Chief Mouse 28.08.2014 08:57 |
Does anybody know why did he usually not go for falsetto but full voice instead? For example, "carry on, carry on", "keep us fighting", parts in Play The Game "inside, decide", It's A Hard Life "can happen to anyone". I am no singer but what I do think is that singing those lines in falsetto voice is actually easier than full voice, right? Maybe Freddie didn't like his falsetto live? But then again, he did Impromptu and ITLOTG:R in '86. |
Nitroboy 28.08.2014 12:47 |
Well, his nodules made switching, a somewhat risky business. |
Chief Mouse 28.08.2014 12:56 |
But even in his prime live years 1979 - 1982. I'm just talking from my perspective, certainly I'm no singer and I can't really sing, but for me falsetto just seems way easier to do. Not saying it's bad though, for example "keep us fighting" sounds awesome in full high voice :D |
Bruno P. 28.08.2014 16:34 |
Yes, as far as I can say singing in full voice is harder, not to mention harder on the vocal chords. Just try to sing the carry on bit in full voice and with falsetto. Now try Love of my Life. It's also way harder to reach the highest notes. I find notes like the last note in It's a Hard Life almost impossible to reach in full voice, let alone maintain it like he did in some shows. That same note, however, wouldn't be almost impossible to reach using falsetto. I don't know, I think felt more comfortable or simply liked better singing those notes in full voice. His falsetto was pretty good live as those impromptus and a few lines (It's a Hard Life, In the Lap of the Gods, etc) he used falsetto sounded pretty good. Maybe the nodules made switching a bitch, like the above poster mentioned. |
mooghead 29.08.2014 06:05 |
Even if singing full voice is harder than falsetto (very debatable) getting falsetto wrong sounds VERY noticable (ie.. embarassingly hideous), full voice is definitely the safe option. Which actually means that falsetto is harder than full voice. |
Chief Mouse 29.08.2014 06:14 |
mooghead wrote: Even if singing full voice is harder than falsetto (very debatable) getting falsetto wrong sounds VERY noticable (ie.. embarassingly hideous), full voice is definitely the safe option. Which actually means that falsetto is harder than full voice. Good point. |
Chief Mouse 29.08.2014 06:22 |
Bruno P. wrote: Just try to sing the carry on bit in full voice and with falsetto. |
Bruno P. 29.08.2014 11:18 |
Chief Mouse wrote:Bruno P. wrote: Just try to sing the carry on bit in full voice and with falsetto. Reach that note in full voice would be harder to reach, yes? At least to me. That's why most singers switch to falsetto when hitting high notes, I guess. Freddie wouldn't in the 80's though. Btw which show is the one you just posted? |
Gregsynth 29.08.2014 11:30 |
That's the mighty Frejus 1986 version! |
Chief Mouse 29.08.2014 11:33 |
Bruno P. wrote:Chief Mouse wrote:Reach that note in full voice would be harder to reach, yes? At least to me. That's why most singers switch to falsetto when hitting high notes, I guess. Freddie wouldn't in the 80's though. Btw which show is the one you just posted?Bruno P. wrote: Just try to sing the carry on bit in full voice and with falsetto. Yep, to me as well. Frejus 1986. That is the only time (I think) he sang "carry on" as high as record but with full voice. edit: I see Greg already answered this :) |
Bruno P. 29.08.2014 11:43 |
Thanks to the both of ya's :) I'm listening to Who Wants to Live Forever from that show. Freddie sounds incredible! It's a shame he didn't hit the highest notes at the ending. I wonder why he didn't even try...? I mean, he would hit higher notes singing those sweet impromptus... |
Gregsynth 29.08.2014 11:46 |
He also sings the high note at Glasgow, 2nd Newcastle, and Hammy on the Crazy Tour! The Newcastle one is the strongest as he sustains it like the record. He tries it at the second Birmingham 1980 show (although hits A4 instead of Bb4), and he gets it at the first Edinburgh 1982 show (although he drops the note to a lower note as soon as he hits it). |
Chief Mouse 29.08.2014 11:50 |
Gregsynth wrote: He also sings the high note at Glasgow, 2nd Newcastle, and Hammy on the Crazy Tour! The Newcastle one is the strongest as he sustains it like the record. He tries it at the second Birmingham 1980 show (although hits A4 instead of Bb4), and he gets it at the first Edinburgh 1982 show (although he drops the note to a lower note as soon as he hits it). You're right! Damn, when I said it's the only time he did it I confused this with "standing on my own two feet" bit from AOBTD http://youtu.be/frStEAzRhhQ?t=3m36s Great show. |
gerry 29.08.2014 13:14 |
