best backing vox in rock?

['63-Strat]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abb0z_fLuIs[/video]

Failtastic tone here, and questionable harmonies too

[GuitarBilly]

Styx was pretty great, one of my faves.
Eagles were probably the best at it tho, IMO.


HAHA yes, how didnt I think of queen...

IMO Queen doesn't count. Freddy layered himself mostly.

True, there was a lot of that, especially in Bohemian & some of those that sounded like they had a full chorus singing, but May & Taylor did some nice backups.

well.. a lot of lead singers do that in the studio, but I saw them live in '85 and it was awesome.

Eagles is really good live to. And KISS, their harmonies are very underrated.

[Telephant]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abb0z_fLuIs[/video]

Failtastic tone here, and questionable harmonies too

I'll see your horrendous Stills tone and raise you one:

[video]https://youtu.be/D3MUH8tFZTA?t=2m8s[/video]

[crankyrayhanky]

I wish I could sing even 4th backup
My voice needs lots of work

[Ostinato Rubato]

God damn the live CSN&Y shit is atrocious on nearly every level.


Sometimes I catch live footage of big rock acts and hear the overall not so greatness of the execution of vocals and it helps me to get out of my head a little about my own voice. I feel like I'm about as good as the best of the average singers of rock... or about as good as the worst of the better singers in rock. Or something. Better than the CSN&Y clip that's for sure.

[GuitarBilly]

Styx was pretty great, one of my faves.
Eagles were probably the best at it tho, IMO.


HAHA yes, how didnt I think of queen...

IMO Queen doesn't count. Freddy layered himself mostly.

True, there was a lot of that, especially in Bohemian & some of those that sounded like they had a full chorus singing, but May & Taylor did some nice backups.

this reminds of

[Walt]

The Band
The Beatles
The Beach Boys
The Bee Gees
Fleetwood Mac
The Eagles
Sly and the Family Stone
The Neville Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Jackson 5
The Black Crowes
Spandau Ballet
Heart
Def Leppard
Styx
INXS
The National
The Screaming Trees
Oasis
Avenged Sevenfold
Tegan and Sara
Split Enz
Arcade Fire
The Cars
The Who
Barenaked Ladies
311
BTO
BOC
Buffalo Springfield
Badfinger
The Clash
Dance Gavin Dance
Depeche Mode
The Doobie Brothers
Fugazi
Gomez
Gorillaz
Hollywood Undead
Human League
Jesus & Mary Chain
Jefferson Airplane
Lacuna Coil
Level 42
Nightwish
Night Ranger
Parquet Courts
Pink Floyd
The Prodigy
Sisters of Mercy
Slightly Stoopid
Simon & Garfunkel
Squeeze
Supertramp
Tears for Fears
They Might be Giants
Traffic
Veruca Salt
XTC
ZZ Top
Cream
Chicago
Atreyu
Blink 182
Pixies
Low
Of Monsters and Men
My Bloody Valentine
Grouplove
Silversun Pickups
Rilo Kiley
Belle & Sebastian
Fitz & the Tantrums
Roxette
Skillet
Against Me
Kylesa
The Grateful Dead
Genesis
Toad the Wet Sprocket
REM
Indigo Girls
Phish
Savatage
Massive Attack
The Weepies
Husker Du

Kinda always figured you for a tweaker. I guess this ices it.

Of course I kid.
I'm down with Screaming Trees, Sisters of Mercy, Against Me, and Belle and Sebastian too.


My favorite backing vocs/harmony in hard rock would be Chuck and Chris from Hot Water Music, or any chick who duets with Mark Lanegan.

[Ry Manchu]

I love Mark Lanegan. As for Hot Water Music. I lived in Gainesville from 93 to 96. I saw them play a few times. Good times.

[JerEvil]

Styx was pretty great, one of my faves.
Eagles were probably the best at it tho, IMO.


HAHA yes, how didnt I think of queen...

IMO Queen doesn't count. Freddy layered himself mostly.

True, there was a lot of that, especially in Bohemian & some of those that sounded like they had a full chorus singing, but May & Taylor did some nice backups.

well.. a lot of lead singers do that in the studio, but I saw them live in '85 and it was awesome.

