Vincent Vega Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I just wanted to make this specifically about 2001-2002For people who know about vocals/vocal training etc, why did Axl's voice sound so high pitched, weak and clean in 2001 and 2002? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Comstock Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Probably because he didn't take care of it... There was years at a time when he didn't sing at all apparently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 Yeah but check out Live Era--A lot of those vox were re-recorded by Axl in 1999 and he sounded raspy and powerful, even though he used a falsetto. Just two years later and his voice is weak as hell all falsetto and no rasp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy_Stradlin_XX Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Yeah but check out Live Era--A lot of those vox were re-recorded by Axl in 1999 and he sounded raspy and powerful, even though he used a falsetto. Just two years later and his voice is weak as hell all falsetto and no rasp.Live Era shouldn't have been released.It's the worst album of "GN'R".I love Axl's voice all the years.I don't have preferences.And SCOM inTokyo '92 isn't that bad...People are so pissy about Axl's voice during that period that they didn't even realize the luck they had to see Axl, Slash and Duff sharing a Stage together playing badass Rock N Roll Songs.Long Live Axl \m/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axl Rose aka God Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 There's got to be something we don't know about, may never know about, unless Axl writes a book. He looked sick...I can't imagine it was botox...but he looked thin and his hair was weird... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevelle Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Yeah but check out Live Era--A lot of those vox were re-recorded by Axl in 1999 and he sounded raspy and powerful, even though he used a falsetto. Just two years later and his voice is weak as hell all falsetto and no rasp.Well look at Chris Cornell's Euphoria Morning, then listen to the Audioslave album from three years later. Huge difference vocally. A few years is enough to cause a lot of damage. I think he may just have been trying to sing differently, though; I recall him saying something about wanting to get away from the rasp. Maybe he just got so used to not singing with it that it just didn't come through anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gunns5 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I dont know what happened but the blues/s.o.d and madagascar sounded their best in 2001/2002. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatVin Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Yeah but check out Live Era--A lot of those vox were re-recorded by Axl in 1999 and he sounded raspy and powerful, even though he used a falsetto. Just two years later and his voice is weak as hell all falsetto and no rasp.it's not the same to sing live and in the studio. I believe he could have done great studio performance at any point of past 15 years. I dont know what happened but the blues/s.o.d and madagascar sounded their best in 2001/2002.Hell yeah..especially madagascar sounded so fucking great the way he used to sing. The vocals on the older demo are also much better than the rasp on final version of madagascar on CD.The song has lost a lot of its potential with the rasp. I wonder why he decided to start to sing it with the rasp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I thought the taps meant you were damaging your voice? It sounds cool though The rasp. For the love of god can you turn this spell checker off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henfjel Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 There's got to be something we don't know about, may never know about, unless Axl writes a book. He looked sick...I can't imagine it was botox...but he looked thin and his hair was weird...maybe someone from the crew used helium in that oxygen thing he used backstage :xmassrudolph: I dont know what happened but the blues/s.o.d and madagascar sounded their best in 2001/2002.they didn't sound their best, they sounded amazing! i was sooo dissapointed when he sang with rasp on the album.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gunns5 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 There's got to be something we don't know about, may never know about, unless Axl writes a book. He looked sick...I can't imagine it was botox...but he looked thin and his hair was weird...maybe someone from the crew used helium in that oxygen thing he used backstage :xmassrudolph: I dont know what happened but the blues/s.o.d and madagascar sounded their best in 2001/2002.they didn't sound their best, they sounded amazing! i was sooo dissapointed when he sang with rasp on the album..+1my biggest dissapointment with the whole album was S.O.D/Mad was sung in a rasp voice, it totally kills the song compared to how it used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LA_0013 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I think what really went down, is the tour production company got their gas cylinders mixed up, and fed Axl helium into that oxygen mask thing he uses back stage. This tour, they've gone through all the protocols to made sure it is definitely oxygen.LA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gunns5 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I think what really went down, is the tour production company got their gas cylinders mixed up, and fed Axl helium into that oxygen mask thing he uses back stage. This tour, they've gone through all the protocols to made sure it is definitely oxygen.LA Helium laced with Oxygen in 2002?andOxygen laced with Helium in 2010? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stro Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 (edited) It seems weird to me that his voice would go clean and higher due to vocal damage instead of deeper and raspier like it did previously. I think he sounded really weird and bad at the RRHOF in 94. Weaker than it did in 2001/2002 but with a lot more rasp. The cancer thread made me think of the possibility that the giant jerseys and track pants were to cover up that he had lost a significant amount of weight instead of gaining.Also, I think SOD is much better with the rasp. It has so much more energy and power. But the main reason he sings SOD and Madagascar with the rasp now is because he has to. He can't sing without the rasp once he hits a certain level. It is especially noticeable on This I Love, but he has a peak that once his register gets that high, he can't sing it clean at all. Edited October 31, 2010 by Stro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axl666 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Does