This topic starts with this absolutely brilliant remark :
Supersonic_Man89 wrote: "(...) and I often wish I could hear his 1981 self sing Who Wants To Live Forever or It's A Hard Life."
What about if It's A Hard Life was from The Game, The Show Must Go On from A Night At The Opera, We Are The Champions from Sheer Heart Attack or even roll back Break Free from Queen II ?! Hehe
I don't think QII Freddie could sing something like Break Free & TSMGO. In the 80s he had much more power but by 1990 he could hit extreme high notes. Mid 70 Freddie would probably use his falsetto a lot and those songs would be probably sung very differently. It would be interesting to hear though.
I'd have loved to hear Barcelona Freddie sing something like Somebody To Love, WATC, Spread Your Wings (in studio setting). His voice was loaded with power back then, maybe he would have pushed for even higher notes and use less falsetto.
It's interesting to think about. For instance, while Freddie's delivery of We Are the Champions is sublime, it's not always what you'd call powerful - listen to his voice nearly crack on 'fighting'. I'm sure he would have sung those notes much more cleanly in 1990. Nonetheless, I wouldn't have his 70's songs any other way. I think that delicate quality is a defining part of Queen's music of the time.
On a different note, listen to Freddie's delivery of 'and we can love forever' - his voice there is very reminiscent of how it would sound later on tracks like Show Must Go On and Don't Try So Hard.
I'd like to have heard a revised vocal of him singing 'It's Late' in his early to mid 80s voice. Whilst It's Late is an incredible song, it is the one song in thier whole catalogue that I feel Freddie struggles with if you listen closely.
cmsdrums wrote:
I'd like to have heard a revised vocal of him singing 'It's Late' in his early to mid 80s voice. Whilst It's Late is an incredible song, it is the one song in thier whole catalogue that I feel Freddie struggles with if you listen closely.
Not sure it was a stuggle, after all it was in the live set, would he have chosen to sing something live that would be potentially damaging.
cmsdrums wrote:
I'd like to have heard a revised vocal of him singing 'It's Late' in his early to mid 80s voice. Whilst It's Late is an incredible song, it is the one song in thier whole catalogue that I feel Freddie struggles with if you listen closely.
Of course he struggles. That's what makes the vocal so freaking glorious - Freddie being pushed to his absolute limit. I'd take that vocal over anything he did in the 80's (yes, TSMGO included).
tomchristie22 wrote:
It's interesting to think about. For instance, while Freddie's delivery of We Are the Champions is sublime, it's not always what you'd call powerful - listen to his voice nearly crack on 'fighting'. I'm sure he would have sung those notes much more cleanly in 1990.
Again, is a clean, smooth high note really what the song needs in that spot? Freddie actually having to do a little fighting to get the C5 gives the line a lot more meaning.
cmsdrums wrote:
I'd like to have heard a revised vocal of him singing 'It's Late' in his early to mid 80s voice. Whilst It's Late is an incredible song, it is the one song in thier whole catalogue that I feel Freddie struggles with if you listen closely.
Of course he struggles. That's what makes the vocal so freaking glorious - Freddie being pushed to his absolute limit. I'd take that vocal over anything he did in the 80's (yes, TSMGO included).
Absolutely agree.
That's what makes me prefer Queen's 70s stuff to the 80s' : because of their nervous energy, and the immature beauty of their songs at that point.
Still, I would want to hear 70s Freddie sing Was it all worth it, and 80s Freddie sing Death on two legs. Just for fun.