Favorite singing voice

[stpfan77]

Check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7e1-Kwjujk

It's a lot lower now

Yeah - watching this, it's like, sure Scott's singing it lower, and he's singing it in key, and it still fits the melody. That's all fine, but just not the same as the original. Not the same power, not the same effectiveness - and I might be saying that because I'm accustomed to the original and prefer it on familiarity alone - but at the end of the day, it is what it is. Just think it sounds better the old way.

And aside from that, what's with the butchering of the lyrics?? "It's just a game ... when you're in a Coma" ... like he's taking the 2 lines of the chorus and combining them, instead of singing the 2 lines separately, like it should be ("Nobody sees it, nobody hears it, nobody breathin' in a Coma" ... followed by ... "So keep your secret, your perfect secret, it's just a game but no one's playing.").

Might sound like a minor nit, but when it's one of your favorite songs by the band, perhaps you can understand. Not to mention that I can't ever see or hear this song performed live without comparing it to the RR 2001 performance. Right or wrong, it's a standard I just can't get over.

I know I probably sound like a basher and I'm one of the people on the board being hard on the guys in the early going, but I'm a music geek (play 3 instruments) and overanalyze everything probably a little too much. I'm not saying every song needs to sound exactly like the studio version, but much of what I've heard so far is just a tad sloppy - mostly from Weiland. Sure he might be intentionally singing certain lines/vocals differently, but the whole thing sounds a bit off to me. Frankly, it just sounds like he's fucking up - not re-working stuff for the sake of changing it up.

And I understand this is a different Weiland - older, perhaps torn down a bit more, personal problems, etc. etc. But he's always had a slew of issues to deal with throughout his entire career, and yet has always managed to put all that aside and rip shit up when the time comes. Now ... just not so sure yet.

I think I really just need to own up to a simple fact that I've been not wanting to admit - we're not again going to see vintage live STP from the 1999-2002 era. Just isn't happening. Different ball game this time. And that's fine - I just hope that I won't feel let down when they walk off the stage this time around.

[BrianLev]

Yeah - watching this, it's like, sure Scott's singing it lower, and he's singing it in key, and it still fits the melody. That's all fine, but just not the same as the original. Not the same power, not the same effectiveness - and I might be saying that because I'm accustomed to the original and prefer it on familiarity alone - but at the end of the day, it is what it is. Just think it sounds better the old way.

And aside from that, what's with the butchering of the lyrics?? "It's just a game ... when you're in a Coma" ... like he's taking the 2 lines of the chorus and combining them, instead of singing the 2 lines separately, like it should be ("Nobody sees it, nobody hears it, nobody breathin' in a Coma" ... followed by ... "So keep your secret, your perfect secret, it's just a game but no one's playing.").

Might sound like a minor nit, but when it's one of your favorite songs by the band, perhaps you can understand. Not to mention that I can't ever see or hear this song performed live without comparing it to the RR 2001 performance. Right or wrong, it's a standard I just can't get over.

I know I probably sound like a basher and I'm one of the people on the board being hard on the guys in the early going, but I'm a music geek (play 3 instruments) and overanalyze everything probably a little too much. I'm not saying every song needs to sound exactly like the studio version, but much of what I've heard so far is just a tad sloppy - mostly from Weiland. Sure he might be intentionally singing certain lines/vocals differently, but the whole thing sounds a bit off to me. Frankly, it just sounds like he's fucking up - not re-working stuff for the sake of changing it up.

And I understand this is a different Weiland - older, perhaps torn down a bit more, personal problems, etc. etc. But he's always had a slew of issues to deal with throughout his entire career, and yet has always managed to put all that aside and rip shit up when the time comes. Now ... just not so sure yet.

I think I really just need to own up to a simple fact that I've been not wanting to admit - we're not again going to see vintage live STP from the 1999-2002 era. Just isn't happening. Different ball game this time. And that's fine - I just hope that I won't feel let down when they walk off the stage this time around.

