What do you think of Axl's voice right now?

[gunsbetterthanever]

Just watched SCOM from last night.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJRSIFEMPE
I find Axl sings so well.  Every song is sung well still.  He can hit every note!  I wonder if it is an effort issue, age issue, or throat issue as to why he doesn't do more rasp like he did 3 years ago.  Regardless, I wanted to hear everyone's honest feedback.  Everyone has a right to an opinion!  Cannot wait for Duff to join them.

[D-GenerationX]

Not much power behind it and nothing like the voice that made him a world famous rock icon.

But, he sounds better each night, even if there is no hope he will ever sound like he used to.

[Ali]

Just watched SCOM from last night.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJRSIFEMPE
I find Axl sings so well.  Every song is sung well still.  He can hit every note!  I wonder if it is an effort issue, age issue, or throat issue as to why he doesn't do more rasp like he did 3 years ago.  Regardless, I wanted to hear everyone's honest feedback.  Everyone has a right to an opinion!  Cannot wait for Duff to join them.

I think he's consciously adjusted how he sings in order to better preserve the long term health and functionality of his voice.  If I go back and listen to Appetite, his voice isn't all that raspy to me on that record.  So, I find the raspy tone overrated.

As someone who grew up singing, I know how to induce a raspy tone and I know from experience how much discomfort it can cause you and how it can affect your vocal endurance.  So, I've never been all that enamored with it, at least to the extent I've heard it in bootlegs from the Ritz in '88 to the early 90's.  I still cringe when I hear those old bootlegs because I wonder how his throat must have felt singing like that.

I'm actually amazed he was able to do it as long as he did.

Ali

[D-GenerationX]

We've all done our "best Axl" for years as we sang along in our cars.  And let's face it, it hurts your throat.

I just don't know why some have to go so overboard.  They get their backs right up when then smell a "hater" and go so over the top they lose any credibility.

So whenever anyone wants to tell me that he's "better than ever!", I roll my eyes.  When someone tells me they hear no difference between now and past tours, I laugh at them outright.

If you want to defend your guy, fine.  But let's keep it real world.  There are legit defenses you can make without decending into ridiculousness.

[LongGoneDay]

I think his voice still sounds great at times when he sings in the lower registers.

Unfortunately the higher it goes, the weaker it sounds to my ears.
Almost unrecognizable in comparison to GN?R?s heyday.

Axl at 60% still sounds better than most singers out there, and he still puts on a hell of a performance, but it would be interesting to hear what happened.
His voice still sounded very strong on ?Oh My God?, but sounds like he?s struggling live and on CD.

Maybe a mute point since new music clearly isn?t the priority, but I?ve often wondered why he doesn?t write songs more geared to the lower registers where his voice is strongest.
Sort of adapt to the limitations that weren?t there when he was younger. I thought it worked well for Cornell on King Animal for example.
Granted Chris is more involved in the writing process..

Could probably save some bullets if he toured less as well, but that seems to be the only thing keeping them going of late.
Maybe he feels more comfortable singing live where imperfections aren?t as glaring, and are softened by blaring guitars, crowd noise etc.

[D-GenerationX]

Could probably save some bullets if he toured less as well, but that seems to be the only thing keeping them going of late.
Maybe he feels more comfortable singing live where imperfections aren?t as glaring, and are softened by blaring guitars, crowd noise etc.

See, I would almost think the other way.  He's better served in a controlled studio environment with retakes and assorted studio magic.

Look at 'Better'.  That sounds like Axl Rose.  On the record, anyway.  Live, it doesn't sound like that.

[LongGoneDay]

Could probably save some bullets if he toured less as well, but that seems to be the only thing keeping them going of late.
Maybe he feels more comfortable singing live where imperfections aren?t as glaring, and are softened by blaring guitars, crowd noise etc.

See, I would almost think the other way.  He's better served in a controlled studio environment with retakes and assorted studio magic.

Look at 'Better'.  That sounds like Axl Rose.  On the record, anyway.  Live, it doesn't sound like that.

I thought so too, before I heard CD.
The highs sound thin. Doesn't necessarily sound bad. Just far different than I anticipated, and would have expected him to sound had it been the mid 90's. I certainly don't think it's a conscious choice, or an experimental style. I don't think he could have sang that thin/hollow sounding intro to "Better" if he wanted too back in the day. The remainder of the song his voice sounds strong, though.

[Ali]

We've all done our "best Axl" for years as we sang along in our cars.  And let's face it, it hurts your throat.

I just don't know why some have to go so overboard.  They get their backs right up when then smell a "hater" and go so over the top they lose any credibility.

