Rolling Stone's 100 best voices: Steve Perry #76

[peridactyl]

Honest to God I don't get why so many people and a lot of the media deride Steve Perry's voice, while others think it is one of the all time best. This week Steve was voted #76 out of 100 of the best voices of all time and he is one of the few that have been singled out to get derisive bullshit from many directions:

From futurehalloffame.com:

"11.12.08 09:46 PM Filed in: Future Hall of Famers? | Prognostications
Rolling Stone magazine unleashed their latest "greatest" list today, this one focusing on the best singers of all-time (not necessarily rock, by the way).The list was compiled after Rolling Stone polled a bunch of artists, journalists and music industry folks to name their top 20 singers.
A hefty 72 of the artists listed are Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. That leaves just 28 artists who are not yet in. Quite a few of these are primarily known as country singers (George Jones, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Patsy Clline), and generally wouldn't be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anyway, although there have been exceptions (like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash). There are seven artists who aren't eligible yet, but a few of them are likely future inductees, like Nirvana, Radiohead and Guns 'N Roses.

Of the notable snubs on the list, Nina Simone ranks the highest, but many rock fans will likely point to Steve Perry's inclusion on this list as another reason for Journey's induction.

The full list:

Aretha Franklin
Ray Charles
Elvis Presley
Sam Cooke
John Lennon
Marvin Gaye
Bob Dylan
Otis Redding
Stevie Wonder
James Brown
Paul McCartney
Little Richard
Roy Orbison
Al Green
Robert Plant
Mick Jagger
Tina Turner
Freddie Mercury
Bob Marley
Smokey Robinson
Johnny Cash
Etta James
David Bowie
Van Morrison
Michael Jackson
Jackie Wilson
Hank Williams
Janis Joplin
Nina Simone *
Prince
Howlin' Wolf
Bono
Steve Winwood
Whitney Houston *
Dusty Springfield
Bruce Springsteen
Neil Young
Elton John
Jeff Buckley
Curtis Mayfield
Chuck Berry
Joni Mitchell
George Jones *
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Kurt Cobain *
Patsy Cline *
Jim Morisson
Buddy Holly
Donny Hathaway *
Bonnie Raitt
Gladys Knight
Brian Wilson
Muddy Waters
Luther Vandross *
Paul Rodgers *
Mavis Staples
Eric Burdon **
Christina Aguilera *
Rod Stewart
Björk *
Roger Daltrey
Lou Reed
Dion
Axl Rose *
David Ruffin
Thom Yorke *
Jerry Lee Lewis
Wilson Pickett
Ronnie Spector
Greg Allman
Toots Hibbert *
John Fogerty
Dolly Parton *
James Taylor
Iggy Pop **
Steve Perry *
Merle Haggard *
Sly Stone
Mariah Carey *
Frankie Valli
John Lee Hooker
Tom Waits *
Patti Smith
Darlene Love *
Sam Moore
Art Garfunkel
Don Henley
Willie Nelson *
Solomon Burke
The Everly Brothers
Levon Helm
Morrissey *
Annie Lennox *
Karen Carpenter *
Patti LaBelle *
B.B. King
Joe Cocker *
Stevie Nicks
Steven Tyler
Mary J. Blige *
* = not yet in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
** = nominated in 2009"

Followed by comment like this in The Daily Kos:

"Steve Perry (honestly, how did this knobshine make top 1,000,000???)"

But he was defended a bit on the Idolator website:

"But YB is most pleased to report that Steve Perry, a man who introduced Sam Cooke’s melismatic stylings to thousands of poodle-headed prom-goers while in a band that RS and fellow baby-boomer gatekeepers regarded as a particularly vile communicable disease from 1978 to 1985, is rated at No. 76. Ah, the wonders bestowed by including an unjustly maligned pop-gospel standard in the final scene in the final TV program most beloved by the petit bourgeoisie! If David Chase had gone with, say, “One on One,” then Daryl Hall would have likely appeared on the list in Perry’s stead."

