Forever Delayed - The Independent Manics Forum  

Go Back   Forever Delayed - The Independent Manics Forum > Manic Street Preachers > Manic Street Preachers Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #16  
Old 28-04-2016, 18:52
gamehenge gamehenge is offline
I am purity, they call me perverted
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Locust Valley, Pennsylvania USA
Posts: 172
With age goes your voice. Happens to everybody. The older an artists gets they usually have to change the key to a song to hit the notes they once were able to. A sad truth that age will catch up to us all.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 28-04-2016, 21:22
darkanddivine's Avatar
darkanddivine darkanddivine is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wolfland
Posts: 6,982
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donkey View Post
woud love to hear what you all think about James's voice. It is aging - naturally - but I was really a bit shocked yesterday.
Ah yes the conundrum of conundrums.

I have a 5 year gap in my attendance of MSP shows and the difference was quite noticeable (Singles at the 02 - Holy Bible tour.) Most groups at some stage either usually either A: change their sound to suit their physical limits or B: don't play anymore. This especially applies if you are a rock band because the harsh vocal is often a feature, and can't be sustained forever (unless you are insanely lucky.)

As others have said it does happen to the best of them, and it's a case of managing it. My personal opinion is that the music needs to suit the players, and it's getting to the stage where you could do one of a few things. For example, Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World (who has a notoriously high range) took the opportunity to write an album (Futures) in a lower tuning and then made the live shows follow suit. The entire aim of that was to preserve his voice, and judging by recent outings it has worked.

It'd be a lot of work, but the Manics would sound mean as hell half a step down. Perhaps it's something they might try next time out having got all the nostalgia fests out of the way? The alternative is to make the set-list full of songs more akin to a lower current range, which would probably see some significant changes to "the usuals."

Some thoughts there anyway...
__________________
“I have known many sorrows, most of which never happened.” Mark Twain
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 29-04-2016, 09:14
bachelorette's Avatar
bachelorette bachelorette is offline
I live to fall asleep
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: here.inmyhead
Age: 42
Posts: 3,154
I've noticed in Hamburg what Tim and Donkey also described: James definitely used as different technique, now, for the higher ranges. It sounds very controlled and a bit pressed, and it even differs from how he used to sing on the Holy Bible tour. I certainly didn't think he had a cold, or "an awful voice"in general. I agree with Darkanddivine that this seems to be due to an irreversible shift in pitch, he tries to adapt in this way instead of changing the songs. Which would probably work a lot better in the long run. The change was very noticeable during "Black Flowers" and "SIP" - to me his voice sounded controlled, strained, and weaker than in the past, probably because he cannot achieve the higher range by using his chest voice anymore and compensates through technique. My friend who had never seen them live was amazed that a 40something chain smoker can reach such notes at all, and that he has such technical skill as singer - that he is a trained singer at all, and doesn't just sing.
__________________

Livet är kort, för kort för att slösas bort
Lämna hatet åt gamanar

Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 29-04-2016, 12:12
darkanddivine's Avatar
darkanddivine darkanddivine is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wolfland
Posts: 6,982
Yup agreed. Given previous histories, I'd have thought the band probably won't want to re-arrange/rewrite the material, which blocks off one possible avenue. Otherwise over time the songs they can do could start to become quite limited. Good news for those wanting Lifeblood 10 & Faster acoustic After the EMG tour, I'd go to a space and run through a typical gig set half a step down to see how it works.

It would sound weird as hell initially to hardcore fans, but the benefits will outweigh the weirdness quite quickly. It'd also be a bit of a fiddle to get the keys/samples/strings working. But overall I'd imagine that would bring the tricky songs back into a range that is easier to sing. Just a hunch, but I think that might actually sound really good.
__________________
“I have known many sorrows, most of which never happened.” Mark Twain
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 29-04-2016, 13:08
Routine Builder's Avatar
Routine Builder Routine Builder is offline
Hold me she said, Love me to Death
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,822
Wasn't Die in the Summertime played half or a full step down during the THB tour last year? It sounded quite off to me. Saying that, James's vocal performance that tour was easily as good as it was over ten years ago. I imagine that tour might've done a number on him.

