The other day I got scrolling through my Itunes looking for something different to listen to. I hit up a bunch of classic rock, some grunge, a little bit of 90's pop, and a smidgen of metal just to keep things interesting. Somewhere along the line I got playing some Beach Boys and I began to wonder, what is the best harmonizing band out there? Here are some potentials I came up with:
Alice In Chains: An obvious choice and quite possibly my top pick on this list. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell somehow manage to complement each other in a way that I don't think is possible to duplicate. To call their songs ominous and eerie is an understatement, but somehow the vocals manage to blow you away. Great voices.
The Beach Boys: This is one of those "duh" choices. Anyone who doesn't have the Beach Boys on harmonies list flat out doesn't count. By the way, there is no shame in attempting to sing Good Vibrations while driving, no shame at all.
The Beatles: Another supremely obvious pick. Any doubters should look at their earlier songs. A good number of them are filled with incredible harmonies.
Eagles: Anyone that has any doubts about the Eagles ability to harmonize obviously hasn't heard Seven Bridges Road. Somehow the band managed to pull of flawless harmonies live. Its redic and I recommend it highly.
Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young): With or without Young, these guys pulled off some awesome harmonies. In fact, what songs did these guys do without harmonies? Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is a must listen!
At any rate these are best bands that came to mind, right now I'm leaning toward AIC, just because how unique they were. Thoughts?
-Matt
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Showing my indie-rock leanings I think that you've got to mention The Shins in this discussion. Granted, the vocal harmonies were mostly James Mercer overdubbing in studio, he makes some amazing sounds.
ReplyDeleteHe truly uses his voice as an instrument, and a single Shins song contains more interesting harmonies than most bands can make in an entire album.
Dude, I'm gonna have to ask you to kindly not mention The Shins anymore. Last month, I kinda had a three week obsession with Chutes Too Narrow, still recovering. Great band, can't believe I overlooked that one. If overdubbs are legit for harmonizing though, can't forget what David Gilmour could pull off in the post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd.
ReplyDeleteCome on, neil diamond
ReplyDeletethe man harmonized by himself, has a voice that can make a wolverine purr
Also, not sure if one hit wonders count... "More than words" by extreme
ReplyDeleteRed Hot Chili Peppers - By the way Album
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the best, but I enjoy the listen.
Also, let's not forget Queen. Bohemian Rhapsody anyone?