Harry Shearer (2,849 views)

[Steve]

Vocal Range: E1 - D5
Voice Type: "Mr. Burns" Bass

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
D5: "Faith No More"**
C♯5: "Butt Call"*
B4: "All Backed Up"*, "Waterboardin', USA"**
B♭4: "American Guys On Mars"**
A4: "Latenightline"**
G4: "American Guys On Mars"**, "Joe The Plumber"**, "Never Did No Wanderin'"**, "Waterboardin', USA"**
E4: "Never Did No Wanderin'"**

A1: "All Backed Up"***, "Karen"*, "Let The Flag Burners Fry (On The Fourth Of July)"*

* Note is of poor quality, and is possibly hard to pitch due to this fact
** Note may not be coming from Harry Shearer's voice
*** Note is of generally dubious identity

"Sugar Daddy", "Never Sayin' Neverland Again" and "Hell Toupee" sound very artificial / processed and will not be included in the research.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Material / Credits}
Solo Material: iknownothing
Smalls Change (2018) - Album Range: D2 - G4
Can't Take A Hint (2012) - Album Range: E1 - F4
Greed And Fear (2010) - Album Range: F2 - G4
Songs Of The Bushmen (2008) - Album Range: G♯1 - F4
Songs Pointed And Pointless (2007) - Album Range: B1 - G4
Dropping Anchors (2006) - Album Range: G1 - E♭2 - G4

Some Folksmen Material: iknownothing
Live Material: iknownothing
General Help & Consultancy: Platypus

NOTE: I have not yet notewatched any Spinal Tap albums. I can imagine them being a nightmare to go through.

Significant High Notes:

D5: "Cash on Delivery" live at the Royal Albert Hall 1992, "Loco Man" live 2009
C♯5: "Sex Farm"
B4: "America" live at the Royal Albert Hall 1992, "Cash on Delivery", "Stonehenge" live
B♭4: "America", "Christmas with the Devil", "Look at All Those Idiots"
A4: "Cash on Delivery", "Diva Fever" live at the Royal Albert Hall 1992, "Look at All Those Idiots"
G♯4: "Hell Hole" live at the Royal Albert Hall 1992
G4: "82 Facelifts", "America", "Cash on Delivery", "It Don't Get Old", "Little GM", "The Losin' Kind", "Look at All Those Idiots", "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
F♯4: "Gummin' The Gash", "Little GM", "MRI", "New York Is My Lady", "Smalls Change", "Songs In The Key Of L"
F4: "82 Facelifts", "American Guys On Mars", "Blood On The Coal", "Faith No More", "Gimme Some (More) Money", "Joe The Plumber", "Rock And Roll Transplant", "Who Is Yoo?"
E4: "American Guys On Mars", "The Head Of Alberto Gonzalez", "It Don't Get Old", "The Losin' Kind", "Memo To Willie", "New York Is My Lady", "Rock And Roll Transplant", "Turd Blossom Special", "When Men Did Rock"
E♭4: "Faith No More", "Glimmers Of Hope", "Gummin' The Gash", "It Don't Get Old", "Little GM", "The Losin' Kind", "MRI", "Smalls Change", "Touch My Junk"
D4: "82 Facelifts", "Addicted To Oil", "All Backed Up", "Butt Call", "Corn Wine", "Gimme Some (More) Money", "Joe The Plumber", "Latenightline", "Little GM", "Memo To Willie", "MRI", "Rock And Roll Transplant", "Waterboardin', USA", "Who Is Yoo?", "Wolf On The Run"
C♯4: "Bailout For Santa", "Bridge To Nowhere", "Butt Call", "Celebrity Booze Endorser", "Crossing Fingers", "Smalls Change", "Stuff Happens"
C4: "All Backed Up", "Bailout For Santa", "Corn Wine", "Faith No More", "Gimme Some (More) Money", "The Head Of Alberto Gonzalez", "It Don't Get Old", "Karen", "The Losin' Kind", "Make New Orleans Whole", "Memo To Willie", "She Puts The Bitch In Obituary", "Touch My Junk", "Turd Blossom Special", "When Men Did Rock", "Who Is Yoo?"
B3: "All Backed Up", "American Guys On Mars", "Bridge To Nowhere", "Corn Wine", "Faith No More", "Glimmers Of Hope", "Gummin' The Gash", "The Head Of Alberto Gonzalez", "Joe The Plumber", "Latenightline", "She Puts The Bitch In Obituary", "Smalls Change", "Touch My Junk", "Turd Blossom Special", "Waterboardin', USA", "Wolf On The Run"
B♭3: "Bad Bank", "Bailout For Santa", "Bridge To Nowhere", "Butt Call", "Corn Wine", "Dead Cat Bounce", "Faith No More", "Gimme Some (More) Money", "Joe The Plumber", "Mr. Goldman And Mr. Sachs", "New York Is My Lady", "Stuff Happens"
A3: "Addicted To Oil", "All Backed Up", "Autumn In New Orleans" Solo Live Bonus Track, "Bridge To Nowhere", "Butt Call", "Carrot Soup", "Celebrity Booze Endorser", "Corn Wine", "Crossing Fingers", "Glimmers Of Hope", "Gummin' The Gash", "Karen", "Loco Man" live 2009, "Make New Orleans Whole", "Memo To Willie", "A Mighty Wind", "Mr. Goldman And Mr. Sachs", "Rock And Roll Transplant", "Turd Blossom Special", "Waterboardin', USA", "When Men Did Rock", "Who Is Yoo?"
G♯3: "82 Facelifts", "935 Lies", "Addicted To Oil", "Autumn In New Orleans" Solo Live Bonus Track, "Bad Bank", "Bailout For Santa", "Carrot Soup", "Celebrity Booze Endorser", "Mr. Goldman And Mr. Sachs", "New York Is My Lady", "Stuff Happens", "Touch My Junk", "Troubled Assets", "Waterboardin', USA", "Wolf On The Run"
G3: "American Guys On Mars", "Autumn In New Orleans" Solo Live Bonus Track, "Bad Bank", "Bailout For Santa", "Blood On The Coal", "Butt Call", "Carrot Soup", "Celebrity Booze Endorser", "Dead Cat Bounce", "Deaf Boys", "Faith No More", "Gimme Some (More) Money", "Glimmers Of Hope", "The Head Of Alberto Gonzalez", "It Don't Get Old", "Joe The Plumber", "Karen", "Let The Flag Burners Fry (On The Fourth Of July)", "Little GM", "Loco Man" live 2009, "The Losin' Kind", "Make New Orleans Whole", "Mr. Goldman And Mr. Sachs", "Never Did No Wanderin'", "New York Is My Lady", "Rock And Roll Transplant", "She Puts The Bitch In Obituary", "Songs In The Key Of L", "Stuff Happens", "Turd Blossom Special", "Waterboardin', USA", "When Men Did Rock", "Who Is Yoo?", "Wolf On The Run"

