The “best rock singer ever”, according to Ian Anderson
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson isn’t necessarily one of the first names that springs to mind when discussing the greatest vocalists of all time, but what he offered to the progressive rock band in terms of his vocal ability was perfectly suited to the group. Throughout the late 1960s and ‘70s, their albums were always ambitious, and his ability to weave stories through his lyrics and the mazy song structures that he and the band wrote together are what made Jethro Tull a celebrated act during this period.
When compared to others in the genre who had a much greater range, such as Yes frontman Jon Anderson, or the harmonies that the Shulman brothers Derek and Phil produced for Gentle Giant, what Ian Anderson offered to Jethro Tull was different in terms of the way he made melodies stick out like it was its own instrument and not just a supportive feature. With his flute playing thrown into the mix, the sound that the band made was a unique one that very few other acts were able to capture.
However, just as strings need to be replaced on guitars and an old piano can go out of tune, the vocal cords are something that every vocalist needs to do their best to protect and preserve, and if not looked after in the appropriate manner, it can lead to long-term irreparable damage being done that prevents you from using them to the same effect ever again. Losing your voice as a frontperson is one of the scariest prospects that vocalists face, and they will go to great lengths to prevent it.
Anderson, unfortunately, would fail to protect his voice later on in his career, and in 1984, he succumbed to damaging his vocal cords through overuse and years of prolonged strenuous activity. In an interview with The Arts Fuse in 2019, he shared what measures he took to protect his voice and throat from this point onwards and the difficulties he has faced in his later years trying to hold onto his vocal ability.
“As I get older, I have to work to do what I do,” he told the publication. “I have to practice every day to keep myself conditioned. I’ve had bronchial infections, and now I take preventative medicines to avoid bacteria and viruses. I’m kind of holding my own at the moment. I’m in better shape now than I was four years ago.”
He would then go on to discuss how he differed from other vocalists in terms of his delivery and how their vocal styles have meant that they don’t have to take as much care over their voices. “Mick Jagger doesn’t really sing. He just tosses it out; he always sang well within his range, but he doesn’t put stress on his voice. Some people just shout it out, like Bruce Springsteen.” How did Anderson believe he differed? “I have tricky melodies to sing,” he declared to the magazine.
As for Anderson’s favourite vocalist of all time, he would unfortunately fall to the same fate and lose his voice through overuse. “Same thing happened to Lou Gramm, who I think is the best rock singer ever,” he stated. The Foreigner vocalist is known for having projected his voice to a great degree, and on some of the band’s most famous hits, such as ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ and ‘Cold As Ice’, he truly belts out his vocals. It’s understandable, given how much stress he placed on his vocals, that they would deteriorate, but it’s probably for this reason that Anderson is so appreciative of Gramm’s vocals and hails him as the best in his field.