Eagles is really good live to. And KISS, their harmonies are very underrated.

I'm saying!!!!

[Ostinato Rubato]

I missed out on a lot of real live rock perspective, god dammit.

[Telephant]

I never got into Mark Lanegan's stuff. Tried listening to Screaming Trees and it never pulled me in. That said, I love his voice and the tracks he sings with QOTSA are spectacular IMO.

[RIFF]

Kiss?

I never really thought of them as having GREAT backups. But I guess thats just cuz theyre good solid, basic, rock vox, no heavy layering, but always well practiced, spot on. I never caught them faltering in any live recordings... and pulling it off live is what really shows ability.

You gotta respect Kiss' just keeping it solid & basic. That Rig Rundown showed nice basic rigs.

[Ry Manchu]

Kiss?

I never really thought of them as having GREAT backups. But I guess thats just cuz theyre good solid, basic, rock vox, no heavy layering, but always well practiced, spot on. I never caught them faltering in any live recordings...

Especially the ones that Eddie Kramer went back and fixed all the mistakes and added multiple tracks of crowd noise from other concerts between songs... The Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Band, Yes, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Peter Frampton and SRV did it too. Fun Fact: Kiss never played Hard Luck Woman at any of the shows recorded for Alive II.

[Walt]

I never got into Mark Lanegan's stuff. Tried listening to Screaming Trees and it never pulled me in. That said, I love his voice and the tracks he sings with QOTSA are spectacular IMO.

As far as Lanegan's solo stuff, have you heard Whiskey for the Holy Ghost? Great record.

As far as the Trees, yeah I can see that. Sweet Oblivion is by far their best album, IMO. Lanegan's voice, Barrett Martin drumming (their final two studio albums), and Gary Lee Conner with the sick vintage tone/gear... one of my my favorite songs they do is actually a cover; "Tomorrow's Dream" by Sabbath. My favorite Sabbath Cover.

[video]http://youtu.be/u6PDZyxj7vQ[/video]

I love Mark Lanegan. As for Hot Water Music. I lived in Gainesville from 93 to 96. I saw them play a few times. Good times.

Mark Lanegan is awesome. A really nice guy who is a huge fan of all the good music we dig here on GAB.
Gainesville...dude...jelly. Fuckin Against Me and HWM must have been just killing the club scene there (or wherever) at that time. Both those bands are tight as fuck.

[RIFF]

Kiss?

I never really thought of them as having GREAT backups. But I guess thats just cuz theyre good solid, basic, rock vox, no heavy layering, but always well practiced, spot on. I never caught them faltering in any live recordings...

Especially the ones that Eddie Kramer went back and fixed all the mistakes and added multiple tracks of crowd noise from other concerts between songs... The Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Band, Yes, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Peter Frampton and SRV did it too. Fun Fact: Kiss never played Hard Luck Woman at any of the shows recorded for Alive II.

Yeah, especially but not exclusively those ones.. & the crowd noise on these live albums, its a travesty!

[VTM]

Kiss?

I never really thought of them as having GREAT backups. But I guess thats just cuz theyre good solid, basic, rock vox, no heavy layering, but always well practiced, spot on. I never caught them faltering in any live recordings...

Especially the ones that Eddie Kramer went back and fixed all the mistakes and added multiple tracks of crowd noise from other concerts between songs... The Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Band, Yes, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Peter Frampton and SRV did it too. Fun Fact: Kiss never played Hard Luck Woman at any of the shows recorded for Alive II.

Yeah, especially but not exclusively those ones.. & the crowd noise on these live albums, its a travesty!

Another fun fact: Some of the crowd noise on the Kiss albums was taken from football games.

[neilrocks25]

For myself in an alternative / Punk point of view, it has to be Bad religion and the pixies

[Noah]

John Frusciante's backing vocals have been the only remotely good thing about the RHCP for two decades and counting. And it's odd, because I think he's a terrible lead vocalist.

Yep.

Lots of great answers already mentioned.

Adding one:
Huey lewis & the news