MR

If you're not familiar with the Judas Priest song "Dreamer/Deceiver" from their 1976 album "Sad Wings of Destiny", I would highly recommend taking a listen if you get the chance. Even if you don't like Rob Halford as a singer, the guy is incredible on that song. He uses the full range of his voice on that song. In fact, the higher stuff towards the end of the song sound like a completely different singer from the beginning of the tune. This tune has always amazed me. I think I also remember Jeremey saying that he used to be able to sing this song back in the day.

Halford is amazing...in my wildest dreams, I can't imagine even a "trained singer" finding fault with him. He freakin brilliant.

X factor wrote:Halford is amazing...in my wildest dreams, I can't imagine even a "trained singer" finding fault with him. He freakin brilliant.

Some people don't like his screaming vocals, like on the "Painkiller" album. In my opinion, he personifies all the best qualities of a metal singer.

Yeah, few singers have ever recorded a song, in any genre, showcasing that much of a varied range.

And even fewer can do it live.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iS-eQfnDlpw&mode=related&search=

Halford's nowhere near THIS guy anymore, but he earned every bit of reputation he lives off today.

Big J wrote:Yeah, few singers have ever recorded a song, in any genre, showcasing that much of a varied range.

And even fewer can do it live.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iS-eQfnDlpw&mode=related&search=

Halford's nowhere near THIS guy anymore, but he earned every bit of reputation he lives off today.

Yeah, I posted a link to that video in the NOW PLAYING thread. That version's okay but he sings those first couple of verses a bit higher than they are on the album. The effect isn't quite as good, in my opinion.

conversationpc wrote:

Big J wrote:Yeah, few singers have ever recorded a song, in any genre, showcasing that much of a varied range.

And even fewer can do it live.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iS-eQfnDlpw&mode=related&search=

Halford's nowhere near THIS guy anymore, but he earned every bit of reputation he lives off today.

Yeah, I posted a link to that video in the NOW PLAYING thread. That version's okay but he sings those first couple of verses a bit higher than they are on the album. The effect isn't quite as good, in my opinion.

Oh absolutely, and he totally ducks the end of the Dreamer portion too. (Didn't do it routinely but probably wanted to avoid cracking on TV - several audio boots from the period he does it full on) Still an incredible showcase of where he started. His range in that video is 90% better than just about any other metal singer, and he's only giving it about half gas.

That whole fucking album...from Epitaph to the highs of that song and Victim of Changes, my God. Greatest metal vocal performance ever put to record, bar none.

Halford rules!
I especially love that early Priest stuff.

Never cared for RH....I'd take Ronnie James over ANY metal singer, and 99% of all singers.

Socratic Methodist wrote:Never cared for RH....I'd take Ronnie James over ANY metal singer, and 99% of all singers.

Well, we're not really discussing who's better than who. I love RJD's voice but Halford certainly had more range than Dio.

Boy, people have been making fun of Neal lately about how short he is but RJD would make him look like a giant in comparison.

conversationpc wrote:Well, we're not really discussing who's better than who. I love RJD's voice but Halford certainly had more range than Dio.

Boy, people have been making fun of Neal lately about how short he is but RJD would make him look like a giant in comparison.

I've always heard that Dio is small, how tall is he?

Rick wrote:

conversationpc wrote:Well, we're not really discussing who's better than who. I love RJD's voice but Halford certainly had more range than Dio.

Boy, people have been making fun of Neal lately about how short he is but RJD would make him look like a giant in comparison.

I've always heard that Dio is small, how tall is he?

I tried looking it up and I saw him listed as somewhere between 5'0" and 5'4".

conversationpc wrote:
I tried looking it up and I saw him listed as somewhere between 5'0" and 5'4".

He and Prince look eye to eye then.

Big J wrote:Yeah, few singers have ever recorded a song, in any genre, showcasing that much of a varied range.

And even fewer can do it live.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iS-eQfnDlpw&mode=related&search=

Halford's nowhere near THIS guy anymore, but he earned every bit of reputation he lives off today.

"Set in the cosmos there is a single sonic sound that is vibrating constantly....."

Sounds like the endearing ramblings of our very own Fyre....

And as for all that shrieking which is being mistaken for 'range'.....well, maybe it's an acquired taste....

Call me a philistine but I vote for this track instead:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wzVap-Dh1uU

Matthew wrote:And as for all that shrieking which is being mistaken for 'range'.....well, maybe it's an acquired taste....

Shrieking? Surely you jest. In other tracks maybe, but not that one.

Call me a philistine but I vote for this track instead:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wzVap-Dh1uU

Perhaps the worst Priest song ever.

'exciter' is another good one from priest.my all time favorite early priest tune is 'beyond the realms of death'...killer tune

Sad Wings of Destiny was a cool album. I used to have it on cassette (yes, that long ago) and as I no longer have a cassette player I haven't heard it in a while, but I remember the vocals were clear and much more controlled than the later shrieking Halford became renowned for. There were some great songs on there.

Marty

mikemarrs wrote:'exciter' is another good one from priest.my all time favorite early priest tune is 'beyond the realms of death'...killer tune

"Beyond the Realms of Death"...Great tune and one of my favorite to sing along to. I can sing all of it in the original key except the high-pitched scream just before "I've left the world behind...".

One of the first songs I ever sang publically was "Epitaph" by Judas Priest, at Sunday church service, probably in 9th grade or something like that. My friend and I worked it up on piano. Of course in the bulletin we just printed the credits as "G Tipton, K Downing, R Halford," no mention of Priest in the bulletin.

Jeremey wrote:One of the first songs I ever sang publically was "Epitaph" by Judas Priest, at Sunday church service, probably in 9th grade or something like that. My friend and I worked it up on piano. Of course in the bulletin we just printed the credits as "G Tipton, K Downing, R Halford," no mention of Priest in the bulletin.

...Good move.

Oh, and Sabrina got me "Metalogy" box set for our anniversary 2 weeks ago! Haven't been able to listen to it all yet, but the Memphis concert is pretty fucking cool. They play "Sinner!"

Jeremey wrote:Oh, and Sabrina got me "Metalogy" box set for our anniversary 2 weeks ago! Haven't been able to listen to it all yet, but the Memphis concert is pretty fucking cool. They play "Sinner!"

Didn't you say recently that you couldn't listen to Priest anymore because of the mood they put you in or something to that effect?

conversationpc wrote:
Didn't you say recently that you couldn't listen to Priest anymore because of the mood they put you in or something to that effect?

It ramped me up too much to where I couldn't sleep. I watched some of the Memphis concert in bed and took a Klonipin afterwards...

Jeremey wrote:

conversationpc wrote:
Didn't you say recently that you couldn't listen to Priest anymore because of the mood they put you in or something to that effect?

It ramped me up too much to where I couldn't sleep. I watched some of the Memphis concert in bed and took a Klonipin afterwards...

That's the way I feel when I'm DRIVING to Priest, especially a track like "Freewheel Burning". I'm apt to get a speeding ticket to that one.