Last week, Axl Rose was named amongst a list of the greatest singers of all time, according to their vocal ranges.

In fact, the Guns N Roses vocalist topped the roster of over 75 of music’s most famous vocalists, displaying a five-octave vocal range that extended past the likes of Prince, Freddie Mercury, Mariah Carey, Thom Yorke, Aretha Franklin, and Kurt Cobain – just to name a few.

Now Rose has responded to the online vocal chart, thanking everybody for praising his vocal abilities in a humbling open letter sent to SPIN (well, more humble than the bizarre one he sent Red Hot Chili Peppers earlier this year) that also lists his own favourite singers.

The 52-year-old first acknowledges that the research of the original Concert Hotels study – which looked at the lowest and highest notes committed to tape by each singer – may have been a little skewed to declare rankings of the ‘World’s Greatest Singers’ based on just “professionally recorded vocal range,” he writes.

“It’s very flattering and humbling to be included in such an illustrious ensemble,” Rose continues. “If I had to say who I thought the best singers were, I’d say first that I don’t know there’s a definitive answer as in my opinion it’s subjective, and second that my focus is primarily rock singers.

“That said, I enjoy Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Dan McCafferty, Janice Joplin, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Jeff Lynne, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Scott, Etta James, Fiona Apple, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and a ton of others (predominantly 70’s rock singers) and would rather hear ANY of them anytime rather than me!” “It’s very flattering and humbling to be included in such an illustrious ensemble.”

Rose isn’t the only who questioned the validity of the vocal range rankings, with Vintage Vinyl News (VVN) finding the whole thing a little fisher and started digging deeper into the vocal ranges of other vocal powerhouses.

Expanding the original’s research with their own additional parameters – such as Rolling Stone‘s 100 Greatest Singers list, this year’s Billboard Music Award nominees, and the vast pool of knowledge in the online vocal forum The Range Place – VVN put together their own comprehensive list of singers with the greatest range in music.

Under the new research, Rose’s five-octave range falls behind four other formidable figures, Van Halen’s David Lee Roth, avant-garde composer Diamanda Galás, Slipknot/Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor, and topping the lot, Mike Patton. Tracking his prolific recorded work with the likes of Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk (and more besides), Patton displays a startling vocal range that stretches over six octaves.

The VVN study might not be as flashy-looking as Concert Hotels’ interactive chart, but they’ve been continuing to refine and expand their list with constant updates, including over one hundred vocalists’ vocal ranges, with another 114 set to be looked into. It’s fascinating stuff and well worth a look in full.

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