DownUnderScott Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I was trying to think of other vocalists that had that scratchy / raspy vocals that we all loved in Axl. Couldn't really think of any. The only thing that came to mind was Brian Johnson with a song example being 'Thunderstruck' . Can anyone else think of someone comparable? A singer and an example of a song they sing ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Jay Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Tom Waits? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussTCB Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I was trying to think of other vocalists that had that scratchy / raspy vocals that we all loved in Axl. Couldn't really think of any. The only thing that came to mind was Brian Johnson with a song example being 'Thunderstruck' .Can anyone else think of someone comparable? A singer and an example of a song they sing ???Things get real good around the 1 minute mark:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf1BR1wFZio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh My Choking Soul Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Nazareth. Gn'R absolutely ripped off Nazareth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uzilover15 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I was going to say Dan McCafferty from Nazareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Janis Joplin and Axl are pretty closely related.Lots of singers have a raspy, gritty sound, but Axl's is unique and few come close to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownUnderScott Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 Cool examples people! Still not sure they come close to Axl though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magisme Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 There are other singers with rasp AND Axl is unique. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsh327 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Rod Stewart, Louis Armstrong, Captain Beefheart, Bob Dylan, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Kiefer, Pink, Joan Jett, Kim Carnes, Bonnie Tyler, Springsteen, Macy Gray, Ronnie James Dio, Stevie Nicks, Lauren Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Joe Cocker, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Richards, David Coverdale, Tina Turner as well as the ones mentioned. Mariah's voice is raspy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trqster Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Axl's UNIQUE voice was always amazing and his greatest asset. It still sends shivers down my spine when I hear young Axl screaming his lungs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saber_ Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Stephen Pearcy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerousCurves Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 (edited) All those mentioned above. Axl appears to have lost a lot of his rasp but as I mentioned in another thread, I think this may have been a result of surgery for nodes. This is frequently a side effect. Bonnie Tyler had a lovely voice until after surgery and then her rasp made her a superstar with Total Eclipse of the Heart and other hits. My favorite example of rasp developed over time is comparing 1970's Ann Wilson to current Ann Wilson. She always had a killer voice with range but in the last decade or two, she has developed the most incredible rasp, even in her upper range. I would pit Ann Wilson, in her 60's, against any of today's little pop tarts. The first verse of this is incredible. Edited December 31, 2013 by DangerousCurves 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbgnr666 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 (edited) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS4pkmvNU-w This guy could sing back in the day.I know this will probably get shit on but about 30 seconds in he rips into it.Regardless great song,and powerful vocals. Edited December 31, 2013 by cbgnr666 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourcrazy Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Some good examples mentioned in this. There have been lots of singers with good rasp, but Axl is very unique with a much more aggressive rasp. I think the closest thing currently is Lzzy Hale from hailstorm. She's like a female Axl. I am also a huge Elvis fan, and if you ever listened to the 68 comeback special his voice was really powerful and quite raspy. He only used it for a couple of years that way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val22 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I think Axl has a very distinct voice. All the other singers of the 80's sounded almost alike in their vocals because it was practically the same music.when GNR hit the scene, Axl sounded and looked different even with his hair teased up.You can tell when Axl is singing for sure.Most rock singers have a distinct voice that's what makes them so special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR DOOM Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 The term "rasp" pisses me off when I read it.I just pissed myself off...nothing good will come of this thread. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Nova Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Not so sure....but it may be time to donate....http://www.mygnrforum.com/index.php?/topic/204726-the-first-annual-my-gnr-forum-donate-a-thon-get-your-name-in-the-green/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR DOOM Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I already "donated", it's made the keyboard sticky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saber_ Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 There are plenty of singers who have a "rasp" of some sort. But Axl's has the most "scratchety harmonic overtones." There's a richness to his rasp. Whereas other bands in the 80s had lead singers with rasp, they all tended to sound similar- there was a generic 80s rasp going on, if you will. Ratt, Cinderella, Britney Fox, etc, the list goes on. Axl was able to manage a balance between grittiness and melodiousness. I also think there are a few similarities to David Lee Roth. If you listen closely, especially during live gigs, Roth sometimes has the ever-so-slightest touch of rasp in his singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR DOOM Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Have you heard the news?Its the same ol blues again... (Beefheart) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
there is no dana only zool Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Eric Wagner of the band Trouble has always sounded very Axl-similar. And this song rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowmass Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 No one compares to Axl circa 1985-1993. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estranged Reality Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I've never heard another singer quite like Axl.I think when he started out, the 'rasp' wasn't full-formed. He had more of a nasally high-pitched shriek going on. By the Illusions, he had kind of transformed it into a Tom Waits-esque low gritty rasp, like a black blues singer crossed with a rock singer. Now, I think to save his voice he's reverted back a bit more to where he was at the start of his career, with a higher nasally falsetto. And because his voice is weaker, that's why sometimes people complain about it sounding like Mickey Mouse or whatever. I think he tore up his vocal cords in the early '90s belting out the rasp at full volume on tour every night, which is a real shame, because it was an utterly unique guttural growl and I miss it. I think when he does it nowadays (on the studio cut of Madagascar, or his guest vocals on Angel Down) it still sounds pretty cool. I think he just can't do it live as much anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trqster Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I've never heard another singer quite like Axl.I think when he started out, the 'rasp' wasn't full-formed. He had more of a nasally high-pitched shriek going on. By the Illusions, he had kind of transformed it into a Tom Waits-esque low gritty rasp, like a black blues singer crossed with a rock singer. Now, I think to save his voice he's reverted back a bit more to where he was at the start of his career, with a higher nasally falsetto. And because his voice is weaker, that's why sometimes people complain about it sounding like Mickey Mouse or whatever. I think he tore up his vocal cords in the early '90s belting out the rasp at full volume on tour every night, which is a real shame, because it was an utterly unique guttural growl and I miss it. I think when he does it nowadays (on the studio cut of Madagascar, or his guest vocals on Angel Down) it still sounds pretty cool. I think he just can't do it live as much anymore.So how did he manage to sing with lots of rasp just back in 2010? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haters Gonna Hate Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 The term "rasp" pisses me off when I read it.I just pissed myself off...nothing good will come of this thread.Yeah but Axl has that nice rasp though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts