How would you rank Felder's voice?

[OntheBorder74]

Been on a break from the border lately but this is an interesting debate, I'd give a generous 6. It's all been said he can definitely sing but he lacks the feeling and expression and also the uniqueness that Tim, Joe and of course don and glenn have. Those guys could bring subtle nuances to different songs and many different styles but with Felder it is a tad bit generic but I think during his show its fine as long as it doesn't get in the way of his guitar playing in which he is a solid 10.

[Jonny Come Lately]

He can hit the notes, but his voice is generic; it lacks character and distinctiveness. I call it the "bar band" voice - someone whose voice is good enough to front a band playing the local bars, but who doesn't stand out. Joe's voice is not the greatest but it DOES have character, which is why I think most people enjoy his vocals regardless of whether or not he hits all the notes.

I'd give Felder a 6.

I totally agree with you Soda, that's exactly how I feel. I can listen to him sing alright, he does an okay job and there are singers who I'd say have better voices on record than him who I find worse to hear live than him, but his voice just doesn't stand out from the crowd, let alone compared to Don H, Glenn or Randy. For instance, I have seen videos of him singing One of These Nights, and while the song is brilliant and I love his guitar work, the vocals just can't match the superb high vocals by Don H and Randy on the original. I'm sure I'd enjoy Don Felder's solo show, if he came to the UK, but I'd love it because of the songs (I will admit that had I been lucky enough to the see the Eagles live I probably wouldn't be quite so keen) and his guitar playing, not the vocals. I think character is the main quality I look for in a voice, rather than their ability as such. Felder's voice doesn't have that, so I find he just sounds like a competent but generic guitar rock vocalist.

Without wanting to digress too much, I must admit a lot of the vocalists who I most enjoy hear sing are technically far from being the best but have very distinctive voices. Joe's voice certainly falls into this category, it suits his songs and persona well. Don Henley is a better singer than him, but he can never be an 'Ordinary Average Guy', so I personally don't think he could sing PMAIAR or Life's Been Good quite the way Joe does. Likewise, I personally love Bob Dylan's voice (please don't shoot!) - he may not have the 'nicest' singest voice, but again, I think he has the perfect voice for many of his songs, such as the acerbic 'Ballad of A Thin Man', the humorous 'Highway 61 Revisited' and the melancholy 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'. By contrast, going to the opposite extreme, while I can acknowledge the technical ability of singers like Celine Dion, I simply find her voice grating. Similarly, I also find I can only take so much of Adele. I accept a lot of people will probably strongly disagree and I am fine with that.

[DJ]

Correct Soda on generic. No particular quality you can distinguish such as Don H, Glenn and Randy.

[NOLA]

Felder's voice is a whole lot better than mine.
I'd rate his voice a 5. If I'm buying a ticket to see him perform, it's because of his guitar skills not his voice.

I agree with all of this - same applies here.

[Annoying Twit]

I agree with many of the comments here.

Just one extra thing. Is there autotune on his "Road to Forever" album?

Possibly there is some on "I believe in you". I'm not against autotune, but I think that his vocals have been heavily processed at least, if not autotuned.

EDIT: Auto-tune mentioned by Chaim on the album thread: https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/...earchid=480482