Here are some of my favorite songs featuring falsetto singing. I tried to cover quite a few genres, but I wanted to keep it to 10 (although I did include two Handel).
Handel Nube Sole Si Fugge il Duol
Handel - Amor Nel Mio Penar
Skip James - Drunken Spree
Carl Story - I've Found a Hiding Place
Ken Parker - My7 Whole World is Falling Down
Eddie Kendricks - Can I?
Curtis Mayfield - Power to the People
Secos & Molhados - Amor
Radiohead - Reckoner
Wild Beasts - Brave Bulging Buoyant CLairvoyants
Cee Lo - Evening News
What are some of yours? (Thanks, TFD, for the Alfred Deller-style inspiration)
61 comments:
Looking forward to this, and also do you still have a copy of that classical music compilation you mentioned last week. I'd like to add to my Four Seasons, and 100 Classic Hits compilation.
Just had a quick listen. This sounds very interesting and is a great idea. Like ejaydee, I look fowrd to making time to listen. Thanks.
Donds for BBBC by WB - oh how I love that song!!
How about I'm Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jimmy Helms?
It's cause of you I know it blimpmaster.
Ejay I'd be glad to drop you some classical, man. I'm at work now, but let me give it a think.
I'm a huge fan of Klaus Nomi. His version of Purcell's Cold Song is incredibly moving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_A6IR58Htg
The Russian star Vitas might go even higher though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjO_VXHxsRw
The spill is so much fun today!
I just remembered bronski beat and fine young cannibals and canned heat...
Who took the picture?
Still innundated with rain songs, but look forward to listening to this - nice idea.
Two of my faves: Kurt Wagner of Lambchop, circa Nixon, and The Charlatans' Tim Burgess copying him surprisingly effectively on the Wonderland LP ("A Man Needs to Be Told" being the stand-out track).
I don't know gf. I found it a while ago on a design ( etc) blog, and I liked it so much I saved it. I was going to try to think of something more appropriate, but I was late for work...
Was The Band's 'I Shall Be Released' sung falsetto? That worked.
The Handel was an enjoyable change of pace, although we've had our share of water music round here the last few days.
Surprised that DsD hasn't proposed the entire Sigur Ros back catalogue yet - I thought Jonsi was a girl when I first heard them.
Donds for Bronski, still holds up well & was quite a groundbreaker back in less tolerant times.
You're absolutely right about Sigur Ros, Shoey, but I was holding back until I could -
(i) decide which one song to link to to best demonstrate my love for Jonsi's voice; and
(ii) think of any more names to add to the discussion.
For instance, there was of course Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, but I think easily their best rocker was this song (the only one of theirs on my Walkman).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBVijACQLW4
;o*
No one's mentioned the Brother's Gibb yet. Lots to choose from there ...
And why is there an apostrophe in Brothers? I'm sure I didn't put it there - perhaps these tight trousers I'm wearing this morning are affecting more than my voice ...
Well that's task #11 out the bag early.
eJay I have lots of Yo Yo Ma if you want
Well, it's the brother's gibb, isn't it? Who else's gibb would it be?
That's a MAN singing in Sigur Ros? I had no idea.
I'd take Yo Yo Ma's Bach Cello Suites if you have them, but I''m looking for some of that underground shit.
Yo Yo Ma has recorded the cello suites twice. Most music critics reckon he did it better the first time. I can send the earlier versions if you like, if Tin only has the later one.
Er, I have Bach cello sonatas performed on original instruments by Christophe Coin, I have the viola Da Gamba sonatas which are freaking gorgeous and I have the violin sonatas performed by John Holloway, which are phenomenal. The original instrument thing is where all the snobbery come in, so sorry about that. It has to do with the style of playing, too. I feel bad for bringing it up--don't mean to dis your yo yo.
I'll put the Viola Da Gamba and the Violin in for starters, and take it from there. Does anybody else want them, or should I put it in Ejay's folder?
I've been looking for a good version of Bach's cello suites actually, but haven't had the time to visit our local classical guru... I used to have a copy of the Naxos release by a Hungarian cellist whose name escapes me.
Falsetto wise I always liked the Jimmy Somerville theme to Orlando, particularly the way his voice fits with the oboe and strings.
A friend of mine once produced a cd of house music with a similar shakespearean, falsetto feel to it.
I also always loved Grant Mclennan's falsetto, as it was always so tentative and delicate.. favourite track would be Dark side of town, it was on the G.W. Mclennan memorial post.
