matt
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 1,003
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Post by matt on Oct 30, 2020 22:13:01 GMT
Just had a listen to a few early tracks today and noticed the changing nature of Ricks voice on those earlier albums
It’s interesting how ricks voice and delivery changed. Take Are you growing tired/Everything, it’s overly vulnerable overly soft, overly melodramatic IMO. He has at times pretty poor control over his voice up to about 1972 and very little power. Gotta go home / lazy poker blues for example. He’s trying to belt out but his voice doesn’t sound big enough for the song.
But then compare “where I am/All the reasons/lonely man - here he seems to have got to grips with the softer side and puts in a much better vocal. Same with Rain. It’s not falsetto but sounds like a softer low volume performance. Even the original 4500 times isn’t what I’d call a balls out performance (though not as soft as these others)
See also living on an island / For You.
We also have a stronger vocal style on Big Fat Mama / little lady / Mystery song
I wonder if this is what appealed to Francis when he says Rick had a lovely voice but binned it for the Rock Star voice.
By 1978 he never really sounded like this again....
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Post by freewilly on Oct 30, 2020 22:39:09 GMT
Just had a listen to a few early tracks today and noticed the changing nature of Ricks voice on those earlier albums It’s interesting how ricks voice and delivery changed. Take Are you growing tired/Everything, it’s overly vulnerable overly soft, overly melodramatic IMO. He has at times pretty poor control over his voice up to about 1972 and very little power. Gotta go home / lazy poker blues for example. He’s trying to belt out but his voice doesn’t sound big enough for the song. But then compare “where I am/All the reasons/lonely man - here he seems to have got to grips with the softer side and puts in a much better vocal. Same with Rain. It’s not falsetto but sounds like a softer low volume performance. Even the original 4500 times isn’t what I’d call a balls out performance (though not as soft as these others) See also living on an island / For You. We also have a stronger vocal style on Big Fat Mama / little lady / Mystery song I wonder if this is what appealed to Francis when he says Rick had a lovely voice but binned it for the Rock Star voice. By 1978 he never really sounded like this again.... There is a track on Recorded Delivery called "Miss My Baby" where he fuses both vocal styles very well. He still had that softer side to his voice but, for whatever reason, he didn't use it much. In regards his vocals getting stronger, that just came with using it I guess. Given how much he drank, smoked and snorted, I'm surprised he held onto that vocal range/power up to the earlier 90s. Francis can say that but, for me, I'd much rather Rick sing WYW, BFM, Little Lady, Coming and Going, Don't Drive My Car, Rocker's Rollin, Overdose and End of The Line, in those styles, which the songs demanded, rather than Alan or Francis. All well and good Francis throwing mud around now but, when Alan left, he didn't exactly stop Rick from singing Roadhouse Blues or Backwater that way I've said it before but, I used to do cover gigs and I'd sing/attempt Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, The Doors, Queen stuff...I never attempted some of Rick's songs, not even in rehearsals. Tried BFM and Living On An Island before. Never again. Rick had a phenomenal voice. The best in the band by a mile...Although, Alan had a brilliant rock voice. His vocals on Over The Edge and Just Take Me, especially live are immense! |
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Post by quovadis on Oct 30, 2020 22:55:22 GMT
Rick sings Gr8 on the song this is me from tpaoy Imo
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Post by blagult on Oct 31, 2020 13:00:34 GMT
I think Rick’s voice was perfect up to millennium. I only think he started to struggle when the real health issues started. That’s when he went a bit to gruff and out of tune for my liking anyway.
But Rick’s voice was a powerful one so demanded more from his vocal chords where Francis has been able to protect his more as his is not a powerful voice. More a melodic nasal voice.
I actually love his vocal on ‘ Everything ‘ to be honest. I can’t imagine anyone singing that as well as Rick did with that vulnerability!
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gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,150
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
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Post by gav on Nov 8, 2020 1:28:24 GMT
This is an interesting topic, so i'm bumping it up, and will contribute some point soon.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Nov 8, 2020 16:22:09 GMT
For a long time, things like All the Reasons, I had no idea who was singing, as it didn't sound like any of them! I never knew Rick as "Baby Face" Parfitt of course. Francis was always my favourite voice, and I didnt' appreciate how good Rick was as a live singer till he was gone. I just took him for granted really :-( I knew he was good but I thought (if I thought about it at all) that it was mainly the welly. Quo in their prime had three good singers across the range and that was one reaosn why they were so strong IMO.
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gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,150
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
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Post by gav on Nov 14, 2020 17:36:04 GMT
I always think Rick's best vocal performance was on "Little Lady" before his voice became shot. A great rock n roll melody and performance, and it wasn't that strained hard rock voice he put on that Francis hated. Just sounds really natural and flows, but with control. Classic Rick.
A wee bit off topic, but in comparison i found Alan's rock voice a bit grating. Maybe a lot to do with hearing the 'Live At The N.E.C." album when i was very young and finding Alan's voice on "Backwater" particularly strained, even for him. When "Backwater" segues into "Little Lady" you can kind of compare Alan and Rick's vocals, Rick's a lot less gruff and more 'natural' in a way. That's not to say i don't think Alan's vocal was a key ingredient to Quo. It just seemed very different in the studio compared to live, like he (Alan) couldn't control it so well in a live setting and felt the need to shout - or maybe it was just totally put on?
But i don't think Rick quite had the correct delivery for "Backwater" post-Alan, some of the phrasing sounded a bit off, or maybe just because we are so used to Alan's delivery.
Pedantic?
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,842 
Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
Favourite other bands.: Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Gary Numan, Alabama 3, ZZ Top, Paul van Dyk, Jeff Beck, Bowie, Gerry Rafferty, Band of Skulls, UFO, S.A.H.B
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Post by mortified on Nov 15, 2020 10:23:29 GMT
I've never really given it much thought if I'm honest. I just always took it for granted that Quo had 3 lead vocalists back in the day and pretty much enjoyed them all.
It was evident that Rick's voice was starting to go some time ago but is it any wonder? The throat issues in 2005/2006 more or less finally resulted in him being prevented from singing as he used to, but he was struggling a little even before that. Not so much on record but live.
As for the comparison with the very early days, I guess they were all still learning their trade and let's not forget that Quo moved styles almost overnight. A new delivery by Rick and Alan in particular had to be worked on. Not consciously I wouldn't have thought, but sort of time served.
Apart from anything else, almost everyone's voice goes/changes with age. Even the best of 'em.
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Post by 4th Chord on Nov 15, 2020 12:00:44 GMT
I've never really given it much thought if I'm honest. I just always took it for granted that Quo had 3 lead vocalists back in the day and pretty much enjoyed them all. It was evident that Rick's voice was starting to go some time ago but is it any wonder? The throat issues in 2005/2006 more or less finally resulted in him being prevented from singing as he used to, but he was struggling a little even before that. Not so much on record but live. As for the comparison with the very early days, I guess they were all still learning their trade and let's not forget that Quo moved styles almost overnight. A new delivery by Rick and Alan in particular had to be worked on. Not consciously I wouldn't have thought, but sort of time served. Apart from anything else, almost everyone's voice goes/changes with age. Even the best of 'em. Apart from Jeff Lynne. |
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Post by Gaz on Nov 16, 2020 8:39:14 GMT
I've never really given it much thought if I'm honest. I just always took it for granted that Quo had 3 lead vocalists back in the day and pretty much enjoyed them all. It was evident that Rick's voice was starting to go some time ago but is it any wonder? The throat issues in 2005/2006 more or less finally resulted in him being prevented from singing as he used to, but he was struggling a little even before that. Not so much on record but live. As for the comparison with the very early days, I guess they were all still learning their trade and let's not forget that Quo moved styles almost overnight. A new delivery by Rick and Alan in particular had to be worked on. Not consciously I wouldn't have thought, but sort of time served. Apart from anything else, almost everyone's voice goes/changes with age. Even the best of 'em. Apart from Jeff Lynne. Agree but I suppose he sings rather than puts the rock voice out there. |
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Post by Gaz on Nov 16, 2020 8:45:03 GMT
I always think Rick's best vocal performance was on "Little Lady" before his voice became shot. A great rock n roll melody and performance, and it wasn't that strained hard rock voice he put on that Francis hated. Just sounds really natural and flows, but with control. Classic Rick.
A wee bit off topic, but in comparison i found Alan's rock voice a bit grating. Maybe a lot to do with hearing the 'Live At The N.E.C." album when i was very young and finding Alan's voice on "Backwater" particularly strained, even for him. When "Backwater" segues into "Little Lady" you can kind of compare Alan and Rick's vocals, Rick's a lot less gruff and more 'natural' in a way. That's not to say i don't think Alan's vocal was a key ingredient to Quo. It just seemed very different in the studio compared to live, like he (Alan) couldn't control it so well in a live setting and felt the need to shout - or maybe it was just totally put on?
But i don't think Rick quite had the correct delivery for "Backwater" post-Alan, some of the phrasing sounded a bit off, or maybe just because we are so used to Alan's delivery.
Pedantic?
Thanks gav enjoyed that clip and the thing I enjoyed about Alan’s stage presence was his delivery of his songs. For me he added a lot of of character to his performance, along with his song writing. Quo would not have been without the four of those guys meeting up...they simply had a chemistry between them back in the day. |
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,842
Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
Favourite other bands.: Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Gary Numan, Alabama 3, ZZ Top, Paul van Dyk, Jeff Beck, Bowie, Gerry Rafferty, Band of Skulls, UFO, S.A.H.B
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Post by mortified on Nov 16, 2020 9:00:20 GMT
I've never really given it much thought if I'm honest. I just always took it for granted that Quo had 3 lead vocalists back in the day and pretty much enjoyed them all. It was evident that Rick's voice was starting to go some time ago but is it any wonder? The throat issues in 2005/2006 more or less finally resulted in him being prevented from singing as he used to, but he was struggling a little even before that. Not so much on record but live. As for the comparison with the very early days, I guess they were all still learning their trade and let's not forget that Quo moved styles almost overnight. A new delivery by Rick and Alan in particular had to be worked on. Not consciously I wouldn't have thought, but sort of time served. Apart from anything else, almost everyone's voice goes/changes with age. Even the best of 'em. Apart from Jeff Lynne. I said the best of 'em  |
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Post by 4th Chord on Nov 16, 2020 9:45:57 GMT
I said the best of 'em  #$@&%*! |
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Post by frozenhero on Mar 29, 2021 14:55:30 GMT
Even Jeff Lynne doesn't quite sound like his younger self anymore! His recent vocals sound like his beard gets in the way, or as if he's half-asleep. And he can't hold notes as long anymore.
Rick started to have vocal problems around 1990 live but he could still do it on record... up to 2003, I'd guess.
But I do think it's a shame he mostly stopped using the soft voice in addition to the rock one. He had a versatility that he chose not to employ anymore, I guess the last song that he sung in that angelic tone was LOAI? (I imagine Too Close to the Ground sounded similar when he did it - hopefully that recording comes out at some point)
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matt
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 1,003
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Post by matt on Mar 29, 2021 15:40:55 GMT
I think Alan’s voice sounds ludicrous at times. I think it’s the 1973 Paris gig Juniors Wailing is the worst example.
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#$@&%*!