The "Axl's Voice" Thread - Please Keep All Discussion Here

[MrMojo]

29 minutes ago, ChristmasFnatic said:

I was listening to Prince earlier, especially the song KISS. Its pure Mickey. Axl should add a Prince song in the setlist!

Or add AC/DC Walk all over you.. Depends on the mood on concert day I guess

Edited August 12, 2018 by MrMojo

[goodtimes8inity]

Axl has already shown his eight octave voice.  He does not have to keep proving to us he has an eight octave voice.

Personally, I always liked his Nightrain vocals. 

If Axl sang every song in that same register of Nightrain, that would sound amazing, not too high, not too low.

Axl Rose sounds greatest-of-all-time in that particular Better range.

Love you Axl!  

[MrSoftie]

19 hours ago, Dean said:

It's got subtitles. The guy has a few interesting opinions.

"Really perfect. I think he's a delightful tenor."

He said he might do an AXL/DC analysis at some point, I hope he does, it would be really interesting to hear his insights.

[Fanboy]

21 hours ago, Dean said:

It's got subtitles. The guy has a few interesting opinions.

very interesting to heard the opinion from a vocal coach, someone who actually knows the job, I bet many vocal coachs would love to have Axl between their hands, he is really playing in different league

[IncitingChaos]

22 hours ago, Dean said:

It's got subtitles. The guy has a few interesting opinions.

He’s right in that Axl’s voice comes from the back now and isn’t projected like it use to. I think he’ll find that switches with ACDC 

[Setzer]

On 8/13/2018 at 12:50 AM, MrSoftie said:

"Really perfect. I think he's a delightful tenor."

He said he might do an AXL/DC analysis at some point, I hope he does, it would be really interesting to hear his insights.

If he seriously called Axl a tenor, you can go ahead and dismiss the rest of the video immediately.

[IncitingChaos]

3 hours ago, Setzer said:

If he seriously called Axl a tenor, you can go ahead and dismiss the rest of the video immediately.

Yea I think he was confused based on Axl’s recent SCOM attempts. He acknowledges Axl can do quite a bit vocally but really Axl gets nasally to portray a tenor however he’s naturally a baritone. Most of us know that Bc we’ve heard him talk and have an understanding of his natural vocals even going back to Rapidfire before he added that sharp higher pitch vocal. 

Edited August 14, 2018 by IncitingChaos

[HollyWoodRose84]

It’s called Axl being lazy. That’s all guys, lazy. He prepared for the 2016 tour.  He prepared for AC/DC. Preparation goes a loooooong way. 

[Gnrcane]

I just came across video of Aerosmith performing on Jimmy Fallon the other day.  Does anybody think Axl will be able to get that close to his "prime" sound in 14 years?  I don't know what Steven Tyler does to keep his voice in shape but what he is doing at 70 freaking years old is pretty amazing.  I posted this mostly because somebody earlier was saying that there was a backstage person hitting the high notes for Tyler.  There are spots in both Mama Kin and Big Ten Inch that it is clearly him singing and hitting high notes.

Aerosmith Performance

[IncitingChaos]

7 minutes ago, Gnrcane said:

I just came across video of Aerosmith performing on Jimmy Fallon the other day.  Does anybody think Axl will be able to get that close to his "prime" sound in 14 years?  I don't know what Steven Tyler does to keep his voice in shape but what he is doing at 70 freaking years old is pretty amazing.  I posted this mostly because somebody earlier was saying that there was a backstage person hitting the high notes for Tyler.  There are spots in both Mama Kin and Big Ten Inch that it is clearly him singing and hitting high notes.

Aerosmith Performance

Axl has plenty of power to do what he needs to to sound great.

lets get some breathing issues fixed along with extending a few notes and he sounds fantastic when he wants to.

and here if we could just land his mid voice  like this then he can make any song sound great! Such a natural tone for him to sing in and it just has that classic feel you hope to hear from Axl. 

[millionflies]

 

That was a long read, though I have to admit that I started at around p. 50, only looked at some pages before. And I'm relieved I read in here after I went to the shows this summer. Otherwise maybe I wouldn't have even bought a ticket As different people already stated, a lot of the folks attending a GNR show did not pay all of their attention to the lead singer, there is just too much going on, audio and visual  And it depends a lot on the mix in the arena and even differs regarding where you were seated or standing. For example in the Gelsenkirchen show (June 12, 2018) the mix was not good for the first 50 minutes or so, the vocals were scarcely audible, so I couldn't judge on Axl's voice, rather I had to concentrate on recognizing which song they played. Later on it was better, and I remember there were only a few moments when I thought "ouch, that was better in the past". And the other 2018 shows I went to or I listened to a recording (or videos with decent sound), were all good, except for a few songs or rather parts of songs.

