Post by BAZanine on Jul 15, 2022 12:11:53 GMT
James Alan Hull (20 February 1945 - 17 November 1995)
Years Active: Mid-1960s - 1995
Associated Acts: Lindisfarne (1968–1975, 1976, 1978–1995)
Voice Type: Fog on the Tyneor
Vocal Range: D2 - B5
{Vocal Summary}Both as a member of English rock band Lindisfarne and as a solo artist, Alan Hull has long been a criminally overlooked songwriter and musician. Once called the best songwriter since Bob Dylan, the man has countless pieces which have stood the test of time whilst he regrettably has passed on. A big distinction to be made in the comparison between himself and Dylan, however, is his much more palatable singing voice. Preferring a cleaner, lighter sound in his early career, his voice is never unpleasant on the ears. As a folk singer, this certainly remained an asset of his. Not to mention, in light of this thread, how adept he was on both ends of his range; he was more than capable of confiding in the listener the full breadth of his voice and sounding good doing it. In an interesting turn, whilst remaining capable of delivering on his earlier pieces, Hull in his later career opted for a more rock 'n' roll sound in his voice when it made sense; raspy, weightier belting would take the place of his floatier sound in newer material. What makes his voice stand out to this threadmaker isn't really any of that, though; throughout his life, Alan Hull remained, for lack of a better term, an ordinary person. This was never lost in his often political songwriting, nor in his singing. He always seems to give off an air of relatability with his singing about flawed establishments and self-aware love. And really, when you have someone who remained as in touch with the people as he did, it's hard not to appreciate his voice and musicianship.
Significant High Notes:
B5 ("Knacker's Yard Blues" live Newcastle City Hall 1971)
B♭5 ("Anywhere Is Everywhere")
A5 ("Fog on the Tyne" live Clifton Poly 1975, "Log on Your Fire")
F♯5 ("Carousel", "Knacker's Yard Blues")
E5 ("For the Bairns")
D5 ("Alright on the Night", "Do It Like This", "Down", "Obidiah's Grave", "For the Bairns", "Madmen and Loonies", "We Can Swing Together" live Birmingham 1984)
C♯5 ("Money")
C5 ("Carousel", "I Hate to See You Cry", "Mother Russia", "Roll on River", "We Can Swing Together" solo version)
B4 ("Anywhere Is Everywhere", "Blue Murder", "Elvis Lives on the Moon", "Get Wise", "Golden Oldies", "The Money Game", "Think", "You and Me")
B♭4 ("Clear White Light (Part 2)", "Do It Like This", "Heroes", "Jackhammer Blues" live Newcastle City Hall 1971, "Knacker's Yard Blues", "Mother Russia", "Nobody Loves You Anymore", "Nuthin' Shakin'", "On the Other Side", "Strange Affair", "We Can Swing Together" live Newcastle City Hall 1971 / live New York 1972)
A4 ("1983", "About You", "Alright on the Night" studio / live Newcastle City Hall 1971, "Brand New Day" live 1983, "Breakfast", "Bring Down the Government", "Broken Doll", "Carousel", "Corporation Rock", "Crazy Woman", "Cruising to Disaster", "Dan the Plan", "Dance Your Life Away", "Dancin' (On the Judgement Day)", "Day of the Jackal" Elvis Lives on the Moon version, "Demons", "Don't Ask Me", "Down", "Drinking Song", "Easy and Free", "Evening", "Evergreen", "Fog on the Tyne" live Newcastle City Hall 1971, "Get Wise", "Golden Oldies", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" live Kent 1986, "I Hate to See You Cry", "Keeping the Rage", "Lady Eleanor", "Love Is the Alibi", "Love Is the Answer", "Madmen and Loonies", "Make Me Want to Stay", "Money", "Mother Russia" live Newcastle City Hall 1993, "Mr. Inbetween", "No Time to Lose" live 1972, "Numbers (Travelling Band)", "Nuthin' Shakin'", "Obidiah's Grave", "On the Other Side", "One More Bottle of Wine", "Peter Brophy Don't Care", "Roll on River", "Run for Home", "Scarecrow Song" live 01/02/1971, "Song for a Stranger", "Spoken Like a Man", "Squire", "Statues & Liberties", "Steppenwolf", "Think", "Tomorrow", "Tonight", "United States of Mind", "A Walk in the Sea", "We Can Swing Together", "When the War Is Over", "Wish You Were Here", "You and Me")
G♯4 ("Bye Bye Birdie" live Newcastle City Hall 1977, "Clear White Light (Part 2)" live 1983, "Go Back", "Dealer's Choice", "I Wish You Well", "Love in a Cage", "Meet Me on the Corner", "A Mystery Play" live 1983, "Road to Kingdom Come", "Tow the Line", "Winter Song")
G4 ("100 Miles to Liverpool" Dance Your Life Away version, "1983", "About You", "Alan in the River With Flowers", "All Fall Down", "American Man", "Bad Side of Town", "Beautiful Day", "Blue Murder", "Breakfast" studio / live Back to Basics 1994, "Broken Doll", "Call of the Wild", "City Song", "Clear White Light (Part 2)", "Country Gentleman's Wife", "Court in the Act", "Crazy Woman", "Cruising to Disaster", "Dan the Plan", "Dancin' (On the Judgement Day)", "Day of the Jackal", "Dingly Dell", "Do It Like This", "Down", "Drug Song", "Easy and Free", "Elvis Lives on the Moon", "The End", "Everything Changes", "Fog on the Tyne", "For the Bairns", "Gin and Tonix All Around", "Golden Oldies", "Good to Be Here", "Hoi Poloi", "I Hate to See You Cry", "I Must Stop Going to Parties", "Inside a Broken Heart", "January Song", "Keeping the Rage", "Lazy", "Log on Your Fire", "Love in a Cage", "Madmen and Loonies", "Malvinas Melody", "Mandolin King", "Marshall Riley's Army", "Miracles", "The Money Game", "Mother Russia", "Mr. Inbetween", "Nellie", "Never Miss the Water", "Nights" live 1983, "No Time to Lose", "Nothing but the Marvellous Is Beautiful", "O No Not Again", "One More Bottle of Wine", "One World", "Peter Brophy Don't Care", "Run for Home", "Save Yourself", "Scarecrow Song", "Smile", "Somewhere Out There", "Statues & Liberties", "Start Again", "Stormy Weather", "Steppenwolf", "Strange Affair", "Taking Care of Business", "Train in G Major" live Newcastle City Hall 1977, "Waiting", "We Can Swing Together", "When the War Is Over", "Wish You Were Here", "You and Me", "You're the One")
F♯4 ("100 Miles to Liverpool", "All in the Same Boat", "Beautiful Day", "Brand New Day" live 1983, "Cardboard Christmas Boxes", "Carousel", "Corporation Rock", "Court in the Act", "Dealer's Choice", "Don't Say Goodnight", "Get Wise", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" live Kent 1986, "Heroes", "I Wish You Well", "In Your Head", "Isn't It Strange", "Justanothersadsong", "Lazy", "Love Is a Pain", "Love Is the Alibi", "Make Me Want to Stay", "The Money Game", "Numbers (Travelling Band)", "Obidiah's Grave", "Ode to the Taxman" live 1983, "Only Alone", "Same Way Down", "Shine On", "Somewhere Out There", "Song for a Stranger", "Song for a Windmill", "Spoken Like a Man", "Take Your Time", "Together Forever", "Turn a Deaf Ear", "United States of Mind")
F4 ("All in the Same Boat", "Alright on the Night", "American Man", "Clear White Light (Part 2)", "Dingle Regatta", "Do It Like This", "Drinking Song", "Evergreen", "Everything Changes", "Gin and Tonix All Around", "Hoi Poloi", "Inside a Broken Heart", "January Song", "Love Is the Alibi", "Love on the Run", "Money", "Moonshine", "Mother Russia", "Moving House" live 1983, "Nellie", "Nights", "No Need to Tell Me", "Nothing but the Marvellous Is Beautiful", "On My Own I Built a Bridge", "On the Other Side", "Passing Ghosts", "Poor Old Ireland", "Start Again", "Stormy Weather", "Taking Care of Business", "Waiting", "Working for the Man")
E4 ("100 Miles to Liverpool", "1983", "Alan in the River With Flowers", "All Fall Down", "Any Way the Wind Blows", "Anywhere Is Everywhere", "Bad Side of Town", "Call of the Wild", "Cardboard Christmas Boxes", "City Song", "Country Gentleman's Wife", "Cruising to Disaster", "Dan the Plan", "Day of the Jackal", "Dedicated Hound", "Demons", "Do What I Want", "Doctor of Love", "Easy and Free", "Elvis Lives on the Moon", "Fly Away", "Fog on the Tyne", "Get Wise", "I Must Stop Going to Parties", "Isn't It Strange", "Keeping the Rage", "Log on Your Fire", "Long Way from Home", "Love in a Cage", "Love Is the Answer", "Malvinas Melody", "Mandolin King", "Miracles", "Money", "Moving House" live 1983, "Mr. Inbetween", "A Mystery Play", "North Country Boy", "One World", "Only Alone", "Peter Brophy Don't Care", "Poor Old Ireland", "River", "Run for Home", "Scarecrow Song", "Smile", "Song for a Windmill", "Spoken Like a Man", "Squire", "Strange Affair", "Sunderland Boys", "This Heart of Mine", "Together Forever", "Treat Me Kindly", "Walk a Crooked Mile", "Winter Song", "Wish You Were Here", "Working for the Man", "You and Me", "You're the One")
Significant Low Notes:
