Peter Hammill's Voice
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Forum Name: Prog Polls
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=119879
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Topic: Peter Hammill's Voice
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Subject: Peter Hammill's Voice
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 15:53
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I've noticed that Peter Hammill's voice polarises this forum, with some people loving it, and other people hating it. I naturally love his voice and do not understand why so many people dislike it. So where do you lie on the love-hate spectrum of Peter Hammill's voice? ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Replies:
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 15:54
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Big heart. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 16:26
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Love it - one of the best in prog. But I can easily understand why its disliked by some. I mean if the more conventional beauty of Annie Haslam or perhaps Greg Lake is closer to your preferred singing voice is it any wonder Hammill at his gruffiest (ca. Still Life) or most extreme histrionics takes some getting used to? I like Greg and Annie both very much btw, but the artist in question is way more important to me. ------------- 
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Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 16:38
| I guess is not his voice, but his delivery that I don't really get. I don't dislike it though, it just doesn't appeal to my taste. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 17:05
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I love his singing... but in the past and occasionally even these days it takes me some time to get into his songs and his delivery. Many of these (incl. VDGG) only started to appeal to me after repeated listening. |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 17:52
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Hammill voice? I Love it. In my opinion he's one of the best vocalist in the history of rock. His voice is one of the reasons why I like VdGG more than Yes, Jetrho Tull, Genesis, and even King Crimson. It's simply sensational, theatrical. Songs like In The End and Easy to sleep away (from Chameleon), piano and voice, are spectacular thanks to his vocal interpretation. ------------- "Happiness is real only when shared" |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 18:14
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Absolutely love his voice. Very divisive prog band in general. Top tier for me. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Walkscore
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 19:02
| I really like Peter Hammill's lyrics, and his voice. Although sometimes when he pushes his voice hard, I think he could have sung it in more musical ways. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 20:22
| Absolutely masterful in conveying every emotion. Love his voice, love his music. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 20:42
| --nothing appealing to my ears--it's pretentious --melodramatic rather than dramatic--sounds like someone from Spinal Tap doing a prog voice. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 21:06
| I love his singing. Sure, not absolutley all, but I do think he is great and unconventional. He can make the songs heavy just by his singing. I belive he could have been a great conventional and technical singer too, but somehow he prefered to throw it all away and go his own way... there's just not another one like him. Oh yeah, and I thought this poll was going to be more polarizing, but so far (almost) everyone is loving him. Let's see how long it lasts. |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 21:20
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Despite all the options, none describe my feelings. There are some songs where his singing gives me adrenaline rushes because it's so intense and good. But there are other songs where that intensity seems over the top and I don't like it at all. So my choice would be: Love it AND hate it. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 21:22
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One of the very best indeed. ------------- |
Posted By: tboyd1802
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 21:22
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Count me as a fan of Hammill's vocal acrobatics... ------------- He neither drank, smoked, nor rode a bicycle. Living frugally, saving his money, he died early, surrounded by greedy relatives. It was a great lesson to me -- John Barrymore |
Posted By: 2dogs
Date Posted: April 08 2019 at 21:57
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Love the singing, it’s a key ingredient of the band’s unique sound. ------------- "There is nothing new except what has been forgotten" - Marie Antoinette |
Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 04:31
| there are moments where I would have to admit I love his voice. |
Posted By: Mormegil
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 05:28
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Going for the middle of the road, here. Neither like it nor dislike it - it's just sort of "there" for me. ------------- Welcome to the middle of the film. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 05:56
 It would have to be Nigel, not David, though. BUT... You're wrong!  Hammill has a great voice...  ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
twosteves wrote:Posted By: twseel
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 06:44
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I think the sound of his voice in itself doesn't always mix well with the music, but his expressive singing style with that voice always makes up for it and is also partly responsible for most of the best moments of VDGG's discography. ------------- 
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Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 09:12
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------------- |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 09:17
