Barney's Voice Poor, Good, or Excellent?

I know that some people cna be great singers without having extremely gifted voices--so the choices might be a weird.

But do you guys think Barneys voice was poor, good or great and why? Does it hold up to the high quality music of NO?

It's one of the many things that make them great. Contrast Bono's bombastic squawking.

I've always thought he had a classic sort of vocal style, nothing over the top but essential to the "mix".

my other half complains about his voice whenever i play the dvd, saying it's the main reason he's not keen on NO. on the other hand, i think he's got a kind of child-like charm to his voice, so i opted for the middle choice.
do wish he'd not shout out odd words when performing live tough - good at the time, awful on the dvd

I love Barney's voice since he stopped trying to sound like Ian. He has a nice smooth voice that is perfect in NO. He just had to find it.

:D:D:D:D:D anita

i love his voice!:D

that's one of the reasons why i love new order so much. but he shouldn't really sing out of his range. just at that right pitch, his voice is soothing and the melodies are much better. that's why so many new order songs are easy to sing along to, cuz of the simplicity of barney's voice. it's not like singing to bjork.

Quite a limited voice but one that, yes, you can sing along with and that probably adds to the appeal of NO.

I always liked Barney back in the mid 80s cause i thought he was the antithesis of a pop or rock singer cliche, showing that a regular guy could be the singer, not some ridiculous exaggerrated pretentious pop star (like Bono, who eventually just parodied himself, or the other over the top English singers, or most of 70s rock for that matter). I think Barney was a model example for all the indie bands to come, like Mark E Smith of the Fall or maybe american bands Husker Du or the Minutemen.

i think that as the 90s came about, Barney started to think of himself as a real "pop" or "rock" lead singer, which lead to Electronic and the destruction of New Order.

i went with good. he doesn't have a great voice, but it wouldn't be new order if we had marvin gaye or pavarotti singing the songs! you hear the song and know it's barney...nice and comforting. :D

i think his voice is really good too. and it has gotten progressively better--on the early NO releases his signing was off-key at points! :)

i prefer the early, rough, off-key singing, (up until brotherhood)..

ever since then, its been a rather boring, processed, and plain vocal style..

later

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He has a great voice, perhaps he's not very technical in his singing, but that's probably because he didn't sing as a kid. But he conveys the emotion very well, and he is a pleasure to listen to.

good, not great, but adds to the appeal of the band...a part of the total package, so to speak

I think he has an honest voice. I'm far more interested in singers that are a little flawed (like Jason Spaceman) than those who may be technically perfect.

Can't really pick any of the options. He has a voice thats bad in a good way, good partly because its bad. Its a bit like his lyric writing really, awful and brilliant simultaneously.

Originally posted by Jim Giliberto good, not great, but adds to the appeal of the band...a part of the total package, so to speak

Agreed

Originally posted by Jim Giliberto good, not great, but adds to the appeal of the band...a part of the total package, so to speak

Agreed

Originally posted by mh I think he has an honest voice. I'm far more interested in singers that are a little flawed (like Jason Spaceman) than those who may be technically perfect.

i have to agree with you on this one. i (rather cheesily) liken his voice to a comfortable sweater you wear all the time. it may have a few holes in it, but it's a lot more comfortable than a perfect, brand new one, and has a lot more character for it...if that makes any sense! i think few 'great' singers in modern music are technically perfect. even my favourite male singer, marvin gaye, whom i think has a fantastic voice, is far from technically flawless!

Think he has a great voice, it definately has to grow on you (or for Taras Schevenko, REALLY grow)...I find his vocals to be best on Electronic's first LP.

He's got a unique voice. I'd have to say that along with John Lennon, Barney is my favorite male singer. Both of them can sound very emotional but also almost disembodied- how do you like THAT?

I would never argue that he has outrageously sophisticated technical ability, but I've always thought his voice was genuinely emotive, in a powerfully honest way. I love the way his voice sounds, and I really love the fact that what he sang between '81 and '93 or thereabouts really sounded like he meant it. Now begining with World, and stuff of that ilk, that quality disipated, but his voice is still incredible. I also love the fact that has voice really distinctly evolved album to album so dramatically that I've never really come across anyone comparable.

On a pure level, I just love the way it sounds, and have always considered it a favorite, like Allen Clapp with The Orange Peels, and Harriet Wheeler with The Sundays, and Sarah Cracknell with Saint Etienne, and even John Lennon with the Beatles.

BARNEY is pure CLASS and i love his voice.Strained sometimes but always excellent to listen to.Live also he is so BARNEY.:DWell done lad!

At first I didn't much like his voice because I thought he strained it too much. But with time I've grown to appreciate it. The emotion of it fits perfectly with the beautiful desperation present in so many of New Order's songs. Examples are also my three favourite NO songs, "Perfect Kiss", "Temptation" and "Bizarre Love Triangle."

But maybe this is just eclectic taste ...the other vocalists I regard as the most individual and innovative are Thom Yorke, Bjork and Howard Devoto. :D

I like Barney's voice; he always sounds a little unsure but he can put across what he's feeling and he's always believable.

Originally posted by Lady 21 At first I didn't much like his voice because I thought he strained it too much. But with time I've grown to appreciate it. The emotion of it fits perfectly with the beautiful desperation present in so many of New Order's songs. Examples are also my three favourite NO songs, "Perfect Kiss", "Temptation" and "Bizarre Love Triangle."But maybe this is just eclectic taste ...the other vocalists I regard as the most individual and innovative are Thom Yorke, Bjork and Howard Devoto. :D

Totally agree! that strained desperation in his voice is what carries many songs off, and makes listening to NewOrder such a personal experience as im sure many of you will agree :)

He has the voice of an angel