Steve Howe Guitarscape

[GuitarGeek]

Re: Grand Scheme Of Things,

I haven't listened to the full album in awhile, vocals aside, I think it's not too bad. I think I must have gotten myself acclimated to Howe's singing, because the last couple times I listened to Beginnings, the vocals didn't bother me nearly as much as they did when I first heard it back in the 90's. I mean, the thing about Howe, and I feel the same way about Hackett and other musicians who can play their instrument like that, is they don't really need vocals on their records, and in my opinion, the reason you're buying a Steve Howe solo album or a Steve Hackett solo record, or whatever, is to listen to them play guitar, not sing (or have guest singers, or whatever). So I never really understood the need these guys have to put vocals on their records, beyond the vanity of "I've written some lyrics, so I'm gonna stick them on the record".

But beyond that, most people would suggest that "Steve Howe can't sing", or at least "Steve Howe can't sing lead". And I was in that camp when I first got the CD reissues of Beginnings and The Steve Howe Album circa 1995, but nowadays, that doesn't bother me so much. And I'd rather listen to the records, and listen to the stuff there that I do like, then pull the "Well, why does he keep putting songs on his solo records" or "Why does he insist on singing lead?" maneuver.

[GuitarGeek]

Whooo boy..... why Steve Howe ever allowed himself to "sing" on his records is beyond me. Didn't anyone at the record company have the balls to tell him no, please God, no!?

Did anyone ever tell Bob Dylan he shouldn't sing? What about Uli Jon Roth? I think the both of them are worse than Howe.

[Steve983]

Re: Grand Scheme Of Things,

I haven't listened to the full album in awhile, vocals aside, I think it's not too bad. I think I must have gotten myself acclimated to Howe's singing, because the last couple times I listened to Beginnings, the vocals didn't bother me nearly as much as they did when I first heard it back in the 90's. I mean, the thing about Howe, and I feel the same way about Hackett and other musicians who can play their instrument like that, is they don't really need vocals on their records, and in my opinion, the reason you're buying a Steve Howe solo album or a Steve Hackett solo record, or whatever, is to listen to them play guitar, not sing (or have guest singers, or whatever). So I never really understood the need these guys have to put vocals on their records, beyond the vanity of "I've written some lyrics, so I'm gonna stick them on the record".

But beyond that, most people would suggest that "Steve Howe can't sing", or at least "Steve Howe can't sing lead". And I was in that camp when I first got the CD reissues of Beginnings and The Steve Howe Album circa 1995, but nowadays, that doesn't bother me so much. And I'd rather listen to the records, and listen to the stuff there that I do like, then pull the "Well, why does he keep putting songs on his solo records" or "Why does he insist on singing lead?" maneuver.

I really like The Grand Scheme. Steve CAN sing, its just many don't like his voice or can't unhear/forgive some of the bad singing on Beginnings. How about All's A Chord from The Steve Howe Album - i love this one.

[Sputnik]

But beyond that, most people would suggest that "Steve Howe can't sing", or at least "Steve Howe can't sing lead". And I was in that camp when I first got the CD reissues of Beginnings and The Steve Howe Album circa 1995, but nowadays, that doesn't bother me so much. And I'd rather listen to the records, and listen to the stuff there that I do like, then pull the "Well, why does he keep putting songs on his solo records" or "Why does he insist on singing lead?" maneuver.

Like you, I've gotten used to Howe's vocals on Beginnings and The Steve Howe Album, and like you, I'd say it's because there is enough there musically that attracts me that makes it worth tolerating the vocals. I haven't found that to be the case with the vast majority of his other solo albums. I re-listened to the song that was just posted from Grand Scheme, and it sounds like a poor demo of on outtake from Turbulence. Had he done what he did on Turbulence, or a lot of the songs on Beginnings, and taken the time to orchestrate the song a bit more with his guitars, I might be more attracted. Instead, he lets the vocal carry the song, and that just doesn't work well for me.

It's partly true that laying all the blame on the vocals is perhaps a bit lazy, but to me, Turbulence shows what he can accomplish when he lays vocals aside and focuses on the guitar orchestration. So, in a sense, I think vocals do serve as a distraction for Howe that they don't for Hackett, who writes incredibly brilliant vocal songs, and who doesn't sing nearly as poorly as Howe.

