Amps211

Burton Cummings .. consistent (underrated underrated underrated underrated) Robert Plant .. inconsistent (but Mr Plant still sits right at the very top of my best rock singers all-time list ... it's not even disputable really .. Robert always wins)

I don’t mind Gene but I agree that Paul’s the better singer. How about singing God of Thunder though? At first thought I went with, “Nah, it’s Gene’s baby.” But then there’s this: ((Keep in mind that it’s just a demo. I wouldn’t want this as a final version BUT I CAN imagine Paul doing justice to this song in a completed song)) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qac4retZMPk&sns=em cool ... I'll have to listen later can't right now ... I've always thought Gene uses a bit of a trick on his low growl ... sort of a falsetto but low ... kind like pee wee Herman haha as far as Paul ... in the mid 80s I really felt like he was the best of the hair metal singers

Kiss when Gene is singing ... but Paul ... well he's on my mt. Rushmore

he objectively has the best taste in music of my three children :)

shitty disease for sure .. watched it take my mother-in-law slowly over a 7 year span ... maybe the drugs are improving .. I hope

C'mon TK, after their first three albums, KISS as a band was dead broke, having toured non stop for three years and not seeing one check from any of the albums .. Upstart Casablanca Records was about to fold and manager Bill Aucoin was in the process of suing Neil Bogart and Casablanca .. A groundswell of fans at the grassroots level and the dedication the band and its 4 roadies put in is what gave them fame .. Not to mention a catalog of great rock and roll songs that tapped into something no other band had to that point .. Geddy himself has said that there has been no band that has worked harder than KISS .. Naturally, when a band blazes a trail as KISS did in so many ways, the spotlight will follow .. I would not confuse "success" with "hype" .... "Hype" is what a new movie receives upon its release ... Hype will carry nothing for 45 years Hype will not place my dad's beat up, acid-washed, but still perfectly playable copy of Kiss Alive hiding on a shelf in our basement for me to find some 30-40 years later as one of the half a dozen records my parents didn't decide to sell, and the only one not kept because it was unopened and might have been worth some money. Hype won't explain why he kept that or why he passed it down to me when I started getting into records and music. Hype won't explain his happiness last Christmas when he opened up a Gene Simmons waffle maker from me. No, hype is not what makes Kiss so special. I made the waffles hotter than hell, I can tell you that !!

You hadn’t been sweatin’ these polls since the first fifteen seconds of round one...aka, the longest stint Mercury wasn’t in the lead. Not really, no, lol. We all know Fred had something just beyond special that means he tends to win these kinds of things pretty easily. Freddie Mercury will always be my biggest hero that I've never met. In my mind, he was one of the truest people ever to make it into the history books, even as "just an entertainer." His talent was of course astounding, but as with any musician, it's not your instrument but the way that you use it, not what you play but how you play it. The reason he was able to connect so assuredly with all sorts of people was that he took it upon himself to bare himself completely on stage and in the studio. He took the vulnerability that comes with being in the limelight and turned it into a superpower, and never looked at himself as more important than the world around him. He refused to compromise himself for the sake of doubters or haters or anyone who didn't get it. Certainly, that voice and that showmanship were the most valuable tools in doing all this, but in lesser hearts and hands such beautiful tools would go to waste, or at least never live up to Freddie. Perhaps this is all easier to see for some than others, but for those who struggle to get what I'm saying here, I point to the end of his life. In 1986ish, Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS, a death sentence in those days. He was given only a few more years to live by doctors. Naturally, this is the kind of news which would stop most people in their tracks and cause them to completely change their lives, and not always (dare I say often) for the better. But Freddie was different. He wasn't going down without a fight, and he wasn't going down a much pitied celebrity lying in bed with the world watching and praying for a cure. He took the news as a challenge, "how much more can you accomplish in these last few years?" He gave himself completely to his craft and to his passion for it, going on one final world tour with Queen for A Kind Of Magic, probably their most famous and one of the most beloved tours of all time. He put out solo material in which he followed his every musical whim, even dueting with one of his own heroes, opera star Montserrat Caballé, the result of which became an international hit (not so big in America, but such is the tragedy of Queen and America in the 80s). He then worked tirelessly with Queen to put out as much music as humanly possible before his time was up. This ultimately resulted in three more albums, though one was to become an often maligned posthumous tribute of sorts, patching together unfinished material into an album's length of music (I still love it). Freddie worked diligently not to draw attention to his physical state or to let the press' rumors be confirmed. He didn't want anyone buying Queen music out of pity for a sick and dying artist, he wanted it to be properly evaluated on its own terms. The general consensus is rather mixed on the first of these albums, The Miracle (which I love), but most everyone acknowledges the final album before Freddie's passing, Innuendo, as one of Queen's most well crafted bodies of work, and one of the greatest swan song releases of all time. This was the result of the tireless efforts of a dying legend who dragged himself into the studio as often as he physically could in order to finish his life's work. He has been quoted as asking his bandmates to "bring me words" so that he could sing more and record more before his time. He didn't publicly confirm the suspicions of his illness until one day prior to his death, finally accepting there was no more he could do to keep going. Now, this is an amazing story for many reasons, but what I find most amazing is how true Freddie was to his convictions and how stubbornly attached he was to his goals. He represents the classic human story of one who is up against literally insurmountable odds, doing everything within his or her power to fight them. And he most importantly represents one who completely embraces themselves, and showed the world exactly who they were, no matter anyone else's judgements. This is how he lived his entire life, though it is most vividly apparent at the end of it. This is also what makes him my favorite singer, and, as voted in the poll, the greatest rock vocalist of all time. That confidence shines through in every microsecond of his recorded voice. He held nothing back in front of the microphone, and audiences responded with love and awe (and have continued to ever since) as a natural reaction to that charisma and confidence, though the sheer musical talent he possessed made it all the more effective. Freddie Mercury is the champion, and the king. Truly, though he is no longer with us, he will never die. Well said !!

