Coverdale or Gillan?

[binnie]

Not sure if we've had this before, couldn't find a thread about it.

Who do you prefer and why?

[binnie]

I've gone Coverdale. I think his voice has aged better, has a rawer emotional quality and he can sing anything.

Whilst Gillan was master of the scream in the seventies for me he often oversang, and once out of Purple didn't much of note to these ears....

[nosuchluck]

Originally posted by binnie
I've gone Coverdale. I think his voice has aged better, has a rawer emotional quality and he can sing anything.

Whilst Gillan was master of the scream in the seventies for me he often oversang, and once out of Purple didn't much of note to these ears....

agreed with all of the above, except i still voted for Gillan - thought he had THE voice for rock when he was at the top of his game...

[Mr. Vengeance]

Holy fuck......how could anyone vote against Gillan on this one????

Binnie, I'll get back to you on the Slayer/Voivod thread soon. I've been to busy to listen to the albums alll the way through.

[Coyote]

Three words: "Child In Time"

Coverdale's not bad, but ya can't top Gillan.

[Gringo]

Both Gillan and Coverdale were good singers in the seventies and eighties, but now? I don't think any of them sing good anymore.

[PHOENIX]

Why Gillan of course! :D

[Tiki-Tom]

As much as i like Gillan , I gotta go with Coverdale. His voice is/was much more versatile. Gillan had an incredible hard rock style back in the 70's, but I don't think he did much with it otherwise.

[Gringo]

But no one of them tops Glenn Hughes! He's just getting better and better... He did the high notes ten times better than Gillan and when he was in the Purple with Coverdale, he was without the doubt the best. Just listen to California Jam from '74.

[MAPRamone]

I think Coverdale's voice is in better condition now, but in terms of lifetime achievement Gillan trumps Coverdale hands down. So i picked Gillan.

[Mr Badguy]

I love Coverdale but he always sounded like he was trying to be someone else, starting off as a Paul Rodgers wannabe then later Robert Plant style squealing.

In 1970 noone sounded like Gillan and Purple found it easier to get rid of Blackmore for good than replace him agian.

Two shit hot singers but Gillan gets the vote.

(Gringo is right about Glenn Hughes, though)

[Hardrock69]

Gillan hands down.

When Coverdale was in Deep Purple, all the high screamy stuff was done by Glenn Hughes.

While Coverdale has a great bluesy sound and IS a great vocalist, Ian Gillan is (or was) much better.

I would say that Coverdale's voice has held up well, but then he does not have a legacy of high wailing stuff.....Ian Gillan most likely could not do a convincing version of "Child In Time" these days. Much like Halford struggles to pull off half-baked versions of stuff he could sing with ease back in the 80s.

[binnie]

LOL


Looks like I was way off what most of you guys were thinking then: Gillan is walking it.

Just not for me I guess....

[binnie]

Originally posted by Mr. Vengeance


Binnie, I'll get back to you on the Slayer/Voivod thread soon. I've been to busy to listen to the albums alll the way through.

Thanks, it will be much appreciated!

[Terry]

Coverdale's voice has held up better than Ian's over time, but Ian is by far the superior lyricist, and Ian from 1970 to 1985 belted out stuff Coverdale couldn't have dreamed of touching.

Sorry David, but it's not even close.

[binnie]

Seems that David is indeed going again on his own.....

[Tiki-Tom]

Originally posted by binnie
LOL


Looks like I was way off what most of you guys were thinking then: Gillan is walking it.

Just not for me I guess....

I have to side with you on this one. Gillan was great but I think after Perfect Strangers his voice had done all it could. I think Coverdale still sounds great and can sing more styles of music than Gillan. Not to take away anything from Ian, he is one of the greats.

[binnie]

Originally posted by Tiki-Tom
I have to side with you on this one. Gillan was great but I think after Perfect Strangers his voice had done all it could. I think Coverdale still sounds great and can sing more styles of music than Gillan. Not to take away anything from Ian, he is one of the greats.

My sentiments entirely. I would also add that I think Coverdale is the better frontman....

[BrownSound1]

For Deep Purple it is Ian Gillan hands down. I have to vote this way, since we are comparing two former Deep Purple singers. Deep Purple with Coverdale just wasn't as good.

Poor David...he's had to face comparisons from not only living in the shadow of Ian Gillan while in DP, but the poor bastard went and teamed up with Jimmy Page. I believe we all know what shadow was cast from that team up, and I'm sorry, Coverdale ain't even in the same league as Plant.

[binnie]

True but his voice has aged better than Gillan or Plant...