Poor Steve. How come his wonderful voice triggers animosity and derision? He was clearly hurt by this, as he revealed in this interview after Street Talk was released:

"I stayed away from the press for two years, I stopped reading everything. The other guys in Journey would go, 'Hey Perry, look what they're calling you now,' and I just didn't wanna know. It's not that I dislike bad press, but it was the libellous stuff that I couldn't take. People were so cruel, so personal! They said that I sounded like a duck, that I sounded somewhere between melted cheese and chewing gum, that I sang like a battered seal. Rolling Stone killed me constantly, but all I wanted to see was thousands of people getting off at our concerts! It was only because I believed in my product so strongly that I decided to talk again."

And the shit goes on......

[Saint John]

Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, and Bjork all in front of Steve Perry. I've fuckin' seen it all now.

[journeyon31]

How can Ann Wilson NOT be on this list.

[brywool]

Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, and Bjork all in front of Steve Perry. I've fuckin' seen it all now.

Not to mention Fogerty and Waits. Are you kidding me? No wonder I've hated Rollingstone for so long.
I remember when they proclaimed REM the best band on the planet. Um, yeah.....

[Saint John]

Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, and Bjork all in front of Steve Perry. I've fuckin' seen it all now.

Not to mention Fogerty and Waits. Are you kidding me? No wonder I've hated Rollingstone for so long.
I remember when they proclaimed REM the best band on the planet. Um, yeah.....

Waits might have the worst voice on the planet...even worse than Springsteen's.

[X factor]

How can Ann Wilson NOT be on this list.

To me, this is a bigger slight than Perry in the 70's!


And, hey...at least Steve came in one ahead of MERLE HAGGARD!!!!

[separate_wayz]

Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, and Bjork all in front of Steve Perry. I've fuckin' seen it all now.

Not to mention Fogerty and Waits. Are you kidding me? No wonder I've hated Rollingstone for so long.
I remember when they proclaimed REM the best band on the planet. Um, yeah.....

Waits might have the worst voice on the planet...even worse than Springsteen's.

Keep in mind: Rolling Stone loved every fecal album made by Yoko Ono. That pretty much calls into question everything they've ever said.

Season of Glass, Jul. 9, 1981
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/alb ... sonofglass

It's Alright (I See Rainbows), Jan. 20, 1983
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/alb ... eerainbows

Rising, Nov. 30, 1995
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/alb ... 069/rising

Yes, I'm A Witch, Feb. 6, 2007
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/alb ... im_a_witch

[StoneCold]

Tom Waits is on the list, Lou Gramm isn't.

Tells me everything I need know.

[Lora]

Does anyone still pay any attention to or buy that rag? They've always belittled Journey so this is nothing new for them.

[Granny]

Waits might have the worst voice on the planet...even worse than Springsteen's.

The NFL is debuting Springsteen's new song at halftime Sunday during the Dallas vs Washington game. His voice is not bad Dan, in fact very strong. Just ask Dean.

[Rick]

Does anyone still pay any attention to or buy that rag? They've always belittled Journey so this is nothing new for them.

I'll read some of the stories in it, but as far as any of their lists, they're a joke.

[chad]

Did you all catch what Randy Jackson said about SP in the RS article...

"Other than Robert Plant, there's no singer in rock that even came close to Steve Perry," says American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who played bass with Perry in Journey. "The power, the range, the tone — he created his own style. He mixed a little Motown, a little Everly Brothers, a little Zeppelin." When he was 10 years old, Perry heard Sam Cooke's "Cupid" on his mom's car radio, and decided he had to be a singer. After singing in a college choir, he joined Journey at the age of 28, quickly revealing a penchant for quavering, reverb-soaked melodrama that appealed to millions of fans — but few rock critics. Yet his technical skills (those high notes!), pure tone and passionate sincerity now seem undeniable. "He lives for it and loves it," says Jackson. "I just saw him not long ago, and he still has the golden voice."

[Don]

Did you all catch what Randy Jackson said about SP in the RS article...

