who does everyone think is better on Under Pressure- David Bowie or Freddie Mercury? i'm really interested cause i'm a fan of both and i think freddie is better but david rocks anyway. i'd be really interested to hear from fans of both cause this is my first topic and i'm really curious to see how it works.THANK YOU! :-)
Freddie pulled off the song far better than David could have (at least in the eighties - I haven't heard his version live recently), but I prefer David's lower register performance on the studio version as compared to Freddie's falsetto. Otherwise, the two are pretty much equal in terms of performance (I know Freddie doesn't sing falsetto throughout, unless I'm mistaken).
hmmm. this is a tough one. i'm going to havre to say freddie though, because of the incredible falsetto, and that line he sings with it is so damn cool. "chipping around, kick my brains on the floor. these are the days it never rains but it pours" - that line always jumped out at me. also, the fact that he gets to do his little vocal improv-like bits in this studio track is unique.
deleted user 17.01.2005 17:56
They are both doing great throughout the song
let me repeat what I wrote in the Beatles topic
(only with names changed):
FREDDIE AND DAVID BOWIE = both are pure genius
Queen, Bowie, Beatles, Led Zeppelin .... they were all rock gods compared to the crap that is running around today
deleted user 18.01.2005 15:49
I like Freddie better, so of course, I like his part more. But I like David's parts. Actually, I like all of it...*ahem*...this is getting nowhere. I like David's parts because it's all *trying to describe it in my strange way*...religious-chanting-sounding-ish. haha...yep. That's it. And it sounds like some of his work of that time.
Freddie. Bowie only sings at least a quarter of Under Pressure. Nothing against Bowie obvisouley as my family are fans of him and I think he's a great singer, just think Freddie does a better job.
Bowie only sings a quarter of Under Pressure?!? You need a hearing test, esp as a lot of the most important lines near the end that starts with 'cos loves such an old fashioned word' where its Freedie and Bowie singing together you can quite clearly hear David more!
Equally different that can't really be compared.
Freddie hits the high notes like none other, and has that classic rock out voice.
But David has that yummy tint to his whole persona that reflects on his smokey voice.
Two different vocal ranges.
Comparing would be unfair.
Cheers
freddiem rocks wrote: who does everyone think is better on Under Pressure- David Bowie or Freddie Mercury? i'm really interested cause i'm a fan of both and i think freddie is better but david rocks anyway. i'd be really interested to hear from fans of both cause this is my first topic and i'm really curious to see how it works.THANK YOU! :-)
Oh I wish you didn't ask this question, 'cause I love 'em both, but if we're being honest, I'd say Freddie. It would've been fab to see them do it live.
David's singing on UP isn't anything particularly noteworthy, but it's solidly good. Check out "It's No Game (Part 1)" from "Scary Monsters" for comparison's sake... and don't make the mistake of thinking the torturous voices he produces are random errors... they're very much deliberate overdrives of his tone and they're amazing.
By contrast, Freddie's singing on UP has always bothered me - especially the "scat" shit (ha! get it?). It's an instance of him just plain overreaching and that's a rookie mistake in my book. You can just hear his throat all clenched up & straining & shouting and barely aiming near the notes and it's truly painful to listen to. No doubt he was "competing" with Bowie to be the standout diva of the song, which makes the whole thing even worse.
In the same category, "Play The Game" is every bit as painful to listen to for exactly the same reason. And Brian's high notes on TMLWKY. Just excruciating.
kleinhond wrote: Bowie only sings a quarter of Under Pressure?!? You need a hearing test, esp as a lot of the most important lines near the end that starts with 'cos loves such an old fashioned word' where its Freedie and Bowie singing together you can quite clearly hear David more!
That's just my opinion mate. I just seem to hear more of Freddie in the song.
On the contrary, it seems you hear much LESS in the song than other people - approx one quarter less at least! lol
and some of Bowie's lines send a shiver down my spine the way he tackles them - esp 'keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn' - very tortuous and one of his best ever vocal performances. he really had a fantastic smoky timbre to his voice arund 1980-1982. Cat people also has a fantastic vocal, as does the Baal EP, Teenage Wildlife and Shake It.