Out of tune vocals on huge hits

[zulusound]

I was driving today and Billy Idol's "White Wedding" came on the radio. Now this is a very pitchy vocal performance, a few notes are close to a 1/4 pitch flat, one of the "START AGAAAAAAIIIIN"'s ... I was thinking how refreshing it was that a flawed performance (probably not an overly comped track) was still being played on the radio, probably not to be done again. Current stuff would either be autotuned or comped to the point of near "perfection".

Another crazy flat pitch is in Queen's "Somebody to Love", when the whole song and the whole huge chorus stops at 3:51, Freddie's big solo, that D# is really flat to my ears, up until the very last millisecond of the falsetto "tooooo". Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE Queen fan and think FM is one of the greatest ever.. But.. did no-one hear this? I realize it's a stylistic blues slide, but it sounds sour. In some ways I think it's cool, maybe Freddie just said- no that's my performance. I'm done. Freddie rules. But that note is naked and flat as can be. Maybe they needed RTB in the room on that one (Queen produced this record). But.. performance over accuracy is the real deal.

[audionickw]

"Ruby Tuesday" "she would never say where she came from" on the word "from" it's sharp and his voice totally craps out trying to reach the low note. awesome

[Admiral James T.]

a lot of david bowie vocals would make your autotune commit suicide (the harmonies on space oddity are a very good example). Nevertheless, mostly great songs they are.

[Raider]

It's pop art.
It's a form of expressing the lyric.
Makes it human.

[glenn Taylor]

Under the Bridge. Red hot chili pepers. "I don't ever want to feel

Like I did that day

Take me to the place I love

Take me all the way". Sounds sharp to me. It has a good feel. They sound much more in tune after Antares was invented. Hey there should be a BA or AA on this thread. Before antares and After Antares.
GT.

[davet]

Crosby, Stills and Nash: Sweet Judy Blue Eyes. There are more than a few notes that make me cringe. Love the song and the band.

DT

[Empty Planet]

Sinatra!

Don't get me started.

And great anyway.

[Admiral James T.]

Not really out of tune, but funny anyway:
YouTube - Dion and the Del Saints - The Majestic
listen to the part at 1.24.

Still I think Dion DiMucci is one of the greatest singers ever.

[platypipros]

Kings of Leon..

[Fastermouse]

Originally Posted by glenn Taylor

Under the Bridge. Red hot chili pepers. "I don't ever want to feel

Like I did that day

Take me to the place I love

Take me all the way". Sounds sharp to me. It has a good feel. They sound much more in tune after Antares was invented.
GT.

And this was the end of their musical integrity IMO. Anthony can not sing.

[ljefe]

Originally Posted by Admiral James T.

Not really out of tune, but funny anyway:
YouTube - Dion and the Del Saints - The Majestic
listen to the part at 1.24.

Still I think Dion DiMucci is one of the greatest singers ever.

Nice to hear someone mention Dion. He sings with sung swing, so much rhythm in his vocals.

[themattgoldman]

A number of songs on the Verve's Urban Hymns.

[vincentvangogo]

Even by Dylan's standards the chorus at 4.50 is a clanger.
YouTube - Bob Dylan - Mr. Tambourine Man
I still love it.

[Brent Hahn]

Huge hits... maybe not. But these folks set the bar.

[tenchijin2]

Originally Posted by zulusound

Freddie's big solo, that D# is really flat to my ears, up until the very last millisecond of the falsetto "tooooo". Did no-one hear this? Or am I just obsessing? In some ways I think it's cool, maybe Freddie just said- no that's my performance. I'm done. Freddie rules. But that note is naked and flat as can be. Maybe they needed RTB in the room on that one. But.. performance over accuracy is the real deal.

That flat is definitely intentional. It's there to build more tension in the performance. It's a slide.

[voicegenius]

Listen to MJ on "Lady In My Life"... The first time he sings that line at about 1:27, he is way flat! I'm surprised Quincy didn't have him do it again.... tutt

[zulusound]

Originally Posted by tenchijin2

That flat is definitely intentional. It's there to build more tension in the performance. It's a slide.

Nah, it hangs there for 3 seconds, static pitch till the last millisecond. Flat as a board. Just my opinion, of course.

