Axl's voice

[Guns n' Swedes]

I've followed loads of vids over the years, from early demos all the way up to today, live and on cd. I've always wondered how it can be that his voice changes all the time. In my ears, it was the same from about 86-88, then it was one way throughout 89, and then one way in 91, one way in 92, and one way in 93. It was one way in 2001 and 2002, and then the voice from 2006 to today.

On some of the old songs I think he sounds better than EVER live (Jungle, Nightrain etc...).

Can it be, that he just choose to change or can the voice change that much just with age? CD and live voice is wayyy different today in my ears (again, not in a bad or worse way, just different).

[Phanatic]

I thought it was just that he had a huge vocal range.

[Guns n' Swedes]

I thought it was just that he had a huge vocal range.

It's fkn brilliant, but it is strange isn't it??

[WhazUp]

i think his voice sounds closer to the old days than he ever has since old-guns broke up

[karlossacanell]

I've followed loads of vids over the years, from early demos all the way up to today, live and on cd. I've always wondered how it can be that his voice changes all the time. In my ears, it was the same from about 86-88, then it was one way throughout 89, and then one way in 91, one way in 92, and one way in 93. It was one way in 2001 and 2002, and then the voice from 2006 to today.

On some of the old songs I think he sounds better than EVER live (Jungle, Nightrain etc...).

Can it be, that he just choose to change or can the voice change that much just with age? CD and live voice is wayyy different today in my ears (again, not in a bad or worse way, just different).

Voice changes with tha age for everybody. He is singing really well now. I didn´t believe he would sing so good in 2010 ... I thought his 2007 voice was going to be improved to the actual ...

Axl never stops surprising me ...

[plonker88]

Axl has little elves that live inside his throat.

[karlossacanell]

Axl has little elves that live inside his throat.

And someone else living in his ass ... he told so ..

[BatVin]

Axl has little elves that live inside his throat.

And someone else living in his ass ... he told so ..

LOL. He never was really fat.He just have a guy inside.

[Powerage5]

He can still sing like he does because he treats his voice well. If you're responsible and not constantly blowing it out due to excessive drinking and drug use, that's how you sound nearing 50. Hell, look at Ronnie James Dio, he'll be 68 in July and he still sounds just as good as he did on the Sabbath albums 30 years ago...

[James Bond]

He can still sing like he does because he treats his voice well. If you're responsible and not constantly blowing it out due to excessive drinking and drug use, that's how you sound nearing 50. Hell, look at Ronnie James Dio, he'll be 68 in July and he still sounds just as good as he did on the Sabbath albums 30 years ago...

So true. He still sounds amazing, expecially for his age!

Listen to Axl on Sebastian Bach's album. He sounds nearly identical to how he sounded on the Use Your Illusion albums. It probably takes a lot out of him to consistently sing like that, so over the years he has developed a deeper rasp and his voice has become what it is now. It's still Axl's recognizable voice, but a bit deeper and more controlled. In short, his voice has changed in part due to age (which tends to happen) but he has also learned to control his "banshee wail" a lot more, thus his use of the "helium voice" in some of the softer songs.

[Nick83]

My idea is that Axl had nodules, and they shrunk or disappeared with inactivity. Then 2001 came around, and the texture was gone. It's taken him years singing and touring for that texture too return. That's why he has improved so much.

Remember, it took him many years to develop the voice he had originally, and it has taken years to develop it again after the period of inactivity.

As far as the old voice changes, his nodules grew and the texture became much more distinct. He has always had the range.

[dalsh327]

Prob. has voice coaches.

[tkarmy]

My idea is that Axl had nodules, and they shrunk or disappeared with inactivity. Then 2001 came around, and the texture was gone. It's taken him years singing and touring for that texture too return. That's why he has improved so much.

Remember, it took him many years to develop the voice he had originally, and it has taken years to develop it again after the period of inactivity.

As far as the old voice changes, his nodules grew and the texture became much more distinct. He has always had the range.

you my friend have no idea what your talking about.

WHen you have nodes and you try and sing nothing of substance comes out.

The reason Axl is sounding better than ever is because he got some vocal lessons and learned how to sing more properly and then using the rasp at the end of when the note comes out rather than pushing it through the throat like he did in the old days.

The reason his voice was thinner in 2001-02 is because he was treating his voice delicately so he wouldn't blow it out due to pushing through the throat. Baz hooked him up with his vocal coach and since then Axl has been getting better and better.

There are a ton of articles where baz describes how he sings with a bel canto technique... Axl is incorporating this into his style... THAT is why he can sing for three hours.. NOT because he has nodes... you want to hear nodes listen to anything from 91-92.. that is what it sounds like when you have nodes

[shotgunblues1978]

As this tour has progressed he has sounded as good as he ever has. Some of the performances on this tour have been nothing short of phenomenal, loved Nice Boys in Tokyo, he has sounded great in particular on Scraped, Better, Sorry, This I Love of the new material, and is singing the old stuff as well as he did 20 years ago, a lot of great performances from this tour even though the bootleg quality hasn't been that high for the most part. But his voice has both power and rasp back, without sounding like his throat was on the verge of blowing which is what it sounded like ion some of the UYI tour

Whatever he has been doing as far as preparing his voice for the tour has worked. As good as he sounded in 2006 he sounds that much better now

Edited February 14, 2010 by shotgunblues1978

[AxlsAngel]

i think his voice sounds closer to the old days than he ever has since old-guns broke up

Same here. I think he sounds great.

