what's wrong with this fella's voice?

[Mr. FOLLARD]

[~ / % ? *]

He's English?

[fonz]

An English tit

[toomanyhatz]

It's a bit labored and mannered, certainly, but compared to David Byrne, Stan Ridgeway, Andy Partridge circa early XTC, or my pet hates Roger Waters and Morrissey? Frickin' Pavarotti.

[Mr. FOLLARD]

This song particularly - it's appalling. Sounds like he's been thrown into the recording booth by someone grabbing him by the throat. And it's all a put-on, unlike Mozz et al. What's the point?

[sloopjohnc]

Elvis Costello was lucky he wrote good songs. It's a cross between a foghorn and fire engine siren.

[sloopjohnc]

May 20, 2020 20:32:50 GMT ~ / % ? * said:

He's English?

Doesn't he claim to be as much Irish, on his dad's side I think. I know he grew up in UK but he's very proud of his Irish roots.

[Mr. FOLLARD]

Gav likes to have a pop at the English now and again. Makes him feel good.

[Deleted]

Great songwriter. However I've always been repelled by his voice. That album with Burt Bacharach traumatised me, although there's probably some decent stuff on there.

[~ / % ? *]

May 21, 2020 21:34:24 GMT sloopjohnc said:

May 20, 2020 20:32:50 GMT ~ / % ? * said:

He's English?

Doesn't he claim to be as much Irish, on his dad's side I think. I know he grew up in UK but he's very proud of his Irish roots.

Yeah, by descent, not by his parents, but possibly by his grandparent(s) or simply by living there during his 2nd marriage. 

i like his voice, though it thicken, became less flexible by The Juliet Letters. I don't know if he is a drinker or smoker.

The voice fits the songs, and up through 1982 it cut right through perfectly with the perfect material.

[sloopjohnc]

May 21, 2020 22:56:42 GMT ~ / % ? * said:

May 21, 2020 21:34:24 GMT sloopjohnc said:

Doesn't he claim to be as much Irish, on his dad's side I think. I know he grew up in UK but he's very proud of his Irish roots.

Yeah, by descent, not by his parents, but possibly by his grandparent(s) or simply by living there during his 2nd marriage. 

i like his voice, though it thicken, became less flexible by The Juliet Letters. I don't know if he is a drinker or smoker.

The voice fits the songs, and up through 1982 it cut right through perfectly with the perfect material.

It does because we've gotten used to it. I remember hearing Alison by Linda Ronstadt and thinking, "Oh, this is what it could have sounded like."

It's got a certain panache, just out of sheer bravado that someone with that bad a voice would attempt it, and succeed, but it's not mannered or contrived, as compared above. He wishes he could do that with his voice. It is a blunt instrument and his ballads make that more evident.

[DarknessFish]

There's something deeply boring about the man, it's as if his entire purpose was to suck the life and joy out of punk.

[Deleted]

He has a perfectly ordinary normal voice. If you try to imitate his singing, though, you have to tighten the muscles at the back of your throat a little. Interesting that he's maintained that style of singing through his career, must be natural to him.

I'm surprised at some of the criticism of him here. He's written some joyous/moving/rousing music and is a highly-talented songwriter.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't call his voice normal. It has a weird, strangulated sound to it like he's singing from his throat rather than projecting the vocal. Of course he emerged in a period full of unconventional singers, but I always found his vocals off-putting and the main reason I never got into him.

[Deleted]

That's a perfectly normal voice. It isn't his voice which is making him sing like that. I don't think that he needs to sing in that style because of his voice but it suits the style he wants to sing in, it's easy for him. I could be wrong.

This is a mess but there are bits in this where he doesn't have that tightness