| Scott_Mercury 26.04.2005 21:55 |
I know we have talked about this before, but what era was your favorite for Freddie's voice?? The 70's?? Queen 1 through Jazz The 80's?? The Game through The Miracle The 90's?? Innuendo I have a very sensitive ear, and while Freddie's voice did change somewhat as singers do. I really think he stayed quite consistant. In the 1970's, Fred had a very pure, clear, tone to his voice....in the 1980's, it got a little huskier, which I think 3 factor's did that...1) Getting older 2) Smoking 3) Gaining weight Note* Freddie weighed about 35lbs more at Wembley then he did during A night at the opera. In the 1980's, I think Freddie's voice gained some power... I know many of the over 40 crowd here are partial to the 1970's Queen catalog, and I love it too... But as far as decibels and sheer volume, Freddie had much more power, at the peak of his volume in the early 1980's then really any other period. Freddie's voice, in a way, perfected with age... by the Innuendo sessions, Fred had stopped smoking....sadly he was weighing less than ever, and he was 44 yrs old.... However, its almost like on Innuendo, Freddie threw in the best parts of all era's. The power is there...he is hitting high notes he did when he was 28... I really love his voice on Innuendo, I would love to hear what his voice would have sounded like now. |
| Scott_Mercury 26.04.2005 23:10 |
Frog- Put a link to that photo on here. I'm not saying its impossible, but Jim (Hutton) talks as though Fred wrapped up smoking in the late 1980's. Also, I don't want to beat this smoking into the ground, because Freddie didn't have the speaking voice, or singing voice of a smoker. Meaning: The passive listener would not hear "Who wants to Live forever", "One year of Love" or "Radio Ga Ga" and say..."man, that guy has a rough voice, he should quit smoking." Trust me, I have smoking... I would rather deal with a proctologist named "Dr. Hook" then smoke cigarette. But I think we take this "Freddie's husky voice in the 1980's" a little too far.... Now Roger, thats a different story. Anyway, Jim Hutton, and Peter Freestone have BOTH SAID numorous times that Freddie was a compulsive cigarette lighter when he was at a party, or with friends.... "Phoebe" has said that in a 6 hour party, Freddie may light 40-70 cigarettes... However, Freddie was teased by those close to him that he takes 1 puff off of a whole cigarette, and puts it out... then lights another. Translation = Yes Freddie smoked, but not nearly as much as you might think. I have an interview, from Brazil television, of Freddie, in 1982.... he lights 3 cigarette's in the whole interview...HE TOOK A TOTAL OF 2 PUFF'S OF 3 CIGARETTES. The 3rd cigarette, he lit...and just held it...never took one puff. I really think it was just a prop for him...something to do with his hands. |
| wstüssyb 26.04.2005 23:52 |
I remember reading Freddie only smoked to have something for his hands to do. |
| Scott_Mercury 27.04.2005 00:00 |
Yeah Frog- That photo is of Fred later, I'm guessing the summer of 1990. As always though, you'll see it in his hand, more than up to his face. |
| Fairy 27.04.2005 09:29 |
Needless to say that I love each and every little note he ever let out any day of any year!! :-). But I prefer his 80s voice, mostly because it is huskier and more powerful than ever. I love you Freddie!! Fairy |
| Last Cyborg 27.04.2005 10:00 |
His voice on some of the miracle/innuendo/MIH stuff was very different. A kind of raw, heavy voice (like on Headlong). I don't know how much of this was due in changes in his voice (age/illness/smoking) and how much was him putting on a "tough guy" voice for effect on the heavier songs |
| flash00. 27.04.2005 19:04 |
i love freddie's voice in the 80's its more operatic, and yea in an interview freddie stated thats why he smokes alot b/c he wanted the raspy/husky soul sound which he loved but he was worried fans wouldn't like it, but his voice on the innuendo album is unbelievable the show must go on is just pure crystal clear power!!! and full of emotion, and he did pack the ciggies in but still drank his vodka in the studio and totally went for it. |
| doremi 28.04.2005 19:08 |
