people keep mentioning the fact on faster paced songs he is sounding out of breath. I believe a lot of that is also due to the fact they seem to play WAAAAY faster live now.
It is shocking to hear how much slower songs like SOLAT, GTF, Evenflow, RVM etc. used to be played. they should slow it down again.
how much (i was going to write "damage" here , but instead i am going to write "altering" as i suspect some people prefer the change in eddies voice),, how much ALTERING have American Spirit cigarettes done to eddie's voice.
IMHO faster songs with eddie on the guitar while singing demonstrate this "change" the most. THE VH1 storytellers is, for me, the worst sounding Eddie i have ever heard (although, with that said, still an awe-inspiring set of pipes).
i am just curious on other people's opinion on the "change" and wheter or not they suspect an ensuing "change" in the direction of PJ (key-changes, different tempos etc.)
NB i do understand how people's voices change with years, whether or not one is a smoker, but i think his American Spirits have exacerbated this evolution?/devolution? of my favorite singer's voice
Ed has gotten better in other areas, Im sure his voice has aged.
I can't believe there is another thread about Ed's voice. Come on people we all know Ed has a great voice, one of the best of all time.
I think people are concerned that he's gonna lose that. And they're right to be concerned - do you really think smoking is gonna help him preserve his voice?
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
This is gonna be shocking for many. Ed's singing of the early days is what did the damage more than cigarettes ever could. There are articles/interviews from that time when it's mentioned he had serious problems with his voice after the tour in 93 etc.
I knew who I was before other people started telling me who I was. J.Joplin
blindly devoted "yes your majesty, the emperor's new clothes are very nice" chauvanists in the pit, who refuse to have anything resembling an honest discussion and proceed to call you the dreaded "casual fan" if you attempt to have one. they would rather talk about what eddies buggers might taste like..
they would fit in perfectly in the Bush administration.
I think the problems Eddie has had are a common one with smokers; breath control. You can hear it on the faster paced songs, like Worldwide Suicide for example. Pretty much every 07 version of that song I've heard Eddie has had difficulty getting the screams right and runs out of breath on some of the lines. On slower songs, it's a little better probably cause as a singer he has more time and control over how he sings his lines, etc. But there's no doubt his voice has taken a beating, and alot of the power is gone. He still has a great voice, but I'm surprised that people keep saying his voice is better now than it ever was. I mean, after thousands of shows and thousands of cigarettes, his voice is somehow improving? I don't really understand what shows they're listening to.
You hit it right on the head. Not to mention that WWS is just too wordy of a song IMO. The song itself doesn't breath at all, but I am rambling here. Smellyman also raises a good point.
Like I said before, I can understand his difficulty in screaming, but his overall voice is really suffering these days IMO. He should quit smoking while he is ahead.
Does anyone remember right after IIC came out, there was a thread pointing out the irony of Ed complaining about his throat hurting, with a lit cigarette in his hand? Says it all, really.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
Lollapalooza was an indictment of Ed's voice being effected by his lifestyle. You could tell he spent 3 days straight drinking and smoking and, being in his 40's, he got tired... so while musically the band was in amazingly faqst grooves and totally rocking, Ed could not keep up.
Now withthat said, when Ed rests and has the energy he can still totally bring it, compare MSG1 03 where he was blown away by Ben Harper (again Ed was out o gas) with Mansfield 3 where he, for whatever reason, was able to bring it hardcore.
Anyway, that is only noticeable on the boots, in concert- in the venue- I haven't noticed any let down or any change from 98 when I attended my first PJ gig, to my last one in 06.
The fact that it is sometimes noticdeable on the boots is precisley why we will not get anymore of them offered to us.
blown away from ben harper, did ben bring a really huge fan on stage and turn it in Eds direction? I thought ben sucked.
I think people are concerned that he's gonna lose that. And they're right to be concerned - do you really think smoking is gonna help him preserve his voice?
Ed's voice has been brought up every year since the internet and boards have been in service. Every year it's the same thing. Ed's losing it and yet here we are 12 years since the worry began and he just keeps getting stronger.
Ed's voice has been brought up every year since the internet and boards have been in service. Every year it's the same thing. Ed's losing it and yet here we are 12 years since the worry began and he just keeps getting stronger.
But he isn't getting stronger. Like I said earlier, compare Release from Tokyo 03 to any Release from 06 - his voice can't handle it the way it could. I do think Ed's techinically a better singer than he was 15 years ago, with better control and technique. But I also think his smoking is ruining his raw material - his voice.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
But he isn't getting stronger. Like I said earlier, compare Release from Tokyo 03 to any Release from 06 - his voice can't handle it the way it could. I do think Ed's techinically a better singer than he was 15 years ago, with better control and technique. But I also think his smoking is ruining his raw material - his voice.
I think he sang Release better in 05 06 07 than any other year. Like I said earlier, the 98 boot i listened to recently had the most painful Release ever.
Plus I am 35 and let me tell you, NOTHING on my body is getting stronger.(insert jokes) Ed is 43 and doesn't sing like Bon Jovi or Barry Manilow. He has an incredible voice that is still going strong
In my opinion every singer changes. Maybe He changes more because I pay more attention... I don't know.
I don't know what is the direction, but anyway, I don't believe it's only His cigs and I don't think He can get back His voice if He will stop smoking (even I would like to...) - and it's really possible that His voice will still get worse, but I don't care.
Maybe sometimes I wish He could sing with the same power like in 90's, but it depends on the intonation and way of singing rather than exactly on voice.
Yeahhh, I really wish, They could play like in the beginning, but it doesn't mean that i stopped to listened Them...
The music is too close to me anyway
Not 10c member? Have sth to say? write to me - I'll put it on the forum
halszka123@op.pl
I think he sang Release better in 05 06 07 than any other year. Like I said earlier, the 98 boot i listened to recently had the most painful Release ever.
Plus I am 35 and let me tell you, NOTHING on my body is getting stronger.(insert jokes) Ed is 43 and doesn't sing like Bon Jovi or Barry Manilow. He has an incredible voice that is still going strong
Well, you're entitled to your opinion. And Ed's entitled to keep smoking. But I don't think it's all that debatable that smoking, in the long run, is never gonna be good for your voice.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
Well, you're entitled to your opinion. And Ed's entitled to keep smoking. But I don't think it's all that debatable that smoking, in the long run, is never gonna be good for your voice.
Singing Blood, DTE, Comatose, Lukin, Habit, Last Exit, GO, well really any PJ song isn't good for your voice. I guess he's fucked. Age and singing will get to him long before smokes do.
Singing Blood, DTE, Comatose, Lukin, Habit, Last Exit, GO, well really any PJ song isn't good for your voice. I guess he's fucked. Age and singing will get to him long before smokes do.
I don't think anyone's disagreeing that age is affecting his voice as much as anything. But you have to admit that smoking isn't helping - my previous example of Cornell is a clear indication of what quitting can do for your voice. After all, singing Soundgarden and Audioslave songs can't exactly work wonders for your pipes.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
I don't think anyone's disagreeing that age is affecting his voice as much as anything. But you have to admit that smoking isn't helping - my previous example of Cornell is a clear indication of what quitting can do for your voice. After all, singing Soundgarden and Audioslave songs can't exactly work wonders for your pipes.
He sometimes doesn't do so well on the faster, harder songs. You know why? He's 40-something fucking years old. It's hard to shriek for 20 years.
But guess what? Though ed is a worse *screamer* than he was in 1993, he's a far better *singer*.
And I prefer the Ed who sings more than the Ed who screams at this point in my life. Maybe there was a time when that was different.
Another thing I'll note, i have some boots from '95 on which Ed's voice is *almost* unbearable. Everything is kind of oversung, and a lot of times he sounds like one of those mid-90s fucks trying to do an Ed impression. I just think that level of screaming is impossible to sustain night in and night out.
Nowadays, he knows how to harness his voice. He doesn't often oversing. And on songs that call for him to *sing* instead of *scream* he is far and away better than 25-year-old EV could have ever hoped to.
I couldn't imagine EV being able to pull off Arc in 1995, could you?
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
He sometimes doesn't do so well on the faster, harder songs. You know why? He's 40-something fucking years old. It's hard to shriek for 20 years.
But guess what? Though ed is a worse *screamer* than he was in 1993, he's a far better *singer*.
And I prefer the Ed who sings more than the Ed who screams at this point in my life. Maybe there was a time when that was different.
Another thing I'll note, i have some boots from '95 on which Ed's voice is *almost* unbearable. Everything is kind of oversung, and a lot of times he sounds like one of those mid-90s fucks trying to do an Ed impression. I just think that level of screaming is impossible to sustain night in and night out.
Nowadays, he knows how to harness his voice. He doesn't often oversing. And on songs that call for him to *sing* instead of *scream* he is far and away better than 25-year-old EV could have ever hoped to.
I couldn't imagine EV being able to pull off Arc in 1995, could you?
I agree - like I said, I think his technique is far better than it was. But I also think his voice is letting him down at times, and smoking, whether it's the root cause or not, can't possibly be helping.
Also, even though Ed shrieking isn't what you're looking for, a lot of PJ's songs still call for it. I really believe if he stopped smoking, he'd do a lot better on them.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
I like his voice the way it is now because I think it takes them out of the 'grunge' clump people put them in. They can be seen as a rock band now not just one of those grunge bands from the 90s. I think the maturation(I'll use that) of Ed's voice is the reason. The songs we loved from back in the 90s have aged with the time and I personally think they are awesome.
sometimes i wish he could still sing not for you and go like he used to, but when it comes down to it, i think ed's voice is much better now. overall, i much prefer him now. like someone else said, he's much more of a singer now. i think he sounds fantastic ..
2006: Hartford
2008: MSG 1, Hartford, Mansfield 2, Ed Solo NYC 1
2009: London (O2), Philly 1, 2, 3, & 4
2010: Hartford, Boston, MSG 1 & 2
2011: Ed Solo Hartford
2012: Philly (MIA Fest)
2013: Worcester 2, Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford
I agree that Ed's voice is amazing - love hearing it and really like Into the Wild CD - he could sing the phone book with a dozen cigs hanging out of his mouth and would still droll. I agree to good for you but he is an adult. Forget the snuff - turns the face colors after awhile and that would not be good.
Well, you're entitled to your opinion. And Ed's entitled to keep smoking. But I don't think it's all that debatable that smoking, in the long run, is never gonna be good for your voice.
True that, eddie has the right to smoke and drink.
This certainly is not a bash Ed's voice thread. Eddie defintely has been better than his peers. I mean look at Daltrey in the 80's and 90's. Eddie currently can belt out Baba better than Roger could in the 70's. . Only occasionaly when he has too much too drink and smoke does it come through as poorly on the boots.
But who elses voice gets put under this much scrutiny? Have you heard what Billy Corgan sounds like live? He had a hard time hitting notes in his prime. Eddie live is still in rare company of singers who sound just as good if not better live than they do on record. I would put him in the class of:
Michael Stipe
Thom Yorke (though his indifference to melody hurts him live)
Jim James
Brandon Flowers (yeah flame me for saying it I do not care)
True that, eddie has the right to smoke and drink.
This certainly is not a bash Ed's voice thread. Eddie defintely has been better than his peers. I mean look at Daltrey in the 80's and 90's. Eddie currently can belt out Baba better than Roger could in the 70's. . Only occasionaly when he has too much too drink and smoke does it come through as poorly on the boots.