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and one for the haters. ------------- |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 09:38
| I'm not very experienced with the VDGG/PH discography but I havce certainly heard songs where his voice is perfect for the song. Solo tracks like "Breakdown" and "handicap and Equality" come to mind |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: April 09 2019 at 10:08
good thing you chose the LP version; it is way better than the CD version -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: April 11 2019 at 10:39
This was an unanticipated reply. It never occurred to me that people could choose mixed as distinct from neutral. On the other hand, not everything that Peter Hammill did appeals to me, especially from his solo work. But in spite of this, I still regard him as a genius with an amazing voice. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: iluvmarillion
Date Posted: April 11 2019 at 22:26
| It's poetry rather than singing - like Roger Waters, John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison. It's an aquired taste that requires a bit of patience. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: April 12 2019 at 01:16
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Most beloved of all acquired tastes. ------------- 
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Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: April 12 2019 at 07:33
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Love it ... his voice is like a fine instrument, Peter Hammill is tops. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: April 12 2019 at 10:04
| I 'like' him from a very technical perspective. I can sit and marvel at what all he is able to do. But as for emotional connection, zero for me. There is a particular vocal placement (very forward sounding but without say Freddie's brightness and purity) he uses which seems to be peculiar to British male singers. Loads of them in Britpop/90s alt rock have it, particularly Thom Yorke (and I don't like it in his voice either). The online voice coach Carl Wehden also uses it and again, it just turns me off. Oh wait, Halford too and again, I don't particularly like THAT quality but because he is singing metal and screaming in head voice half the time, I don't notice it so much but I really dislike it in songs like Dreamer/Deceiver.Actually, come to think of it, barring a few exceptions (and these tend to be the ones who sing in a more conventional style such as would easily cross over to America), I have always related to American singers more. And I have never heard this kind of placement in other European singers, be they Francesco Di Giacomo or Klaus Meine or Agnetha. |
Posted By: YESESIS
Date Posted: April 12 2019 at 20:33
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Yeah I voted, 'Love it." I think it's really great. |
Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: April 13 2019 at 10:20
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I'm with it, man. ------------- "It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno |
Posted By: bucka001
Date Posted: May 11 2019 at 08:58
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Love it but, unlike the OP, can certainly see and understand why people would hate it. ------------- jc |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: May 11 2019 at 10:06
And I think that is the part that rock fans and top ten fannies, are not capable of appreciating ... it's like they are looking for all the notes in Joe Cocker's voice, or Roger Chapman's, and they simply can not appreciate the ability they have to make the lyric and the song come alive like no one else could. It's also a bit of ACTING, although that part is not as visible otherwise. Roy Harper also fits the bill ... the expression is so clear and so strong ... it stands out! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Quinino
Date Posted: May 11 2019 at 10:09
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Intensity / Dramatic Expression (sometimes over the top, I admit) ! ... and being a substantial part of the identity of VDGG, make him one of my most beloved singers in rock (not mentioning the composer, but that's not the point here and now)
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: May 11 2019 at 10:10
Well said...that sums it up for me. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: May 12 2019 at 07:10
Over the top is a hard thing to identify and use ... for example, in theater history, everyone thought that Marlon Brando screaming STELLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAA so loud, is what made Tennessee Williams and the Acting Studio famous ... it was heard LOUD AND CLEAR, so much so that they could not even film it right! The same thing happened in England ... in the mid 50's when the so-called "Angry Young Men" stood up and created a type of theater that is not quite enjoyed in America, just like Tennessee Williams is not quite enjoyed in London! It has a tone, that is "over the top", and one could even say, that Lawrence Olivier and Richard Burton stood out in this department and then some. In rock music, though, can we say that Roger is also over the top in his famous scream? I don't think so ... it was there to make a point, and well it did, and then some ... we we still hear it and like the song, and its powerful "gut" ... screaming for some freedom! It is an important moment and definition of that song, that might not otherwise have stood out. I would even suggest the Beatles were also guilty ... extending a piano note ... for what might not even be a point at all ... or doing a live recording walking down the street and calling it #9 and everyone thinking it is an important piece of something or other ... you can do this walking down the street ... it won't be exactly the same, but the feeling is almost the same! How's that for "over the top"? To actually think that they can do anything and we will think it is important! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Quinino
Date Posted: May 12 2019 at 07:35
