In an earlier post this week (comparing Plant and Freddie), some one mentioned Freddie couldn't always hit the higher notes live. Do you think this had anything to do with the coke he (allegedly) was doing? I'm under the impression that he didn't get into that stuff until the late 70's (Jazz era). God knows it didn't help Plant's vocals live way back when...
I think it's more...
Well, you can't sing the same on stage what you do in studio. If you really stretch in the studio you can record one take and go home and rest for whatever you want / need... If you have dates scheduled you have to rest your voice. You'll hit all the high notes one night and three next ones are going to be... welll, they probably wouldn't happen at all... Plus Freddie had never taken any singing lessons, his live technique wasn't perfect- he was forcing high notes, so... it doesn't always work... You're on stage, you sing and you know at the exact moment if it's going to happen or not. You feel a bit of a doubt- you go lower- you don't risk, you don't try to riun your own voice or to risk an embarrassing crack... Freddie usually knew what he was doing- and to be quite honest having Roger behind he could get away with it... There are nights when he was brilliant (although still wasn't hitting EVERYTHING), there were nights when he was terrible (Sapporo'79 is the best example of that...). But basically... it's the technique... In the studio you take your time, you can make 10 mistakes and the 11th one will be good- live you have ONE take, constantly. There's no point forcing sth if you feel that it may not be perfect or you know that you have another 20 gigs to sing in next two months...
I guess where I was going with this was that his voice obviously changed a great deal from the early albums to the mid 80's (as all singer's voices do), but when you listen to his voice on "Magic" album from '86 (in my opinion, some of his weakest vocals) and then to "Innuendo" and then "Heaven", it actually sounded stronger. But, then again, maybe some of those vocal tracks were old ones. I just know when I listen to "Too much love" or "Wintertime" and compare it to "Friends will be friends", he sounded so much better and I wonder if it's because he was no longer smoking or doing anything else "bad" (except the odd bit of vodka!)
Hell yeah coke effects the vocal cords you dummy. Didnt you read about the experimentwere they poured coke over the steak and it ate through it in a week (I'm being stupid and j/k)..
Seriously why the hell would cocaine effect the vocal cords? Was Robert Plant smoking crack? If you're blaming that on his vocal decline, he must've been smoking crack. I know Freddie smoked cigarettes and started pretty late. Snorting a line of cocaione could only aid a performer (i.e. provide a more energetic performance) Kinda like steroids for an athlete. That doesnt mean to go out and do coke or steroids because for those short term benefits it takes a toll on your body.
Bob-Plant wrote: I guess where I was going with this was that his voice obviously changed a great deal from the early albums to the mid 80's (as all singer's voices do), but when you listen to his voice on "Magic" album from '86 (in my opinion, some of his weakest vocals) and then to "Innuendo" and then "Heaven", it actually sounded stronger. But, then again, maybe some of those vocal tracks were old ones. I just know when I listen to "Too much love" or "Wintertime" and compare it to "Friends will be friends", he sounded so much better and I wonder if it's because he was no longer smoking or doing anything else "bad" (except the odd bit of vodka!)
You must be a Queen newbie, and thats awesome. Enjoy a lifetime of amazing music. Yeah many people say he stopped smoking and stopped using street drugs after he found out he was HIV positive so that's probably is why.
Well, I am newbie here-been checking things out here for a month or two before I started posting. I've enjoyed Queen since '75 though, but obviously there many people here who know a hell of a lot more detail about the band member lives than I do. Being in my 40's, I do have one advantage over those who didn't watch Queen evolve (either because they were too young or didn't get into them at the time), I watched it happen. I would get excited at the announcement of a new album-start saving my dollars to buy Jazz (or even more dollars with the release of Live Killers because it was a dreaded double album) I remember being so disappointed when Hot Space came out, though my opinion has mellowed over the years. My biggest disapoinment though was being in Germany in 1986, Queen had a tour date 30 minutes from me and I didn't go, figuring I'd "see them next time"...which of course there never was...
Check this wonderful site for the detailed description of Freddie's voice and also of the tricks he used when singing live link
I don't think coke afects voice either. Voices do change overtime. I actually love Freddie's voice in his later years more. He used falsetto much less frequently and it sounds so much better to me...
Just my opinion of course.
Fairy