
"He’s incredibly melodic as well."
screw_ball Wrote:See, I'm trying pretty hard and all you do is call me a pedophile. You're a disgrace to trolls all over the Internet.
Just drop it. History suggests that bakers_brew has some sort of inside line to/on The Hip specifically when it comes to happenings in and around Belleville.
Aside from making both of you look like turds, your bickering is pointless.
Back to Langlois, does no one else think that a lot of people probably find his voice very annoying? I think it's pretty unique and I like it, but that's just my opinion. Also, I've heard some live stuff where Paul is pretty off. Maybe he just can't hear himself though. A couple of my friends and I (who are also both big Hip fans) often poke fun at Paul's backup vocals, especially on the Hip's older work, e.g. She Didn't Know. I should mention though that I absolutely love Lake Fever and without Paul it just wouldn't be the same. Definitely his best vocal work in my opinion.
chris Wrote:screw_ball Wrote:See, I'm trying pretty hard and all you do is call me a pedophile. You're a disgrace to trolls all over the Internet.
Just drop it. History suggests that bakers_brew has some sort of inside line to/on The Hip specifically when it comes to happenings in and around Belleville.
Aside from making both of you look like turds, your bickering is pointless.
Why are you always so serious? I've seriously never seen you say a joke. Can I get a joke? It would really make my day and I'm not even being sarcastic about that.
Well, I'll tell ya'll, Gord is a much better lead singer than that joke from Nickelback.
It's not all about the voice, and I happen to think it's awesome.
Look at Kurt Cobain. A lot of people said his raspy voice would never make it, and he's considered one of the most influential artists of our time.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
metronome Wrote:Back to Langlois, does no one else think that a lot of people probably find his voice very annoying? I think it's pretty unique and I like it, but that's just my opinion. Also, I've heard some live stuff where Paul is pretty off. Maybe he just can't hear himself though. A couple of my friends and I (who are also both big Hip fans) often poke fun at Paul's backup vocals, especially on the Hip's older work, e.g. She Didn't Know. I should mention though that I absolutely love Lake Fever and without Paul it just wouldn't be the same. Definitely his best vocal work in my opinion.
Yeah, I'm a HUGE Hip fan and I happen to find Paul's voice very annoying for the most part. I do agree about Lake Fever, though. That is one of the times when I actually enjoy Paul's vocals.