But who elses voice gets put under this much scrutiny? Have you heard what Billy Corgan sounds like live? He had a hard time hitting notes in his prime. Eddie live is still in rare company of singers who sound just as good if not better live than they do on record. I would put him in the class of:
Michael Stipe
Thom Yorke (though his indifference to melody hurts him live)
Jim James
Brandon Flowers (yeah flame me for saying it I do not care)
Exactly - the only reason anyone cares about Eddie smoking is because we want him to keep bringing the goods live, like he has for the last 18 years. And... y'know... the health risks and such.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
He sometimes doesn't do so well on the faster, harder songs. You know why? He's 40-something fucking years old. It's hard to shriek for 20 years.
But guess what? Though ed is a worse *screamer* than he was in 1993, he's a far better *singer*.
And I prefer the Ed who sings more than the Ed who screams at this point in my life. Maybe there was a time when that was different.
Another thing I'll note, i have some boots from '95 on which Ed's voice is *almost* unbearable. Everything is kind of oversung, and a lot of times he sounds like one of those mid-90s fucks trying to do an Ed impression. I just think that level of screaming is impossible to sustain night in and night out.
Nowadays, he knows how to harness his voice. He doesn't often oversing. And on songs that call for him to *sing* instead of *scream* he is far and away better than 25-year-old EV could have ever hoped to.
I couldn't imagine EV being able to pull off Arc in 1995, could you?
I'm not so sure I agree with you... his *singing* isn't quite as fluid as it used to be. He stops notes short to take breaths more often which can be annoying. I also think he tries to hard to have a "mellow" singing voice on some songs, he practically whispers Immortality and Black now...
Stone Gossard...riffmeister extraordinaire!
I am a man, I am advanced.....I am the first man to borrow Stone's leather pants!
i wanna see them make a Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones) type album, real bluesy using different instruments. you know eddie and the boys can pull it off. just imagine the possibilities!
Especially with brendan o'brien working with them.
Comments
It is shocking to hear how much slower songs like SOLAT, GTF, Evenflow, RVM etc. used to be played. they should slow it down again.
Ed has gotten better in other areas, Im sure his voice has aged.
no more shows
Maybe Ed should take notes from his buddy Chris Chelios.
I think people are concerned that he's gonna lose that. And they're right to be concerned - do you really think smoking is gonna help him preserve his voice?
they would fit in perfectly in the Bush administration.
You hit it right on the head. Not to mention that WWS is just too wordy of a song IMO. The song itself doesn't breath at all, but I am rambling here. Smellyman also raises a good point.
Like I said before, I can understand his difficulty in screaming, but his overall voice is really suffering these days IMO. He should quit smoking while he is ahead.
blown away from ben harper, did ben bring a really huge fan on stage and turn it in Eds direction? I thought ben sucked.
no more shows
Ed's voice has been brought up every year since the internet and boards have been in service. Every year it's the same thing. Ed's losing it and yet here we are 12 years since the worry began and he just keeps getting stronger.
But he isn't getting stronger. Like I said earlier, compare Release from Tokyo 03 to any Release from 06 - his voice can't handle it the way it could. I do think Ed's techinically a better singer than he was 15 years ago, with better control and technique. But I also think his smoking is ruining his raw material - his voice.
I think he sang Release better in 05 06 07 than any other year. Like I said earlier, the 98 boot i listened to recently had the most painful Release ever.
Plus I am 35 and let me tell you, NOTHING on my body is getting stronger.(insert jokes) Ed is 43 and doesn't sing like Bon Jovi or Barry Manilow. He has an incredible voice that is still going strong
I don't know what is the direction, but anyway, I don't believe it's only His cigs and I don't think He can get back His voice if He will stop smoking (even I would like to...) - and it's really possible that His voice will still get worse, but I don't care.
Maybe sometimes I wish He could sing with the same power like in 90's, but it depends on the intonation and way of singing rather than exactly on voice.
Yeahhh, I really wish, They could play like in the beginning, but it doesn't mean that i stopped to listened Them...
The music is too close to me anyway
halszka123@op.pl
Well, you're entitled to your opinion. And Ed's entitled to keep smoking. But I don't think it's all that debatable that smoking, in the long run, is never gonna be good for your voice.
Singing Blood, DTE, Comatose, Lukin, Habit, Last Exit, GO, well really any PJ song isn't good for your voice. I guess he's fucked. Age and singing will get to him long before smokes do.
I don't think anyone's disagreeing that age is affecting his voice as much as anything. But you have to admit that smoking isn't helping - my previous example of Cornell is a clear indication of what quitting can do for your voice. After all, singing Soundgarden and Audioslave songs can't exactly work wonders for your pipes.
Cornell still sounds like shit to me.
But guess what? Though ed is a worse *screamer* than he was in 1993, he's a far better *singer*.
And I prefer the Ed who sings more than the Ed who screams at this point in my life. Maybe there was a time when that was different.
Another thing I'll note, i have some boots from '95 on which Ed's voice is *almost* unbearable. Everything is kind of oversung, and a lot of times he sounds like one of those mid-90s fucks trying to do an Ed impression. I just think that level of screaming is impossible to sustain night in and night out.
Nowadays, he knows how to harness his voice. He doesn't often oversing. And on songs that call for him to *sing* instead of *scream* he is far and away better than 25-year-old EV could have ever hoped to.
I couldn't imagine EV being able to pull off Arc in 1995, could you?
for the least they could possibly do
Well then you're wrong.
I agree - like I said, I think his technique is far better than it was. But I also think his voice is letting him down at times, and smoking, whether it's the root cause or not, can't possibly be helping.
Also, even though Ed shrieking isn't what you're looking for, a lot of PJ's songs still call for it. I really believe if he stopped smoking, he'd do a lot better on them.
2008: MSG 1, Hartford, Mansfield 2, Ed Solo NYC 1
2009: London (O2), Philly 1, 2, 3, & 4
2010: Hartford, Boston, MSG 1 & 2
2011: Ed Solo Hartford
2012: Philly (MIA Fest)
2013: Worcester 2, Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford
How I choose to feel,... Is how I am.
True that, eddie has the right to smoke and drink.
This certainly is not a bash Ed's voice thread. Eddie defintely has been better than his peers. I mean look at Daltrey in the 80's and 90's. Eddie currently can belt out Baba better than Roger could in the 70's. . Only occasionaly when he has too much too drink and smoke does it come through as poorly on the boots.
But who elses voice gets put under this much scrutiny? Have you heard what Billy Corgan sounds like live? He had a hard time hitting notes in his prime. Eddie live is still in rare company of singers who sound just as good if not better live than they do on record. I would put him in the class of:
Michael Stipe
Thom Yorke (though his indifference to melody hurts him live)
Jim James
Brandon Flowers (yeah flame me for saying it I do not care)
Exactly - the only reason anyone cares about Eddie smoking is because we want him to keep bringing the goods live, like he has for the last 18 years. And... y'know... the health risks and such.
wtf??????
PEARL JAM~San Antonio, TX. 4~5~03
INCUBUS~Houston, TX. 1~19~07
INCUBUS~Denver, CO. 2~8~07
Lollapalooza~Chicago, IL. 8~5~07
INCUBUS~Austin, TX. 9~3~07
Bonnaroo~Manchester, TN 6~14~08
I'm not so sure I agree with you... his *singing* isn't quite as fluid as it used to be. He stops notes short to take breaths more often which can be annoying. I also think he tries to hard to have a "mellow" singing voice on some songs, he practically whispers Immortality and Black now...
I am a man, I am advanced.....I am the first man to borrow Stone's leather pants!
Especially with brendan o'brien working with them.
-EV