[Nolet]

Erm...everything from Lou Reed and/or The Velvet Underground? I mean, Nico on I Am Your Mirror...as if pitch wasn't invented yet! Still...who the f* cares...right...

[kafka]

Originally Posted by zulusound

I was driving today and Billy Idol's "White Wedding" came on the radio. Now this is a very pitchy vocal performance, a few notes are close to a 1/4 pitch flat, one of the "START AGAAAAAAIIIIN"'s ...

Well, I guess 1983 was a good year for pitchy vocals.

Don't switch the blade on the guy in shades
oh no.
Don't masquerade with the guy in shades
oh no
I can't believe it!
Don't be afraid of the guy in shades
oh no
it can't escape you 'cus you got it made with the guy in shades
oh no.

Don't recognize it? Think it wasn't a big hit? Well, it was only the second album to sell more than a million copies in Canada.

[Mark Kaufman]

Originally Posted by Fastermouse

Anthony can not sing.

Maybe so, but I really like listening to him nonsing.

Musicians used to bend the hell out of notes just for the marvelous dissonance. Bessie Smith used to be wicked good at nailing perfect quartertones between notes, on purpose. In the Autotune Age, we conclude it's either flat or sharp and say tutt...but I love the tensions created when singers bend the notes, even when they go off the road for a bit.

It occurs to me that if opera singers didn't warble like they do, quavering around each note, they'd probably need Autotuning too.

[ears2thesky]

I know this thread is about vocals but:

How about the low bass string on Bob Marley's "Stir It Up"?
It's the first note of the song and every other time the root note is played.
I must have heard that song hundreds of times before I noticed it recently. It drives me crazy every time now.

[deadears]

Oh for *ucks sake, there were just as many flat or sharp notes as there were tempo changes, especially going into and out of the chorus ...on just about anything recorded before the end of the last century.

You know ....back when "a great performance" beat out a perfect, but lifeless take ...every time.

Funny how pitch and tempo and timing correction becoming the status quo coincide with the music business .... and great performances and good songs ....going into the toilet.

But hey, now we have a use for that extra bedroom.

~deadears

[Fastermouse]

Originally Posted by Mark Kaufman

Maybe so, but I really like listening to him nonsing.

.

Yea, a lot of people do. These guys are a bit of a sore spot for me. I played on bills with them ages ago, in the early '80s. Back when Hillel was still here and Irons was drumming. They blew me off the stage. Amazing. But then that song came out and suddenly AK thought he could sing ballads, and who I am to argue with success? But I can't stand their music now. And some people hate the Beatles , as well.

[dannygold]

Originally Posted by Nolet

Erm...everything from Lou Reed and/or The Velvet Underground? I mean, Nico on I Am Your Mirror...as if pitch wasn't invented yet! Still...who the f* cares...right...

This is inaccurate... I'll be your mirror sounds like pitch had not been invented but barbiturates had.

[initialsBB]

Originally Posted by zulusound

Another crazy flat pitch is in Queen's "Somebody to Love",

WTF? Somebody to Love isn't flat. He's bending. It's a blue note.

Originally Posted by audionickw

"Ruby Tuesday" "she would never say where she came from" on the word "from" it's sharp and his voice totally craps out trying to reach the low note. awesome

That one drives me crazy.

[Infrablu]

Motley Crue- Home Sweet Home

"tonight, tonight, I'm on my way" in the 1st chorus sounds flat or doesn't jive with the chord voicing and that song was huge in '85. It's even been redone as the American Idol theme when a contestant gets booted. Not a big Crue/Vince Neil fan but this phrase really sticks out everytime I hear it on the radio.

[Clayphish]

Brick by Ben Folds Five.

Really up and down all over the place... especially the bridge. lol Still a big hit .. and still a great song.

YouTube - Ben Folds Five - Brick

[84K]

"Far Behind" by Candlebox. Huge hit, but the tag screaming vocals are in outer space pitch-wise.

[solo-bration]

CHER - every song except the ones that were clearly autotuned.

[uncle hoxie]

I'm Your Captain ... by Grand Funk ... at the end he sings harmony with himself and it's just horrible. Why they didn't re-do that simple punch has always been beyond me.