So basically I think most of the people that visited a show enjoyed it incl. his vocals and would be totally surprised about the hardcore fans being so hypercritical. That's at least what I got from talking to people at the shows. And at least for me the stage activity of this man is quite impressive, so I'd rather forgive him a wrong tone or the "mickey" voice. IMO Nijmegen (July 4, 2018) was a very good show, I was pleased with his vocals.

On 30.7.2018 at 6:18 PM, sl4yer said:

1st half of 2018 leg<2017<2nd half of 2018 leg<NA leg of 2017<2016

Nevertheless I understand some of the criticism in this topic, especially when different shows are compared via YT videos. So I found this post interesting, summing it up. Please tell me what time line covers "2017" in contrast to "NA leg of 2017"? Is the latter meant to be the North America dates from end of July until end of November 2017 incl. Rock in Rio and other dates in South America? And I would not split the European tour leg of 2018, since it lasted only from the beginning of June to the end of July. I'd call Berlin (June 3, 2018) an outlier and would judge Axl's vocals on this tour leg being almost as good as in 2016 (afterwards, when I had the time to listen to some of the 2016 shows).

On the other hand I got the chance to listen to the last show of 2017 (The Forum in Inglewood) and that's one where I could easily pick 10 songs where his voice hurts my ears (still there are plenty of songs I think he's good on and of course I can still enjoy ). Maybe his vocal performance range was "used up" because it was the last show of a long touring year? So was his voice better e.g. in August 2017?

[sl4yer]

47 minutes ago, millionflies said:

 

That was a long read, though I have to admit that I started at around p. 50, only looked at some pages before. And I'm relieved I read in here after I went to the shows this summer. Otherwise maybe I wouldn't have even bought a ticket As different people already stated, a lot of the folks attending a GNR show did not pay all of their attention to the lead singer, there is just too much going on, audio and visual  And it depends a lot on the mix in the arena and even differs regarding where you were seated or standing. For example in the Gelsenkirchen show (June 12, 2018) the mix was not good for the first 50 minutes or so, the vocals were scarcely audible, so I couldn't judge on Axl's voice, rather I had to concentrate on recognizing which song they played. Later on it was better, and I remember there were only a few moments when I thought "ouch, that was better in the past". And the other 2018 shows I went to or I listened to a recording (or videos with decent sound), were all good, except for a few songs or rather parts of songs.

So basically I think most of the people that visited a show enjoyed it incl. his vocals and would be totally surprised about the hardcore fans being so hypercritical. That's at least what I got from talking to people at the shows. And at least for me the stage activity of this man is quite impressive, so I'd rather forgive him a wrong tone or the "mickey" voice. IMO Nijmegen (July 4, 2018) was a very good show, I was pleased with his vocals.

Nevertheless I understand some of the criticism in this topic, especially when different shows are compared via YT videos. So I found this post interesting, summing it up. Please tell me what time line covers "2017" in contrast to "NA leg of 2017"? Is the latter meant to be the North America dates from end of July until end of November 2017 incl. Rock in Rio and other dates in South America? And I would not split the European tour leg of 2018, since it lasted only from the beginning of June to the end of July. I'd call Berlin (June 3, 2018) an outlier and would judge Axl's vocals on this tour leg being almost as good as in 2016 (afterwards, when I had the time to listen to some of the 2016 shows).

On the other hand I got the chance to listen to the last show of 2017 (The Forum in Inglewood) and that's one where I could easily pick 10 songs where his voice hurts my ears (still there are plenty of songs I think he's good on and of course I can still enjoy ). Maybe his vocal performance range was "used up" because it was the last show of a long touring year? So was his voice better e.g. in August 2017?

So, by NA2017 tour I meant October/Novemer tour. I was listening to the few (MSG, Prudential Center, Philly, forum) and he sounded better, with more rasp I'll give you examples

Here you have soundboard of Mickey Mouse, and he sounded like this in all videos I've seen from 2017 summer

It has way more rasp

 

BUT, It's not a big difference. 2018 apart from Berlin was really good but IMO a little bit worse than at the end of 2017.

[millionflies]

Thank you for clarifying the time line, sl4yer. I will check out some videos of the shows you mentioned, but since MSG was played three times, is there one you were especially referring to?

