The Proclaimers

Have been listening to the albums over the past few months, having only bought the entire catalogue earlier this year. Interesting to read the interviews etc recently promoting the new album etc, and to see lots of live footage etc on you tube. One question though, not entirely clear from their liner notes on all the albums - is it always Craig on lead vocals, or sometimes Charlie? 'Act Of Rememberance' for example sounds different to Craig's normal style. From the interviews it seems Craig is the main writer of the lyrics, so I wondered if some of the leads are in fact Charlie?
Thanks for an y input (hope I'm not being too trainspotter with this one!)

Charlie sings the lead vocals in many songs including Scotland's Story and Letter From America, however Craig is the lead singer for the band, without it he'd kind of just be the weird guy stanind there seeing as he doesnt play much instruments.

Too trainspotter...surely you jest! We LIVE for this stuff!!



Charlie sings lead on the opening verse (and then alternating) of Letter from America

Losing my virginity verse of Over and Done With

Half of Sean

Part of Shout Shout

Scotland's Story

Act of Remembrance

Unguarded Moments

No Witness

Bound For Your Love

Better Days

That's all I came up with thinking quickly...

Others?

Well girl, you oughta know, you are the source on this. Thanks.
And I like listening to Craig do the lead and listening to Charlie do the, uh, intertwining (?). I mean, it's not always harmony, is it, and that's the hook for me.
There was one song this spring when Craig sang a part that I would have bet the farm was Charlie, but I can not for the life of me remember which it was. Maybe Ginger remembers, because of course I poked her every few minutes about something.

I remember listening to a radio interview where Craig said jokingly that he can't sing harmonies. Obviouslly he can, just not to the same vocal ranges as Charlie. This probably explains why in songs that Charlie leads, Craig seldom harmonises- for example "Better Days" and the majority of "Scotland's Story". However he does sometimes take over the lead, with Charlie then harmonising- such is the case in "Bound for Your Love" and "Unguarded Moments". That's my thinking anyway!

Cheers essexdave! You won't believe me, but I was thinking about this subject these days and I was about to open a thread about it, I didn't do it just because I was away for the weekend

I just knew the obvious ones such as Scotland Story, Letter from America, Shout shout, Sean, Better Days, Over and Done With... Glad I was not wrong about those, LOL. I was not sure about Act of remembrance (written by Craig tho?).
But I was surprised about Unguarded Moments and No Witness. I suppose I have to hone my ability to tell their voices apart... and/or see the songs live

Act of Remembrance was written by Charlie.

The song where I find it really difficult to tell them apart is That's When He Told Her. Their voices intertwine, just like people's lives do over many years, and I just get lost. Maybe I just need to learn to focus more!

I love this discussion! Quickly before beddy bye.
Interesting point, Bryan.
Ging, maybe they intentionally made them sound the same, not to take anything away from the intent?
Geesh,now I am going to go listen to every song again, all in all not a bad thing.

Twinkle wrote:But I was surprised about Unguarded Moments and No Witness. I suppose I have to hone my ability to tell their voices apart... and/or see the songs live

I've seen Unguarded Moments live but I'd forgotten that it was Charlie and not Craig! I was gazing stupidly at my husband and not watching C&C during that song -- romantic songs do that to me.

This was a great thread -- I obviously need to work on telling their voices apart, too.

Some of my favorite songs here, although I'll admit to a love/hate relationship with No Witness.

cowal wrote:Charlie sings lead on the opening verse (and then alternating) of Letter from America

Losing my virginity verse of Over and Done With

Half of Sean

Part of Shout Shout

Scotland's Story

Act of Remembrance

Unguarded Moments

No Witness

Bound For Your Love

Better Days

la.mama.loca wrote:I'll admit to a love/hate relationship with No Witness.

I have that with Sweet Little Girls

Having the boys do the shouts in my ears makes it easier when the physio guy is digging his knuckles into my spine.
Is it Charlie who does the "shove it" verse in Every Day I Try?

Craig does the "shove it"verse......saw him do it on u tube

I lurvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve No Witness, best with earphones in, feels like you're in the room with the guys singing (Charlie did ya say?) cept that I can hardly hear even a hint of their accent in this song.

What about "Leaving Home"? That's one of the few that I just can't be sure about. One time I'll listen and it will sound like it has to be Charlie, then the next time I'm not so sure. Anyone know?

And it's weird, but as long as I've been listening to them and as many times as I've heard them, one day a few months ago, it just struck me that the song I was listening to was not Craig singing! It was blatantly obvious that it was Charlie, but I'd never noticed it before. Then I could hear it in all those songs. Weird.