Significant Low Notes:

G2: "935 Lies", "American Guys On Mars", "Autumn In New Orleans" Solo Live Bonus Track, "Bad Bank", "Barnyard Symphony" live, "Corn Wine", "Deaf Boys", "Decommissioned" Simpsons, "Glimmers Of Hope", "Greed And Fear", "Karen", "Let The Flag Burners Fry (On The Fourth Of July)", "Little GM", "Make New Orleans Whole", "New York Is My Lady", "Old Joe's Place", "Smalls Change", "Smooth Moves", "Songs In The Key Of L", "Stuff Happens", "Touch My Junk", "Waterboardin', USA", "Wolf On The Run"
F♯2: "Carrot Soup", "Glimmers Of Hope", "Hail To The Bus Driver" Simpsons, "No Cooler For The Scooter"
F2: "Greed And Fear", "Smalls Change", "Touch My Junk", "Trillion Dollar Bargain", "When The Crocodile Cries"
E2: "935 Lies", "Deaf Boys", "Decommissioned" Simpsons, "Hail To The Bus Driver" Simpsons, "The Head Of Alberto Gonzalez", "Karen", "Let The Flag Burners Fry (On The Fourth Of July)", "She Puts The Bitch In Obituary", "Smooth Moves", "When The Crocodile Cries"
E♭2: "Songs In The Key Of L", "Touch My Junk"
D2: "Autumn In New Orleans" Solo Live Bonus Track, "Barnyard Symphony" live, "Carrot Soup", "Deaf Boys", "Let The Flag Burners Fry (On The Fourth Of July)", "Heartbreak Hotel" This Is Spinal Tap scene, "No Cooler For The Scooter", "Old Joe's Place", "Smalls Change", "When The Crocodile Cries"
C♯2: "Smooth Moves", "When The Crocodile Cries"
C2: "Decommissioned" Simpsons
B1: "Hail To The Bus Driver" Simpsons, "Let The Flag Burners Fry (On The Fourth Of July)", "Old Joe's Place" Saturday Night Live, "Touch My Junk", "Wolf On The Run"
B♭1: "All About That Bass" live, "Carrot Soup", "If Ever I Would Leave You" The Simpsons S2 E19, "No Cooler For The Scooter", "When The Crocodile Cries"
A1: "Decommissioned" Simpsons, "Start Me Up"
G♯1: "No Cooler For The Scooter", "Songs In The Key Of L", "When The Crocodile Cries"
G1: "Songs In The Key Of L"
E1: "All About That Bass" live, "Deaf Boys"

