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Lets be honest....Axl can't sing anymore


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No honesty seen or found in the thread title. There is not one gig where Axl didn't at least sing fair on select songs. Better has been a real shit bomb but he hits all the notes on My Michelle so, you've gotta be a goon to think you can do better. If you can, link it and I'll offer an apology but voice depends on how motivated he is to play the damn song. No jaw dropping undeniable proof of the fact that Axl simply cannot sing, he's just human and screws up more often than not and is an older man for crying out loud so chill out until the right moment but don't over shoot for your wishes. The reason I say that is because time will not slow down, understanding the the general public would watch something like the bridge school benefit and think it's all he's capable of which is untrue.

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He can't sing like he used to. But I agree he's still a very good singer. His baritone voice is still spot on and his higher registers are clean but have lost some of the snarl and power obviously. The rasp missing seems to be a sticking point and obviously that's understandable since it's what he's known for. However saying he's a bad singer is not correct. He still puts on a good show and is a very talented singer and performer.

And we have a winner.

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Yeah, I agree for the most part. I'm not sold on the "he can't sing like he used to". He doesn't, but there are several indications scattered apart that show he could. Maybe it has to do with health, fitness, preference , motivation, age or the cost of singing like that.

To be fair, some of the monstrous performances he gave in 2010 weren't even fully acknowledged back then. Not at all by the mainstream media, and even by a fraction of GNR hardcore fans.

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Please someone watch this...less than a year ago and he sounds close to incredible. Vegas will be good for Axl's voice. Hell he might unleash at the golden gods.

If he does unleash, then how fair it is to all the people who paid the insane amounts charged for the SA concerts? Even though I state my opinion that I don`t think his recent performances are bad, I never bring this point up. Warming up your voice over the course of sold out concerts to 25 thousand people, at exorbitant prices is not cool.

That`s a beastly performance though.

Edited by Pedrolg
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Yeah, I agree for the most part. I'm not sold on the "he can't sing like he used to". He doesn't, but there are several indications scattered apart that show he could. Maybe it has to do with health, fitness, preference , motivation, age or the cost of singing like that.

To be fair, some of the monstrous performances he gave in 2010 weren't even fully acknowledged back then. Not at all by the mainstream media, and even by a fraction of GNR hardcore fans.

At the shows it seems your so awestruck by seeing Axl that you don't pay attention to how he's singing. You hear it but it sounds really good either way. It's just such an exciting time as a fan to be standing there and watching your favorite singer perform that you don't notice how clean or raspy his voice is. You just know that's f'n Axl Rose right there!!

This post also applies to the comment you posted about it not being fair to the SA fans.

Edited by IncitingChaos
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I agree. I also think that this SA tour has really kicked something into Axl. He seems really happy, enjoying himself, interacting with the crowd, and, imo, giving solid performances overall. Not great, but solid. Maybe it leads to something new. Duff, the tweets, his reaction, his general demeanor is different from what we`ve seen in the past few years, and perhaps it leads somewhere.

I question if it`s really fair of us, as fans, to flood him in insane amounts of shit relentlessly day after day.

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I agree. I also think that this SA tour has really kicked something into Axl. He seems really happy, enjoying himself, interacting with the crowd, and, imo, giving solid performances overall. Not great, but solid. Maybe it leads to something new. Duff, the tweets, his reaction, his general demeanor is different from what we`ve seen in the past few years, and perhaps it leads somewhere.

I question if it`s really fair of us, as fans, to flood him in insane amounts of shit relentlessly day after day.

I agree! He seems different.

I think the criticism is fair. Axl hasn't mentioned any new songs, he hasn't talked about writing music, and the only thing we know about a new album is that it will come out faster than Chinese democracy. But let's say cd started in 98 and finished in 08, that's 10 years. So Axl has until 2018 to make good on that statement haha

Sure people will still give him crap after he releases an album but I think it will be much less than it is now.

Who knows though, some criticism goes way to far and others are justified. I just remember seeing him live the first time and thinking it was the greatest performance of all time. Even though it wasn't his live concerts are amazing to watch as a fan and they make you forget these negative thoughts.

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Lack of new material is frustrating. The change is his voice is also frustrating. Criticism is fair on those fronts, it really is.

