Boy Sopranos

This is kind of a prequel to a piece on the history of Kansas that I’m working on. It addresses one of my pet peeves regarding ‘70’s rock.

The 1970’s gets a bad rap as far as popular music goes.  The Beatles had broken up, a bunch of people like Jimi, Janis, and Jim Morrison had died, other people like Clapton, Dylan, and the Stones started putting out albums that made you forget how great they were in the ‘60’s.  And then there was Disco.

But if you look beyond that, there was a lot of great music produced between 1970 and 1979. You had the singer-songwriter movement, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens and the like, that came from the folk-rock thing. You had Southern Rock; everything from Skynyrd to Marshall Tucker to Charlie Daniels to the Allman Brothers. Heavy Metal started breaking out with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, etc. Punk came around later in the decade. And then there was my personal favorite, Progressive Rock.

One phenomena within all that to come to prominence was what I refer to as “Boy Sopranos;” men who could sing way, way up there. You could trace it back to the Doo-Wop groups, and even Southern Gospel, with men who were either high tenors or sang falsetto. The sound of Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons still makes my teeth itch and my hair hurt. But I think the two that brought this to rock ‘n’ roll were Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and Jon Anderson of Yes.

Hiring Robert Plant was an easily justified call. Jimmy Page was building a new band from the ashes of the Yardbirds, he wanted somebody that sounded different, and Plant had not only a unique voice but a powerful stage presence. I have to say that, in spite of liking the music, I didn’t care much for him as a singer. As his voice has matured, however, I like him better now.

As for Jon Anderson, he was one of the founders of Yes. And although the occasional reviewer accuses him of singing falsetto, he does NOT! That’s his actual voice, and in his sixties it still has that much range and sounds that good. As a singer, he is definitely a unique specimen. The problem comes when you consider the two people who have tried to replace him at various points in the band’s career. In a nutshell, neither has been up to the task. The questions stands; why didn’t they just hire a girl?

I think that’s a valid question for all the group that employ boy sopranos; why not just get a girl? It’s not like there aren’t any women who like rock, and even very hard rock. And many of them can also play an instrument. It’s an especially valid question when a long-standing group loses its lead singer. Yes and Kansas spring immediately to mind.

There are two probable reasons for this. One is that, to varying degrees, a lot of rockers are misogynists. They just don’t want women around, period. When you’re in a band, you’ve kind of got to be friends with the rest of the group. You have to ride with them on a bus or plane, go to dinner, rehearse, perform, and it tends to be a boy’s club. They’re not comfortable hanging around with women in that context.

The other reason is, you have to ride with them on a bus or plane, go to dinner, rehearse, perform . . . check into hotels, maybe even share a room . . . How many bands have been busted up by sexual tension? How many bands with women and men together have involved romance? Yeah, grown-ups should be able to establish parameters and honor them, but we’re talking about rock ‘n’ rollers here. Young, healthy, creative people jammed full of fresh hormones.

This proved to be a problem with Heart, in spite of the fact that the Wilson sisters are the primaries of the band. But a relationship with their lead guitarist, and then its end, cost them the services of a very good player. Pat Benatar solved the problem by marrying the man who was her lead guitarist and primary songwriting partner, and last I knew they were still together. Janis Joplin just slept with everybody. That’s not true, but it’s the impression you get.

One of the most interesting examples is the group No Doubt.  Gwen Stefani, the lead singer, had an intimate relationship with the bass player.  In the process of recording their next album the relationship went south.  Gwen directed her energy into her songwriting, and the bass player had to put up with her showing up in the studio with her bringing new songs about how much of a bastard he was.  But he hung in there, and the album turned out to be their first hit; "Tragic Kingdom."

But to get back to the original point; do you really like the sound of Geddy Lee’s voice? Especially in the early days? Or Dennis DeYoung? Or Steve Perry, if you’re honest with yourself? Or any of a hundred others?

Personally, the most annoying thing about boy sopranos, aside from the fact that many of them just don’t sound good, is that normal human beings who happen to be male can’t cover their songs. I mean, what’s easier to play than “Dust In The Wind?” But who can SING the damned thing?!? Not me, that’s for sure. And every now and then someone will ask me if we do any Zep or Journey. Lessee, I’ll need a pair of vise grips and a couple of rubber bands . . . And don’t get me started on AC-DC!

Oh, all right, Steve Perry’s not that bad. In fact, he’s actually pretty good. And Dennis DeYoung . . . well, he’s all right, I guess. Steve Walsh of Kansas is VERY good. And Geddy Lee’s gotten a lot better. And Zep is so good, I don’t care how many times Plant goes “Aaaiii! Aaaiii! Aaaiii!” And Jon Anderson, well, he’s just unbelievable! And none of the others really lasted that long. The guy they got in GTR, that’s one album, I can take it as long as Howe and Hackett keep playing. New England (The Final Countdo-o-own) didn’t last long, along with all the other proto-hair-band dudes that sounded like ladies.

And in the final analysis, at least none of them were David Lee Roth.