Scott_Mercury wrote: I know we have talked about this before, but what era was your favorite for Freddie's voice?? The 70's?? Queen 1 through Jazz The 80's?? The Game through The Miracle The 90's?? Innuendo I have a very sensitive ear, and while Freddie's voice did change somewhat as singers do. I really think he stayed quite consistant. In the 1970's, Fred had a very pure, clear, tone to his voice....in the 1980's, it got a little huskier, which I think 3 factor's did that...1) Getting older 2) Smoking 3) Gaining weight Note* Freddie weighed about 35lbs more at Wembley then he did during A night at the opera. In the 1980's, I think Freddie's voice gained some power... I know many of the over 40 crowd here are partial to the 1970's Queen catalog, and I love it too... But as far as decibels and sheer volume, Freddie had much more power, at the peak of his volume in the early 1980's then really any other period. Freddie's voice, in a way, perfected with age... by the Innuendo sessions, Fred had stopped smoking....sadly he was weighing less than ever, and he was 44 yrs old.... However, its almost like on Innuendo, Freddie threw in the best parts of all era's. The power is there...he is hitting high notes he did when he was 28... I really love his voice on Innuendo, I would love to hear what his voice would have sounded like now.You said it all Scott and wonderfully. One thing I want to add is that, strangely, when Freddie drank and smoked, his voice STILL was so great.... ...but then an awful lot of famous singers...Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra (always had a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other..WHILE he sang in concert), Sammy davis Jr. (though he died of throat cancer), Judy Garland, Eric Clapton (who always has a cig. IN concert stuck to his guitar's headstock..man he really must be hooked on nicotine)...they ALL have/had great vooices regardless. Must be great genes or luck I guess. Last note..Freddie really put every ounce of power, energy, emotion, and expressiveness on Innuendo. He took his last months and threw all of his heart and soul into it and it graced his singing with a magnificience that rivaled anyhting from his career...and was his masterpiece. From the subtlety and conviction of TATDOOL, to rocking out on Headlong, to the anguish and triumph of TSMGO to the irony, meaning of the victorious Innuendo...it's all Freddie's crowning glory. |
| doremi 28.04.2005 19:40 |
Frog wrote: Freddie had a powerful voice. He had a voice and lungs stronger than most people his age who didn't smoke or drink, but Freddie was like a chain smoker and drinker. If he didn't smoke, can you imagine what 'Gimme The Prize', 'Hammer To Fall', and 'The Hitman' would sound like? They'd sound like 'Misfire' :PRight on Forg! Only thing is I would have worried that Freddie would have gotten throat or lung cancer (if he hadn't gotten AIDS), like Geeorge Harrison, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Warren Zevon. But Freddie DID have an AMAZING rockier edge to his voice those years that he smoked. Frank Sinatra smoked his whole life and lived to be what in his 70's, 80's. Look at Freddie's idol, Groucho Marx. Groucho always had a CIGAR no less and a drink in one hand...and a hot young babe on his other arm. He lived to be like 96! Maybe Freddie should have done that!! and Freddie would have lived to be 96!!!!...he could have just replaced the hot young babe for a hot young Guy! LOL! |
| doremi 28.04.2005 19:49 |
Frog wrote: Forg? :-P heheheTYPO!!!! woops!!!! :) sorry Frog..hey actually this is your name in Swedish, Yah...Forg! :) xxxx |
| Yogurt 28.04.2005 20:10 |
Scott_Mercury wrote: 1) Getting older 2) Smoking 3) Gaining weight Note* Freddie weighed about 35lbs more at Wembley then he did during A night at the opera.Freddie gained mucles. When a person's muscles get bigger, they tend to add weight. |
| Scott_Mercury 28.04.2005 22:19 |
Again- Freddie was a compulsive cigarette lighter....not neccessary smoker. Freestone says that if it was a quiet week around "The Garden" (Freddie's home) a pack of ciggie's could last Freddie a week.... and he might not drink (not even a glass with supper) for weeks. To me, a pack a week is too much... but in the world of smoking, a pack in seven days is hardly a "chain smoker". I think this "his voice changed from smoking" thing is taken waaaaaaay to far. I REALLY, REALLY don't think Freddie sounds much different from Jazz to Innuendo. Who sounds more different... Steven Tyler in 1973 or 1990. Bob Seger in 1973 or 1990. (Seger's voice was completely shot, and he couldn't tour by then). Alice Cooper in 1973 or 1990?? Yes, Like I've said 1000 times, to me Fred doesn't sound that much different from 1973 to 1991. If Fred had been married to the same woman for 20 years, never drank, never smoked, never partied, and stayed home to get 8-10 hours a sleep every night. Would you listen to One Vison or Who wants to Live for ever (recorded 13 years after Queen 1) ...and say, "Oh wow, poor Freddie, his voice is shot, he can't sing anymore". The first time you heard the Innuendo album, did you say "Damn, he used to sound good, but now, his voice is gone". Hell no you didn't. In 1991, I was a 13 yr old