The obsession with his appearence, insistence in calling a 52 y/o man with a beer gut obese, bloated, saying he does not give a shit about his performances, obsessing about the old lady that manages him, about his wardrobe, saying he sounds like shit, ranting about his facial hair. Who knows how much this impacts his desire to release anything.

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Even in the 90's Axl has many times sounded shitty on youtube videos. For the most part, he sounds like nothing on the Albums. 1993 included. I listened to a live audio of a 93 concert played in Sweden and there was a guy in the crowd complaining about how bad Axl sounded.

When I was watching the rock am ring show my gf said that Axl can't sing live, and this is a show that we praise a lot.

He always had his ups and downs. As for this tour, I agree that a lot of the vids sounds bad but Duff and the crowds says that he sounds great so I don't think they would agree that it's time for Axl to call it a day.

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Lack of new material is frustrating. The change is his voice is also frustrating. Criticism is fair on those fronts, it really is.

The obsession with his appearence, insistence in calling a 52 y/o man with a beer gut obese, bloated, saying he does not give a shit about his performances, obsessing about the old lady that manages him, about his wardrobe, saying he sounds like shit, ranting about his facial hair. Who knows how much this impacts his desire to release anything.

I'm inclined to agree with you on the appearance and Brazil nut issues, but such is the fate of a famous rock star in today's internet age.

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He can't sing like he used to. But I agree he's still a very good singer. His baritone voice is still spot on and his higher registers are clean but have lost some of the snarl and power obviously. The rasp missing seems to be a sticking point and obviously that's understandable since it's what he's known for. However saying he's a bad singer is not correct. He still puts on a good show and is a very talented singer and performer.

And we have a winner.

True. I wish he'd release new music, with songs that are a better fit for his voice today. There are songs that he can't do anymore, but I still enjoy a lot of the songs, as another poster listed.

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Well his wardrobe is spot on in that Nightrain video. Got the power especially toward the end but wouldn't personally use it as an example of normal singing. Some of the plagued mickey vocals should never be there, Estranged is really bad for that a lot of the time when the whole song is just a good story morphed into an after thought. I would for sure rather him use a normal registry as opposed to mocking his mid '80s self. Sometimes the pitch fits perfect, it's almost surreal to think he's still capable but then things get messy when he gets used to it on every single tune.

Edited by Street Of The Blues
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Even in the 90's Axl has many times sounded shitty on youtube videos. For the most part, he sounds like nothing on the Albums. 1993 included. I listened to a live audio of a 93 concert played in Sweden and there was a guy in the crowd complaining about how bad Axl sounded.

When I was watching the rock am ring show my gf said that Axl can't sing live, and this is a show that we praise a lot.

He always had his ups and downs. As for this tour, I agree that a lot of the vids sounds bad but Duff and the crowds says that he sounds great so I don't think they would agree that it's time for Axl to call it a day.

Axl never sounded the same live as on the albums. People have always complained that he sounded bad live. I agree there is a huge difference between now and then, but I'm sure if there had been a MyGNR in the beginning of the nineties, we would have seen similar complaints as we have now. People like to rewrite history. The same with his clothes. I actually read somewhere (don't remember if it was this forum or another) that Axl used to be 'a fashion icon'. Come on, he has never been, not where I come from anyway. I never saw anyone walking around in bikershorts or a skirt or whatever he wore on stage. A bandana, yes, okay, there were some who wore a bandana, but they were always Axl-fans, imitating their idol. He never was a fashion icon. To me, only Axl could pull off the stuff he wore.

I for one am amazed that more than 20 years later, there's still a possibility to see Axl live, and the rest of them, for that matter. I would have never expected them all to be alive and kicking in the year 2014.

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It is so clearly and obviously a CHOICE on his part to either sing cleanly or with rasp that I don't know how anyone who's paid attention the last 13 years can think otherwise.

He brought the rasp, attitude and passionate performances back in 2006-2010 because he had something to prove with the imminent/recent release of the album and had something to prove to the fans, the media and probably the label, too.

But singing the way he did (especially in 2010) will shorten his career so whilst he's treading water at the moment he's not going to waste his voice by rasping all night.

But i'd bet good money that if the label got on board and promoted a new album and commissioned videos and big promo that Axl would bring the passion and intensity back again.

Seriously, how can anyone think that the variations in his voice between each touring period is down to alternate random spontaneous vocal degradation and resurrection?