Freddies heavy smoking ruined his voice and that is why the falsetto voice became less and less on tour, He smoked like a chimney and relighting a new cig after the old one got stubbed out! On the "Live in Rio" set he tried to reach to the high notes on the end of "Its a hard life" and went off key, so went down a note or two to compensate! In the 70s Freddies falsetto voice was amazing, check out "In the lap of the gods" (revisited) on the hammersmith 1975 show. |
ParisNair 30.08.2014 06:03 |
Wonder what Cool Cat would sound like in full voice :D |
Oscar J 30.08.2014 06:18 |
Chief Mouse wrote: But even in his prime live years 1979 - 1982. I'm just talking from my perspective, certainly I'm no singer and I can't really sing, but for me falsetto just seems way easier to do. Not saying it's bad though, for example "keep us fighting" sounds awesome in full high voice :D Pretty sure it's "keep on fighting". |
Chief Mouse 30.08.2014 06:44 |
Oscar J wrote:Chief Mouse wrote: But even in his prime live years 1979 - 1982. I'm just talking from my perspective, certainly I'm no singer and I can't really sing, but for me falsetto just seems way easier to do. Not saying it's bad though, for example "keep us fighting" sounds awesome in full high voice :DPretty sure it's "keep on fighting". You're right. I always make this mistake :P |
Nitroboy 30.08.2014 06:54 |
gerry wrote: Freddies heavy smoking ruined his voice and that is why the falsetto voice became less and less on tour, He smoked like a chimney and relighting a new cig after the old one got stubbed out! On the "Live in Rio" set he tried to reach to the high notes on the end of "Its a hard life" and went off key, so went down a note or two to compensate! In the 70s Freddies falsetto voice was amazing, check out "In the lap of the gods" (revisited) on the hammersmith 1975 show. Ruined his voice? I'm sorry, are we talking about the same Freddie Mercury here? |
gerry 30.08.2014 08:16 |
yes we are talking about the same Freddie Mercury. You sound so surprised lol Did you not notice Freddies voice getting worse as the 80s came to an end? He was a chain smoker, and to prove that watch the interviews of Freddie, he always had a cigarette in his hand and he always never went 5 mins without starting a fresh cigarette. Probably the last falsetto voice he ever did was on innuendos "Dont try so hard" and even that vocal was not as magnificent as 1981 "Soul brother". |
Nitroboy 30.08.2014 09:04 |
gerry wrote: yes we are talking about the same Freddie Mercury. You sound so surprised lol Did you not notice Freddies voice getting worse as the 80s came to an end? He was a chain smoker, and to prove that watch the interviews of Freddie, he always had a cigarette in his hand and he always never went 5 mins without starting a fresh cigarette. Probably the last falsetto voice he ever did was on innuendos "Dont try so hard" and even that vocal was not as magnificent as 1981 "Soul brother". No, I only hear Freddie having improved because of the lack of touring. He often had a cigarette in his hand during interviews, but it has been stated many times that he never actually inhaled, and it was just to keep him busy. |
gerry 30.08.2014 09:08 |
well believe me freddie did inhale the ciggies. It was also mentioned in the press in the 80s that his singing voice was getting hammered because of consistent smoking and the old nodules on his throat. Even on "Live Aid" day back in 1985 his doctor told him not to perform as his throat was so bad, but freddie did not want to let the people down and performed. |
tomchristie22 30.08.2014 10:26 |
gerry wrote: Even on "Live Aid" day back in 1985 his doctor told him not to perform as his throat was so bad, but freddie did not want to let the people down and performed.And this completely disproves your point that smoking ruined his voice in the 80s, as his vocal performance at Live Aid was one of his best. |
Chief Mouse 30.08.2014 10:35 |
tomchristie22 wrote:gerry wrote: Even on "Live Aid" day back in 1985 his doctor told him not to perform as his throat was so bad, but freddie did not want to let the people down and performed.And this completely disproves your point that smoking ruined his voice in the 80s, as his vocal performance at Live Aid was one of his best. I'd say THE best since Crazy or The Game tour. Radio GaGa best version ever, Hammer To Fall probably also best ever and We Are The Champions the best version ever - definitive live version in my book :) |
gerry 30.08.2014 11:16 |
Sure "Live Aid" was great but we are discussing freddies falsetto voice and there was not any falsetto voice by freddie in "Live Aid". |
Oscar J 30.08.2014 12:23 |
There was A LOT of falsetto during The Works tour and the Magic tour - probably more than on any other tour. Get your facts straight. He consistently goes for the falsetto notes in "ITLOTG Revisited" during the Magic tour and the impromptus from the 1984-1986 concerts have tons of high falsetto wailing. Look no further than the "Rock In Rio Blues" for a prime example. This doesn't mean that I think that his voice was particularly great during those years - but surely he was more confident in his own falsetto than ever before. |
