Harmony vocals

[Milestones]

Looking for some recommendations (and especially particular songs) by group strongly featuring harmony vocals.

I'm thinking of stuff that is post-1960. I mean everything from Beatles and Beach Boys, to groups not particularly noted as rock such as Seekers and The Association, to stuff up the present day.

This can be rock, pop, folk, country, etc.

[JSngry]

Yeah, it's white-bread/jingle/cotton candy/whatever. I don't care. Gene Puerling was a badass, a total badass. We all die, and just a very small handful of us end up being total badasses, so...I'll leave the "categorization" to the living and/or the trivial among us.

[A Lark Ascending]

I love The Singers Unlimited.

I love harmony - don't understand how it works but I know it when I hear it.

In the rock world you'd find it hard to beat:

But if you want to challenge your idea of what harmony vocals are try this:

Edited November 24, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[Head Man]

In the rock world you'd find it hard to beat:

Yes, I'd pick them...

... and what about Ladysmith Black Mambazo? Some of their music has made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up.

[page]

This summer I saw the group 'Tillery' which Becca Stevens, Rebecca Martin and Gretchen Parlato formed. I loved their harmonies.

No more - performance in the kitchen

Tillery

Magnus - cute song originally written by Gretchen who told us that the son of her girlfriend came up with the basis melody, singing it to the belly of his pregnant mom.

[page]

If you'd like some Indie/Folk rock, I would recommend "Mumford and sons". I'm very impressed by their musicality.

Timshell

[JSngry]

Now that Gene Puerling's gone, Take 6. Maybe even before Gene Puerling left. These guys know how it works.

There seems to have been a resurgence of a capella and/or "harmony singing" the last few years, and I hear a lot of groups that do indeed sing well and do indeed take advantage of having 4-or more part, but the number of groups that understand the actual mechanics of harmony well enough to extend & extrapolate out past the basic diatonic are, like, few or none. But like Puerling, Take 6 loves to move that shit all around, in, out, and back again, and yeah, it gets fun when that happens.

[John L]

[danasgoodstuff]

I particularly like harmony groups with a strong bottom end - the Temptations and the Clovers meet this criteria and them some. (And both were blessed with fine material to sing and strong backing bands.) Why do so few post-doo wop white groups have any bottom end at all? Nontheless I do like the Hollies and the Everlys are hard to beat for just two guys, although they come from a long line of brother duos - the Louvins, the Stanleys, etc.

[JSngry]

Why do so few post-doo wop white groups have any bottom end at all?

It's associated with Country Gospel music, and therefore corny/rigid/etc. everything that a rock/pop group doesn't want to be.

But I'm kinda like oh well about that.I like that bass. The bass works to make the upper notes pop more, it's just overtones, science, really.

[John L]

If you like harmony groups with a strong bottom end, you should certainly check out the Harmonizing Four. The bottom end was always their specialty. You might start with the Vee Jay recordings that feature the incomparable bass of Jimmy Jones.

[Larry Kart]

Swan Silvertones

Dig the passage that begins at about 1:12.

[Larry Kart]

The Hi-Los singing Clare Fischer compositions and arrangements from the 1958 album "The Hi-Lo's and All That Jazz" with the Marty Paich Dek-Tette. Solos by Herb Geller, Jack Sheldon, Bill Perkins, and Bob Enevoldson:

Herbie Hancock's tribute to Fischer:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/76522-herbie-hancock-remembers-clare-fischer

[JSngry]

Oh, if you want to hear some mind-bending Hi-Los/Fischer, check out the version of "There's A Small Hotel" on This Time It's Love. The first chorus is normal enough, but what happens thereafter, and what incentivized it to happen...I can't help you there, I really can't.

As long as we're including Gospel groups, this edition of the Statesmen Quartet was pretty much all the way there.

[Larry Kart]

Oh, if you want to hear some mind-bending Hi-Los/Fischer, check out the version of "There's A Small Hotel" on This Time It's Love. The first chorus is normal enough, but what happens thereafter, and what incentivized it to happen...I can't help you there, I really can't.

Thanks for the tip.

[Larry Kart]

The Delmore Brothers

[JSngry]

Don't know them well enough to make specific recommendations, but I've heard enough of Zap Mama to know that the day is coming. Not so much "harmony" (although there is that) as a very broad timbral palate, very arresting in "vocal group" terms.

[mikeweil]

Fischer's discs with a vocal quartet or quintet "2 plus 2" are nice, too. The one pictured is the second, I can't find the cover for the first " ... and sometimes voices".

p.s. here's a third one:

Available through CDBaby

Edited November 25, 2013 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Geoffrey Keezer posted this on his facebook site - pretty amazing ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKUttYs5ow

Jacob Collier is the name of this multi-talented kid.

[page]

Yes, I have seen him before. He is wonderful. I have seen these guys live a few times:

The Nylons - Bop 'till you drop

These girls as well:

Yes sister, jazz sister - Stop
and - What's up

[BillF]

Vocal group that can sing bop beautifully. Hip lyrics, too!