His voice is totally consistent within each touring period. It tends to get stronger throughout each tour but he never goes from clean at the start to raspy by the end or vice versa.

He CHOSE to sing clean in 2001-2002 and since a good portion of the songs on Chinese were being recorded with this new style it made sense (and reportedly when asked by a fan why he sounded different he said 'I'm just trying a new way of singing'). He CHOSE to bring back a degree of rasp and power in 2006-2007 and it coincided with his performance style, confidence and attitude returning to something more like the early 90s. I personally think the great reaction to the leaks and performing them live plus the seemingly imminent release of music in 2006 all contributed to this. In 2010 he performed even more like his old self in terms of his attitude and stage presence and brought the rasp and power back 100%. In many of the videos, particularly e.g. Nice Boys from London where he's just got a t-shirt and bandanna on, it's like watching 1992 Axl, just a little older. As I said, the release of the album, playing all the new songs and having something to prove to everyone was likely the catalyst for this.

Then by Rio '11 it was clear to him that there wouldn't be any interest from the record company in releasing album 2 and since then he's comparatively been on auto-pilot in terms of his casual performances and vocals.

And yet, as has been pointed out so many times, he was able to bring a really impressive amount of rasp back at a moment's notice for Philly 2012 and he performed his ass off, pointedly making up for 2002.

Personally, I think he's doing the right thing. As long as he's coasting i'd rather he saved his voice so that if things do ever work out with releasing a few more albums in the next decade he will have more gas left in the tank and will very likely bring some of the piss n' vinegar back again, as he has before.

Edited by Jordan Rose
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Every time we write Axl off he does something to buy back our faith. That's the way it has always been and it's the reason we're here if we're honest. Why else would we all put up with the numerous disappointments over the years?

To name a few:

Him returning around the millenium was a surprise.

His appearance and quality of performance in 06 was a surprise.

Chinese finally coming out was a surprise.

Him coming here and doing chats was a surprise.

The quality of the 2010 performances was a surprise.

Him getting Duff on board for several shows was a surprise.

Yes his vocals on the most recent tour have seemed to range from godawful to just okay, and yes he's out of shape and seemingly pretty uminspired and unmotivated. But until that has remained the case for a longer period of time, past form suggests that there's no reason to believe he can't surprise us again.

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C'mon .... another one?

Do I have to make the ultimate thread about Axl's voice?

The guy who started the thread joined in 2012 and has 176 posts. There are a lot of new posters and fans around who don't necessarily have the perspective some of us do from listening to and watching every bootleg since 2001 and I don't mind sharing a bit of that perspective. It's understandable that some people think Axl's voice has rapidly degraded but there's masses of evidence to suggest he's simply conserving his voice at the moment.

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He can't sing like he used to. But I agree he's still a very good singer. His baritone voice is still spot on and his higher registers are clean but have lost some of the snarl and power obviously. The rasp missing seems to be a sticking point and obviously that's understandable since it's what he's known for. However saying he's a bad singer is not correct. He still puts on a good show and is a very talented singer and performer.

That's how I see it. Spot on.

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C'mon .... another one?

Do I have to make the ultimate thread about Axl's voice?

The guy who started the thread joined in 2012 and has 176 posts. There are a lot of new posters and fans around who don't necessarily have the perspective some of us do from listening to and watching every bootleg since 2001 and I don't mind sharing a bit of that perspective. It's understandable that some people think Axl's voice has rapidly degraded but there's masses of evidence to suggest he's simply conserving his voice at the moment.

That's why I should make the ultimate thread about Axl's voice ...

Maybe it can be pinned. :lol:

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C'mon .... another one?

Do I have to make the ultimate thread about Axl's voice?

The guy who started the thread joined in 2012 and has 176 posts. There are a lot of new posters and fans around who don't necessarily have the perspective some of us do from listening to and watching every bootleg since 2001 and I don't mind sharing a bit of that perspective. It's understandable that some people think Axl's voice has rapidly degraded but there's masses of evidence to suggest he's simply conserving his voice at the moment.

That's why I should make the ultimate thread about Axl's voice ...

Maybe it can be pinned. :lol:

I actually think it's a really good idea because then instead of having the same discussion over and over newer fans could just read the thread. I see one person has already ignored my post and agreed with someone else that Axl has 'can't sing like he used to' and has 'lost power and rasp.' Ohrlly?

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