E3 ("100 Miles to Liverpool", "Anywhere Is Everywhere", "Blue Murder", "Cardboard Christmas Boxes", "Country Gentleman's Wife", "Cruising to Disaster", "Dance Your Life Away", "Doctor of Love", "Dingly Dell", "Don't Say Goodnight", "Easy and Free", "Evening", "Good to Be Here", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" live Kent 1986, "Keeping the Rage", "Love in a Cage", "Make Me Want to Stay", "Malvinas Melody", "A Mystery Play", "O No Not Again" live Back to Basics 1994, "Ode to the Taxman" live 1983, "Only Alone", "Scarecrow Song", "Soho Square", "Somewhere Out There", "Song for a Stranger", "Take Your Time", "Think", "United States of Mind", "We Can Swing Together" live Clifton Poly 1975, "Where Is My Sixpence?", "Winter Song")
E♭3 ("Anywhere Is Everywhere", "Elvis Lives on the Moon", "Heroes", "Malvinas Melody" live Birmingham 1984, "Passing Ghosts")
D3 ("All Fall Down", "American Man", "Bad Side of Town", "Breakfast" live Back to Basics 1994, "Call of the Wild", "Cardboard Christmas Boxes", "Country Gentleman's Wife", "Cruising to Disaster", "Dan the Plan", "Evergreen", "Fly Away", "Good to Be Here", "January Song", "Lazy", "Log on Your Fire", "Love in a Cage", "Madmen and Loonies", "Miracles", "Nothing but the Marvellous Is Beautiful", "One More Bottle of Wine", "Only Alone", "Picture (A Little Girl)", "Poor Old Ireland", "One Off Pat", "Save Yourself", "Scarecrow Song", "Soho Square", "Stormy Weather", "Tynemouth Song", "Waiting", "When the Gun Goes Down", "You and Me", "You Put the Laff on Me")
C♯3 ("Dingle Regatta", "Dingly Dell", "Do Not Be Afraid", "Elvis Lives on the Moon", "The Money Game", "One More Bottle of Wine" live Birmingham 1984, "Think", "This Heart of Mine", "Treat Me Kindly", "United States of Mind", "Where Is My Sixpence?")
C3 ("100 Miles to Liverpool", "Angels at Eleven", "Fly Away", "Inside a Broken Heart", "Log on Your Fire", "Long Way from Home", "Mother Russia", "Nothing but the Marvellous Is Beautiful", "A Walk in the Sea")
B2 ("January Song" live Newcastle City Hall, May 1977, "Lady Eleanor", "Long Way from Home", "The Money Game", "A Mystery Play", "On My Own I Built a Bridge", "Picture (A Little Girl)", "Poor Old Ireland", "Save Yourself", "See the Pretty Dancer" live Birmingham 1984, "Somewhere Out There", "Song for a Windmill", "This Heart of Mine", "Treat Me Kindly", "United States of Mind" live Birmingham 1984, "Winter Song" live Back to Basics 1994)
B♭2 ("Call of the Wild", "See the Pretty Dancer" live Birmingham 1984)
A2 ("Day of the Jackal" Elvis Lives on the Moon version , "Demons", "Do Not Be Afraid", "Inside a Broken Heart", "Lady Eleanor", "Lazy", "Love Is the Answer", "Mother Russia", "On the Other Side", "Peter Brophy Don't Care", "Song for a Stranger", "Think")
G♯2 ("Angels at Eleven")
G2 ("The Money Game" live Newcastle City Hall, May 1977, "Mother Russia" live Back to Basics 1994, "One Off Pat", "On the Other Side", "A Walk in the Sea")
F♯2 ("Get Wise", "Peter Brophy Don't Care" acoustic version, "Poor Old Ireland" live Birmingham 1984)
F2 ("Mother Russia")
D2 ("Demons")
…………………………………………………………………….
*Blue marks clear falsetto notes.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Boldface marks notes that are considered impressive in relation to this person's vocal capabilities.
*Underlines mark notes obscured in the mix of the song.
*Dates on this thread are listed with the format DD/MM/YYYY.
Best Vocal Performances:
1. Winter Song
2. Mother Russia
3. The Money Game
4. One More Bottle of Wine
5. Day of the Jackal Elvis Lives on the Moon version
6. Carousel
7. Clear White Light (Part 2)
8. Make Me Want to Stay
9. I Hate to See You Cry
10. When the War Is Over
11. Dan the Plan
12. Peter Brophy Don't Care
13. Statues & Liberties
14. Mr. Inbetween
15. Money
16. Malvinas Melody
17. Good to Be Here
18. Love Is the Answer
19. Spoken Like a Man
20. Save Yourself
{Questionable Notes}B♭5 ("We Can Swing Together"[2b] & [3a])
G5 ("Call of the Wild"[3b])
F5 ("Day of the Jackal" live Back to Basics 1994[2b])
E5 ("Love in a Cage"[2b])
D3 ("Blue Murder"[1a])
C3 ("Squire"[2a])
G2 ("Do What I Want"[3a], "Drinking Song"[2a], "Easy and Free"[3a], "Heaven Waits"[3a], "Long Way from Home"[2a], "Soho Square"[2a])
F♯2 ("Poor Old Ireland"[2a], "Song for a Windmill"[2a])
F2 ("This Heart of Mine"[2a])
.......................................................
