songs with the best harmonies of all time...

I vote the Beach Boys or Exene Cervenka and John Doe of 'X"

 

THE VERVE
Bittersweet Symphony

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Johnny hit and run Pauline.......

 

i forgot about CSNY

 

"Nowhere Man" by the Beatles

 

If you want the best harmonies in a song by The Beatles, you have to go with one of their less well known songs: Think for Yourself, from the Rubber Soul album. The harmonies on that song are complex and really tight.

 

Quote:Johnny hit and run Pauline.......

somebody's got some taste....now name this woman......

 

Exene Cervenka

 

It's really hard to pin down the best harmonies by CSNY - their sound was so fantastic together. You can attribute most of that to David Crosby who claims (an rightly so, in my opinion) that he was put on this earth to sing harmonies. Even his earlier work with The Byrds was outstanding (take a good listen to Eight Miles High). His voice is to songs with vocal hamonies what Triple Sec is to mixed drinks, it makes everything blend better.

Peronally, I'm most impressed with three songs (which I can't choose between) Suite: Judy Blue Eyes; Helplessly Hoping; and Just A Song Before I Go. But I'm also really impressed by Wooden Ships and Wasted On The Way. Funny enough, my favorite CSNY song is none of these, but a little known tune called Cathedral.

Their songs are great because they are really tight and the blend is as perfect as one could ever want, but to be honest, most of what they are actually doing is very simple stuff. There are other groups that did way more complex things with their music.

There are a few Led Zepplin tracks which are really great - (though often it's Robert Plant singing harmonies with himself) - LikeTangerine and portions of The Battle Of Evermore.

I already mentioned Leave It by Yes, which has probably the most complex mix of voices in a rock song that I've heard. The Mamas and The Papas tune California Dreamin' has a great mix. Of course the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations, in particular has a really fine sound, but that took months of mixing in the studio to create what we hear today. Barenaked Ladies do some great harmonies (largely Beach Boys influenced) especially on a tune called Wrap Your Arms Around Me from their Gordon album. And Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody has probably the most powerful rock harmonies - one of my very favorites.

There are a number of lesser known groups who do fantastic harmoinic work: The Nylons (especially a song called Up The Ladder To The Roof); The Bobs do the most interesting all accapella cover of Helter Skelter, which won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, and all of thier sond are great (I personally LOVE Art For Arts Sake, in which the guy who sings the bass line does this great circular breathing drone which lasts for nearly a full minute without his ever stoping to take a real breath). Paul Simon writes some great stuff, the harmonies on his Graceland album which are sung by Ladysmith Black Mombazo are probably his most complex, but it's The Boxer which really rocks my world.

 

nope.....decent guess though

am I the only one who thinks CSN have horrible harmonies, seriously?!

 

they look a bit alike but anyway..lol..

 

they are from the same generation, but exene has black hair and didn't play guitar.

 

looks like one of the chicks from heart

 

fuck no! Way off! This woman doesn't sing, therfore she has nothing to do with this thread, but at least I diverted the conversation from horrid CSN for at least a few posts

 

its not the lead singer from janes addiction is it..perry farrel...he looks quite feminie LOL...actually i love their music and im only joking about it being him

 

I'll admit that their harmonies are really simple, but the sound is just beautiful. You must be deaf not to appreciate the ring - they are so tight that you can hear two voices in some of their songs that don't really exist - they are just the overtones ringing. You'd have to be deaf not to appreciate that.

 

I don't like their voices, or their songwriting...especially the highest pitched one in the song "Carry On' CAAARYYYYY ONNNNN....yikes...you know where the music stops and they are singing.. Its fine if you guys like it though


Neil Young HAD some good songs....until he started writing stuff like "keep on rockin' in the free world" and "Let's Roll" his pro-war tune after 9-11

 

God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys

 

My favorite Beach Boys example would be "Don't Worry Baby"....I love that song.

 

Anyone else ever hear of a group called Mason Proffit? If not you are really missing something. Their album Come & Gone has three tunes which are really great examples of fine harmonies: Voice Of Change; Buffalo; and everyone favorite: Two Hangmen (which is a true classic, if the least complex, harmonically, of the three.)