anyone have any pics of Axl in 2001 to compare to how he is now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bansidhe Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Does anyone have any pics of Axl in 2001 to compare to how he is now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Mercury's Ghost Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 He quit smoking and lost his stamina from being out of shape, so his voice wasn't raspy and he was out of breath frequently. The cancer thing that was brought up in another thread could be true, but we'll probably never know. The change in his look between Rio and late 2002 is drastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamboat Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Probably had a coach and stuff because he wanted a perfect voice, and probably to get a variety of sounds on the album, and reach some incredible notes (I would do anything for you), it definitely wasn't worse, it was too good for guns n roses style singing if you know what i mean, his voice was awesome back then I think personally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweersa Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 He looks very thin in the middle image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianGNR Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Hell yeah..especially madagascar sounded so fucking great the way he used to sing. The vocals on the older demo are also much better than the rasp on final version of madagascar on CD.The song has lost a lot of its potential with the rasp. I wonder why he decided to start to sing it with the rasp.The vocals on ALL demos and final version of Madagascar are the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sleeping Like An Angel Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 He looks very thin in the middle image.He looks ill in that second picture. Mild cancer era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweersa Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 He looks very thin in the middle image.He looks ill in that second picture. Mild cancer era?That image is a screen shot of the basketball game new interview, he definitely looks like something is up.The vocals on ALL demos and final version of Madagascar are the same.For the most part yes, but bits of songs had small vocal changes like Better, Riad, TWAT, Street of Dreams, and perhaps a few others that are less notable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseGoudge Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 His voice has gone through lots of changes for sure. Its kinda funny seeing the progression he made from 1994 to 2010. Some ups and downs but it never sounded terrible or bad in any way to me. Peoples body change over time, lets just be happy that he is at his best right now...When it really counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longpig Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 No one really knows what happened in 2001-2002.It could be lots of things:1. His voice was unused and therefore not as strong and raspy as it was. The voice is a muscle and unused it changes. 2. His throat was operated on... this could be because of throat cancer, to save his voice, etc.. etc.. and it took years to recover3. He wanted to move away from the raspy vocals because of the new music he was makingWe won't really know until Axl says something about it, which he probably won't.It's ironic that during the 2002 tours people ripped the shit out of him for sounding like "mickey mouse" and then 7 years later when he released the album people start saying that Maddy and the blues sound better that way... poor fucker can't win.I guess the issue was the vocals in the new songs were probably supposed to be sung clean, but the older guns songs suffered. I don't think you can train your voice to do both, although 2006 was fairly close, so you have to compromise somewhere. So he recorded some of the newer songs with the rasp.In 2010 he's gone completely into the rasp voice. While some songs benefit a lot of the new ones don't. Things like YCBM sound the best in years, but This I Love with the 2006 would wank all over it. Also it's clear he's put on weight since 2006, and this would make him more tired and this could be giving him more rasp. If he was as thin as 2006 maybe he would sound similar. The dublin performance where he stood still was certainly one of the more impressive (and close to 2006).Just some rambling thoughts.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan Rose Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Chris Pitman confirmed that the main Madagascar vocal was recorded with just him in Axl's studio way back in 1999-ish and remained unchanged, as did the french horns. It wasn't intended to be sung clean and then re-recorded later with rasp. The Blues vocal remained the same apart from the additional lyrics at the end which were likely done in 06 and amazingly sound nearly identical, even listening to the accapella. Someone asked Axl backstage in 02 what was up with the singing and he said something to the effect of 'I'm just trying a different style of singing' and it's fair to assume the idea was to sing properly. The way he sang in 02 was far more natural and would have preserved his voice and especially range for longer. But after the endless abuse he got on the boards for singing that way he obviously made a point in 06 of attempting to sound more like people are generally used to him sounding. We're hearing the end product of that now with his voice built back up to being able to do a whole show sounding pretty close to a good 1993 Illusions show. It's great but it really worries me that within the next few years we'll start to hear the range and voice decay as a result, although given the rate of album releases and touring it seems like Axl is confident he can perform at this level for a good 10 years or more into his 60s. However i've seen and heard the odd recent performance where he's really been struggling and you can start to hear what will someday become the norm. It's also interesting to hear the often vast difference between what sounds like an incredible vocal on a bootleg or youtube video that is strong, booming and effortless and to compare it to a soundboard or monitor mix of the same show where the dry vocal sounds a lot less great. He gets a lot of help from the PA and pro tools etc. The thing that bothers me the most is that there are all these supposedly superb new songs to come, for instance The General, which Baz has described as having the hardest, highest screaming singing Axl's ever done and these things may not be released for years to come in which case how the hell is he gonna perform that when he's in his mid 50s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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