[GeorgeGlass]

Save for '01-'02, his voice has been incredibly good, and at the present time is as good as it was during the UYI tour.

[gunsguy]

His voice is great so far with no sign of stopping

[WhatsHerface]

A vocalist's voice always changes, sometimes for the worse or for the better... Axl, he sounds fucking incredible.

[katherinelesley]

I agree that a vocalists voice will always change. The voice is the most sensitive of instruments; exposure to smoke, excessive speaking, caffeine, alcohol and dairy, among countless other factors will have an incredibly detrimental affect on the voice. This is why vocalists are prone to "off" nights when performing live. I would say he is simply staying well hydrated, eating properly and taking vocal lessons which ensures his voice will remain strong for years to come.

[AxlisOld]

I don't want to turn this into another falsetto thread. BUT. There are 3 voices Axl used back in the day. The first is his modal voice, which is just a normal voice with rasp. The second (and most damaging) is his throat, or head voice. It's Kind of a middle ground between a falsetto and modal. It's the voice in You Could Be Mine during the main portion of the verse. You can hear it in several other songs if you know what to listen for. Last is falsetto. I won't go into what falsetto is, because if you don't know what it is, this argument is not for you. Axl has completely ceased from using the second voice, because it i absolute Hell on your voice. He now, for the higher parts, uses a raspy falsetto for those parts. If you don't know the voice I'm talking about, he was on fire with it in the Argentina '93 concert that is readily available. It is actually quite easy to switch over to these methods because the throat (head) voice is so uncommon. IF the World is sungalmost completely in falsetto. "La da da da" part is the only part that I don't hear falsetto in. He writes songs to suit himself. All voices of men change over the course of their life. Axl just happens to be really good at adapting to it.

[karlossacanell]

His voice is great so far with no sign of stopping

That´s the point ... he could even improve it from now ... rock1

[danmak]

Prob. has voice coaches.

yes, i´d say definitely.

I agree that a vocalists voice will always change. The voice is the most sensitive of instruments; exposure to smoke, excessive speaking, caffeine, alcohol and dairy, among countless other factors will have an incredibly detrimental affect on the voice. This is why vocalists are prone to "off" nights when performing live. I would say he is simply staying well hydrated, eating properly and taking vocal lessons which ensures his voice will remain strong for years to come.

i agree and this is also what is a known fact.

[Vincent Vega]

I don't want to turn this into another falsetto thread. BUT. There are 3 voices Axl used back in the day. The first is his modal voice, which is just a normal voice with rasp. The second (and most damaging) is his throat, or head voice. It's Kind of a middle ground between a falsetto and modal. It's the voice in You Could Be Mine during the main portion of the verse. You can hear it in several other songs if you know what to listen for. Last is falsetto. I won't go into what falsetto is, because if you don't know what it is, this argument is not for you. Axl has completely ceased from using the second voice, because it i absolute Hell on your voice. He now, for the higher parts, uses a raspy falsetto for those parts. If you don't know the voice I'm talking about, he was on fire with it in the Argentina '93 concert that is readily available. It is actually quite easy to switch over to these methods because the throat (head) voice is so uncommon. IF the World is sungalmost completely in falsetto. "La da da da" part is the only part that I don't hear falsetto in. He writes songs to suit himself. All voices of men change over the course of their life. Axl just happens to be really good at adapting to it.

What middle verse in YCBM? Like which lyrics specifically?

[Nick83]

My idea is that Axl had nodules, and they shrunk or disappeared with inactivity. Then 2001 came around, and the texture was gone. It's taken him years singing and touring for that texture too return. That's why he has improved so much.

Remember, it took him many years to develop the voice he had originally, and it has taken years to develop it again after the period of inactivity.

As far as the old voice changes, his nodules grew and the texture became much more distinct. He has always had the range.

WHen you have nodes and you try and sing nothing of substance comes out.

Sometimes the case in extreme situations, but generally not true, and especially not true for Axl.

[AxlisOld]

I don't want to turn this into another falsetto thread. BUT. There are 3 voices Axl used back in the day. The first is his modal voice, which is just a normal voice with rasp. The second (and most damaging) is his throat, or head voice. It's Kind of a middle ground between a falsetto and modal. It's the voice in You Could Be Mine during the main portion of the verse. You can hear it in several other songs if you know what to listen for. Last is falsetto. I won't go into what falsetto is, because if you don't know what it is, this argument is not for you. Axl has completely ceased from using the second voice, because it i absolute Hell on your voice. He now, for the higher parts, uses a raspy falsetto for those parts. If you don't know the voice I'm talking about, he was on fire with it in the Argentina '93 concert that is readily available. It is actually quite easy to switch over to these methods because the throat (head) voice is so uncommon. IF the World is sungalmost completely in falsetto. "La da da da" part is the only part that I don't hear falsetto in. He writes songs to suit himself. All voices of men change over the course of their life. Axl just happens to be really good at adapting to it.

What middle verse in YCBM? Like which lyrics specifically?

I'm a cold heartbreaker, fit ta burn....and on---. Actually, most of that song is sung in the middle throat voice.