And now someone has to enlighten me on the Mickey voice. Unfortunately I don't know how to post YT videos with a time code, so I'm writing in the quote in a different color than sl4yer.

 

1 hour ago, sl4yer said:

So, by NA2017 tour I meant October/Novemer tour. I was listening to the few (MSG, Prudential Center, Philly, forum) and he sounded better, with more rasp I'll give you examples

Here you have soundboard of Mickey Mouse, and he sounded like this in all videos I've seen from 2017 summer

"Mickey": I assume it's 1:50 - 2:11 (1st verse & part of the chorus)? And a bit at 2:29 (taste the bright lights)? And again at 2:59 - 3:06?

It has way more rasp

Yeah, I totally agree.

BUT, It's not a big difference. 2018 apart from Berlin was really good but IMO a little bit worse than at the end of 2017.

 

So now what's the difference between "Mickey" and just singing in a high pitch?

[millionflies]

I looked for videos of Rocket Queen in the same shows that have been posted, these are filmed by the same people who did the WTTJ videos. 1) Apollo Theater, New York, July 20, 2017 (singing starts at 2:28)

and 2) The Forum, Los Angeles, November 29, 2017 (singing starts at 1:27)

Axl's singing in a high pitch during both shows, but is this considered to be Mickey?

The only difference is the line "And I can do you favors" which has more rasp in 2), but on the other hand I think he's hitting the notes on 1) better than on 2). I've analyzed only the 1st & 2nd verse & chorus

[IncitingChaos]

Why the argument between 17 and 18? 

2016 he was still sharp

[Axl's Agony Aunt]

I know people want to see Axl and Guns, as close to original as possible, but if Axl's voice isn't going to get better maybe he should get an apprentice in to help out. 

Sportspeople retire in their 30s, and Axl would be a manager now if still in the game, so maybe he could be doing half that, bringing on a successor, and maybe taking the band into a new generation: they could be the first band to have a new generation version! 

It'd give Axl and Guns a new dimension and interest. Axl's always making himself out to be a man of the people, and it might take a poor kid out of obscurity and set them up for life; something that Guns did for him in the 1980s.

Listening to Guns and then new clear voices like the vocalists of Greta or Halestorm recently showed me the difference, with listening to Guns now unfortunately quite painful in comparison. It's like watching a 55-year-old footballer trying to keep up with footballers in their prime. 

I think the same's true of AC/DC, with a new vocalist a better option than both Brian Johnson and Axl, although the studio might be able to iron out the age for a new album.

[Gnrcane]

1 hour ago, Axl's Agony Aunt said:

I know people want to see Axl and Guns, as close to original as possible, but if Axl's voice isn't going to get better maybe he should get an apprentice in to help out. 

Sportspeople retire in their 30s, and Axl would be a manager now if still in the game, so maybe he could be doing half that, bringing on a successor, and maybe taking the band into a new generation: they could be the first band to have a new generation version! 

It'd give Axl and Guns a new dimension and interest. Axl's always making himself out to be a man of the people, and it might take a poor kid out of obscurity and set them up for life; something that Guns did for him in the 1980s.

Listening to Guns and then new clear voices like the vocalists of Greta or Halestorm recently showed me the difference, with listening to Guns now unfortunately quite painful in comparison. It's like watching a 55-year-old footballer trying to keep up with footballers in their prime. 

I think the same's true of AC/DC, with a new vocalist a better option than both Brian Johnson and Axl, although the studio might be able to iron out the age for a new album.

First of all, a band's sound and style is very tightly tied to the sound of the lead singer.  Van Halen sounded completely different with Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth.  The CD/NuGNR era was more like Guns n' Roses than Slash, Izzy, Duff and Steven would be with a different singer (and that era was most certainly NOT GNR).

Second, why would Axl just want to make somebody successful?  He wasn't plucked out of obscurity.  He had talent and worked his ass off to help make GNR what they became.  He isn't Santa Claus and I've never really seen him being a "man of the people." 

Also, they wouldn't be the first band to do this.  Queen replaced Freddie Mercury with Adam Lambert.  That was certainly a new generation singer that is 36 years younger than Mercury would have been.  Of course, Queen had no choice but to get a new singer if they wanted to keep performing, although I guess they could have just done instrumental shows.  However, they chose a much younger singer where most replacements for dead singers are in the same generation as the deceased.

[Stro]

I, too, saw Rockstar. I think this means that Myles Kennedy ends up the lead singer for GNR.