Did anyone ever tell Bob Dylan he shouldn't sing? What about Uli Jon Roth? I think the both of them are worse than Howe.

I don't really know Uli Jon Roth, but I think Howe is technically a lot worse than Dylan, Hackett, or someone like Neil Young. Howe struggles with pitch, and struggles moving fluidly from note to note. These other singers don't necessarily have great voices, but they don't struggle the way Howe does, and they have made the very most of what they have, while with Howe, the vocals always feel like an afterthought that get parachuted into the mix at the last minute. As good as the music may be, a lot of listeners simply aren't going to put up with that, and even those who really like what Howe does instrumentally tend to be put off. That just isn't the case with Dylan or Neil Young.

Bill

[ronmac]

Did anyone ever tell Bob Dylan he shouldn't sing? What about Uli Jon Roth? I think the both of them are worse than Howe.

Could you imagine Steve Howe attempting this? Weary, indeed.

Plus, Dylan, like him or not, is a master of phrasing.

[Progatron]

Could you imagine Steve Howe attempting this? Weary, indeed.

Plus, Dylan, like him or not, is a master of phrasing.

Not that one in particular, but...

[Mister Triscuits]

Come on, Bob Dylan is a fucking brilliant singer. He doesn’t have a pretty voice, but what he does with it is magnificent. Steve Howe is merely straining against his limitations. I love Beginnings, and in general I can hang with the vocals…but at times it takes a bit of effort.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Did anyone ever tell Bob Dylan he shouldn't sing? What about Uli Jon Roth? I think the both of them are worse than Howe.

Agree about Uli. He is just about the worst singer I've ever heard. Dylan is great for Dylan music, although I generally like cover versions of his songs much better than the originals. How the covering artists sussed out the melody is beyond me....

[GuitarGeek]

Agree about Uli. He is just about the worst singer I've ever heard.

The thing I've never been able understand about Herr Uli is, the guy insisted on singing, even when he was in Scorpions. I repeat: he was in the same band as Klaus Meine, and still insisted on singing at least one song on, I believe, every studio album he appeared on. I might be able to believe that, at least on the first couple Electric Sun records, he was unable to attract a better vocalist. But then you get to Beyond The Astral Skies, he had a guy who sang lead on four of the songs, why not have him sing on the entire album?!

[ronmac]

^^ Ego.

[ronmac]

Not to hijack this thread, but one of the worst singers I've ever seen in concert was Pye Hastings of Caravan when they opened for Nektar in 2004. The band was great, though.

[Koreabruce]

Plus, Dylan, like him or not, is a master of phrasing.

Exactly. I've never been a huge fan of his mostly due to the singing style, but I've always thought it's perfect for what he does. His phrasing is indeed superb, and that's how the message of every song gets its hooks into the listener. That voice has become an integral part of the message.

Steve Howe, on the other hand, has long been a blessing to us all for his GUITAR skills. Maybe that's why he's on this earth. His weak voice is only ever a distraction from that. On the occasions when he does come up with great vocal melodies, those can best be served through someone <coughjoncoughcoughandersoncough> who has been equally blessed vocally. All, of course, IMHO. YMMV.

[ronmac]

Exactly. I've never been a huge fan of his mostly due to the singing style, but I've always thought it's perfect for what he does. His phrasing is indeed superb, and that's how the message of every song gets its hooks into the listener. That voice has become an integral part of the message.

Totally agree. When he mentioned being a huge fan of Sinatra (who I never liked), I was a bit puzzled. Then it clicked. Sinatra is more revered for his phrasing than his actual singing voice, too.

[yesstiles]

Not to hijack this thread, but one of the worst singers I've ever seen in concert was Pye Hastings of Caravan when they opened for Nektar in 2004. The band was great, though.

That’s a shame to hear. I’ve always loved his singing on the Caravan records in the 1970s.

[ronmac]

That’s a shame to hear. I’ve always loved his singing on the Caravan records in the 1970s.

I am totally unaware of their records, so I have nothing to compare except my virgin ears, which were subsequently violated.