scared that all the rumours that had buzzing around about Fred having AIDS might be true..... then when Innuendo came out, my mom bought it for me on her way home from work. Well, 30 seconds into song 1 (Innuendo) ... I, like many others concluded that all the rumours about Freddie's health had to be bullshit...BECAUSE SICK PEOPLE CAN'T SING LIKE THAT!!! Right?? Wrong. He would be dead within 10 months. But the moral here is... if you are less than a year from dying of AIDS, and your recorded voice sounds like Freddie's did on Innuendo... Then read this very clearly: His body may have been wasting away, but no voice damage was done by anything. You don't sing "Don't try so hard" and TSMGO like that with a "shot voice". Bottom line: in the last 2 years of Freddie's life, his spirit and voice are what carried him... |
| Scott_Mercury 28.04.2005 22:26 |
Yogurt- Freddie toned up in the 1980's... but he was by no means a "bodybuilder". He had like a nice, runners build... but he was a very small framed man, small wrists, and at his physical biggest, his chest and upper arms were still very thin. Given his height, I doubt if he ever weighed more than 170lbs. However, if you see footage of Fred during the first leg of "The Works" tour, he's actually kind of sporting what look to be a beer gut. He was buff (for him) at Live AID. At 1986 Wembley, it was like his body had changed from years before. I'll say this as hetero as possibly (I'm confident in who I am :) ..... Watch 1982 Milton Keys, and Fred is like scrawny (this look works for him) .... but he has a good shape. At Wembley, he looks like he weighs 20 lbs more than Milton Keys, but its all in his head ( doesn't his face look kind of pudgy at Wembley??) .... I've often wondered if he wasn't starting some kind of treatment at the time of Wembley 1986. |
| doremi 29.04.2005 11:32 |
Scott_Mercury wrote: Yogurt- Freddie toned up in the 1980's... but he was by no means a "bodybuilder". He had like a nice, runners build... but he was a very small framed man, small wrists, and at his physical biggest, his chest and upper arms were still very thin. Given his height, I doubt if he ever weighed more than 170lbs. However, if you see footage of Fred during the first leg of "The Works" tour, he's actually kind of sporting what look to be a beer gut. He was buff (for him) at Live AID. At 1986 Wembley, it was like his body had changed from years before. I'll say this as hetero as possibly (I'm confident in who I am :) ..... Watch 1982 Milton Keys, and Fred is like scrawny (this look works for him) .... but he has a good shape. At Wembley, he looks like he weighs 20 lbs more than Milton Keys, but its all in his head ( doesn't his face look kind of pudgy at Wembley??) .... I've often wondered if he wasn't starting some kind of treatment at the time of Wembley 1986.Scott, I noticed the change in Freddie just from Live Aid and the making of "One Vision" in 1985....to "Live At Wembley" in 1986. I agree he looked a bit pudgier, and YES all in his face and head area. He also did or released a video form his solo album about that time, "I Was Born To Love You" with Barbara Valentin, and he looks MUCH pudgier...thicker, but not like a person getting fat from eating too much or lack of exercise...but maybe from medication. Didn't Jim Hutton & Peter Freestone say that Fredie's HIV test was DEFINITELY confirmed that Freddie tested positive for AIDS...early 1986...so Freddie rushed to do the AKOM record...and the Magic Tour. Yoy can be fairly certain that as soon as Freddie tested positive, the doctor's put him on medication ASAP to slow down the disease's affects. |
| great king rat 1138 29.04.2005 11:47 |
I was thinking about freddie looking a bit bigger around the face at the wembley concerts in 86, and I have a theory. Freddie had quite a round face (apart from the killer cheekbones), and the way his hair is at wembley (short, side parted, following the natural curve of his head) emphasised this roundness, as opposed to at Live Aid or during the works tour, where his hair was gelled back, thus having a lengthening effect on his face. Maybe I'm talking bollocks, but I think this could be true, as I personally believe that my face looks thinner with my hair brushed back too. I'll ask my wife when she gets in from work. She knows more about hair than I do! |
| doremi 29.04.2005 11:58 |
Frog wrote: arlene, that's not Barbara in 'I was born to love you'... just so you know :-P... if anyone knows who they are, I'd like to know.Really...am I thinking of the correct video, Freddie laying on a bed, with his shirt open with a hot buxom blonde? I've got a photo here... See this link Frog & please let me know. Thanks...see link below. link |