So whenever anyone wants to tell me that he's "better than ever!", I roll my eyes.  When someone tells me they hear no difference between now and past tours, I laugh at them outright.

If you want to defend your guy, fine.  But let's keep it real world.  There are legit defenses you can make without decending into ridiculousness.

There are ways to create a raspy tone, like the one I learned that requires using and pushing out less air when you sing, so as to create friction between your vocal chords and in turn a raspy sound.  It's not healthy for your voice long term.

There is a difference between now and past tours, but like I said before, I found the over the top raspiness from the early 90's unpleasant to my ears.  So, while I understand that certain more aggressive songs could benefit stylistically from a more raspy tone, I will take how he sounds now, overall, compared to what I heard in the early 90's.  I'll take what I heard in concert in 2012 compared to what I heard in 1992, overall, as I found it less abrasive to my ears.

Ali

[D-GenerationX]

But its a pretty drastic departure from the voice that made him famous and what people expect from Axl Rose.

You just about never hear a bad word about his voice in 1993.  And I'd agree, all the boots I have from that year are solid.  And they don't hold a candle to what we hear today.

With the shows today, I think they have trouble passing the, what I refer to as, the "what the hell happened here?" test.  Fan, non-fan, or even indifferent...people know what Axl Rose sounds like.  And if you played them a recent show, the most likely thing you would hear is some variation of "what the hell happened here?"

[Ali]

But its a pretty drastic departure from the voice that made him famous and what people expect from Axl Rose.

You just about never hear a bad word about his voice in 1993.  And I'd agree, all the boots I have from that year are solid.  And they don't hold a candle to what we hear today.

With the shows today, I think they have trouble passing the, what I refer to as, the "what the hell happened here?" test.  Fan, non-fan, or even indifferent...people know what Axl Rose sounds like.  And if you played them a recent show, the most likely thing you would hear is some variation of "what the hell happened here?"

I beg to differ.  I know plenty of people that found his voice offputting back in the day.  I know plenty of people who found his voice abrasive and unpleasant to listen to.

Ali

[D-GenerationX]

Its hard to disprove anecdotal stories, so my coming back and telling you I have found the exact opposite really gets us nowhere.

And I think most objective third parties would not be blind to the fact that both of us seem to run into people that amplify our established positions.

[LongGoneDay]

But its a pretty drastic departure from the voice that made him famous and what people expect from Axl Rose.

You just about never hear a bad word about his voice in 1993.  And I'd agree, all the boots I have from that year are solid.  And they don't hold a candle to what we hear today.

With the shows today, I think they have trouble passing the, what I refer to as, the "what the hell happened here?" test.  Fan, non-fan, or even indifferent...people know what Axl Rose sounds like.  And if you played them a recent show, the most likely thing you would hear is some variation of "what the hell happened here?"

I beg to differ.  I know plenty of people that found his voice offputting back in the day.  I know plenty of people who found his voice abrasive and unpleasant to listen to.

Ali

I don?t doubt that you prefer Axl?s voice today over ?92, and respect that, but personally I have never met a fan of Guns N? Roses that was put off by Axl?s voice back then.
I know plenty of people that never liked his voice, but they by default aren?t fans of GN'R. I know plenty of people(most, if not all) who loved his voice back then, and now find him unlistenable.
I?ve never met anyone who prefers his voice today over yesteryears(excluding yourself of course!).

[Ali]

But its a pretty drastic departure from the voice that made him famous and what people expect from Axl Rose.

You just about never hear a bad word about his voice in 1993.  And I'd agree, all the boots I have from that year are solid.  And they don't hold a candle to what we hear today.

With the shows today, I think they have trouble passing the, what I refer to as, the "what the hell happened here?" test.  Fan, non-fan, or even indifferent...people know what Axl Rose sounds like.  And if you played them a recent show, the most likely thing you would hear is some variation of "what the hell happened here?"

I beg to differ.  I know plenty of people that found his voice offputting back in the day.  I know plenty of people who found his voice abrasive and unpleasant to listen to.

Ali

I don?t doubt that you prefer Axl?s voice today over ?92, and respect that, but personally I have never met a fan of Guns N? Roses that was put off by Axl?s voice back then.
I know plenty of people that never liked his voice, but they by default aren?t fans of GN'R. I know plenty of people(most, if not all) who loved his voice back then, and now find him unlistenable.
I?ve never met anyone who prefers his voice today over yesteryears(excluding yourself of course!).

Therein lies the difference.  I'm not talking about hardcore Guns N' Roses fans, strictly.  I know casual fans that liked the songs and Axl's cleaner vocals on Appetite, but not the raspier vocals on some of UYI and during the 90's shows.

