Henry’s Music Blog

A band is best when a singer and the band are in perfect balance with each other, working with each others strengths for a unified sound. Sometimes, an excellent singer can pull up a band from being just good, and it doesn’t matter how bad the rest of the band is. But if you have a terrible singer to contend to, it’s very hard to be good. People are always immediately drawn to the vocalist in the mix, since it’s always at the front, and its the singer who typically becomes the star of a band. So if you want to make good music, you need a good singer. So today, I’m doing…

The Top 10 Bands Ruined by Singers

Special mention to the Power Metal group Kamelot, who used to have a god awful vocalist, but was quickly replaced by the singer Roy Kahn, who is completely awesome. If you like super silly metal, try out them.

10. The Doors

I feel that this will be a controversial entry. But here’s the thing. This list doesn’t mean bad singers. It means singers that ruined the band. And everyone in the Doors is extremely talented. But eventually, Jim Morrison started to steal the spotlight. The band effectively became his band, even though he resented the fact. While the first album was everyones show, future albums effectively became his platform to show how much he hated consonants, while the band drifted off, until Morrison died at that legendary number, 27. And then they broke up. It’s like even they knew they would go nowhere without him.

9. Hole

Now this one, I actually have no idea how much better it would be, because I really do hate Hole. But I am pretty sure they’d be a hell of a lot better without that living needle of heroin, Courtney Love. Love is simply a terrible musician and singer, who made it big because of Kurt Cobain. So while I have no idea how good the rest of the band is, I know losing her would be nothing but a good thing. Here’s a story about the infamous 9:30 club show. Tell me how that makes you feel about her.

8. Chicago

Chicago started off as a truly great band. Back in the start, they created two of the greatest blues rock albums ever, with The Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago II. But then, a while later, tragedy struck, as Guitar Player Terry Kath accidentally shot himself in the head (It’s a long story). So after that, Peter Cetera stepped up as the true leader of Chicago, and you realized just how awful his voice is to the ears. Gone was the wild solos of “25 or 6 to 4”, in were songs like “You’re the Inspiration”. Quite simply, Peter Cetera ruined Chicago, while somehow being there the whole time. We just didn’t realize it.

7. Coldplay

Coldplay does have some genuine talent behind it. They are experts at crafting ballads, and can genuinely rock when they feel like it. But they never really get to their true heights. And it’s all because of their frontman, Chris Martin, otherwise known as “guy from Coldplay #1”. Because of him, Coldplay would probably not be making the same song for the 100th time. It’s because of his syrupy voice they they are one of the most hated bands in the world. And with their newest Mylo Xyloto, they’ve descended further into Radiohead, making their own Kid A. Looks like matter of time before Coldplay is a glorified solo project.

6. Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam has a weird history behind it. You get the guys from Temple of the Dog and Green River, along with a surfer as a singer, and become one of the biggest bands in the world. With that backstory, you’d think they’d be applauded for making Grunge, then making it marketable, but instead, people focus on one thing. That thing is Eddie Vedder’s voice. Now you could argue that Pearl Jam wouldn’t be the same without Eddie Vedder singing through his nose. That’s why I kept Motorhead off the list, even though Lemmy is a horrible singer. They just wouldn’t be the same. But Lemmy fits Motorhead’s style. Pearl Jam immediately went beyond Grunge, with acoustic songs all the way back on Ten. And Vedder’s voice simply does not fit. Also, it inspired Scott Stapp, which is reprehensible (we’ll get back to him in a minute).

5. Journey

This one requires some explanation. There are many things about Journey that the public is not aware of. One, they started off as artists originally from Santana. Second, they were a jazz project. Now, I want you to think about that for a second. One of the most popular bands of the late 70s and 80s was a jazz group. That’s just plain weird. But then, my arch nemesis Steve Perry reared his bizarrely shaped head, and made them the worst thing since later era Chicago. And now I’m thinking of a world without “Don’t Stop Believing”. It’s beautiful.

4. Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit was one of the biggest bands in the world a while ago. It’s hard to believe now, but it’s true. Now, saying you’re a fan of Limp Bizkit is like saying you’re a fan of Michael Bay; it immediately makes you a douchebag, or a Durst-bag if you like puns. Speaking of which, that’s the man we’re talking about, Fred Durst. Possibly the most hated man alive who isn’t in a political seat, the backlash around the early 2000s was huge. And it’s sad. Because Limp Bizkit is for the most part a good band. Their second album Significant Other is actually great in my opinion. But then Durst made it all about him with their followup Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, which is mostly just a bad album. And really, Wes Borland, their guitarist, is the most talented by all accounts, with his own band Black Light Burns. Listen to that instead.

3. U2

I’ve said that some other bands on this list were some of the biggest bands in the world. U2 has been the biggest band in the world since 1987. That is one hell of an accomplishment. And it’s even crazier when you realized that you’ve never heard anyone say a single positive thing about them. And it’s all because of Bono. Everyone’s mocked Bono before, because they’re is a lot to make fun of. He has the ego, he has the belief that he alone is saving Africa, and there’s the sunglasses. I like U2, but o boy is Bono getting a wee bit annoying.

2. No Doubt

Tragic Kingdom is a truly great album. Rock Steady is beyond repair. You want to know what the main difference here is? The first album focuses on Gwen Stefani’s troubled relationship with another member. The second album is about Gwen Stefani’s sex appeal. There’s a big difference there. And just to make it clear, I hate Gwen Stefani. I hate everything about her. I hate her singing, I hate her behavior, and I hate “Hollaback Girl”. She truly is an intolerable persona. And the rest of No Doubt are insanely talented. But they can’t get back together because of Gwen Stefani. Oh how I detest thee. But there is one band, with a singer worse than Gwen Stefani, and a band better than No Doubt, that I had to put at number 1. And that band is…

1. Creed

I think no one would argue if I called Creed the worst band of all time. They are simply abysmal. And its all because of that one putrid man, Scott Stapp. Scott Stapp is simply an abysmal human being, in every possible way. I seriously detest this man. But why are they at the top of this list? Two words: Alter Bridge. Alter Bridge is what Creed would be without Scott Stapp, and it is awesome. They really are one of the best Rock Bands of the 2000s, with the song “Blackbird” actually being named as having the greatest guitar solo ever, above “Stairway to Heaven” and “Hotel California”. And to believe, that all came from Creed.