Great Bands That Would Be Better If They Had A Better Singer

What bands to do you think would be better if they had a better singer/singers?

As of right now, I'd probably put Rush as my number one choice. I love Alex's guitar riffs and solos, and I really like Peart's drumming, but I can't stand Geddy's vocals. I know some people like his singing style, which is fine and I respect that as a opinionated matter, but I personally don't like it.

My other big choice would be AC/DC or Guns N Roses.

But more importantly, what would you pick?

I wouldn't call these 'great' bands, but they'd listenable if they had a better singer:
Foreigner
Journey
The Smiths
Iron Maiden

Judas Priest and Rush are the first bands that come to mind...

Also, Pearl Jam.

I'm not a fan of any of these bands, but they would be better with a better singer, in my opinion.

I can't think of many candidates. Usually if I ain't into a band, then it is probably because I think they've got a lot more problems than just their singer.

If newer bands have a singer I don't like, then I am probably not listening to them anyway. If a veteran band who has been around for a lot of years has a singer I'm not really into, then by now I have been desensitized to it because after awhile you get "used" to certain singers.

I suppose there are bands who I either wish would get an original singer back (like Skid Row) or get a replacement singer who I enjoyed back into the band (Bad Company). Those are few and far between, though, and by now I have more or less gotten used to the people they currently have.

Honestly, the only example I could think of would be Ratt but that isn't even 100%. I think singer Stephen Pearcy sounds good on the studio albums but is awful live. They'd almost be better off using Stephen Pearcy to record albums and using a different singer to do their live shows.

I don't think it would hurt AC/DC to someday get a younger singer in the band, but people are so used to Brian and why rock the boat?

FretBuzz said:

I wouldn't call these 'great' bands, but they'd listenable if they had a better singer:
Foreigner
Journey
The Smiths
Iron Maiden

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Iron Maiden pulls a 200K audiences, someone must think they're great

I think every choice in this thread so far is terrible. I'd especially like to single out Geddy Lee here. I don't even like his voice but it's ideal for the prog from space sort of music that Rush plays.

FretBuzz said:

I wouldn't call these 'great' bands, but they'd listenable if they had a better singer:
....Journey....

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I can't stand Steve Perry's voice ...

Cosmic Harmony said:

I think every choice in this thread so far is terrible. I'd especially like to single out Geddy Lee here. I don't even like his voice but it's ideal for the prog from space sort of music that Rush plays.

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I gotta agree. Foreigner's new guy sings better than Lou Gramm does these days. Journey's new guy sings better than Steve Perry does these days and of Iron Maiden's three singers, the current one is by far their best one.

Ha ha, what gives?

Flower said:

I can't stand Steve Perry's voice ...

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Steve Perry hasn't been in Journey for over ten years and they have done 4 studio albums since he left. Not to mention the three singers they have gone through since Perry

Rush is the first band that comes to mind.

other bands:
Styx
Def Leppard
Rainbow (after Ronnie James Dio quit the band)

I cant think of anymore.

Wow, no love for Rush. Sold out shows every time I've seen them in Chicago, and Geddy is always in key and sings the whole show no problem (while playing his bass and the keyboards). What more can you ask for?
Also, STEVE PERRY? Are you serious? Journey was a struggling band (although a good one) until Steve joined, so he took over (as the better singer LOL) for Gregg Rollie and turned them into a mega success. Their new singers add nothing special. I sure as hell wouldn't pay to see them live. It just shows Steve isn't so easily replaceable!
I think successful bands have singers that are part of a larger puzzle, and they sing as themselves and are not trying to be something they aren't (like a lot of singers nowadays). I could argue Mick Jagger is a bad technical singer but he fits perfectly with the Stones as their frontman. Same thing with Bob Dylan, he sings out of tune and slurs his speech. But his music is great because he is himself. All because his singing gets on my nerves sometimes doesn't mean he would've been better bringing in a better technical singer while he sat back and played guitar/harmonica.
I think mega successful bands that have been brought up in this thread (Styx, Maiden, Journey, AC/DC, etc) would not have been successful if their frontmen sucked monkeybutt and weren't unique in some shape or form. (I think their frontmen kick(ed) some serious butt) I think a personal taste of not liking a particular singer doesn't mean they would be better with a different one. I guess that's why I can't think of any for the question at hand.