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Feargal Sharkey

Article from One Two Testing, January 1985

Feargal Sharkey selects vocalists



MR SHARKEY was just about to go off to Holland when he was apprehended by the List people. "I no longer indulge in playing live," he admitted, although a special one-off event was lined up for early December which would be his first live performance for two years. "And maybe the last for two years," he countered. "At this stage I'd rather go and make interesting records."

Speaking of which, his fave vocalists' performances on record are listed close by. What about his own studio vocals, though? "I'm slightly inhibited about it in a way. When I'm singing in the studio I act out the part: if I want to sing a sad song I get myself slightly depressed and then I go and sing it. If it's a happy song I try to get myself in a good mood, go and have a jolly time. So I go through some antics. And then I kill all the lights so nobody's watching me. I get on with it in the corner in peace and quiet."

And perhaps some favourites of his own inimitable vocal style on record? "Obviously I think I can do better... when you've done your best vocal ever, that's the end really – although in a way I'd like to achieve that. So far my favourites of my own would be 'Never Never', and an Undertones song called 'Love Before Romance'. Those are probably my favourites at the minute, where I think I conveyed the most from the vinyl."

MARVIN GATE

Sexual Healing

"I don't think this characterises Marvin Gaye best as a singer, but it's just so damn sensual. Wonderful. It's one of those records that lulls you straight away into its atmosphere. And when it's gone you really wish there was another verse to come."

BRYAN FERRY

Midnight Hour

"I think this is the best thing Ferry's done as a vocalist. On a sheer technical level he is a pretty restricted singer – he's got six notes and he sticks rigidly to them. But he does a much better job with those six notes than a lot of other people. This track exploits them most fully – and doing cover versions you often put more into them than your own stuff. There's obviously effort here. You have to try to make a cover version better than the original, otherwise there's no point. The gift, of course, is trying hard but not sounding like you're trying hard."

MARC BOLAN

Get It On

"Most of my chosen vocalists here have very stylistic voices. Marc Bolan has an exciting voice, I think, and I'd choose this, again, for atmospherics over something obvious like 'Ride A White Swan'. It's aggressive without going over the top – he pulls back at the right moments. That's the mark of a clever singer, knowing when to do that."

LOU REED

Perfect Day

"This was the original B-side of 'Walk On The Wild Side', and is very dreamy and soft – a departure then for Lou Reed vocally, a slow ballad that was at odds with what he usually did then. He doesn't have a great voice technically, but he gets his point, his message, across. It's very difficult to go into a sterile environment like the studio and perform to such an extent that when people listen to the record they will get some form of meaning from it."

SMOKEY ROBINSON

Save Me

"I get the impression, without ever having met the guy, that he knew exactly how physically to control his body and his voice, and would use that to enhance what was already a very colourful and exciting voice. I think the difference between a good musician and a bad musician is that a good one will get across whatever emotional state they want to convey, and the bad ones don't."


More with this artist



Previous Article in this issue

The Dumb Chums

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Shredder


Publisher: One Two Testing - IPC Magazines Ltd, Northern & Shell Ltd.

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One Two Testing - Jan 1985

Feature

Previous article in this issue:

> The Dumb Chums

Next article in this issue:

> Shredder


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