As far as lyrics go, I'd chalk it up to a few things. First off, how many times has he sang these songs in the past few years? I used to know every Led Zeppelin lyric and Nirvana lyric cuz when I got into music as a young teenager, that was all I listened to. Now that I haven't been listening to those bands exclusively I forget most the words to most of the songs. I can relearn them but I'll screw them up a bunch I'm sure. He's had, what? 5 months while being very busy to relearn lyrics? Secondly, he could be drinking a bit still or just be stressed out. I don't judge though. As a musician, those two factors occasionally affect my recollection of lyrics. Lastly, tons of singers screw up the lyrics. I'm surprised when Eddie Vedder DOESN'T mess up a few songs. And that dude walks out on stage with a bottle of wine or two every performance. Just cuz he fucks up a few words doesn't make the performance any less great as long as the reason he's fucking up isn't that he doesn't care. If the singer is giving a full hearted performance, then fuck up a lyric in every song for all I care.

[stpfan77]

As far as lyrics go, I'd chalk it up to a few things. First off, how many times has he sang these songs in the past few years? I used to know every Led Zeppelin lyric and Nirvana lyric cuz when I got into music as a young teenager, that was all I listened to. Now that I haven't been listening to those bands exclusively I forget most the words to most of the songs. I can relearn them but I'll screw them up a bunch I'm sure. He's had, what? 5 months while being very busy to relearn lyrics? Secondly, he could be drinking a bit still or just be stressed out. I don't judge though. As a musician, those two factors occasionally affect my recollection of lyrics. Lastly, tons of singers screw up the lyrics. I'm surprised when Eddie Vedder DOESN'T mess up a few songs. And that dude walks out on stage with a bottle of wine or two every performance. Just cuz he fucks up a few words doesn't make the performance any less great as long as the reason he's fucking up isn't that he doesn't care. If the singer is giving a full hearted performance, then fuck up a lyric in every song for all I care.

I mean I hear you, but these guys are getting paid gobs and gobs of money to NOT fuck up - and if you were too, and you were also considered to be one of the best rock frontmen of your generation, I'd expect the same from you. And they MOSTLY didn't fuck up when they were together before, and if they're in a place where they can't do that anymore - I'm sorry but, get your shit together first and then hit the road. I know this has been brought up in other threads, but I agree with those who've said they'd rather wait and see a more polished STP outing than have a massive tour with some screw-up dates early on. And besides, he only has to know STP lyrics, not lyrics from 5 bands or whatever. And if he's doing other shit (drinking, etc. whatever) that's affecting his performances - he needs to make a change. Because we all know he did plenty of shit when they were together before, but that didn't stop him from rocking out like a God almost every time out - and actually remembering the lyrics.

I'll reserve final judgment for the shows that I attend, and by most accounts, they drastically improved from Camden to Cleveland, and that's cool, but I still heard some people say Scott is 'changing' certain vocal parts, but continues to screw up other ones. I'll be interested to see what impressions I come away with from the Wallingford show.

[loungefly611]

Lastly, tons of singers screw up the lyrics. I'm surprised when Eddie Vedder DOESN'T mess up a few songs. And that dude walks out on stage with a bottle of wine or two every performance. Just cuz he fucks up a few words doesn't make the performance any less great as long as the reason he's fucking up isn't that he doesn't care. If the singer is giving a full hearted performance, then fuck up a lyric in every song for all I care.

I know when PJ performed 'Low Light' in Chicago, Eddie brought out the words on a sheet of paper since they only done that song a handful of times. I mean granted, some might think he should know the words, but he's only human. It's not like he's listening to his own music on his downtime.

I'm suprised that they do not have monitors set up if there is such an issue with Scott forgetting words to the songs.

[BrianLev]

I mean I hear you, but these guys are getting paid gobs and gobs of money to NOT fuck up - and if you were too, and you were also considered to be one of the best rock frontmen of your generation, I'd expect the same from you. And they MOSTLY didn't fuck up when they were together before, and if they're in a place where they can't do that anymore - I'm sorry but, get your shit together first and then hit the road. I know this has been brought up in other threads, but I agree with those who've said they'd rather wait and see a more polished STP outing than have a massive tour with some screw-up dates early on. And besides, he only has to know STP lyrics, not lyrics from 5 bands or whatever. And if he's doing other shit (drinking, etc. whatever) that's affecting his performances - he needs to make a change. Because we all know he did plenty of shit when they were together before, but that didn't stop him from rocking out like a God almost every time out - and actually remembering the lyrics.

I'll reserve final judgment for the shows that I attend, and by most accounts, they drastically improved from Camden to Cleveland, and that's cool, but I still heard some people say Scott is 'changing' certain vocal parts, but continues to screw up other ones. I'll be interested to see what impressions I come away with from the Wallingford show.