gerry 30.08.2014 12:39 |
well your entitled to your opinion like i am but freds voice did get worse as the 80s came to an end. Queen cancelled shows in 85 because of his voice, and even when fred was getting interviewed by simon bates on radio one he was ill with his throat, and simon said freddie smoked like a chimney. look back to 1974 ITLOTGS on SHA album and freds falsetto is sharp and crisp, and compare that to around 1984 to 1986, no contest. Freddie did use the falsetto voice but very sparingly between 84 to 86. |
Riku M 30.08.2014 12:54 |
I don't think Freddie in any way lost his falsetto in the 80's. Actually he performed some of his best falsetto work live on the Works and Magic tours in the impromptus. If you look at the second night at Wembley his voice is tired and strained but still he sings a great impromptu. His falsetto seems totally unaffected by his strained chest voice. So the reason he didn't use it more is probably because it didn't suit his singing style/image which at the time was very macho and he liked to belt out the songs with his raw chestpower. |
Chief Mouse 30.08.2014 12:59 |
Riku M wrote: So the reason he didn't use it more is probably because it didn't suit his singing style/image which at the time was very macho and he liked to belt out the songs with his raw chestpower. Yeah, but he hardly used it live ever since 1976. But he still did in studio obviously, It's A Hard Life for example. |
Oscar J 30.08.2014 13:13 |
gerry wrote: well your entitled to your opinion like i am but freds voice did get worse as the 80s came to an end. Queen cancelled shows in 85 because of his voice, and even when fred was getting interviewed by simon bates on radio one he was ill with his throat, and simon said freddie smoked like a chimney. look back to 1974 ITLOTGS on SHA album and freds falsetto is sharp and crisp, and compare that to around 1984 to 1986, no contest. Freddie did use the falsetto voice but very sparingly between 84 to 86. No, not sparingly. In 1984 - 1986, he used his falsetto a lot more than he ever did before or since on live shows. Have you even listened to any concerts during the era? I do agree that his "full voice" had a dip in the mid 80's, but his falsetto remained intact. |
Bad Seed 30.08.2014 15:37 |
And just for the record Gerry, there is no falsetto on ITLOTGR from Hammersmith '75, unless my memory serves me incorrectly? |
Nitroboy 30.08.2014 16:33 |
Bad Seed wrote: And just for the record Gerry, there is no falsetto on ITLOTGR from Hammersmith '75, unless my memory serves me incorrectly? You are absolutely correct. |
Nitroboy 30.08.2014 16:34 |
gerry wrote: well believe me freddie did inhale the ciggies. It was also mentioned in the press in the 80s that his singing voice was getting hammered because of consistent smoking and the old nodules on his throat. Even on "Live Aid" day back in 1985 his doctor told him not to perform as his throat was so bad, but freddie did not want to let the people down and performed. Freddie's throat problem at Live Aid was laryngitis, something that EVERYONE can suffer from, it has nothing to do with smoking. |
gerry 31.08.2014 03:04 |
Nitroboy: Laryngitis can be caused from a number of reasons but chances are in Freddies case it was caused through singing too hard and loud, which inflames the voice box. This happened a lot of times and cancelled gigs happened now and again. |
gerry 31.08.2014 03:09 |
Bad seed: I never said freddie gave a falsetto voice at hammersmith 1975, i said he gave a great falsetto voice on the album "Sheer heart attack" on "In the lap of the gods" (revisited). |
Oscar J 31.08.2014 03:25 |
gerry wrote: [...]In the 70s Freddies falsetto voice was amazing, check out "In the lap of the gods" (revisited) on the hammersmith 1975 show. I rest my case. |
gerry 31.08.2014 03:36 |
sorry i meant on the sheer heart attack album! |
Riku M 31.08.2014 03:46 |
Chief Mouse wrote:That's correct. We do have to remember that studio Queen and live Queen were two quite different animals though.Riku M wrote: So the reason he didn't use it more is probably because it didn't suit his singing style/image which at the time was very macho and he liked to belt out the songs with his raw chestpower.Yeah, but he hardly used it live ever since 1976. But he still did in studio obviously, It's A Hard Life for example. |
gerry 31.08.2014 03:55 |
Yes in the studio Freddie had time to record a good falsetto vocal as he was not under any pressure like he could have been on live. "Soul Brother" was in my opinion the best ever falsetto i have ever heard freddie do! |
mooghead 31.08.2014 04:16 |