.......................................................
*Underlined marks notes generally muffled/obscured in the song mix.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Bold indicates notes that are notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
*Blue marks falsetto notes.

Thread originally by iknownothing . See this thread for more information.

[Henny Macc]

Sung G4s at 0:25 and 0:49!


Lots of good fourth octave notes here, including many melodic G4s, an entire line on A4 at 1:21, and a few B♭4s including at 3:10!


Really great sung B♭1 here. Song is called "If Ever I Would Leave You".

[Platypus]

C5 here

[Henny Macc]

D2s here in this out-of-harmony rendition of "Heartbreak Hotel"

[Henny Macc]

Just stumbled upon what may quite possibly be Harry's highest singing so far!

Lots of B4s and D5s all throughout the verses of this performance! I always thought this song was Michael McKean on lead vocals, but apparently not. The studio version also gets up to a bunch of G4s and B4s as well.


Sounds like he also hits a bunch of harmony G♯4s on the chorus here. Probably more highs to be found in other Spinal Tap live performances.

[Henny Macc]

Entire lines on G4 here, a harmony A4 at 3:29, and a B4 at 4:10!


A4s at the end of every verse line here


Sustained C♯5 here and at 2:07!

[Henny Macc]

So turns out he's actually released a number of sings under Derek Smalls' name as a solo artist outside of Spinal Tap affiliation, and quite a few of the songs span over two octaves! Apparently there's a whole solo album that came out last year that could be checked for this thread, but for now this is what I've notewatched so far:


Quite a bit of range displayed in the closing bit of this song - starts on an F4, slides down to a sustained D2, and then trails down to a weaker A1 after that - I'll leave it up to the community as to whether that's worth counting. Other than that, there are numerous C4s and D4s in the verses, and A2s on every chorus (which in my opinion would definitely be worth counting as low notes for him)


A spoken section down to F2 here (and I think a short E2 on "don't EXist"), shortly followed by a sung F4. Aside from those, there are B3s on the verses, E♭4s on the choruses, and a C4 on the bridge at 1:04.


LOTS of notes in this one, though a lot of them are talk-sung - C2 at 0:25, D4 at 0:49, E♭4s at 0:59, E2s at 1:22, F4 at 1:57, G♭4 at 2:13, G2s at 2:20, D2s at 3:38, and a flat G4 at 3:47.


Spoken B1 at 0:47, strong D2 at 1:09, strong F2 at 1:37, D4 at 1:47, C4 at 1:57, great F♯4 at 2:19, D♯4s at 2:56, F4 at 3:29, and I think a C♯2 at 4:40.


B♭2 at 0:25 immediately followed by C4s, E♭4s at 1:03, F2 at 1:15, B2 at 1:40, E4s at 1:47, and a G4 at 1:58.


F4 at 0:28, D4s at 0:57, and C4s at 1:38.


E4s at 1:12 and D4s at 1:26.


Lots of A2s, D4 at 1:09, E4 at 3:18, and F4s at 3:44.

Also for the record I think if this thread gets taken over by anyone down the line, the thresholds could use a major revamp. It looks like the original OP for it basically treated him like a full-on bass singer and thought he barely had any notes beyond the lower fourth octave, but he's actually quite comfortable through the mid fourth octave, and has a handful of belted notes higher than that as well as I'm discovering. So I really don't think most of the third octave notes currently listed are significant for him, and I think his low notes could actually be extended to the upper second octave, cause some of these notes in the A2 range or so still sound like part of his low range. I would say B3 is the absolute farthest his highs need to be extended down to, but honestly could be cut to C4 or maybe even D4. As for lows, I would say he deserves to have at least A2s listed, maybe B♭2s or B2s.