The LOST potentials ( and the merits) of SCANDAL

Fair enough. Actually I don't think his chest power is diminishing on the Miracle or even Innuendo - or if it is, it's compensated by his improved technique. His larynx placement is higher in the last two (three if you count MIH) albums which accounts for the change in tone, the more pure sounding high notes and the greater dexterity. I think that Freddie was actually experimenting more with voice placement and tone colour around this time. Now, whether that is because he was ill and needed to change tact, or whether it was because he wanted to sing in a different way because he felt it better, I've no idea. Lots of people comment on Freddie's change of tone in the last album, and that's what it is - a different larynx position. I discovered that from a vocal coach who demonstrated a similar tone change.

Up until that point, Freddie either forced through his chest voice for the higher notes (80s albums, especially Bad Guy), or sang falsetto (70s albums, but also in the 80s and 90s of course), but the raising of the larynx (high notes on show must go on, Winter's Tale, Hitman, Mother Love, for example) is basically what some people call the mix voice, because they call it a mix between falsetto and chest. It's not really that, that's just what it feels like to the singer. Apparently.

^^^ some say its because Caballe teached him new technichs. Either way the Barcelona project exposed him on a vartiety he always seemed eager to jump into.
Also in most cases ( Scandal included) it was Brian's songs/vocal lines who streched Freeddie the most.Mercury used to complain, as if Brian was going to tear his throat up again with his songs.

Perhaps May wanted to make more of a power- heavy metal singer out of Freddie, since the potentials were evidently there.
Plus Brian comments on Lambert's voice shows he really has a thing for the higher vocal register.

[QUOTE] [b]miraclesteinway wrote:[/b]

Up until that point, Freddie either forced through his chest voice for the higher notes (80s albums, especially Bad Guy), or sang falsetto (70s albums, but also in the 80s and 90s of course)... [/QUOTE]

He hit many high notes with chest voice in the 70's.

...By the way , i think Scandal may be one of the most difficult songs for anyone to cover. Nobody ever tried it.

Why would it be particularly difficult? There are a number of Queen song vocals that go much higher.

Most of Freddie's high notes in the 80s were belted in overdrive mode (with or without added distortion - which is the "rasp" or "strain" people are mentioning).

Mix voice is the register which blends chest and head voice (not to be confused with falsetto - since that's a tone of head voice). That is the register where Freddie does all that belting. That's also the register that can get affected the most if you have vocal issues (in Freddie's case - the nodules).

[QUOTE] [b]Oscar J wrote:[/b]

Why would it be particularly difficult? There are a number of Queen song vocals that go much higher.[/QUOTE]

Because it needs a lot of character.Over-drive, pain and uber nastiness ALL in one.

Yes it's true that Freddie knew Caballe, but he also knew Mary Hammond who was the head of Music Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music from 1994 til 2012, and before that had been a vocal coach to many, many rock and musical singers. Freddie didn't study with her full time but I have heard there was at least one consultation. Mary is friends with Liza Minelli too, and met Judy Garland in the 1960s - in fact Judy was a client.

Greg, apparently now, amongst vocal coaches, the term 'falsetto' is reserved for the breathy tone on the false vocal folds, or something ( i know how to do it, i don't know how i am doing it), and everything else is like, falsetto with twang (a favourite of freddie's - pain is so close), or mixing the thick folds with the thin folds in the falsetto register so you don't have to push too much air through. The distortion happens when a lot of air goes through, and also the nodules actually caused some of that raspiness he had.

I admit though, I'm now in territory that I don't know all that much about. The thing about Freddie was, he didn't actually know how he did things either, he just listened and adjusted his technique to produce the sound he wanted, which is ultimately what technique is. It wasn't until much later that you can hear some actual vocal coaching technique being used. For instance, in 1976, he couldn't have sang 'In My Defence' as he did in 1986 (except for the fact it wasn't written).

I actually love his gentler 70s sound, but yeah, his 80s sound is awesome. I like the start of Rock It (Prime Jive) as a vocal master class, and same with Let Me In Your Heart Again.

Regarding Scandal itself, I understand why people love it, it's a matter of taste. I don't love it all that much. I used to love the miracle album but not so much now.

[QUOTE] [b]miraclesteinway wrote:[/b]

For instance, in 1976, he couldn't have sang 'In My Defence' as he did in 1986 (except for the fact it wasn't written).

[/QUOTE]

I personally think Somebody To Love (1976) is a far better vocal performance.

Yes, I think you're right, but what I mean is the tone colour - he simply didn't have that tone colour in 1976. But it's not necessarily better, it's just different. Perhaps more suited to the spirit of the time, too. The 1980s were all shoulder pads and power dressing....

True. But while he gained that powerful tone, he lost some of his versatility. You could put it the other way around - in 1986, he couldn't have sang Somebody to Love as he did in 1976. In the 70's, he was able to hit feather light notes even at the top of the 4th octave, see for example the first Bb4 in STL (can barely STAND ON MY feet). In the mid 80's, he had to use a lot of power to hit notes in that region.

He regained the light tenor sound by the turn of the decade, see for example Don't Try So Hard. Still, the voice sounded less young, probably because his open vowel notes, particularly the "oo" were still a bit rough an nasal sounding sometimes, though nowhere as much as on AKOM and Barcelona in particular. I know some people like that way of singing though.

Quality posts miraclesteinway, keep it up. :)

Exactly right. The heaviness in the voice prevents versatility. It's the same playing an instrument - we were taught in conservatoire (and other places) that when you want to play fast, you have to lighten the touch. Same in the voice, same on the violin, not quite the same on a clarinet or pipe organ though...

I wish live, he'd used more falsetto. The sound guys could have made it work, but he liked the high octane belt for the live concerts. Still awesome, but more as a show than a sound recording. That said, there are some beautiful concert recordings out there that are very exciting.

I think it's fair to say that Freddie became a better technical singer as he got older (plus more powerful) - but wasn't quite as versatile as his younger days (plus not as youthful sounding).

In his youth, there's no way he'd be able to pull off the studio vocals he did from the mid 80s-onward. He didn't have the tessitura or the power to make them sound good. In contrast, his power voice didn't have the dynamics or the younger sound his 70s stuff (mostly the stuff before NOTW) had.

It's like two completely different vocal approaches (both have their pros and cons).

[QUOTE] [b]Russian Headlong wrote:[/b]

really like it but it would have been better with the main riff being played on guitar rather than keyboards
[/QUOTE]

The synths work... it takes the personality out of the song. The same way Phil Collins explained using a drum machine on 'In the Air tonight' even though he is a drummer ... its a machine.. it goes on regardless, its relentless, it knows nothing else... its a statement about his situation.

That's true Gregsynth, he uses more muscle in the upper register in the 80s vocals, and he uses more mix and falsetto in the 1970s. His 1970s high notes are weaker, even the 'chest voice' ones, in comparison to his 1980s ones. You can see in the We Are The Champions making of video, he just kind of sings, but in One Vision, you can see him practically pumping the sound out with his back muscles (note, arm position, shoulders back, etc), which helps.

The very late work, in the Miracle and Innuendo, is when he started using more of the neck and larynx position to aid his high notes, and I can hear that first appear in the Barcelona album. No coincidence there really.