There are too many people here who are confusing falsetto with singing high notes. Falsetto is a vocal characteristic, a physical action of the vocal chords that not everyone is able to do, people can sing high notes but not be able to sing falsetto. This thread is about high notes, not falsetto. |
gerry 31.08.2014 04:58 |
Mooghead: This thread is titled :" Freddies live falsetto" not high notes like you said! We all know what falsetto is as freddie was the expert at doing this in Queen. |
Nitroboy 31.08.2014 05:53 |
gerry wrote: Nitroboy: Laryngitis can be caused from a number of reasons but chances are in Freddies case it was caused through singing too hard and loud, which inflames the voice box. This happened a lot of times and cancelled gigs happened now and again. Singing too hard and loud? Queen had a 2 month rest between the finals gigs of The Works Tour and Live Aid. |
mooghead 31.08.2014 06:08 |
gerry wrote: Mooghead: This thread is titled :" Freddies live falsetto" not high notes like you said! We all know what falsetto is as freddie was the expert at doing this in Queen.Fair response as my post was unclear. I meant to say that this thread had become about Freddies high notes. People aren't differentiating. As for Freddie being the expert in Queen at falsetto?! May I introduce you to somebody you have obviously never heard of called Roger Taylor. |
gerry 31.08.2014 06:38 |
Mooghead: Roger Taylors falsetto was only high screams and not a patch on freddies beautiful falsetto voice, as on "Soul Brother" B side to "Under Pressure". Nitroboy: It does no matter how long a rest you have in between singing because even half an hours heavy singing could cause bad inflammation to anyones vocal chords. I think at the live aid rehearsals freddie could have over done it. |
tomchristie22 31.08.2014 07:07 |
You can't really say Freddie's or Roger's is superior - Freddie used his beautifully for more tender stuff, while Roger had unmatched power in those high screams night after night on Lap of the Gods. Completely different styles of singing. |
gerry 31.08.2014 07:16 |
yes i agree, freddie used his falsetto for tender songs like " you take my breath away" which was a Queen trade mark just as much as Brians guitar playing was sounding like a demented seagull screaming! |
mooghead 31.08.2014 08:42 |
FFS... another post which has pretty much just become 'my dads bigger than your dad' Where are the grown ups? :-( |
Nitroboy 31.08.2014 09:08 |
gerry wrote:Nitroboy: It does no matter how long a rest you have in between singing because even half an hours heavy singing could cause bad inflammation to anyones vocal chords. I think at the live aid rehearsals freddie could have over done it. You're trying too hard to prove your point, your arguments don't hold up. |
Oscar J 31.08.2014 11:20 |
This is getting ridiculous. Freddie Mercury used a lot of falsetto in the mid eighties, and if you claim anything else, you simply don't know your stuff. Back to school! |
Nitroboy 31.08.2014 11:22 |
Oscar J wrote: This is getting ridiculous. Freddie Mercury used a lot of falsetto in the mid eighties, and if you claim anything else, you simply don't know your stuff. Back to school! Bingo. And saying that smoking killed his voice... That never happened! |
Gregsynth 31.08.2014 11:30 |
Nitroboy wrote:Oscar J wrote: This is getting ridiculous. Freddie Mercury used a lot of falsetto in the mid eighties, and if you claim anything else, you simply don't know your stuff. Back to school!Bingo. And saying that smoking killed his voice... That never happened! Absolutely true on that - a good listen to those South American gigs from 1981 and Live Aid are key examples. It's true that the smoking had an effect on vocal stamina and recovery - but it didn't affect his tone or anything. Freddie voice/tone was changing throughout the 70s as well (and that's before he smoked)! |
musicland munich 31.08.2014 12:07 |
Maybe that "smoking effect" is a bit overrated, even Freddie was very surprised as he found out that Monserrat Caballe was also a smoker( I don't know if she still is). |
mooghead 31.08.2014 13:15 |
Most women are... they think it keeps them slim.. ;-) |
Nitroboy 31.08.2014 13:29 |
Gregsynth wrote:Nitroboy wrote:Absolutely true on that - a good listen to those South American gigs from 1981 and Live Aid are key examples. It's true that the smoking had an effect on vocal stamina and recovery - but it didn't affect his tone or anything. Freddie voice/tone was changing throughout the 70s as well (and that's before he smoked)!Oscar J wrote: This is getting ridiculous. Freddie Mercury used a lot of falsetto in the mid eighties, and if you claim anything else, you simply don't know your stuff. Back to school!Bingo. And saying that smoking killed his voice... That never happened! You want to use the South American shows as a good example of his 80's voice? HAH! |
Gregsynth 31.08.2014 13:40 |
