Instrumentalists who attempt to sing

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Hall of Infamy - Tony Williams ('Lifetime' Achievement Award!), James Blood Ulmer, Eddie Van Halen, Chet Baker (actually, props for trying to sing AND play trumpet with all one's teeth knocked out), Joe Perry, anybody who has ever vocalised on an ECM album, anybody who has ever vocalised on a jazz album released 1970-1974 with astrological signs next to their name, Mick Jones, Money Mark, Glenn Gould, Bernard Butler (who CAN sing OK, too bad he's just a boring wet sack of shit with boiled carrots for brains who couldn't write a tune if he was given "T", "U", "N" and a free vowel)

― dave q, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Who can be blamed for all this? Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong?

― dave q, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

clue : "please staaaaaaay, don't go awaaaaaaay"

f*ck off.

― piscesboy, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

there can be only one true "Sultan of Swing"

― kiwi, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Or the spin-off - Instrumentalists Who Attempt To Sing Then Turn Out To Be Better At Singing Than The Singers Of The Band/s That They Were/Are In. Off the top of my head I can come up with Richard McNamara out of Embrace and Richard Hawley, who may well never have sung when he was in the Longpigs but is still a better singer than Crispin Hunt, anyway.

Aren't I highbrow, eh.

― Mr Swygart, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

haha albert ayler!!

― mark s, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I'm listening right now to Nobukazu Takemura's 2001 album 'Song Book'. Takemura is of course a conceptualist, a formalist, an 'instrumentalist'. But he's been heading (like his mentor Jim O'Rourke) back in the direction of song by way of singing computers ('Sign') and now this record of somewhat dadaist 'songs' all featuring guest vocals from girl singers on his Childisc label, Hirono Nishiyama and Aki Tsuyko.

I think he brings something interesting to the song format, just by virtue of approaching it from a fresh angle. Song has been somewhat taboo for purist post- rockers (or Post Office Skirts, as I prefer to call them). But this record almost seems to be inventing 'the song' from scratch. And a very odd thing it is too, this 'song'. Childish, fragmented, without any obvious logic or recognisable lyrical tropes, without intros, verses, choruses, middle eights, human interest, or any of that old rubbish.

― Momus, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Lol Coxhill has sung, as can be heard on the double album that has been put by emanem.

― Julio Desouza, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I read that last answer too quickly and I had a vision...

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

guitarists: Michael Hedges, Mike Stern, Robben Ford, Steve Vai

keyboardists: Rickey Peterson, Jan Hammer, Randy Newman, Tom Waits

bassists: Jimmy Haslip, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller

drummers: Manu Katche, Omar Hakim, Mino Cinelu, Terry Bozzio

― brian, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

TOM WAITS IS A FUCKING SINGER!

― Keiko, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Herb Alpert. Why didn't someone stop him? Especially "This Guy's in Love With You," delivered with no attempt at flair, emotion, etc. Arrangement, good. Singing, bad.

― Ernest, Saturday, 1 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Barry Adamson.

try hardest mudslides of vomit over other wise sexy if a lil cheesy cinematic glory.

― Parker, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Alan Rankine (so I've heard)

― jamie, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Strike another vote up for Mark Knopfler. Both "Romeo and Juliet" and "So Far Away" are beautiful arrangements and lyrics, ruined because they sound like the gaffer shouting instructions for how he wants his tea to be made at the building site.

― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

haha herb alpert runs the record company: who CAN stop him?

― mark s, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Does Vini Reilly fall into this category? I can't remember if it was the second or third Durutti Column album where he started to sing. He doesn't have a great voice but there's something very appealing about it anyway.

― electric sound of jim, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I think the world would have been better off if James Hetfield didn't fill that vacant spot for vocalist himself. Four great metal albums tainted by that thin, tiny little voice!

And someone should tell Moby to shut up. Phil Collins deserves no mercy...and I'm not even talking about Ihsahn of Emperor and Quorthon of Bathory.

― Siegbran Hetteson, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Charles Mingus on his album 'Oh Yeah'.

I think it works, 'Eat That Chicken' is one of the funniest songs ever sung.

― Geoffrey Balasoglou, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I've got it!! Tony Williams sang on at least one of the Tony Williams Lifetime records. At least he tries to go for artsy, but he's still awful. Very great drummer though.

― Sean, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I like Quorthon

― dave q, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

let me speak up for tony williams (cuz if he did you prolly wouldna like his voice). I find his vox on songs such as "where" and "this night this song" to be heartfelt and endearing. anybody else singing there might not sound v good (like say, jim morrison or whoever). as we know context is ev'rything (and ev'rythin is you).

― gilgamesh, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Marc Ribot "sings" an occasional number with Los Cubanos Postizos.

― o. nate, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I've got it!!

At least I thought I did. Now I notice Williams was the first offender mentioned.

― Sean, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

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