Steve Perry: Low to High

[TRAGChick]

From the same guy....

"Captured By The Moment" "Strung Out"
I drove around today, listening to Re-Mastered "Street Talk"

...and he was LOSING IT...???

Dude hit INFINITY-SIZED NOTES on S.O.....

...don't think so....

[Michigan Girl]

From the same guy....

"Captured By The Moment" "Strung Out"
I drove around today, listening to Re-Mastered "Street Talk"

...and he was LOSING IT...???

Dude hit INFINITY-SIZED NOTES on S.O.....

...don't think so....

LISTENED to the EXACT same thing!!! Fooled me too!!

[TRAGChick]

From the same guy....

"Captured By The Moment" "Strung Out"
I drove around today, listening to Re-Mastered "Street Talk"

...and he was LOSING IT...???

Dude hit INFINITY-SIZED NOTES on S.O.....

...don't think so....

LISTENED to the EXACT same thing!!! Fooled me too!!

He does not even sound like the same guy.

[Enigma869]

I've never really understood the whole notion that Perry didn't even sound like the same guy, throughout his Journey career. There isn't one single Journey track, with Perry singing vocals on, that I had to stop and figure out whose voice I was listening to! He has the most distinctive voice I've EVER heard, ANYWHERE. I don't dispute that his voice and range may have changed through the years, as most singers experience. That said, the notes he hits at the end of "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever" are every bit as impressive as ANY notes he hit, earlier in his career. Again, I think carrying on about how a singer's voice has changed is pointless. Listen to Elton John sing any one of his early hits from the early 70's, and then listen to him sing it on a current DVD concert. Doesn't sound remotely like the same guy, but people certainly still enjoy the performance!


John from Boston

[TRAGChick]

I've never really understood the whole notion that Perry didn't even sound like the same guy, throughout his Journey career. There isn't one single Journey track, with Perry singing vocals on, that I had to stop and figure out whose voice I was listening to! He has the most distinctive voice I've EVER heard, ANYWHERE. I don't dispute that his voice and range may have changed through the years, as most singers experience. That said, the notes he hits at the end of "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever" are every bit as impressive as ANY notes he hit, earlier in his career. Again, I think carrying on about how a singer's voice has changed is pointless. Listen to Elton John sing any one of his early hits from the early 70's, and then listen to him sing it on a current DVD concert. Doesn't sound remotely like the same guy, but people certainly still enjoy the performance!


John from Boston

I understand what you're saying....

But my point is:

People thought his "high end" was DONE....and then he puts CBTM next to SO.....Low and High...

It's like, WTF are these people saying ~ that his "high end" is finished...?

[annie89509]

I've never really understood the whole notion that Perry didn't even sound like the same guy, throughout his Journey career. There isn't one single Journey track, with Perry singing vocals on, that I had to stop and figure out whose voice I was listening to! He has the most distinctive voice I've EVER heard, ANYWHERE. I don't dispute that his voice and range may have changed through the years, as most singers experience. That said, the notes he hits at the end of "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever" are every bit as impressive as ANY notes he hit, earlier in his career. Again, I think carrying on about how a singer's voice has changed is pointless. Listen to Elton John sing any one of his early hits from the early 70's, and then listen to him sing it on a current DVD concert. Doesn't sound remotely like the same guy, but people certainly still enjoy the performance!


John from Boston

I understand what you're saying....

But my point is:

People thought his "high end" was DONE....and then he puts CBTM next to SO.....Low and High...

It's like, WTF are these people saying ~ that his "high end" is finished...?

Go points. SP is SP, very distinct voice, no matter which era. I love all his ranges. He used to say, depending on the song, he puts his own vocal character into it.

[Johnny Mohawk]

I agree.
Obviously, I appreciate Perry's insane vocal range and his ability to reach those ungodly high notes. However, that's not all there is to his voice. Most of my favorite singers (Perry, Freddie Mercury, etc.) all had the great range, but their regular voice and tone was what really drew me in (even if they had had limited range).

I never get it when people try to rate Perry's current vocal status based soley on how high he can sing. Singing high does NOT necessarily make for a good vocalist.
Mariah Carey hits those dolphin-like squeals and to me they're annoying as hell.

At the same time, just because a vocalist has more of a raspy sounding voice, doesn't make them any less of a singer. Rod Stewart, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose, Bon Scott, etc. all had great raspy rock voices (even Bryan Adams can be included in that group). Nothing wrong with that, just a different style.

And by the way, I love the lower register (and the throaty gutteral parts) in "Captured By the Moment", and like you mentioned, he goes back to the smoother (and higher) sound on other songs on Street Talk.
A vocal chameleon indeed.

[7 Wishes]

His performance on TBF was masterful. Sure, he lost some of his upper range, but his voice was more pure and full in '96 than it ever had been. I couldn't disagree more with Herbie about his assessment of that record. It was stellar. Had it been released in 1986, as a follow-up to ROR, it would have gone triple platinum. And Smitty gave the rock performance of his career on the title cut - a lot of people for whom I've played the song "Trial by Fire" assumed it was a drum loop because it was so precise and perfect.