..though I see the vocals on Dark side of town- the high part at least- were done by the Church's Karin Jansson. Still sort of a falsetto, I suppose.
I've got Rostropovitch's Cello suites, I couldn't tell you if it's better than another one though.
I shall leave the Yo Yo Ma etc to those who know it better then (and then help myself he he)
Steen: I'm interested in your original instruments.
Plus I have an interesting album: Perpetual Motion, here's what Wiki says about it:
Perpetual Motion is an album of classical music released in 2001. The album is unique in that none of the pieces featured on it are played on the instruments for which they were written. Arrangers Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer won a Grammy in 2002 for their arrangement of Claude Debussy's "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum". The album also won a Grammy as Best Classical Crossover Album.
Fleck assembled a group of musicians well-known on their own instruments: violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Gary Hoffman, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, double-bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolin player Chris Thile, and guitarists John Williams and Bryan Sutton.
The only version of the Bach cello suites that I have is the Pablo Cassals that I bought in the 60's but which were recorded in the 30's; there's a strong school that claim these are the definitives.
My wife teaches world history in a high school, she begins her day preparing whilst listening to this EVERY day!
I used to have the cello suites performed on a harmonica, I even used it as the sound track to a film, it was beautiful.
Sometime at the end of the last century a movement began to restore instruments to the way they were originally - when the music was composed. We're speaking specifically of baroque and early classical music here. Instruments at that time were lighter and less fortified--they had less wood in their belly, they had gut rather than metal strings. This meant that they had to be played differently as well. You couldn't "saw away" at them to get that sound-by-the-pound effect. The bow was held under the frog, rather than over, so that you couldn't press down on it as much, which meant (as well as the thinner wood) that you could achieve more of a resonance. Trumpets at the time (called natural trumpets) didn't have valves...there are a lot of differences, it would take ages to discuss them all. Anyway, people that like music played on original instruments will argue that the sound is more subtle, and more suited to the music. People that don't like original instruments will say that if Bach had access today's instruments he would use them. People that like original instruments will counter that he would have written different music if that were the case.
I'll put some in a post.
And it turns out I don't have the cello concertos by Christophe Coin. I have some cantatas. According to my mother, the best version of the Cello cantatas is by Jaap Ter Linden, which I will drop in the box if anybody is interested,
Amidst all this classical music, I should say I loved this playlist. You must have spilled some of these before, because I almost had them all.
So if it ain't baroque....
steenbeck, my middle child (Naomi) did a degree in music technology, specialising in making woodwind instrument. She was thinking of going into business making 'period' instruments...but decided the marketing part would be too tedious and time-consuming. So now she's a primary school teacher!
It's maybe worth mentioning that the Handel would have been sung by a castrato, rather than falsetto. I don't know if there's an extremist faction in the period instrument movement that advocates chopping boys' bollocks off?
I've obviously never heard a castrato, but I reckon Antony Hegggarty's voice might come close.
Heh heh, Ejay, I was feeling very predictable as I put the list together. I was trying to come up with something new, but I really like these. I wonder if I got the Secos and Molhados song from you. It's the only thing I have by them, and I'm not sure it's the best one to show his voice. I should have used this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIyvM9Ce7mM
Instead of the cat picture.
(Teehee, TC--go for baroque with the puns, why don't you?)
Ejay, I'm not sure I know the classical compilation I mentioned. Maybe I'll do a series of posts like Nilpferd's Jazz and Toffee's 12 tasks.
I wonder if any of our Spanish friends have heard of Jordi Savall? He plays bass viol, which is probably my favorite instrument on the planet. Maybe I'll start with him.
I used to be fascinated by all the different period instruments, TFD. THere was a little shop in London, down some stairs, that was just magical.
Barbryn - good point! The Senesino that Handel's Arias for Senesino were written for was a castrato. There's a movie, Farinelli, about a castrato. Historical drama!
And what do you call THIS:
"I remember giving a CD of some of my favorite classical music to a friend, and she said, "oh good, I can study to it." And I thought...noooooooo! The apple don't fall far. Not that you have to sit and analyze every note, but you know..."
It's possible you got Amor from me, it was in the famed Summer podcast. You could have gone for Rosa de Hiroshima, I'll drop their first album for you, plenty to chose from the dulcet sounds of Ney Matogrosso.
Ohhhh, now I remember. That works out perfectly because it was Jordi Savall. I've posted a song or two of his on the 'Spill, but it was completely ignored by you culturless boors. I'll put together a little post and put some in the box.
You want classical music?
You can't Handel classical music!
