Best Vocal recording you've ever heard

[BeerHunter]

Suite Judy Blue Eyes - CSNY
Lots of stuff by Little River Band
...first stuff that comes to mind anyways.

[Sqye]

BEST VOCAL RECORDINGS I'VE EVER HEARD:

http://www.wingtunes.com/public/samples.aspx



what is that, like a vintage 610 on her voice?

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by mrlouie

an 87 might have been used for the next album but on Ingenue it was a 414.. i was the 2nd engineer on the vocal tracking ... Greg Penny (producer/engineer) had me get the longest mic cable the studio had and also put the 414 on the stand with a quick release ..
i asked why? and he basiclly said if she feels like it she'll want to take the mic off the stand and move around when she's doing vocals ... and yep he was right ... she did all those vocals holding the 414 ... moving around .... i remember on one song she was holding her little dog in one arm while singing with the 414 in the other hand ....

just amazing vocal technique and knowing how to work the mic ... something you dont see too much of now adays

you SURE that wasn't a c12???
(in a 414 case)

come ON, man.




all doubts aside, 414's have served me well, PLENTY of times,
and especially on voices like hers - softer, warmer voices.

so, it kinda makes sense that KDs voice would match that mic so well,
simply because she has such a WARM voice, that whatever's typically
"harder' sounding about that mic (maybe around 2-6k),
could complement her very well - and obviously, DOES.
helps to add a bit of edging / articulation.

thanks for in the skinny, btw, and nice job to all you guys.

she sounds GREAT on those recordings.

i also LOOOOVE the record just before that one.

[Winey]

Originally Posted by Djembe

Chet Baker Sings!

Love that vocal sound. Don't want to hijack the thread but does anyone know what the recording chain was? I am guessing it was a U47.

OMG! That vocal sound is awesome.
No annoying top, thick and smooth. I always figured it was an RCA through some awesome tube pre. Who knows.

[Lee Tyler]

"Sia" Furler's recording of "Breathe Me"....breaths and all included.
(Was the last song in the final episode of "Six Feet Under" on HBO. Sounds like your ear is her mic.

LEE

[C Heat]

Originally Posted by crazycharlie

Kevin Federline "popozao"

LMFAO

[bpape]

Burnadette Peters doing Blackbird

Bryan

[cortisol]

The Christians by The Christians - brilliant album and they're not Christians either!

Souxie And The Banshees - Face To Face wow.

Bing Crosby - very smooth

Diamanda Galas & Recoil - Strange Hours...I'm Gonna Walk On Up To Heaven

Alison Moyet - Power, emotion, earthy and great sound.

Grace thingy from Jefferson Starship

Howlin' Wolf - Smoke Stack Lightning

Etta James - kicks arse

Liz Fraiser with Massive Attack - Teardrop

Brian Johnson with ACDC - gritty

The Mutton Bird have put out some great vox

Tim Finn with Crowdedhouse - All I Ask

There are so many great vocalists with their own sound. I could keep going on this list for ages.

Peace,
cortisol

[Dave Derr]

Tim Finn has a great voice, and match that up with Tchad Blake tracking and Bob Clearmountain mixing.... How could ya lose?

I love that WOOD FACE Crowded House CD. I used to listen to that all the time as a reference for incredible natural sounds, and just beautiful mixing. They didnt have a hit off that tho which was a shame... Hits keep ya signed and workin. "All I Ask" would have been a beautiful ballad to hear on the radio.

Also during that time were Clearmountains INXS mixes. I bet that stuff was really rough sounding without his magic. The drums are just surreal and everything is so tight and punchy. Such wonderful ambiences, all tight and unobtrusive. My girl and I always talk about "DONT YOU FORGET ABOUT ME" by SIMPLE MINDS. Now isnt that a killer vocal sound for a guy who prolly isnt really that good of singer? Huge 80's mix. Id place money that if anyone else but Clearmountain mixed that, it would never have been on the radio. One of my favorite all time commercial rock records was Bryan Adams RESTLESS, produced and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. "Run to You" has got to be one of the most powerful 80's hits of all time. Wouldnt it be fun to hear some of these things before they were mixed and edited?

Interestingly, around the same time as Crowded House Woodface, Bob mixed a Bryan Adams CD produced by Mutt Lange. This album just didnt work at all for me. Bryan ended up sounding like DEF LEPPARD, and the mixes were not very warm or natural sounding. Mutt who I love, just seemed heavy handed here and brought too much of his sound to the record, and even some of the drum samples and background vocals could have been lifted right from a Def Leppard album. (PS I LOVE DEF LEPPARD, especially Hysteria).

I guess this just goes to show you that you can't hit a home run every time.

[mute pink]

The vocals on Joanna Newsom's new album Ys sound incredible. I'm pretty it was recorded by Steve Albini and mixed by Jim O'Rourke. Does anyone know the vocal chain on Ys?

[emkay]

that's a tough one. for me either Marvin Gaye "What's Goin On", John Lennon "In My Life" or Jeff Buckley "Grace" or "Everybody here Wants You"---sorry can't choose just one, kinda like what's the best preamp or mic, if you know what i mean....

