Speaking of a guy who reputedly has/had "no range"...uhhhh...say what???!!! I am quite a good singer, with quite a respectable range (better than most of the male singers I know). My voice is far more conventional than Bob's, and his detractors I'm sure would like it just fine.

But...I have attempted to match Bob's very singing notes on a variety of cuts from various albums, and I have discovered: he could sing higher than I can, and he could sing lower than I can. This is a simple fact. He had a terrific voice from the early seventies through the late eighties, and a very impressive range. Also, he could really belt it out. For those who don't know this, I suggest you are either largely ignorant of most of what he has recorded or you just can't be bothered to listen past your prejudices to what is plainly there.

Now it's a different story. I saw him a few days ago in Toronto (good show) and he is plainly unable to hit the high notes any longer, nor can he sustain a strong drawn-out note any more. He was very good at doing both till the early 90's, but fifty billion cigarettes and advancing age finally took their toll. So now he sings lower harmony notes where necessary, and works with shorter utterances instead of sustained notes like he used to do.

Who else do you know who at age 60 still performs all over the world on a steady basis and keeps coming up with new arrangements and new songs? How well will you be singing when you're 60? Will you be singing at all? Bob still is.

Look, I can't stand Frank Sinatra's style. I grit my teeth when I hear him. But I would never claim he can't sing or wasn't a good musician. If you don't like Bob, well, listen to somebody else.

- LH