I think they just want to get Back to some basics and keep[ it simple - nothing Straussful, no Beethoving a dead horse.
Sorry, can't do anything with Rimshot Korsetcough
The hard thing about doing a classical spill post is the length of the pieces I guess, though I could chip in with my greatest hits collection of about 7 symphonies by Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Dvorak, some wind music, piano sonatas, Gregorian choirs, and Mara's Mozart cd.
... and but for you Mendelssohn kids I would've gotten away with it ...
I'm Dvoraking myself from this whole dodgy classical puns business, it's not in the Liszt bit funny.
This is no laughing matter, niplf. According to shoegazer's post up above, his whole family are suffering from Scarlatti Fever and they're now Haydn for disaster.
I notice tincanman hasn't posted anything for a while - presumably he's too Bizet.
This thread is starting to unRavel. I'm Suk of it.
Just goes to show why some say puns are the lowest form of humour, not even an art form. Mozart takes a little more effort to create.
You're all Brahms & Liszt.
Cat picture, which cat picture?
See, this is why they've closed comments on RR - everyone is over here being silly.
I'm a bit after the Lord Mayor's Show (or Showstacovitch, as you will) here, but, as you'd expect, steen, you've hit a few of my falsetto faves with Ken Parker (although my mate used to have a slightier dubbier but even more impossibly sweet version, purportedly by Dave Barker, the existence of which I cannot find today even in websville, so it might have just been another Ken Parker version), Eddie Kendricks, Curtis and Cee Lo. And, from above, Jimi Somerville and Jimmy Helms would also be among my choices.
Otherwise and, yup, it's predominantly soulful (though ignoring still more Eddie Kendricks and Curtis Mayfield examples):
Sweet Charles - Yes It's You
The Isley Brothers - This Old Heart Of Mine (my favourite song I couldn't sing properly in a month of Sundays, unless each Sunday saw the progressive removal of my genitalia)
Clarence 'Frogman' Henry - I Ain't Got A Home (only one bit of it - the "I'm a lonely girl" verse. But this is also in my top ten of songs featuring frog-like singing)
The Chi-Lites - Stoned Out Of My Mind
The Stylistics - Sing Baby Sing (really, though, I'm spoiled for choice with Eugene Record and Russell Thompkins)
Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
but possibly squeezing out even all these:
Junior Murvin - Police And Thieves
Sheeeit - this should be an RR theme!
Police and Thieves!! Of course! This would make a good RR theme - or at least a composite playlist on spotify. Maybe I'll set one up, if I can figure out how, and drag all these suggestions in.
And who feels like she's hangin with the cool kids now? End of the week puns on MY POST!!
GOneforeign,, I meant big cat - it's a baby black Jaguar.
steen, I thought you were the cool kids - that's why I'm here. So who are cool kids, then? Where should I be instead? How do you get on the guest Lizst?
Nice try May!
If you are a cool kid, you know. If you have to ask, you aren't.
Dunno why it works that way or how you change things. But if you find out, let me know. I wanna be a cool kid too! waaaaaaaaaaaah
I made a cllaborative playlist on spotify, mostly so I could listen to all your wonderful suggestions. I'm having trouble finding everything , but it's been fun looking around. Loved the go betweens, stylistics, lambchop--I picked a song at random because it had the word masculine in the title, which seemed like a funny contrast. Anyway, if anybody wants to drag some songs in, hopefully it will work.
All we need now is a link to the playlist
d'oh! here it is, I hope...
so high: http://open.spotify.com/user/rrsteenbeck/playlist/5GiTKmzAGqSY36W7qi9xZZ
Why isn't it changing color?
Ejaydee, as soon as I download secos & Molhados I'll put some classical in our folder. I'm wearing Dropbox out, lately!!
Cool, by the way, if anybody has an iphone, there's a dropbox app. I don't know what it does, because I don't have an iphone.
"You Masculine You" was a good choice. If you haven't listened to the rest of Nixon, do - one of my albums of the decade.
I've found you another counter-tenor, steen - Michael Chance, singing Purcell's By Beauteous Softness Mixt With Majesty. I've put it loose in the box as you haven't got a folder for them.
Thanks, TFD, the Purcell is beautiful.
Steen: I just came across a CD I didn't know I had, a freebe from my radio days. It's Crystal Tears by Andreas Scholl accompanied by Concerto di Viole, a quartet of traditional string instruments. They perform music of John Dowland and his contemporaries, Scholl is a counter-tenor.
There's a piece at youtube you might enjoy, it's at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZtDIBUH0Wo
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