Where does Roger Daltrey fit

[cmatthes]

No, because it's apples and oranges.

If you're talking front men/singers in groups where those singers (most of the time) do not play instruments (even Mercury played a good deal of piano), then Lennon & McCartney are not in the discussion. Instrumentally, they were as integral to the song as they were vocally. It's not a question of them measuring up or not, it's about them being in the category.

If you want to talk about singer/composer/guitar player double barrel attack, then we can always start another thread and put them at the top of the list and go from there.

The Front man, in the Daltrey/Jagger/Plant/Rodgers mold is a specialized talent. Not only that, it is a testament to how KICKASS a band like The Who and Led Zeppelin were, because they were essentially a trio...with a singer.

This "widening of the field" jazz only makes a thread spiral off into a dozen different directions. For instance, had I included a great front man like David Lee Roth in the list, even though he's not British.

I started a thread some time ago about quick "get in, get out" guitar solos. Soon there were examples posted with songs that included TWO four minute guitar solos. Where does it end?

Jeez, Kiz. It's not that big of a deal, really - just a discussion thread. People discussing things. Didn't know that there were rules!

How about just McCartney then? He's been primarily a singer for the last 35 years. I mean, sure, he plays bass/guitar/keys while fronting a band (Wings, his solo stuff), but then again, Freddie Mercury, Paul R., Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant all strap/strapped on guitars or play/played harp and/or percussion stuff. That doesn't make them any less "Front men", does it?

[Pieman]

This guy can sing =

Tom Jones

PS 60's Lennon and Daltrey get my votes

[kizanski]

Freddie Mercury, Paul R., Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant all strap/strapped on guitars or play/played harp and/or percussion stuff. That doesn't make them any less "Front men", does it?

Look. Let's not bring strapons into this. That's just another way of saying "chicks with dicks."

Maybe you should take it to the Outer Circle, horndog.

[cmatthes]

Sorry, I didn't look at it that way. Think you're reaching there, Pal!

[kizanski]

Sorry, I didn't look at it that way. Think you're reaching there, Pal!

No, there aren't any "rules' so to speak, but can we stick to a freaking subject?

A "front man" as I see it (and you can either agree or disagree, but I'm still right - lol) is a singer almost exclusively. Sure, he can play an instrument (or "strap on" if you insist) from time to time. So, Daltrey repeating two notes in "Eminance Front," playing harmonica in "Baba O'Riley," or Mercury playing acoustic rhythm in "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" does not make them any less front men. It also doesn't make them guitar players.

When in your lifetime have you seen McCartney NOT playing an instrument in a song he was performing? Does that make him less of a front man? Whether it's Wings or his current band, he is and has always been a talented muti-instrument musician. He doesn't just "get by" or use an instrument as a prop.

So, we're splitting hairs or picking gnat shit out of pepper, but a frontman like David Lee Roth does THAT only. He can do other stuff, but it's not his role.

Look at it the way they treat Pitchers in Baseball. They're ball players, but they're in their own category. Can some of them hit? Yes, but it's not their role.

[Steve Haynie]

Roger Daltrey and The Who were the guys who influenced all of the 70's rock bands that we grew up with. Think about Daltrey's vocal style (and that scream on Won't Get Fooled Again) and the music that came later from everyone else.

[Willie G. Moseley]

Roger Daltrey fronting the Who? Indispensible.

Roger Daltrey's solo stuff? Meh (just like Jagger's solo stuff or almost anybody's else's, compared to the bands that made them famous).

Even if Bono was an Englishter, he evolved into more of a "We're important, we matter" rock star probably two decades ago. Haven't taken anything by him seriously since Under a Blood Red Sky, although the cover of "Helter Skelter" in Rattle and Hum was exciting.

[cmatthes]

So, we're splitting hairs or picking gnat shit out of pepper, but a frontman like David Lee Roth does THAT only. He can do other stuff, but it's not his role.

Look at it the way they treat Pitchers in Baseball. They're ball players, but they're in their own category. Can some of them hit? Yes, but it's not their role.

I was gonna throw Lemmy into the mix, but he plays bass too, I understand...

Actually, I just wanted to see if you'd argue with me some more about it.

Now about that pitcher as hitter thing, what about the NL v. AL?

(I keed, I keeeeed!!)

[belgian]

There seems to be a whole generation of great UK singers that were under the radar in the States.

Frankie Miller, Roger Chapman, Jess Roden, Kevin Coyne, Graham Parker, ....

All at least as good as the older ones.

[cmatthes]

+ 1 on Graham Parker - not the showy frontman, but definitely a talent.

I guess "Legendary" frontmen would also include Johnny Rotten, though he was seriously lacking in the real talent department!

Rod Stewart from the Faces/Beck era would also be a classic, but certainly no Daltrey in my book.

[Mike Lee]

Just a clarification here:

I was not meaning to imply that Springsteen was as good a singer as Daltry, only that they both share a similiar appeal to many fans as the embodiment of the working class hero/singer. Daltry was a tough street kid who literally controlled the early Who with physical force.

As for Paul Rodgers, go ask 10 non-guitar players the same age as you who he is, or simply ask who the singer of Bad Company was and see what answer you get.

Tom Jones IS a great singer, but not really rock and roll. He got a bad rap for a while there when he was written off as appealing only to middle aged women. Thankfully Michael Bolton came along and took that crown so Tom could be recognized for his talent once again.

[Brewmaster]

Just a clarification here:

I was not meaning to imply that Springsteen was as good a singer as Daltry, only that they both share a similiar appeal to many fans as the embodiment of the working class hero/singer. Daltry was a tough street kid who literally controlled the early Who with physical force.

As for Paul Rodgers, go ask 10 non-guitar players the same age as you who he is, or simply ask who the singer of Bad Company was and see what answer you get.

Tom Jones IS a great singer, but not really rock and roll. He got a bad rap for a while there when he was written off as appealing only to middle aged women. Thankfully Michael Bolton came along and took that crown so Tom could be recognized for his talent once again.

I agree with all you said and you had me until Tom Jones.

( just busting them Mike...I can't get you on the OC so I need to get my jibes in when I can.)

[Rhys]

Jon Anderson. Not a screamer but a bloody fantastic voice, which has improved as the years have gone by. The last time I saw Yes in 2003 his voice was the best I'd ever heard it.

And if we're talking great/charismatic front men what about Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull?

[MCChris]

As for Paul Rodgers, go ask 10 non-guitar players the same age as you who he is, or simply ask who the singer of Bad Company was and see what answer you get.

It's not like Plant or Daltrey are household names among non-musicians either. Mercury maybe, but largely due to his demise from AIDS.

[Bjørn M]

As for Paul Rodgers, go ask 10 non-guitar players the same age as you who he is, or simply ask who the singer of Bad Company was and see what answer you get.

It's not like Plant or Daltrey are household names among non-musicians either. Mercury maybe, but largely due to his demise from AIDS.

If you're older than 25-30, and remotely interested in music, you know who he is. At least on this continent. I bet even my mom knows the name