The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/brian-wilson-19691231

Dunno if this has been discussed before (didn't find that thread anyway), but what are people's opinions on this list? Carl is nowhere to be found, despite being widely recognised in the industry and ffs he was the lead on the all-famous GOK. John and Paul on the other hand are way up in the top ten.

What is a good singer? What qualifications do they make? Mick Jagger is up there but is he really a great singer? I think he is, but in a very different way from the Boys or Beatles.

I do wonder why they compile these rediculously subjective lists ^^

Suspect they compile them to get folk talking, so other folks buy the mag to see what they're talking about.

Personally I don't rate Jagger as being so technically competent a singer as Brian or Carl, but maybe he injects more character into it.  If there was a list of 100 Technically Great singers, I think Brian, Carl, Bruce and Al would be in there for sure.  If the list was for the 100 Most Characterful Singers, then Dennis and Mike might be in there too.

But who knows? Like you say, it's subjective.

I don't mean to sound disrespectful but who really and truthfully cares about these lists?  Seriously listen to and enjoy the music you like and be done with it.  These lists are made fifty years after the fact many times by people who weren't even alive when these bands were in their prime and dominating the music industry.  That is why "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is in the pole position on every one of these greatest albums lists. 

Some genius says to himself, "Oh hey Sgt. Pepper, that record was big time back in the sixties, everyone remembers that one!  It'll make a good number one!"  In my humble opinion these lists due to when they were created are meaningless.

I think Carl Wilson should be on this list (as should Harry Nilsson!) but if any beach boy is gonna be on there I think it should be Brian.  Brian's voice might not have been as versatile, or dependable as Carl's, but when Brian was at his best his voice was out of this godly.

Springsteen over Brian? Really?!? :o

That is total crap, Bruce has never had a nice voice like Brian's.

Springsteen is a great singer.  His voice is not better than Brian's, but the list is best "singers", not necessarily best "voices".  Lists are dumb anyway.

*sees Freddie Mercury not only at 18, but behind Robert Plant and Mick Jagger

*sees Michael Jackson at 25, also behind Robert Plant and Mick Jagger*

*closes tab*

McCartney should be right next to Lennon or ahead of him IMO. Obviously i'm quite biased.

The only reason I hate these lists is because it brings out the worst in fans when they start crapping on other artists just because they're upset their favorite artist isn't higher in the list.   

We shouldn't take it so literally...the list is basically a list of people with the most memorable voices...not neccessarily the ones with the most technical advanced approach to the art of singing.  Almost none of these people were even classically trained to sing in the formal sense of the word.  So for a bunch of self-taught folks...the list is pretty good.  Who cares about the ranking?  Don't take it so seriously.  Brian was included on the list with a few other heavy weights.  That's cool.   Ok, next?

Any best vocalist list that can't put Harry Nilsson somewhere in the top ten is worthless.

As for Kurt Cobain, in the "key tracks" i would put Tourettes instead of Smells Like Teen Spirit.

HOLD ON A MINUTE HERE!!!!! NO MENTION OF MYKE LUHV?????THERE'S A BAD MOON ON THE RISE!!!! :p

man Carl on the list? don't be silly..it's good enough that they have Brian on the list..and as far as mick jagger being on the list? he should've been higher there are alot of vocals that he sung perfectly that no one else could've topped or out did or could even touch for that matter.
it's not the beauty of his voice but the attitude and the way he sings certain songs..(sympathy of the devil) cmon now give the dude credit ...the person that confused me was james brown his voice is soooooooo (what's the word?)

Is Zoot Money on that list?

So the guy who sang God Only Knows and Good Vibrations (RS's top Beach Boys songs) doesn't deserve to be on the list? I honestly think they should have just included the Beach Boys all together. They were one voice.

Carl is a great singer but this is the 100 best singers of all time..one beach boy is enough..

Yeah, it should have been THE BEACH BOYS at the number one spot!!

And why the hell isn't Bon Scott anywhere on that list???

What? A group having two brilliant vocalists shouldn't disqualify both from making such a list. As with all Rolling Stone lists, there's way too much "Who do we have to include out of obligation?" and "Who do we have to include to look educated?" on this list. Carl is, in my opinion, one of the absolute best rock vocalists of all time. Carl deserves a spot somewhere on this list, above several high-ranking names and even Brian.

I think Brian's voice speaks to me a little more on a personal level, but I would not hesitate to call Carl the better vocalist. The quality of his voice remained very much intact until he died, too (some folks will say he sounded the best in the 90s, even), where as someone like Brian lost what made his voice special initially but made up for it with charm and personality (while still giving the occasional performance that reminds us of what made his voice special initially, obviously) and because he's, y'know, Brian Wilson.

Not particularly worked up over such a ridiculous list - it's Rolling Stone for Chrissakes, but someone on this forum (of all places) saying it's "silly" for Carl to make such a list? I just can't agree, there.


Don't care for it. At all. The guy looks and sounds like he's taking a sh*t at all times when singing. I'll recognize him as popular and influential, but he's waaaay ahead of several more deserving folks.

Also, if you want to talk attitude and voices that are instantly recognizable and great without being the most technically skilled, let's talk about Mike Love being nowhere on this list and, to me, being quite a bit better than Mick Jagger and beating him at his own game.


"Frigging awesome" is what you were going for ^_^

Another ridiculous omission.

While I'm a bigger Beach Boys fan than I am a Rolling Stones fan, if you look at the Boys on stage and the Stones on stage; Jagger has more charisma and energy than all of them combined, even now or especially now.

It's funny how everyone gets worked up about lists in mainstream magazines. they don't mean anything and will be invalidated by another equally meaningless list a year from now.

i respect rolling stone for at least putting pet sounds number 2 even though they deserve the number 1 spot :)

I have friends that read rolling stone magazine and checked out pet sounds based on it being number 2 greatest album of all time according to them and I'm satisfied with that :)

What, no Panda Bear?

Rolling Stone is clueless. They did a nice piece on Panda Bear a while back, but I'd imagine the majority of their staff knows little to nothing about him or Animal Collective.

Yup, 'fraid so.

I'd love to hear Al or Mike sing "Oh! Darling" off of Abbey Road.

Paul is/was much more of a versatile singer than any Beach Boy, even Brian.

I think Brian would rank higher if he had kept his voice together and shown more stylistic ranges.

I think Elvis should be number 1. Also I know this is a rock magazine but where the hell is Frank Sinatra and why isn't he in the top 5? :angry

Guess you're right.

And yeah, comparing Macca's voice to Mike's is..... weird.


Arguing (or even discussing) over these dumb RS lists is a waste of time.

No Allan Clarke or Graham Nash......

You're describing the positive attributes of a good frontman - not a singer.


And thank God for that. ^_^

The problem with a lot of these lists is that they have to focus on the more popular musicians, omitting some obscure musicians who are far better than some of the others on the list, John Woloschuk of Klaatu is a fantastic singer and sadly lacking from this list.

Any magazine that lists Bob Dylan as being a better singer than Roy Orbison and does not have Harry Nilsson anywhere on the list does not deserve to be taken seriously.