"Other than Robert Plant, there's no singer in rock that even came close to Steve Perry," says American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who played bass with Perry in Journey. "The power, the range, the tone — he created his own style. He mixed a little Motown, a little Everly Brothers, a little Zeppelin." When he was 10 years old, Perry heard Sam Cooke's "Cupid" on his mom's car radio, and decided he had to be a singer. After singing in a college choir, he joined Journey at the age of 28, quickly revealing a penchant for quavering, reverb-soaked melodrama that appealed to millions of fans — but few rock critics. Yet his technical skills (those high notes!), pure tone and passionate sincerity now seem undeniable. "He lives for it and loves it," says Jackson. "I just saw him not long ago, and he still has the golden voice."

And he's got some Hot stuff he's working on!

[peridactyl]

Does anyone still pay any attention to or buy that rag? They've always belittled Journey so this is nothing new for them.

Steve was in a class by himself. His voice at its best was as fine an instrument played by the best musician....The range, his ear for melodic interpretation, his ability to communicate emotion--- unparalleled by anyone else on that list!!

Screw the pretentious rock world. They think Steve was manipulative and soapy. Who cares what they think?

KISS MY LOON BUTT, ROLLING STONE

[mikemarrs]

its tragic that kurt cobain is ahead of steve perry.kurt cobain is the most overrated musician ever in my opinion......

[conversationpc]

its tragic that kurt cobain is ahead of steve perry.kurt cobain is the most overrated musician ever in my opinion......

He was a damn good shot, though.

[DracIsBack]

Perry really low
No Lou Gramm
No Brad Delp
No Ann Wilson
No Peter Cetera
No Dennis DeYoung
WTF????

Yet Axl Rose is higher on the list than Perry? E-freakin'-gad! Then again, they also rated Rose one of the best keyboardists in music over the likes of Billy Joel, David Paich and Keith Emmerson too ...

[peridactyl]

Annie Lennox deserves to be in the R&R Hall of Fame and hasn't been nominated either! What's up with that?

[Don]

No love for DDY? Wasn't Styx the first group to have four consecutive Rock albums go platinum? Fuckers.

[Suzanne]

Does anyone still pay any attention to or buy that rag? They've always belittled Journey so this is nothing new for them.

I quit reading that thing over a decade ago. I only went on their website to find Steve's name and when I posted the listed in the other thread- well I expressed my opinions. Bjork??!!!!

[Michael Leigh]

Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, and Bjork all in front of Steve Perry. I've fuckin' seen it all now.

Not to mention Fogerty and Waits. Are you kidding me? No wonder I've hated Rollingstone for so long.
I remember when they proclaimed REM the best band on the planet. Um, yeah.....

Waits might have the worst voice on the planet...even worse than Springsteen's.

Rolling Stone has ALWAYS sucked a bag full of AIDS filled cocks!!!

[Aaron]

Rolling Stone are a bunch of fucks anyhow. I mean Bob Dylan, please. The list is pure shit. How can that list even be remotely credible without Brad Delp, Bon Scott and Lou Gramm included. Pure shite it is ....

[donnaplease]

Rolling Stone has ALWAYS sucked a bag full of AIDS filled cocks!!!

I just love it when you talk dirty!!!

[Voyager]

You know mother fuckers are biased when Bob Dylan and Neil Young beat out Steve Fucking Perry on a Top 100 Best Singers list.

Rolling Stone is fucked and always has been.

[mikemarrs]

its tragic that kurt cobain is ahead of steve perry.kurt cobain is the most overrated musician ever in my opinion......

He was a damn good shot, though.

yep and guess what color his eyes were. blue.one blue one way and one blue the other way.



nirvana had a couple catchy songs that were pretty good but from the damn get go the media and critics couldn't stop sucking cobains balls long enough to come up for air.the music scene might've been bit stagnant at the time but they acted like these guys had reinvented the wheel or something.cobain acted so anti-corporate and it was a game from the beginning.those bands like nirvana and pearl jam wanted people to think they shunned the spotlight and hated success when secretly those bands wanted it all along and were no different than any other band that formed and thats to have success and get hits.it was just the game plan then to do something different and seem rebellious doing it.don't even get me started on dylan hell i can gargle mouthwash and sound better than he can sing.....