[1] Questionable legitimacy.
a. Notes that may or may not exist.
[2] Questionable quality.
a. Brief, unemphatic anacruses and dips in low range.
b. Brief, uncontrolled trills in high range.
[3] Questionable identity.
a. Ambiguous backing vocals.
b. Ambiguous tone.
G5 ("Call of the Wild"[3b])
F5 ("Day of the Jackal" live Back to Basics 1994[2b])
E5 ("Love in a Cage"[2b])
D3 ("Blue Murder"[1a])
C3 ("Squire"[2a])
G2 ("Do What I Want"[3a], "Drinking Song"[2a], "Easy and Free"[3a], "Heaven Waits"[3a], "Long Way from Home"[2a], "Soho Square"[2a])
F♯2 ("Poor Old Ireland"[2a], "Song for a Windmill"[2a])
F2 ("This Heart of Mine"[2a])
.......................................................
[1] Questionable legitimacy.
a. Notes that may or may not exist.
[2] Questionable quality.
a. Brief, unemphatic anacruses and dips in low range.
b. Brief, uncontrolled trills in high range.
[3] Questionable identity.
a. Ambiguous backing vocals.
b. Ambiguous tone.
{Notewatched Discography & Album Ranges}With Lindisfarne:
Nicely Out of Tune (1970) (A2 - A4 - D5)
Fog on the Tyne (1971) (A2 - A4 - D5)
Dingly Dell (1972) (B2 - A4)
Roll on, Ruby (1973) (A2 - B♭4 - C5)
Happy Daze (1974) (D3 - G4 - A4)
Back and Fourth (1978) (F♯2 - B4)
The News (1979) (B♭2 - A4 - A5)
Sleepless Nights (1982) (D3 - A4)
Dance Your Life Away (1986) (A2 - B♭4)
C'mon Everybody (1987) - Unavailable
Amigos (1989) (E3 - B♭4 - D5)
Elvis Lives on the Moon (1993) (D2 - A4 - B4 - C5)
+ Singles
+ Live performances
Solo:
Pipedream (1973) (G2 - A4 - B4 - C5 - E5)
Squire (1975) (B2 - B♭4 - B4)
Phantoms (1979) (G2 - B4 - B♭5)
On the Other Side (1983) (G2 - A2 - B♭4)
Another Little Adventure (1989) - Unavailable
Back to Basics (1994) (F2 - G2 - A4)
Statues & Liberties (1996, recorded 1995) (B2 - A4 - C♯5)
+ Singles
+ Live performances
With Radiator:
Isn't It Strange (1977) (G2 - A4 - D5) - Most of the songs on this album more famously appear on Hull's solo album, Phantoms. An album range representative of songs unique to this album is A3 - F♯4.
Nicely Out of Tune (1970) (A2 - A4 - D5)
Fog on the Tyne (1971) (A2 - A4 - D5)
Dingly Dell (1972) (B2 - A4)
Roll on, Ruby (1973) (A2 - B♭4 - C5)
Happy Daze (1974) (D3 - G4 - A4)
Back and Fourth (1978) (F♯2 - B4)
The News (1979) (B♭2 - A4 - A5)
Sleepless Nights (1982) (D3 - A4)
Dance Your Life Away (1986) (A2 - B♭4)
C'mon Everybody (1987) - Unavailable
Amigos (1989) (E3 - B♭4 - D5)
Elvis Lives on the Moon (1993) (D2 - A4 - B4 - C5)
+ Singles
+ Live performances
Solo:
Pipedream (1973) (G2 - A4 - B4 - C5 - E5)
Squire (1975) (B2 - B♭4 - B4)
Phantoms (1979) (G2 - B4 - B♭5)
On the Other Side (1983) (G2 - A2 - B♭4)
Another Little Adventure (1989) - Unavailable
Back to Basics (1994) (F2 - G2 - A4)
Statues & Liberties (1996, recorded 1995) (B2 - A4 - C♯5)
+ Singles
+ Live performances
With Radiator:
Isn't It Strange (1977) (G2 - A4 - D5) - Most of the songs on this album more famously appear on Hull's solo album, Phantoms. An album range representative of songs unique to this album is A3 - F♯4.
Special thanks to Baronessa for helping me order the Best Vocal Performances list.