Nitroboy wrote:Gregsynth wrote:You want to use the South American shows as a good example of his 80's voice? HAH!Nitroboy wrote:Absolutely true on that - a good listen to those South American gigs from 1981 and Live Aid are key examples. It's true that the smoking had an effect on vocal stamina and recovery - but it didn't affect his tone or anything. Freddie voice/tone was changing throughout the 70s as well (and that's before he smoked)!Oscar J wrote: This is getting ridiculous. Freddie Mercury used a lot of falsetto in the mid eighties, and if you claim anything else, you simply don't know your stuff. Back to school!Bingo. And saying that smoking killed his voice... That never happened! Why not? He sounds awesome at Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, etc! The Puebla and Monterrey gigs also have him sounding fantastic! |
Bruno P. 31.08.2014 20:55 |
It makes me sad that by mid 80's his full voice range was limited - his mid range was extremely powerful and his falsetto well developed. Those early 80's shows are truly awesome! I'm listening to several shows uploaded by Greg... it's a shame we dont have more soundboard (or A audience recordings) recordings :( |
Nitroboy 01.09.2014 09:07 |
Gregsynth wrote:Nitroboy wrote:Why not? He sounds awesome at Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, etc! The Puebla and Monterrey gigs also have him sounding fantastic!Gregsynth wrote:You want to use the South American shows as a good example of his 80's voice? HAH!Nitroboy wrote:Absolutely true on that - a good listen to those South American gigs from 1981 and Live Aid are key examples. It's true that the smoking had an effect on vocal stamina and recovery - but it didn't affect his tone or anything. Freddie voice/tone was changing throughout the 70s as well (and that's before he smoked)!Oscar J wrote: This is getting ridiculous. Freddie Mercury used a lot of falsetto in the mid eighties, and if you claim anything else, you simply don't know your stuff. Back to school!Bingo. And saying that smoking killed his voice... That never happened! I can link you several examples of his voice being unstable at those shows... But I know how much you hate it ;) |
Nitroboy 01.09.2014 09:08 |
Bruno P. wrote: It makes me sad that by mid 80's his full voice range was limited - his mid range was extremely powerful and his falsetto well developed. Those early 80's shows are truly awesome! I'm listening to several shows uploaded by Greg... it's a shame we dont have more soundboard (or A audience recordings) recordings :( His high register was still awesome by the Magic Tour, even the latter half of it. |
Bruno P. 01.09.2014 09:54 |
Nitroboy wrote:Bruno P. wrote: It makes me sad that by mid 80's his full voice range was limited - his mid range was extremely powerful and his falsetto well developed. Those early 80's shows are truly awesome! I'm listening to several shows uploaded by Greg... it's a shame we dont have more soundboard (or A audience recordings) recordings :(His high register was still awesome by the Magic Tour, even the latter half of it. But he wouldn't even try the high notes in Who Wants To Live Forever and I think he would nail those by the early 80's, for instance. Under Pressure - he would go higher on those screams in 81 or 82. |
Chief Mouse 01.09.2014 10:01 |
Bruno P. wrote:Nitroboy wrote:But he wouldn't even try the high notes in Who Wants To Live Forever and I think he would nail those by the early 80's, for instance. Under Pressure - he would go higher on those screams in 81 or 82.Bruno P. wrote: It makes me sad that by mid 80's his full voice range was limited - his mid range was extremely powerful and his falsetto well developed. Those early 80's shows are truly awesome! I'm listening to several shows uploaded by Greg... it's a shame we dont have more soundboard (or A audience recordings) recordings :(His high register was still awesome by the Magic Tour, even the latter half of it. He does try, but they're not exactly amazing :P https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj_frjd4b4Q |
Nitroboy 01.09.2014 13:15 |
He was just warming up! :P ... He hits the D5 at 2nd Wembley... ;) |
Djdownsy 01.09.2014 16:02 |
tomchristie22 wrote: You can't really say Freddie's or Roger's is superior - Freddie used his beautifully for more tender stuff, while Roger had unmatched power in those high screams night after night on Lap of the Gods. Completely different styles of singing.I think this sums up the point better, though Roger definitely had far more control in the earlier days, a couple of very impressive A5s. :) |
Oscar J 01.09.2014 16:20 |
Nitroboy wrote: He was just warming up! :P ... He hits the D5 at 2nd Wembley... ;) Two things: 1. The song is lowered a full step, so it's a C5. 2. It's an overdub. :) Cheers |
Bruno P. 01.09.2014 18:19 |
So yeah, the higher part of his full voice range wasn't exactly the best. :( |
Mockingbird 02.09.2020 01:33 |