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Post by M.Maestro on Sept 14, 2005 16:48:09 GMT -8
It seems that in recent years the music industry has suffered from a lack of great singing groups who could harmonize with clarity, style, & quality lyrics. Here we remember the best of the previous century, and as always, feel free to agree or disagree with this list, & post your favorite singing groups of the 20th century.
100. The Flamingos 99. The Four Coins 98. The Fleetwoods 97. The Monkees 96. The Stylistics 95. The Penguins 94. The Seekers 93. The Staple Singers 92. The Dell-Vikings 91. The Chords 90. Gary Lewis/Playboys 89. The Osmonds 88. The Lovin' Spoonful 87. The Crests 86. The Dells 85. The Chordettes 84. The Lennon Sisters 83. The Fontaine Sisters 82. The Diamonds 81. The Crystals 80. The Little Anthony/Imperials 79. The Four Preps 78. Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship 77. Bread 76. America 75. The Four Lads 74. The Ravens 73. The Doobie Brothers 72. The Hollies 71. Three Dog Night 70. The Stoneman Family 69. Jr. Walker & The All Stars 68. The Lettermen 67. The Association 66. The Mamas & The Papas 65. Manhattan Transfer 64. Martha & The Vandellas 63. Peter, Paul & Mary 62. Matchbox Twenty 61. The Shirelles 60. Hank Ballard/Midnighters 59. The Cadillacs 58. The Kingston Trio 57. The Pointer Sisters 56. Frankie Lymon/Teenagers 55. The Four Aces 54. The Anita Kerr Singers 53. The Jordanaires 52. Hank Thompson/Brazos Valley Boys 51. Bill Monroe/Bluegrass Boys 50. The Dining Sisters 49. Jay & The Americans 48. The Weavers 47. The Modernaires 46. Moody Blues 45. The Jackson Five 44. The O'Jays 43. Creedence Clearwater Revival 42. The Statler Brothers 41. The Oak Ridge Boys 40. Sly & The Family Stone 39. The Impressions 38. Bill Haley & The Comets 37. The Spinners 36. The Commodores 35. The King Sisters 34. The Boswell Sisters 33. The Coasters 32. Earth, Wind & Fire 31. Alabama 30. Kool & The Gang 29. The Fifth Dimension 28. Abba 27. Smokey Robinson/Miracles 26. The Isley Brothers 25. Fleetwood Mac 24. The Carter Family 23. Billy Ward & The Dominoes 22. Gladys Knight & The Pips 21. The Pied Pipers 20. Sonny Til & The Orioles 19. The Drifters 18. The Four Tops 17. The Ames Brothers 16. Chicago 15. The Platters 14. The Sons Of The Pioneers 13. Bob Wills/Texas Playboys 12. The McGuire Sisters 11. The Four Seasons 10. The Eagles 9. The Beach Boys 8. The Temptations 7. The Supremes 6. The Bee Gees 5. The Ink Spots 4. The Mills Brothers 3. The Rolling Stones 2. The Andrews Sisters 1. The Beatles
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Sept 16, 2005 1:43:55 GMT -8
I assume that by 'group' you mean 3 or more members, so that's why the Everly Brothers aren't included. Off the top of my head, here's a few of my favourites.
The Kinks The Hollies Herman's Hermits Fairport Convention The Bachelors Matthews Southern Comfort The Drifters The Spinners (UK folk group) The Supremes The Byrds The Beach Boys
and some more up-to-date:
Lonestar Extreme The Housemartins
Tom
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Post by M.Maestro on Sept 16, 2005 9:07:45 GMT -8
I assume that by 'group' you mean 3 or more members, so that's why the Everly Brothers aren't included. Off the top of my head, here's a few of my favourites. The Kinks The Hollies Herman's Hermits Fairport Convention The Bachelors Matthews Southern Comfort The Drifters The Spinners (UK folk group) The Supremes The Byrds The Beach Boys and some more up-to-date: Lonestar Extreme The Housemartins Tom Yes, Tom, that ia a correct assumption on your part. Otherwise, not only the Everlys would have been included, but Hall & Oates, The Righteous Brothers, Peaches & Herb, Steely Dan, etc. would have been there, too. Stay tuned for a future thread on "DUOS". MM
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Post by peridot44 on Sept 16, 2005 11:09:27 GMT -8
I agree with MM about a lack of singing clarity (or ability to harmonize at all) and my impression is of the modern groups struggling to get their weak voices heard above the racket of their over-amplified instruments, even with the microphone practically in their mouths. I shudder to think what they would sound like with no backing at all. I'm sure there are good groups and good songs around but I cannot face hearing a lot of noise to discover one that I like (I'll leave that to the advertizers - though they are raiding the 60s locker - or is this to do with copyright?)