Sometimes "over the top" makes the point, that's for sure  anyway the guy is not for everyone's taste and sometimes not an easy listening even for fans (not you?) |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 12 2019 at 20:58
I expect you are talking about Careful with that Axe, Eugene, when you say his famous scream. I certainly can't think of any other recording using just a scream in such an effective and protagonic way. For all the extreme vocals on some metal acts and such, they all stand behind what Roger was able to do there. Still, if you want to know what that song sounds like without the famous scream, there are a few ones on the new early box sets (at least one) without the scream... some of them joined with Green is the Color. And then, there's the original studio one, which even though it actually features the scream, it's much lower in the volume (I much prefer the live version, specially the more famous one on Ummagumma). |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: May 13 2019 at 17:30
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Best male voice in prog. That's all I have to say. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 14 2019 at 23:59
| Hard to disagree. Scorched Earth gives me goosebumps every time I hear and really it's down to Hammill. |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: May 17 2019 at 23:42
Agreed ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: May 19 2019 at 13:14
Love it...he's always been my favorite prog vocalist. From guttural demonic to angelic falsetto (often in the same song) he can do it all  ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: May 19 2019 at 16:11
------------- "Happiness is real only when shared" |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: May 21 2019 at 08:12
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I am in the dislike it category...although from time to time he reminds me of Rob Halford, who I am a big fan of so there are times when I do like his voice. ------------- 
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Posted By: charles_ryder
Date Posted: May 21 2019 at 08:36
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I love Peter's voice. Mayby not his tembre, but his intonation, his passion etc. ------------- om mani padme hum |
Posted By: Foxprog
Date Posted: May 23 2019 at 01:51
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Best vocalist of all time in my opinion. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: May 23 2019 at 07:59
I question the "over the top" ... thing ... I can hear PH do his songs, specially in the early days, and I never felt that he was screaming because he just wanted to tell you he could scream ... these were very forceful parts of the song, and added to the strength of the material and how you reacted to it. This is quite different in a lot of rock music when some folks think that another scream is really cool ... I can tell you that Roger's famous scream is not meaningless, specially at the time when it was done ... but, sadly, it has been grossly and badly interpreted as just another bad boy fighting the establishment, when it is merely looking for some freedom that otherwise the person does not have. Even Roger, for the most part, did not want to stage that piece for a long time because he was tired of it meaning nothing to no one, except just another song on the radio that no one bothers to wonder what it is all about! PH is the same, for me ... we just think he is screaming because he has nothing better to do, and we did not bother to find that he is quite an incredible actor when it comes to feeling and expressing his words ... and we even fail to realize HOW MUCH that attitude fuels the definition of his music! Most rock'n'roll and rock music, is wayyyyyyyyyy too riff oriented to do that ... and in this case, his voice is the "riff" that defines the music in it ,,, and an incredible amount of credit goes to Hugh Banton, David Jackson and others, for their help in defining that ... and making it so special to the music, and to our lives ... ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 23 2019 at 17:04
I don't know if you have heard Devin Townsend, but he comes to mind with this post of yours. I usually dislike Growling and Grunting and other sorts of extreme singing in (mostly) metal, there are some songs with such singing that I have come to enjoy... despite the extreme singing. However, Devin Townsend is perhaps the only metal artist who has actually made me enjoy such singing (in some of the songs), and I would guess it is just because of this same thing... he does it at the right time, for a reason, and it really fits the music. Actually, in a way I can think of him as the new Peter Hamill because of his versatility with vocals. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: May 30 2019 at 08:00
He does evoke Halford at times but more so Halford's clean, melodic wailing on songs like Here Come The Tears which is NOT my favourite side of Halford. It's a very British kind of highly forward voice placement which somehow turns me off. Yorke has it and so does the Everything Everything guy. He is the worst in that regard, by far. Hammill is so good technically he helps me overlook this aspect to a large extent.
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Posted By: AliceBaldieDaughter
Date Posted: May 31 2019 at 07:09
Ahem. It is Halford that evokes Hammill at times, not the other way round. Halford is actually a big fan of Hammill; he was at the reunion concert of VdGG in 2005.
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Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: May 31 2019 at 07:59
Ahem I know who came first, thank you very much. But I heard Harford first so for me Hammill evokes Harford. There's nothing you can do about it. |
Posted By: AliceBaldieDaughter
Date Posted: May 31 2019 at 09:09
Lol. "In Harford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly happen". |
Posted By: ProfPanglos
Date Posted: May 31 2019 at 23:06
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I've tried multiple times, but I just can't seem to appreciate his voice, nor the music of VDGG. I'll keep trying, though. There have been albums/bands/sounds that I disliked (or even loathed) for a long time that I now love.
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