[ace diamond]

Originally posted by Coyote
Three words: "Child In Time"

Coverdale's not bad, but ya can't top Gillan.

I SECOND THAT MOTION.

Child In Time is my favorite Deep Purple song.
so full of fire and passion!

[Romeo]

This is a really tough one, but I would go with Gillan.
You're right about Coverdale's voice aging better, but I 'd rather see Gillan teaming up with Blackmore!

[Soul Reaper]

Gillian....

Coverdale has a good voice.....but Gillian just seems to have the edge....

[Coyote]

Grate avatar from a GRATE movie SR... :cool:

[Soul Reaper]

Originally posted by Coyote
Grate avatar from a GRATE movie SR... :cool:

yes, mein fuhrer....

:cool:

[Coyote]

Kickass... :cool:

[binnie]

Originally posted by Coyote
Grate avatar from a GRATE movie SR... :cool:

I second that!

[Terry]

Originally posted by binnie
True but his voice has aged better than Gillan or Plant...

Coverdale's voice has held up much better than Ian's, agreed....

But Coverdale is a one-trick pony in terms of his lyrics and presentation.

It's like, David may well be able to sing all the Whitesnake stuff in the original key, but he's STILL singing Whitesnake stuff at the end of the day, knowwhatImean, Vern?

[binnie]

Originally posted by Terry


It's like, David may well be able to sing all the Whitesnake stuff in the original key, but he's STILL singing Whitesnake stuff at the end of the day, knowwhatImean, Vern?

Point taken: you mean that, at their best, Gillan was far greater. That's prob true, but it only lasted whilst he was in Purple the first time around.

Coverdale's lyrics are one dimensional though, that is very true. Damn he writes more "love" songs than Hagar...

[Terry]

Originally posted by binnie
Point taken: you mean that, at their best, Gillan was far greater. That's prob true, but it only lasted whilst he was in Purple the first time around.

Coverdale's lyrics are one dimensional though, that is very true. Damn he writes more "love" songs than Hagar...


Yeah, Ian's voice was getting a little tired when Perfect Strangers rolled around, but his lyrics were still superb...

Coverdale I've just never really been able to take seriously enough to put him up alongside who I consider the all-time greats. Guy has a great voice, and he's played with many of the greats, but he still falls short of the mark.

[SparkieD]

Coverdale 'cuz he's sexier than Gillan :p

[Dan]

Coverdale his voice has gotten better with age.

[trueblue]

At first glance, this one looked like a toughie..but it's actually not...Coverdale is a great voice in his own right, but nothing spectacularly splendid to my ears...I sure liked and enjoyed his bluesy growl, depth and range, and sheer emotive power to his singing at times...However, to me, he was awful and lousy with Deep Purple, sang crappy disposable stuff with latter-day commercial pop-rock Whitesnake and most of everything else I've heard of Dave over the years just don't stick as particularly memorable or too impressive in my mind..

Ian Gillan, at the peak of his powers, was THE VOICE OF HEAVY ROCK...His blood-curdling, awesome screams alone, would make me vote his way..I know he sure overplayed that asset of his and marred it somewhat later on in his career when he was still able to pull those screams off on record...But just to cite an example, Gillan's fiery performance in 'In Rock' (my all-time fave DP record ever) was absolutely awesome in every sense of the adjective..And despite what others might say, I reckon Gillan's platinum pipes didn't desert him until very late in the game...Personally, what turned me off him was the latter overly poppy, bland, generic rock DP albums he's fronted, post-Perfect Strangers to the present. The consistently cheesy lyrics, Ian's pretentious posturing, the laziness, the lack of vocal form, everything combined to drag him down many notches in my eyes...Besides, you also have his weird and astonishingly mediocre solo career to consider as well...

BUT, on this poll, I voted Ian Gillan without hesitation..Ian was clearly the better singer, had far greater charisma, was definitely the greater frontman, and just had far more memorable songs and way more cooler vocal chops thru his career compared to Dave, pure and simple...

[Jérôme Frenchise]

Coverdale hasn't only sung crap.
He has also made quite a few bands sound crappy.
Never could stand him.
I dig "Shake my tree" on Coverdale/Page - but I'll throw the rest of the album away - I always play it as a one-track record.
Whitesnake has always been a fucking bore to me, safe some of the old stuff.
What he did with (and to) Deep Purple is no good to me.
Gillan is miles above as far as voice (OK, his aged less well, but his past is really something else) and lyrics.
Ian's words rule.
Gillan: 9
Coverdale: 3

Just IMO. :cool: