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Does anyone actually like Geddy Lee's voice as it is now?


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He sounds like a Deaf Woman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RG5UV9vuxI&feature=youtu.be

Compared to what I fell in love with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu-UvGsN1RQ

I know everyone ages and things don't stay the same and I understand there are a lot or die-hard Rush fans who are everything Rush and I'm not trying to start a flame. I just can't listen to him now as he is at least live. Is it just age or did he have throat issues? I haven't followed them for more than 20 years probably.

Edit: unable to embed vids, sorry.

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Rush can do no wrong for they are Rush!

Geddy hits his notes while playing like... Rush. In concert the change in his voice is covered by the excitement of being at the live show.

Don Barnes of 38 Special completely changed the way he sings. Robert Plant does not try to be the 22 year old version of himself. Robin Zander has made some adjustments. They all keep going.

We have a thread bashing David Lee Roth and David Coverdale for losing their singing voices. Geddy Lee is not ready to join them yet.

On Thursday I will see Rob Zombie. He is never going to be accused of not being able to sing anymore.

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Seeing them live, I did get the sense that his voice isn't as strong as it used to be. I think he's using different vocal techniques to make sure he can hit the notes, which is going to change the tone.

One thing is for certain though - their PLAYING hasn't lost an ounce of its virtuosity.

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Full disclosure: I am the one unashamedly making the statement Haynie opened with. A full-fledged fanboi since some friends in high school suggested I check out the band "with the same name as you."

Confession time? R30? I have the DVDs and can't listen to them. The playing is magnificent (love the R30 Overture) but that "Pirates of Syrinx" spoof an octave lower in "Temples" to cover the wobbly voice is off-putting. Spirit of Radio (immediately following the R30 Overture) is equally rough.

The problem with the back catalog is that Lerxst's chords use so many open strings for suspensions, etc., the songs aren't easily transposed. I do know recent rig rundowns show a couple of guitars tuned down a half-step for "Spirit" and a few others and the more recent concert footage is markedly better (than R30).

The recent albums (Snakes, Clockwork) are in a lower range (well, low for Ged, anyway) and Ged sings these live with ease. As Haynie pointed out, his voice is still strong, it's just in a different place. The band has had to make adjustments, but there was a transition time where it was a bit iffy and maybe he still has his off nights.

"Spirit of Radio" seems to be the one song fans demand he sing, but the one that gives him the most trouble. 2112 (Overture/Temples) is right with it in both fan expectations and difficulty of range. Maybe tuning down to D is the answer?

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On further consideration, maybe tuning down a whole step is the easiest, but not necessarily best choice.

I love what Plant has done with his impossible-to-sing-at-60 back catalog. A couple of examples of Black Dog reimagined:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcYLk55cwA4

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On further consideration, maybe tuning down a whole step is the easiest, but not necessarily best choice.

I love what Plant has done with his impossible-to-sing-at-60 back catalog. A couple of examples of Black Dog reimagined:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcYLk55cwA4

I bet that would go over well with the fans if Rush remade some of their catalogue in swing fashion like that. lol. When Moving Pictures came out Geddy's "new" lower voice was kind of welcomed by fans and seemed to give him a new front to develop. And I guess they never looked back. The last Rush album I bought was Signals (I think). And from what I've heard on the radio (again, 20 years ago) they kept with the newer tone with the synths / targs and his more middle aged voice. So maybe they should do a remix on some of his more difficult songs. Spirit of Radio does have that little Reggae transition after all. Maybe run with it. To me, Just MFO, anything would be better than the posted video. Maybe putting together a combination of several songs and making it mostly instrumental so Geddy doesn't have to work through the complete song. Maybe something like YYZ then into the intro of SOR and then into the Reggae slot where Geddy actually can reach those notes, "Where the words of the prophets were written on the studio wall." And then into Tom Sawyer or something like that. They have so much material it's almost like they could become a Jam Band. These guys are really smart and I do admire them especially Neil with all that he's been through. They all seem quite genuine / family guys.

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I have seen Rush so much that I really just sit in awe of their musical talent and whatever crazy backline furniture they have. I have never liked Geddy's voice, but loves me some Rush.

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"For the words of the prophets profits were written on the studio wall."

Not to nitpick, but that little bit of wordplay is essential to the thematic point of the song! :)

The problem with (we) diehard Rush fans is it is highly probable such a re-thinks as the Plant examples might be met with extreme prejudice. IMO, Plant gets a pass (actually, applause) on these (and there are other examples beyond the posted Black Dog) because they haven't been routinely performed by him for many years. That allows familiarity without expectation of homogeneity (am I getting too philosophical here?). When we line up for Rush, we expect to hear Spirit performed more or less exactly as on Permanent Waves! Maybe that's because we know every single note and where it is supposed to fall!

That is different from, say, a Pink Floyd concert where the audience has the expectation the band will take the songs, dissect them and morph them into something different over the course of a live performance (one of the criticisms of the live album, "Pulse" is the songs sound too much like the albums, especially the fully-performed DSOTM).

Maybe the place to start would be in their gigantic back catalog and from songs that haven't been regularly performed.

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"For the words of the prophets profits were written on the studio wall."

Not to nitpick, but that little bit of wordplay is essential to the thematic point of the song! :)

The problem with (we) diehard Rush fans is it is highly probable such a re-thinks as the Plant examples might be met with extreme prejudice. IMO, Plant gets a pass (actually, applause) on these (and there are other examples beyond the posted Black Dog) because they haven't been routinely performed by him for many years. That allows familiarity without expectation of homogeneity (am I getting too philosophical here?). When we line up for Rush, we expect to hear Spirit performed more or less exactly as on Permanent Waves! Maybe that's because we know every single note and where it is supposed to fall!

That is different from, say, a Pink Floyd concert where the audience has the expectation the band will take the songs, dissect them and morph them into something different over the course of a live performance (one of the criticisms of the live album, "Pulse" is the songs sound too much like the albums, especially the fully-performed DSOTM).

Maybe the place to start would be in their gigantic back catalog and from songs that haven't been regularly performed.

Hey, I quoted it from memory from 2 decades ago. And a year-and-a-half of hardcore weed. Maybe I made the lyric better.

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I saw them last week. I too have been on the "no likely Geddy's modern day voice" bandwagon, and viewing early videos from this tour I didn't think it'd be any different. However, he seems to be getting more comfortable as the tour goes on and last Saturday the whole spectacle of the show puts the vocal thing in perspective. Half way through the second set I was 15 years old again. They were great. The running gag with the evolving backline was priceless, as was the ticket! 11th row on the aisle (thanks, Orange!).

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So, I guess I will be that guy. Did anyone ever really listen to Rush for Geddy's voice?

Sidebar, Steve: You are the concert guru (to me, at least). I'm curious about a comment of yours. Robert Plant has morphed into a different singer, for sure. But Don Barnes? How, exactly, has Don Barnes "completely changed the way he sings"? When I watch recently recorded YT videos, he sounds much the same to me, but with less of that trademark slight yell on the edge of notes. What am I missing?

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So, I guess I will be that guy. Did anyone ever really listen to Rush for Geddy's voice?

Sidebar, Steve: You are the concert guru (to me, at least). I'm curious about a comment of yours. Robert Plant has morphed into a different singer, for sure. But Don Barnes? How, exactly, has Don Barnes "completely changed the way he sings"? When I watch recently recorded YT videos, he sounds much the same to me, but with less of that trademark slight yell on the edge of notes. What am I missing?

Don Barnes used to have a very strong voice, and sang some things like he was belting out the lyrics. Some videos from the early 2000's have his voice breaking up and not hitting the notes. Sometime by the mid 2000's Barnes voice changed in such a way that you could tell he was not singing as loudly, plus his voice sounded different on the vowel sounds.

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How bout an example of the Barnes stuff, Steve?

Two things there are too many of in the world. Triumph albums and Krokus albums.

Cool about the Allied Forces guitars. I was WAY into that album.

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"For the words of the prophets profits were written on the studio wall."

Not to nitpick, but that little bit of wordplay is essential to the thematic point of the song! :)

Hey, I quoted it from memory from 2 decades ago. And a year-and-a-half of hardcore weed. Maybe I made the lyric better.

I said I was nitpicking. :)

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls

And whispered in the sounds of silence -Simon and Garfunkel

For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall

Concert hall

And echoes with the sounds of salesmen -Peart

It's a... I say, it's a gag, man! :lol:

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So, I guess I will be that guy. Did anyone ever really listen to Rush for Geddy's voice?

Sidebar, Steve: You are the concert guru (to me, at least). I'm curious about a comment of yours. Robert Plant has morphed into a different singer, for sure. But Don Barnes? How, exactly, has Don Barnes "completely changed the way he sings"? When I watch recently recorded YT videos, he sounds much the same to me, but with less of that trademark slight yell on the edge of notes. What am I missing?

Don Barnes used to have a very strong voice, and sang some things like he was belting out the lyrics. Some videos from the early 2000's have his voice breaking up and not hitting the notes. Sometime by the mid 2000's Barnes voice changed in such a way that you could tell he was not singing as loudly, plus his voice sounded different on the vowel sounds.

C'mon, Steve. That's Southern Rock. How hard can that be to sing? :huh:

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Ha, thread makes me think of this old 90's gem:

What about the voice of Geddy Lee
How did it get so high?
I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy?
(I know him and he does!)

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I went through a big Rush phase in high-school, listening to them all the time, and then one day I suddenly found I no longer liked GL's vocals. It was was strange. It's like I just hit a wall where I went from liking it to not. Go figure.

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