I don't remember many groups before The Beatles except for backing groups (that sometimes came out from behind their singer) though more often, it seemed to me, the singers used studio sessions musicians (try saying that when you're drunk!), and all-singer groups, male and female. I liked The Beatles after Please Please Me and I even bought LPs of their music (never did that before) Also liked The Beach Boys The Andrews Sisters (a singing group, but do they really qualify as a group? If so choirs should also qualify, shouldn't they?) All of the following are singing groups. Abba The Supremes The Ink Spots The Seekers The Kings Singers (have I got the name right?)
I liked the Mills Brothers too.
There were a lot of groups from which I liked only one number (The Animals with The House of the Rising Sun is an example, Down, Down - Status Quo is another) And a lot of groups on MM's list I don't know. I likes are generally conservative but I surprise myself sometimes and like things that it would seem I shouldn't.
Cheers P
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Sept 16, 2005 23:30:19 GMT -8
The problem with a lot of the vocal groups of the 50s was that, as many of them sang the same style of music - tight harmony - they had a tendancy to sound very similar to each other, or as my mum would've said, they were all 'much of a muchness'. Some of those old expressions were true gems, weren't they? Perhaps we could start a thread on them?
Incidently, there was a group in the UK in the 60s called The Baron Knights (in fact I think they still do the cabaret circuit to this day). Although they weren't strictly a vocal group - in fact they were a comedy act - I'd like to take the liberty of mentioning them here, as their vocal talents were nothing short of brilliant. Quite frequently, they'd release a single made up of short lampoons on the popular groups of the day. They'd take each group's latest hit, change the words to make it funny, and then do a brilliant impersonation of them. When you think that the groups lampooned would range from The Bachelors to The Rolling Stones, there's no way that they could've done it without a considerable amount of vocal talent.
Tom
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Post by peridot44 on Sept 19, 2005 9:34:41 GMT -8
I remember The Baron Knights, they were hilarious and very very good. They didn't get enough air time. Helped, I hope, to stop others getting too big-headed.
Tom, I still USE "much of a muchness" - am I showing my age?
Some expressions I thought were quite recent are, in fact, very old e.g. "I can shift for myself" I thought this was 20th Century - until I read it in one of Jane Austin's novels. A reading of such books, written in the time in which they are set, teach us how rich the language heritage we have is.
P
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Sept 19, 2005 21:11:24 GMT -8
I remember The Baron Knights, they were hilarious and very very good. They didn't get enough air time. Helped, I hope, to stop others getting too big-headed. Tom, I still USE "much of a muchness" - am I showing my age? Some expressions I thought were quite recent are, in fact, very old e.g. "I can shift for myself" I thought this was 20th Century - until I read it in one of Jane Austin's novels. A reading of such books, written in the time in which they are set, teach us how rich the language heritage we have is. P This may come as a shock, but that expression even pre-dates Jane Austen by at least a couple of centuries! When being escorted to the scaffold in 1535, Sir Thomas More turned and said “See me safe up: for my coming down, I can shift for myself”. Tom
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Post by peridot44 on Sept 20, 2005 1:16:01 GMT -8
[/quote]
This may come as a shock, but that expression even pre-dates Jane Austen by at least a couple of centuries! When being escorted to the scaffold in 1535, Sir Thomas More turned and said “See me safe up: for my coming down, I can shift for myself”.
Tom[/quote]
Great! But not a shock. All we can know from quotations and books is that an expression was in use at a certain time, but not for how long before that. I wonder how this one got started and if any modern ones will survive as long.
P
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carol
Rookie Member
Posts: 8
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Post by carol on Oct 3, 2010 7:26:29 GMT -8
My favourites on the list are The four seasons, The mamas and the papas, The andrews sisters, The eagles... Very good list.
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Post by Nate on Jun 6, 2012 14:15:16 GMT -8
Obviously you have Never heard Naturally 7.
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Post by twinb on Apr 11, 2014 12:11:49 GMT -8
If we are looking just at groups who can harmonize with clarity, then the Rolling Stones really should not be on this list. Because, there isn't a lot of songs that they have done, that Mic wasn't the forefront. If this is the case, then where is Led Zepplin or The Who? The Beatles I agreed with, we most of they work being either together as a team.
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Post by Don on Aug 11, 2017 15:19:20 GMT -8
Why aren't the Four Freshmen listed here? They have one of the most pure harmony groups of all time and some great songs.
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