With me, when I listed to Tokyo '92 and Paris '92, I appreciate the energy and intensity of the performance, but wince at what I hear because I automatically imagine what must be going on with his throat.  Maybe that's the consequence of having the mantra of "singing with an open throat" drilled into my head for years.

Ali

[Ali]

Its hard to disprove anecdotal stories, so my coming back and telling you I have found the exact opposite really gets us nowhere.

And I think most objective third parties would not be blind to the fact that both of us seem to run into people that amplify our established positions.

Agreed.  But, keep in mind if by people, you are referring to big GN'R fans, then we are talking about two different things.  I am talking about a more broad pool of people, including more casual fans.  I agree that most fans that were big GN'R fans back in the day enjoyed his vocals in the old days, at least on record.

Ali

[gunsbetterthanever]

Ali,
Did you see Guns N roses in 1992?  Not meaning I think you did or did not.  I have no idea.  Just curious, because I cannot for the life of me imagine playing Axl singing 2014 for someone and playing 1992 Paris and hearing them say today is better.  Had Axl sung like this then, he would not be famous.  I saw them in 1992 and saw them in 2011 and 2012.  Axl was brilliant all 3 times, but 1992, the experience was the greatest show on earth.  Today, it is not the Greatest Show on Earth in the Public.  No comparison....

Today, they are more of a retro showcase of what once was.  I completely respect your opinion, but are you willing to say Axl would have still been the greatest rock show on earth with today's voice.  i think people would potentially not even listen to appetite if he sang Paradise City the way he did last night.   It is missing some power ...big time. 

[Ali]

Ali,
Did you see Guns N roses in 1992?  Not meaning I think you did or did not.  I have no idea.  Just curious, because I cannot for the life of me imagine playing Axl singing 2014 for someone and playing 1992 Paris and hearing them say today is better.  Had Axl sung like this then, he would not be famous.  I saw them in 1992 and saw them in 2011 and 2012.  Axl was brilliant all 3 times, but 1992, the experience was the greatest show on earth.  Today, it is not the Greatest Show on Earth in the Public.  No comparison....

Today, they are more of a retro showcase of what once was.  I completely respect your opinion, but are you willing to say Axl would have still been the greatest rock show on earth with today's voice.  i think people would potentially not even listen to appetite if he sang Paradise City the way he did last night.   It is missing some power ...big time. 

I did see them in 1992.  Whether or not you choose to believe that is entirely up to you and of no consequence to me.

I have not seen Axl sing in 2014 yet, so I'm in no position to compare 2014 and 1992.

I understand what people are saying when they more "power", and I think it is because Axl never really used his head voice in the early 90's.  He used his chest voice primarily (from what I can remember, although I haven't listened to the old bootlegs all that much recently apart from Paris '92 and Tokyo '92).  Now, he uses more of a head voice.  I think he does this because this way he doesn't have to strain to hit high notes, and is therefore less taxing on his voice.  The down side is that your head voice is generally not quite as thick as your chest voice.  The upside, at least for me, is that now his voice his a cleaner tone, that by and large is easier on my ears than how he sounded in the early 90's.  How he sounded in Indiana in '91 or Tokyo in '92 sounds at times like the sound of a man destroying his vocal chords.

Ali

[kukol1978]

ive checked videos of the show,i think Axl is improving his voice he sing civil war with rasp in some parts,but he is far from what i saw in 2010.I would love to know wtf happens with his voice,maybe he blow it he has been in the road since 2008 and his way of sing is hard for the troath,i think we all have tried to sound like axl sometimes but........i dont know.

[estebanf]

ive checked videos of the show,i think Axl is improving his voice he sing civil war with rasp in some parts,but he is far from what i saw in 2010.I would love to know wtf happens with his voice,maybe he blow it he has been in the road since 2008 and his way of sing is hard for the troath,i think we all have tried to sound like axl sometimes but........i dont know.

I've seen the band in 2010, 2011 and 2014, and trust me he never had a better voice than last night. Youtube is no parameter at all.

[Ali]

ive checked videos of the show,i think Axl is improving his voice he sing civil war with rasp in some parts,but he is far from what i saw in 2010.I would love to know wtf happens with his voice,maybe he blow it he has been in the road since 2008 and his way of sing is hard for the troath,i think we all have tried to sound like axl sometimes but........i dont know.

I've seen the band in 2010, 2011 and 2014, and trust me he never had a better voice than last night. Youtube is no parameter at all.

Wow, that opinion will not go over well at another forum I can think of.  But, glad you had a good time.  Wish I could've been there  

Ali

[MNGS717]

Cool updates!  I really like watching the video when the band is playing "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5) before "My Michelle" and then Axl says "The drummer's new too"  HA!