[emkay]

Burton Cummings with the Guess Who "American Woman", I toured with him and Randy Bachman between '86 and '90, played that tune a few hundred times, always sounded great coming back at me through the monitors blasting on either side of me, smothered me like a huge hot blanket---sounded great on record too---and last have to add Burt's performance on "These Eyes"---what an effing incredible voice. Would have sounded great through an SM 57 and Berringer pre!!.....peace//

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by Dave Derr

Tim Finn has a great voice, and match that up with Tchad Blake tracking and Bob Clearmountain mixing.... How could ya lose?

I love that WOOD FACE Crowded House CD. I used to listen to that all the time as a reference for incredible natural sounds, and just beautiful mixing. They didnt have a hit off that tho which was a shame... Hits keep ya signed and workin. "All I Ask" would have been a beautiful ballad to hear on the radio.

Also during that time were Clearmountains INXS mixes. I bet that stuff was really rough sounding without his magic. The drums are just surreal and everything is so tight and punchy. Such wonderful ambiences, all tight and unobtrusive. My girl and I always talk about "DONT YOU FORGET ABOUT ME" by SIMPLE MINDS. Now isnt that a killer vocal sound for a guy who prolly isnt really that good of singer? Huge 80's mix. Id place money that if anyone else but Clearmountain mixed that, it would never have been on the radio. One of my favorite all time commercial rock records was Bryan Adams RESTLESS, produced and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. "Run to You" has got to be one of the most powerful 80's hits of all time. Wouldnt it be fun to hear some of these things before they were mixed and edited?

Interestingly, around the same time as Crowded House Woodface, Bob mixed a Bryan Adams CD produced by Mutt Lange. This album just didnt work at all for me. Bryan ended up sounding like DEF LEPPARD, and the mixes were not very warm or natural sounding. Mutt who I love, just seemed heavy handed here and brought too much of his sound to the record, and even some of the drum samples and background vocals could have been lifted right from a Def Leppard album. (PS I LOVE DEF LEPPARD, especially Hysteria).

I guess this just goes to show you that you can't hit a home run every time.

Good taste Dave! Not enough people recognizing Crowded House production and Simple Minds are also great, good stuff.

bcgood

[Steve MacMillan]

A few of my favs...

Frou Frou (Imogen Heap) - Let Go, Hide and Seek
Limp Bizkit - Behind Blue Eyes
Clannad - Theme from Harry's Game
Coldplay - Spies
Suzanne Vega - Small Blue Thing
Peter Gabriel - Here Comes the Flood (1990 Re-Recording Version)
Sarah McLachlan - Angel
David Gray - Babylon (live)
Counting Crows - Round Here
U2 - One
Portishead - Roads
Al Green - Call Me
John Waite - Missing You
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World, Porgy & Bess
Elton John - Levon

I could keep going

STeve

[shack jonz]

Joe Cocker-"You Are So Beautiful". Rediculous how good it is.

[Nandoram]

The song that vocally blows me away every time is: I DIDN'T MEAN TO STAY ALL NIGHT by Starship. It was produced by Mike Shipley, and I think Mutt Lange was the executive producer on it. Anyway, it sounds like all the background vocals are Mutt... and they are phenomenal. They are those breath-y background vocals that are all over Hysteria and somewhat on Pyromania, but they are much more prominent on IDMTSAN. The main vocal, by Mickey Thomas... is pretty awesome. Dude has a phenomenal range... some parts of the song are almost impossibly high, and I think fit the song like a glove. I wish I could sing like that.

Other notable songs that have affected me because of their vocals:

YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY & LOVE OF MY LIFE - Queen (Freddy Mercury)
These two songs... everytime I listen to them on the headphones... they just slay me. The emotion, the feel, the layering... it all adds up to something very special.

FAITHFULLY - Journey (Steve Perry)
Say what you will... this vocal always gives me goosebumps.


I am also a fan of the vocal work of WARREN WIEBE... I guess he's best known for the tracks he did on David Foster's RIVER OF LOVE cd. His performances are awesome to my ears. He has such a natural control, plus excellent feel. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago.

Another track that really stands out to me, is FEELS LIKE HEAVEN by Peter Cetera from his World Falling Down release. It is a duet with Chaka Khan. In particular, Khan's performance on that song... the way it was recorded... the way it sounds... the feeling she puts into it... for me, it is always a pleasure to hear her vocal work on that track. Not to take anything away from Cetera... he also sounds good. Especially the way they harmonize with each other... really awesome.

[billgennaro]

a few that come to mind immediately are

nat king cole - so many songs he recorded sound wonderful
frank sinatra - again, too many songs to list
beatles - hey jude, a day in the life, fixing a hole, etc, etc,
roberta flack - the first time ever i saw your face

too many to list.

bill

[Pepe Ortega]

Frank Sinatra: any..
Paul Anka: Rock swings
Diana Krall:many songs

[metraith]

Originally Posted by PRobb

When I saw the thread title, Because was the first thing that popped into my head. But that might be because I just finished reading The Beatles Biography and have been on a bit of Beatles jag lately.