I definitely hear you too and agree with you for the most part. I just kind of go along with that punk rock ethos where it's all about the performance and as long as you get a good vibe going that moves people, notes in a guitar solo and words in a song can become trivial. Obviously the optimal experience is when you have the vibe AND the perfection but I can let it slide as long as it's not just atrocious.

[Getinrowdy3]

One thing,though...his vocal strength has diminshed through the years due to the drugs, age, and the chain smoking.Listen to the performance of Wicked Garden from 1993 on letterman...dude could project . He doesn't have the same power anymore. Honestly, I think he sounds better on the slower songs than he does on the heavier songs these days (SLDD bears that out), which is another reason why VR just didn't cut it for me.

 There was such a huge, drastic change from Purple to Tiny Music, although you can hear a little bit of things to come on the songs that were recorded later on Purple (Still Remains is a good example, with the "If you should die before me" part sounding very much like  TM).  His voice was in better shape for the most part on No.4. I love SLDD, but honestly he sounded nothing like the old Weiland at all. The vibrato was completely gone, and his voice had morphed into more a of a high-pitch whine. That said, his vocals on "Wonderful" and "Hello It's Late" for example had a tenderness that to my ears was endearing. Then to hear that screechy bullsh*t with VR...nope. That was the wrong kind of rock for him to be singing, IMHO, apart from a few gems like "Slither" and "Fall to Pieces". He was better than that crap (don't even get me started on the track that ripped off "Unglued").

It'll be interesting to see what the new STP disc will sound like. Listening to AoA (which I liked, regardless of how others felt) and a good deal of SLDD leads me to believe that the DeLeos are moving to a softer sound, but Weiland's detour with the GNR leftovers were a different matter entirely. God, I'm excited to see (or rather, hear ) what's on the way.

Sorry that was so long winded. Just been watching the Thank You DVD, and am just hyped.

Fantastic post.  Hit the nail on the head.  If you listen to the recordings of the current tour of songs like Crackerman or Wicked Garden and compare those to the recordings of those same songs in 92-94, there is a huge difference.  In 2000-2002, scott still was able to muster up the bravado vocally on some songs, in particular Wicked Garden.  If you listen to the Wicked Garden recording from the Family Values Tour of 2001, it stills sounds pretty on-par with the 92-94 performances.  However, compare that to how he sings now, there is a "thin-ness" about his voice.  His voice was very full back during Core-Purple (just listen to MTV unplugged), and for some reason, on TM, it sounded like his voice had been ravaged, and he sounded very raspy on TM.  His range was higher, but that fullness was gone on those vocals.  For No. 4, that raspy-ness was gone, however, his range continued to be higher.  On No. 4, he regained some bravado and depth to his voice on songs like "Down"-the chorus, "Pruno"-on the "I got the message but I lost the race" and some other parts.  SLDD followed with this vocal style.

It will be interesting to hear how he sounds if they release a new album, I feel like his VR years stripped his voice b/c he was screaming all of the time, and they performed a lot of shows in that period. 

[STP92]

Core/Purple without a doubt. I wish he'd use that more often.

[Jim The Stimulator]

IMO, the album he sounded he best on was Libertad.  SLDD is a close 2nd.

[STPGurl]

Core/Purple without a doubt. I wish he'd use that more often.

I saw a reply from "bunbury_hmr" and was like "Woah - Gianni's back!"

Then, I realized that this thread is more than two years old.  

[stpnj2008]

Core/Purple is Weiland at his best for me.

[tatiana]

gotta go with core/purple...

[NakedFountain]

Core and purple, he has such a powerful voice on those. I do love his softer voice as well though, but the raw one <3

[wickedgarden23]

Purple, Core, and Libertad are my top 3 (in order). Contraband is probably my least favorite vocal performance by Weiland overall...his voice is awesome in Slither though

[CREEP2]

I have to say Core and Purple voice is my favorite although the reason I like him so much and separates him from all other lead singers is his range.
But that's just me.  

[wickedgarden23]

Just STP songs...what do people consider Scott's best vocal performances? I'm a huge fan of Scott and everything, but I'd like to hear what critics/the general public consider Scott's most skilled/impressive vocal performances to be. I have my own personal opinions, but is there like a "general consensus"? Does anyone know what I'm getting at haha I feel like it's a really random question