If they started dropping the hard to sing songs, they'd have to start heavily played their new albums in the artists for a change. 2-4 Futurology songs per gig was a bloody Joke....
__________________


Stand back, I have political powers!
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 29-04-2016, 13:40
darkanddivine's Avatar
darkanddivine darkanddivine is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wolfland
Posts: 6,982
Quote:
Originally Posted by Routine Builder View Post
Wasn't Die in the Summertime played half or a full step down during the THB tour last year? It sounded quite off to me. Saying that, James's vocal performance that tour was easily as good as it was over ten years ago. I imagine that tour might've done a number on him..
I did think that re: the THB tour. Must have been a nightmare 2 nights on the bounce! Just checked a few vids and DITS was in standard tuning. I watched this video thinking it was about 10 years old or something but he's belting the screams like hell...
__________________
“I have known many sorrows, most of which never happened.” Mark Twain

Last edited by darkanddivine; 29-04-2016 at 13:48.
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 29-04-2016, 15:48
Donkey's Avatar
Donkey Donkey is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Germany
Posts: 5,828
It can also be, that he decided to change the technique because it helps to maintain the voice and he can rely on it the whole tour.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 29-04-2016, 15:59
Donkey's Avatar
Donkey Donkey is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Germany
Posts: 5,828
ha, found a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLHMmTDK6qw

this is...embarassing. I also dislike the staccato, or how shall I call it - not sustainign the notes: you - have - your - ve - - - ry --- own ---- num-----ber. I hope he doesn't end like Barry Gibb.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 29-04-2016, 18:01
Son of Stopped's Avatar
Son of Stopped Son of Stopped is offline
Builder of routine
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: The Wirral (Been saying it wrong, didn't realise there was a THE )
Age: 49
Posts: 16,641
Hello! I'm clearly a tone deaf idiot as he sounds great in that video.
What am I missing?
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 29-04-2016, 19:15
Donkey's Avatar
Donkey Donkey is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Germany
Posts: 5,828
Quote:
Originally Posted by Son of Stopped View Post
Hello! I'm clearly a tone deaf idiot as he sounds great in that video.
What am I missing?
You also like the last Suede album. We are obviously different animals. :-)
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 29-04-2016, 20:09
Routine Builder's Avatar
Routine Builder Routine Builder is offline
Hold me she said, Love me to Death
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,822
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donkey View Post
ha, found a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLHMmTDK6qw

this is...embarassing. I also dislike the staccato, or how shall I call it - not sustainign the notes: you - have - your - ve - - - ry --- own ---- num-----ber. I hope he doesn't end like Barry Gibb.
He can't be perfect every gig! As far as I'm concerned anyone who can nail Mausoleum at any age more often than not deserves high praise.

In terms of comparison I think Matt Bellamy has a similar range. For about five years quite a number of Muse's songs have been either down tuned or had the tempo lowered live to facilitate Matt's weakening voice and he doesn't even smoke (but hasn't James finally quit now?). Some songs have even have done worse to then than the dreaded Faster acoustic treatment.
__________________


Stand back, I have political powers!
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 30-04-2016, 15:39
Donkey's Avatar
Donkey Donkey is offline
Winterlover
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Germany
Posts: 5,828
Quote:
Originally Posted by Routine Builder View Post
He can't be perfect every gig! As far as I'm concerned anyone who can nail Mausoleum at any age more often than not deserves high praise.

In terms of comparison I think Matt Bellamy has a similar range. For about five years quite a number of Muse's songs have been either down tuned or had the tempo lowered live to facilitate Matt's weakening voice and he doesn't even smoke (but hasn't James finally quit now?). Some songs have even have done worse to then than the dreaded Faster acoustic treatment.
but he didn't have a bad evening, he always sings like that nowadays, it's not bad voice. The video is from Vega@Kobehavn, not from Köln, but he sings completely the same. You have a point with aging, it is ilke that, Brett Anderson also sounds like his own parody now. The tendention has been there for a long time but I was nevertheless a bit schocked this week.
__________________
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:17.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.