I'm pretty sure it was the three of them on one mic. As to how they got that sound, I remember I met a guy who worked on Steely Dan's "Aja". I asked him how they got that great BG sound on "Hey Nineteen" and he told me the secret: "You take a U-87 and you stick it in front of those four guys". I think that's the answer to the Beatles sound too.

I just read Geoff Emerick's book not long ago, and he went into pretty good detail about Because. George Martin wrote the parts, nine in all with some parts doubled, and then John, Paul and George sat on stools around a single mic to sing it, with Paul conducting them with his hand. Geoff said he didn't want to use any compression, just wanted to capture the sound as purely as possible, so he actually rode the fader to keep the level high while they sang. Apparently it took hours, but (obviously) everybody was happy with the results. Check out his book, Here, There and Everywhere; it's a great read.

And I guess I'm a sucker for this kind of thread. I'll throw in my opinions on best overall vocal recordings:

Nickel Creek - Out of the Woods
Joan Baez - Ring Them Bells live CD. I don't know how they recorded that one, but it sounds great.
Most of the Beatles stuff, though I guess I'd stop somewhere short of What's the New Mary Jane.

[jonny1]

5 pages and only one (brief) mention of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys? And then it's Carl and not Brian?

Don't Worry Baby is still (to me) one of the most amazing sounding records. The vocal sound and blend just kills me.

Then there is "And You Dreams Come True" from Summer Days and Summer Nights - straight a cappella . . . beautiful sound.

[jamsmith]

David Coverdale.

[turnstile]

Many, many...but off the top of my head. Most songs on Jordan: The Comeback by Prefab Sprout

[NoEgo]

I know its been said but Nat King Cole...Unforgettable I think is the first that comes to mind.

and then not the greatest singer , but Lou Reed's ...Take A Walk on the Wildside...If you are talking about capturing a vocal. I heard it the other day and was really blown by how clean and up front it was.

Not the best performance per se (but definitely top notch nonetheless) but the best recording I can think of right now:
Beth Gibbons + Rustin Man – Mysteries... the whole album is great, btw. thumbsup

[A Fak]

Eagles - Hole in the World

Christina Aguilera - Beautiful

[doncaparker]

Everyone has taken most of the good, obvious choices (Beatles, Sinatra, Nat King Cole, etc.). The one that I was pleasantly surprised to find so many people liking as much I did was kd lang's Ingenue. Every cut on that album is absolute magic. I'm also shocked to hear that she was handling the mic a lot of the time. Incredible! That gal can belch in a canning jar and sound like an angel.

Here are some captured vocal performances not yet mentioned (I don't think) that really, really make me thank God for the blessing of the human voice:

Big Mama Thornton--"Hound Dog". Man, that broad could GROWL.

Aretha Franklin--"I Never Loved a Man." When she hits it high and loud, there's nothing better. She overloads some part of the signal path on this one, but who cares? It's incredible.

Queen--"It's Late" from News of the World. Freddie Mercury pulls out the stops on this one. Topped only by "Bohemiam Rhapsody" as far as Queen performances go, IMHO.

As far as more recent recordings are concerned, I really, really like Aimee Mann's The Forgotten Arm. Every song is fantastic, it sounds lush without being overdone, it captures a real "band" feel, and her vocals are worthy of tears. If anybody on GS worked on that one, WELL DONE.

[Gabriel Sousa]

INCUBUS - A Crow Left Of The Murder - Agoraphobia

i would kill, just to know ALL vocal chain

[lordwesley]

Dennis Wilson - Thoughts of You
Pink Floyd - Fearless
Beach Boys - Please Let Me Wonder (lead and backing), and many others.

[allencollins]

Paul Rogers 'All right now' from Isle of White

maybe 'Times of Trouble' Chris Cornell Temple of the dog

maybe 'God Only Knows' Carl Wilson + the BB

Chao A.D. - Max from Sepultura

She's Leaving Home - Paul

Best group performance has got to be ' Somebody to Love' by Queen - Bohemian a close second

maybe good vibrations? Wouldn't it be nice? great harmonies

What about Charlie Daniels 'Devil went down to Georgia?

Snoop dog and Dre 'Let me ride' ?

Fade to Black - Jaymz Hetfield.

'It Was A Very Good Year' by Frank

Reigning Blood Tom Arraya - Slayer

Beth - Peter Chris

song Coyboys from Hell - Phil A$$elmo

Hey Jude - Paul

I mean as strange as it sounds What about Stairway to heaven? I mean put it in perspective. Same with Freebird or Tuesday Gone. Yeah cliche ' to the bone. But if not worn out and beaten to death by FM radio that's some serious emotion on tape. These guys pioneered the FM power ballad. good bad or indifferent

sweet child o mine - as much as I hate axl gotta give it to him on that track

My personal fav is Ronnie Vanzant 'all I can do is write about it'

Elvis has a handful as does Mr Mojo Risin

there are hundreds more

[BudgetMC]

Nina Simone, "Put a Spell on You". When she comes back in after the Sax solo, and (echoing the last sax lick) sings 'Bah-do-do-do-DO, but I LOVE you....' it never fails to give me cold chills.