top ten bands I've been listening to lately dream theater rush iron maiden genisis sheryl crow paul mccartney eve 6 devin townsend the killers one republic

I really enjoy these guys .. the fresh perspective is somehow eyeopening to long time metal fans .. they hear things in these songs that helped us all become fans in the first place .. but now we have sort of forgotten about .. or just don't really focus on so much anymore when we listen .. great job guys!!

fly by night ... images of witches and broom sticks

Bon Jovi The Cars Radiohead Rage Against The Machine The Moody Blues Judas Priest Dire Straits J Geils Band are the obvious choices, and LL Cool J is fine considering they have to add to their rap section (though that shouldn't really be a thing in the first place but whatever). Undoubtably they'll somehow leave out a really significant name in place of like, The Meters or something. What do they pick like five? Ugh, if I can only choose 5, Bon Jovi, The Moody Blues, Judas Priest, The Cars and Radiohead should get in. I'm very happy if Bon Jovi and The Cars get in ... I don't have too strong of feelings either way about any of the rest of the list ... be nice to see Judas Priest also I guess

Wish I hadn't, but I listened to it. http://youtu.be/nQFCF9KESic there are just some songs that I can't listen to after i lose someone close to me .. I couldn't listen to Fire and Rain for quite a while after I lost my dad .... this song is probably on that list now .. when I hear it I'm always gonna think of losing someone way too soon ... RIP Tom Petty

if you wanna shed a tear for him .. listen to room at the top ... it just got me

tough, but I'll go with Refugee ... love the line "who knows maybe you were kidnapped, tied up, taken away, and held for ransom"

Im off work today ... pretty much only gonna listen to Tom .. man this sucks ... way way way too soon ... RIP

the classic rock station in Indianapolis just played an hour straight from him ... I got to hear about half of it ... rest in peace Tom Petty ... you will be missed ... but thanks so much for leaving us your wonderful music !!

When no one is looking ....if I drop food on the floor ....I still pick it up and throw it away

Let just say you have the 50 k to blow only it could be any living rock artist coming over for 2 hours and bringing 50 years worth of their unreleased material ...who ya got? I'm going with sir Paul

JP for me ...

true ... and add caddyshack II to the why just why list

food keeps me alive ... but without music life is meaningless ... so I'm going with rush

I think the second and third tier hair metal bands of the 80s are dad (and mom) rock ... like Cinderella, winger, ratt, warrant, and the likes ... at least my classic rock loving 18 year old doesn't seem to really get into some stuff like that ... and I can still jam out to a bit of it ... it brings back good memories

their anger and desperation seem somewhat contrived to me ... they are a very good band though ... they just do not come off as believable to my ears

Rest In Peace is about all that needs to be said today