Gordon Comstock Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) All I know is 2010 was a hell of a lot better than 2014 and rasp is a part of that. It isn't just the rasp though, I think that the rasp is a byproduct or at least a sign of the power and confidence Axl has when he is in shape and in form vocally.I've said it before, when Axl is "on", it doesn't really matter how he sounds - you can see the intensity in his eyes, you can see it in his performance, you can almost feel the energy he exudes. The intense vocals just kind of come along with that, I think. The first show I saw was on the Canadian tour, and I still remember the look my dad gave me when the show was over and he said "holy shit.... he's literally fucking crazy. He's got crazy eyes. But damn that was good."Basically, Axl needs to get really fucking pissed off about something again.edit: this is kinda what I'm talking about- Vocals are irrelevant in this comparison - same song, same band, same venue, 2 years apart. Watch the videos on mute for all I care, but it's still hard to believe that's the same frontman. He doesn't even sound that bad in the 2012 clip, but the difference in stage presence is what I'm talking about. The voice kind of matches up with his stage presence/confidence. Edited January 23, 2015 by Gordon Comstock 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomfriend Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 But let's ask a fair question (even if it's been asked before): is it justifiable to expect UYI rasp, or even 2010 rasp, from a mid-50s singer? No, but it's justifiable to expect him to perform to a higher standard than he has since 2012 for the ticket prices he's willing to charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IncitingChaos Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 The problem isn't rasp, it's the weak vocals he's been delivering. Absolutely no power! In 88 he didn't use a ton if rasp, but it sounded good bc he had power. His power voice takes him up one octave into greatness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockerRoller Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Everybody I have shown Appetite for Democracy that doesn't follow the band like we do LAUGHED THEIR ASSES OFF at how fat Axl is and how shitty he sounds.Same here.Every time that i see coments that he is singing great nowadays i feel that maybe there is a sect here....Yeah I brought two of my friends to the last 2014 vegas show and that's exactly what they said about axl. They compared the show to more of a circus then concert and thought it was meant to be like that. Kept saying that's really axl rose? I almost felt embarrassed as a legit fan of gnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Who Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 He sounds great here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadsy Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I don't expect him to sound like he did in his twenties. Nor do I expect him to look the same. That doesn't mean that an out of breath, unprepared, lyric forgetting fatman in a yellow raincoat is acceptable either.Plenty of Axl's contemporaries work out, rehearse, and get every bit of help they can to perform to the best of their ability at their age.The only time Axl has come close to this in recent memory is 2006 - he looked fit, prepared and motivated. The performances were probably the most consistent too.Since then it has gone horribly downhill in almost every sense. I suppose he has been on time more often but for the most part he looks like he's phoning it in. This is about the only sensible comment in this thread so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Who Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 and here and here as well as here All raspy as fuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhazUp Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I've said it before, when Axl is "on", it doesn't really matter how he sounds - you can see the intensity in his eyes, you can see it in his performance, you can almost feel the energy he exudes. The intense vocals just kind of come along with that, I think. The first show I saw was on the Canadian tour, and I still remember the look my dad gave me when the show was over and he said "holy shit.... he's literally fucking crazy. He's got crazy eyes. But damn that was good."Yeah that is a good point. When I saw GNR in 2012 Axl was energetic and all around I thought he was awesome that night. Listening to him that night and even in videos the rasp is not quite 2010 level or anything but that energy and enthusiam from Axl made his vocals more confident and powerful. I can't say the same watching videos from later on from 2012 and onwards as a whole, although he still has his moments.I think that shows like the 02 arena in 2010 with Duff is what people like to hear most from Axl. Partly because the huge amount of what we deem "rasp" is very reminiescent of early 90's Axl both in sound and in energy. Maybe we won't get the rasp like 2010 again because of age if that is indeed what it is - but I don't think Axl's greatness is lost or that he is hopeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 But let's ask a fair question (even if it's been asked before): is it justifiable to expect UYI rasp, or even 2010 rasp, from a mid-50s singer? No, but it's justifiable to expect him to perform to a higher standard than he has since 2012 for the ticket prices he's willing to charge.Fair enough. I've never seen him put on a bad performance myself (other than perhaps the last half of Detroit in 2002), but I haven't seen the band live since 2011. Had a chance to see them in 2013 when they played a small venue in Toronto, but money was really tight back then and from what I saw, the setlist hadn't change much from when I saw them in 2011 in Hamilton. Obviously, I'd always prefer to have Axl sound like he didi in 2006 and 2010 versus 2012 and 2013, but even the when he wasn't at his best (like the five shows I saw in 2002), I felt he's still a hell of a performer. I don't recall ever walking away from the 2002 shows thinking they were horrible because Axl lacked the raspy vocals he's known for. It was different, perhaps not preferable, but still worth my money and time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhazUp Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Obviously, I'd always prefer to have Axl sound like he didi in 2006 and 2010 versus 2012 and 2013, but even the when he wasn't at his best (like the five shows I saw in 2002), I felt he's still a hell of a performer. I don't recall ever walking away from the 2002 shows thinking they were horrible because Axl lacked the raspy vocals he's known for. It was different, perhaps not preferable, but still worth my money and time. I agree! I do think that there are times where he can be underwhelming vocally but I have always felt that he is someone worth seeing live regardless. In a perfect world I would like his 2010 voice however I don't think he is terrible nowadays or anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I certainly wouldn't endorse the argument that youtube videos distort his vocals, but it is true that they don't fully represent what it sounds like when you're actually there. When I saw the band in 2011, I really wasn't expecting much considering it was only a month after RIR IV and the videos from subsequent shows weren't great. And though his rasp wasn't as strong or as present as it had been when I saw the band in 2010, his vocals still sounded epic when pumped through a concert PA system. Like I said, not trying to suggest that youtube videos don't fairly represent his vocal quality, but it's certainly different when you're actually there having his vocals blasted at you through massive concert speaker systems. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
combos Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 But let's ask a fair question (even if it's been asked before): is it justifiable to expect UYI rasp, or even 2010 rasp, from a mid-50s singer? Part of me says yes since he has demonstrated it from time to time, even in 2014. Then again, perhaps it's just not feasible a few years on. There are inherent health risks to singing like that. It can build up nodes on your vocal chords, which arguably can increases one's chances of certain forms of cancer. Steven Tyler was killing it at Axl's age and that dude has more rasp than just about anyone in music... ever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Street Of The Blues Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Rasp is the reason for the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNNER PT Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 No rasp, no guns ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magisme Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Jesus Christ, downzy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvH Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Who's that Rasp everyone is talking about? Haven't seen him for a long, long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulMonster Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Why do people always say that "X person still has rasp at age Y" so therefore Axl must have, too? People age differently. MOST singers simply don't have the same voice over 25 years, it doesn't matter that a few does. And no, this is not all down to exercise and taking care of the voice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magisme Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Who's that Rasp everyone is talking about? Haven't seen him for a long, long time.Then stop watching youtube videos. They're not representative. You went to the show, you say? You must have seen one of the few bad shows then. Oh, you went to a bunch of shows? You must have seen him in the beginning of the tour before he had a chance to warm up. You saw him at all points of the tour? Well, he's in his 50's so you can't expect much. You must be a hater or something. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvH Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Who's that Rasp everyone is talking about? Haven't seen him for a long, long time.Then stop watching youtube videos. They're not representative. You went to the show, you say? You must have seen one of the few bad shows then. Oh, you went to a bunch of shows? You must have seen him in the beginning of the tour before he had a chance to warm up. You saw him at all points of the tour? Well, he's in his 50's so you can't expect much. You must be a hater or something. You got me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNNER PT Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Jesus Christ, downzy. Nothing wrong with it ...He's just giving his opinion, from my point of view, it looks very balanced and reasonable ...(although, to me," the more rasp the better")I know that people tends to put themselves in extreme positions, according to their own feelings ... me included. Is commendable when the good examples come from above ... it's healthier to everybody ... should be a motivation for everyone to moderate their own speech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magisme Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I'd feel better about it if I thought he actually was giving his opinion. He'd still be wrong, but he'd be genuinely wrong.lol "moderate their own speech" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spliff Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LyndaRose Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We know that he used to pay attention to these boards, so he might still get on here OFFLINE Last Active Jan 25 2012 08:26 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulMonster Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Well, he's in his 50's so you can't expect much.I don't think anyone has said this. What people say is that you can't reasonably expect his voice to remain constant, especially considering how extreme his vocal technique was back in the days. This is not an unreasonable statement. It's well-known that the vocal chords change as we age, especially if they are regularly strained. I am not saying that there aren't examples of people who have been able to sing the same way their whole long career, but in most cases this is because their vocal style wasn't as demanding or because they have taken better care of their voice and/or are just lucky being borned with amazing vocal chords. Most vocalists tend to experience their voice changing, though, for better or for worse. For Axl it is definitely for worse.And then we take this in different ways. Some, like me, are pretty much indifferent to it and just happy that he still puts on great shows (realising that aspects like rasp is just a minor competent in the cascade of sounds that comprise a concert) and grateful for all he have done, others tend to whine like little children about it over and over. I mean, it's fair enough to voice one's dislike about his voice, this is a disussion forum after all and his voice simply isn't what it used to be - and this should be a fair topic of conversation - but when it sort of becomes your mantra expressd over and over whenever given a semi-plausible opportunity, then you only come across as a whining child who canæt cope with the minute trivia of life. Even if you add the sentences with lol smileys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magisme Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Fuck off, SM, you miserable cunt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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