Band Members with Least Musical Talent

[Jah Womble]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

I'll buy that Ian Brown has a 'distinctive' voice, certainly an 'effective' voice - and perhaps even a 'unique' voice.

But 'beautiful'? Well, beauty is perhaps in the ear of the beholder or whatever, but I think in terms of King Monkey I'll always struggle with that one...

[Squarewheelbike]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Yer lass out of Prefab Sprout!

[Satchmo Distel]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

How much vocal talent did Shaun Ryder have?

[Jah Womble]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Not much, but I think we've established that, in a lot of cases, it isn't the be-all. I mean, Bob Dylan couldn't hold a tune in a bucket.

It seems that the 'non-singing' in these instances might accompany a unique take on wordsmithery. Mark E Smith's a further example.

[MsD]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

I *adore* Ian Brown's voice, although it's often been flatter than a pancake live. Love the Roses' stuff and F.E.A.R.

I also love Shaun Ryder's voice. Both go beyond (or not as far as, sometimes) singing ability, which you can find on the XFactor or The Voice. They have personality in their voices.

[Jah Womble]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Agree re FEAR. Of Brown's solo canon, I also liked If Dolphins Were Monkeys.

Rather than 'ability' as such, X Factor et al have never been much more than exercises in aping either Mariah Carey or Ronan Keating. Or the most recent generation of copyists of same.

[jwdd27]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

I concur with the comments above. Brown's solo stuff is OK, a bit weed drenched and nonsensical, but definitely well done.
The correct order of musical accomplishment is Reni, John, Ian and Mani. With Reni a long way ahead of the rest.

[Hot Pepsi]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Me, in the State College Area High School Symphonic Band, 1989-1991.

[3 Colours Red]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Hot Pepsi wrote: Me, in the State College Area High School Symphonic Band, 1989-1991.

Well, if we're going down this route - all four members of The Rickshaws. We even recorded a demo tape which I hope has been seized in a police raid and destroyed in the interests of public safety.

I was on keyboards by the way.

[kokamoa]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

The interesting thing about McCarroll is how much of a dogs dinner his various replacements have made of drumming on his songs live. Alan White sort of got it right but too often those songs that thrilled people in 1994 sounded sluggish and inert post 2000. It got worse when you consider that while Gem Archer and Andy Bell may be better players than Bonehead and Guigsy, they sounded too clean as players compared to the piledriving sound that caught people's attention. Throw in Liam's disintegrating voice (it's no coincidence that he sounds more assured singing his own stuff than Oasis songs nowadays) and has as been said before, Oasis's downward slide began once "the least talented one" was sacked. They gained a muso, but lost something more fundamental.

According to McCarroll, legal action was a must as he was turfed out without a penny and his name was only on the original contract in pen only.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

kokamoa wrote: The interesting thing about McCarroll is how much of a dogs dinner his various replacements have made of drumming on his songs live.

This ties in with a David Hepworth article I read, who argued that the drummer was really the heartbeat of the band and the least replaceable.

He makes the point that Quo were never the same after booting out John Coghlan. Ditto The Who when Keith Moon died. John Bonham to some extent too. I don't think the Beatles would have been as good without Ringo. And I don't think The White Stripes work without Meg White.

[My Name Is Ian]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

I'd always consider the drummer to be the most important member of a band, but then again, I would say that, wouldn't I?

(Actually, it's something I've heard more than once from guitarists and the like - getting a decent drummer is really important. They're just not necessarily easy to come by and they really do make an appreciable difference to the sound of a band. I stepped into a band when I was about nineteen to replace a very mediocre drummer and recordings from before and after sounded like two completely different bands, and I wasn't a genius of any sort.)

On that subject, step forward Beverly "Bev" Bevan out of ELO, who is probably the most mediocre drummer that I've ever heard of. Think of songs like, I dunno, "Sweet Talking Woman". Now, *there's* a song that would benefit from a percussive flourish, but that was never on the cards with the Bev-meister.

[Satchmo Distel]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Peter Best was too mediocre to even drum on Love Me Do.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Satchmo Distel wrote: Peter Best was too mediocre to even drum on Love Me Do.

One of the very few examples of successfully changing your drummer.

[Jah Womble]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Chad Channing for Dave Grohl. There's another.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

John Rutsey for Neil Peart.

Not that Rutsey was a bad drummer, in fact he was very good. But, y'know, Neil Peart.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

3 Colours Red wrote:

Me, in the State College Area High School Symphonic Band, 1989-1991.

Well, if we're going down this route - all four members of The Rickshaws. We even recorded a demo tape which I hope has been seized in a police raid and destroyed in the interests of public safety.

I was on keyboards by the way.

Ha! The band I was a member of in school / sixth form - rejoicing in the name "Niteraw"* - were uniformly fucking terrible. I was on lead guitar, which in no way suited my ability, and my mate Kev was on rhythm and vox, which in no way suited his.

Weirdly, our rhythm section were quite good. Andy on bass and Dave on drums. Fuck knows what they were playing at with us.

Our version of "20th Century Boy" was quite something. As was our version of Thunder's "Back Street Symphony", which I'm certain I still can't play now.

*Not my choice. Andy and Dave's, now I come to think of it, which negates their musical ability.

[kokamoa]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

My Name Is Ian wrote: I'd always consider the drummer to be the most important member of a band, but then again, I would say that, wouldn't I?

On that subject, step forward Beverly "Bev" Bevan out of ELO, who is probably the most mediocre drummer that I've ever heard of. Think of songs like, I dunno, "Sweet Talking Woman". Now, *there's* a song that would benefit from a percussive flourish, but that was never on the cards with the Bev-meister.

Sorry, I don't listen to much of ELO, but as an admirer of The Move I can't let that pass unremarked. Check out Move tracks Looking On and Open Up Said The World At the Door, for full on Bev Bevan drum solo action.

[3 Colours Red]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Maybe once Roy buggered off, Jeff's Beatle complex really kicked in and he told Bev to tone it down.

And Toby - guess what we chose to play, considering that I was still in my grunge phase (even though this was '96/'97 - I was a little too young to appreciate it when it was all new and vital), Shane (guitar/vocals) and Sean (bass) were both huge metalheads, and Jason (drums) was into rap?

That's right... Oasis covers.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Band Members with Least Musical Talent

Here's the thing - we were (and, in mine and Dave's case, still are) massive metalheads.

That said, Dave was also bang into Zappa and could play the drums like some kind of jazz-metal demon.

Like I said, no idea what the fuck he thought he was doing slumming it with us. Apart from having a massive laugh, which I guess is all we were really good for.

[Exiled off Main Street]

I believe Peter "Hooky" Hook had little time for the keyboard player in New Order. Or am I mixing him and her up with the bassist in Talking Heads?

Just to be clear here - you are not insinuating that Tina Weymouth cannot play the bass ?

'cos she can, and she still is ace at it.

[David Agnew]

How much vocal talent did Shaun Ryder have?

More than Bez.

[Havencheese]

When Madonna wears a guitar for a while live, just to look like a muso. Then again sans all her producers and songwriters, she is a solo artist so 'least talented' is confusing here.

She's at least still a pretty good dancer.

[statto99]

Yer lass out of Prefab Sprout!

I'll not have you impugning the Director of Learning and Participation at the Sage Gateshead!!

Alrighty, then. Steve Mcqueen without Wendy?

[Amor de Cosmos]

When Madonna wears a guitar for a while live, just to look like a muso. Then again sans all her producers and songwriters, she is a solo artist so 'least talented' is confusing here.

She's at least still a pretty good dancer.

Does musical instrument as prop count? If so then Elvis would be the first in my memory.