[Axl's Agony Aunt]

21 hours ago, Gnrcane said:

First of all, a band's sound and style is very tightly tied to the sound of the lead singer.  Van Halen sounded completely different with Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth.  The CD/NuGNR era was more like Guns n' Roses than Slash, Izzy, Duff and Steven would be with a different singer (and that era was most certainly NOT GNR).

Second, why would Axl just want to make somebody successful?  He wasn't plucked out of obscurity.  He had talent and worked his ass off to help make GNR what they became.  He isn't Santa Claus and I've never really seen him being a "man of the people." 

Also, they wouldn't be the first band to do this.  Queen replaced Freddie Mercury with Adam Lambert.  That was certainly a new generation singer that is 36 years younger than Mercury would have been.  Of course, Queen had no choice but to get a new singer if they wanted to keep performing, although I guess they could have just done instrumental shows.  However, they chose a much younger singer where most replacements for dead singers are in the same generation as the deceased.

Thanks Gnrcane. I agree about Axl and vocalists. As more of a lyricist than musician I nearly always listen to music because of the vocals. I also agree that Axl was the main distinction that made Guns what they are. Otherwise they'd have just been on a par with Crue, Faster Pussycat, Love/Hate etc. All great bands, but not the megaband that Guns are.

That's why it's so sad to see Axl struggling now. For someone who saw him emerge in his prime it's like watching the best boxer of your generation trying to fight on into his 50s, for whatever reason; money or an addiction to the craft. The lack of new material just makes it look like 'exhibition' too. 

It's great for new fans or those who haven't seen them to see them. I've seen Skynyrd and Sabbath under similar circumstances recently, and enjoyed the shows, and was grateful to finally get to see them. I also saw Guns at Wembley a couple of years ago, and it was a really nice show, and good nostalgia trip. 

Yeh, maybe it was Queen and Lambert gave me the idea. But that wasn't a complete band, as I envisage for Guns. As the second album of bands has often been called II, this would be a totally new band, only mirroring Guns I. What would make it different from a cover band? Well, they'd be mentored by Guns I to capture their attitude as much as possible, and create new material for a new generation.

Greta sound like they could be a Led Zep version to me, which might also have inspired my idea. 

[Axl's Agony Aunt]

The next Axl Rose? I've always said he reminds me of Janis!

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Axl's Agony Aunt
?

[Gibson87]

I've been listening to the Tokyo 2009 show. 2009 Axl was a god damn beast

[GNRfanMILO]

This is how Axl should sound nowadays... Steven is fucking 70 years old. And we have to celebrate when Axl rasps two words in Rocket Queen.

2:45

 

[TheGeneral]

20 minutes ago, GNRfanMILO said:

This is how Axl should sound nowadays... Steven is fucking 70 years old. And we have to celebrate when Axl rasps two words in Rocket Queen.

2:45

 

I love Aerosmith/Steven. Hated this performance. Cut all the crap, just give them a fucking stage, let them do Toys and something else and go home. It would have still got the crowd pumped.

I really don't get the point with all the drama of an elevator stage etc that started some years ago. MJ's 1995 performance at that show beat everything and he didn't have any special effects apart from a big curtain thing and Slash.

Anyway, when I watched Aerosmiths performance on Jimmy Fallon I was blown away, that Mama Kin was one of the best ever. Kind of curious how Axl's Mama Kin would sound if he gave it his all. I'm positive the voice is still there, he just has to work on it. 

I also hope a new GNR album, doesn't matter if it's reworked CDII or '96 stuff has new vocals. Doesn't matter if it's full Mickey, I would just feel betrayed if they used the old ones. It's like those recent MJ album where people worked with the stuff he left behind. And Axl isn't dead.

[Pedrolg]

28 minutes ago, GNRfanMILO said:

This is how Axl should sound nowadays... Steven is fucking 70 years old. And we have to celebrate when Axl rasps two words in Rocket Queen.

2:45

 

Steven is way off the curve. Most rock singers become a shell of themselves as they age. Bon Jovi, Paul Stanley, the much maligned Vince Neil. Others just tune their stuff way down and sing conservatively such as Brian Johnson and Robert Plant. The fact that Steven sings within his natural voice range (just listen to him talking) tremendously helps his longevity.

As bad as Axl sounds sometimes compared to his prime, he is quite in the middle of the pack. Hasn't completely lost it, still has something special, but lacks consistency and has bad moments. I think he would benefit from a more conservative approach, but he will never be like Steven or like he was in 2010.

[HollyWoodRose84]

Am I late to the party that I missed this jungle pro shot from Coachella? He did pretty well here