I was talking to a friend whom I hadnt spoken to in a long time, I asked him what he thought about In Between Evolution, being a long time Hip fan I was surprised to hear him say he thought Gord Downie's voice sounds like s**t now. What do you think of Gords voice? Better, same or worse? Anyone.........
hock:
I wouldn't say it's gotten "worse" but it is rusting.
lord brazle Wrote:I wouldn't say it's gotten "worse" but it is rusting.
I liked it better when he was younger but I still like his voice and I still think he's got one of the best voices in rock today.
It's not as CRISP as it was many moons ago, but he's still okay. He's obviously not the best singer out there, but he fits the band and their music!
couldnt agree more, Downie still sounds great!
I still love his voice as much as I did back then
I love the new incarnation of his voice as much as the old one. I have not heard him live, I'll have to wait til December for that, but he's certainly pushing his limits on IBE and it mostly works for him.
I too have noticed the change in Gord's voice. He's matured and sings in a more "singing" style on album. He's also trying to add more mannerisms as he's progressed as a vocalist.
In listening to a few of the shows on the current tour, he's back to being that same growling, crazed lunatic
that doesn't know whether to attack the lyrics (and mike stand) or let them attack him.
I enjoy listening to his evolution.
sonofdad
I think his voice as of late has been a bit rough and raspy. But can one really expect his voice to sound the same as it did back in 1989?
It could be worse - he could have degraded into Dylan's scratchy catcall, Michael Stipe's high pitched moaning, or Tom Petty's pesky nasal whine. These are all people who used to sing in a rough husky full-bodied voice and fell down a hill artistically, so I think we gotta agree Gord's voice has aged well considering the thousands of hours a year he spends singing.
as far as the studio recordings go, i find GD's vox get better each time out, M@W, IVL and IBE are IMO his strongest performances as a singer.
live, he sounds pretty much like the same ol GD to me, but i've only seen them three times, and only since 99, so i really couldn't tell you if it's better or worse than it was "back in the day".
I posted this in the other Gord's voice thread:
Gord's voice is perfect in it's imperfection.
Elegant in the studio.
Energy on stage.
I pay money to see him grind that voice raw... that's Joe Cocker, that's Janis Joplin: that's rock and roll
Stephen Dame Wrote:I posted this in the other Gord's voice thread:
Gord's voice is perfect in it's imperfection.
Elegant in the studio.
Energy on stage.
I pay money to see him grind that voice raw... that's Joe Cocker, that's Janis Joplin: that's rock and roll
My thoughts exactly! :thumb:
direwolf74 Wrote:Stephen Dame Wrote:I posted this in the other Gord's voice thread:
Gord's voice is perfect in it's imperfection.
Elegant in the studio.
Energy on stage.
I pay money to see him grind that voice raw... that's Joe Cocker, that's Janis Joplin: that's rock and roll
My thoughts exactly! :thumb:
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I certainly know why people don't like his voice or think it is getting worse. His voice cracks all through Summer's Killing Us and is shaky in You're Everywhere. It's almost like you have to understand Gord to really dig his voice. Musically speaking, he's probably one of the worst vocalists in rock at reaching all the notes but that doesn't come close to mattering to me. I want to hear soul! I don't want to hear perfect pitch. Gord has got more integrity and soul than 80 percent of vocalists in rock. As long as he doesn't completely croak, I'll be a fan.
Just look at the greats. Do Dylan and Young have technically perfect voices? No. Does it matter? NO.
As for Gord sounding the best on record, I'd say IVL is his best vocal record.
Sounds like gargling water sometimes