More difficult to sing: Steve Perry or Freddie Mercury?

[ddregs]

Obviously this is addressed to the one and only JSS...
but, looking at the increasing number of singers here, anyone can share his point of view.

Cheers!

[Blueskies]

Obviously this is addressed to the one and only JSS...
but, looking at the increasing number of singers here, anyone can share his point of view.

Cheers!

I'm not a singer, but I would say Steve Perry!! A higher much more unique voice. IMO

[jrnyman28]

Definately Perry.

[squirt1]

I go with Perry,but Freddie was my 2nd favorite singer. To be able to do that last album knowing he was dying soon,very soon made him a music hero in my book.

[Moon Beam]

Positively Perry

[whocares]

For me personally Trying to sing more than one or two Perry songs was extremely painful, probably because I was trying to sound TOO much like Perry himself. It always tore up my throat singing Perry Songs, Mercury songs were always easier, though not much.

Thank God we have/had great singers like each of them that COULD do the styles and ways they sang back in the day.

[Enigma869]

For me personally Trying to sing more than one or two Perry songs was extremely painful, probably because I was trying to sound TOO much like Perry himself. It always tore up my throat singing Perry Songs

Hey...Nice of Steve Augeri to make an appearance here at MR. Welcome aboard Steve

Now, on a more serious note...I would say it almost has to be Perry. The guy hit very unnatural notes that not even he could hit any longer! I was never much of a Queen die hard. That said, hearing Paul Rodgers sing Freddie Mercury's music has made me realize just what a talent Freddie was and how great of a voice Freddie had.

John from Boston

[conversationpc]

For me personally Trying to sing more than one or two Perry songs was extremely painful, probably because I was trying to sound TOO much like Perry himself. It always tore up my throat singing Perry Songs

Hey...Nice of Steve Augeri to make an appearance here at MR. Welcome aboard Steve

Post of the day nominee here!

[Sandman67]

While Perry would get my vote, Cetera from Chicago strikes me as another who would be hard to imitate even more than Mercury.

[conversationpc]

While Perry would get my vote, Cetera from Chicago strikes me as another who would be hard to imitate even more than Mercury.

Jason Scheff does a pretty good job of it.

[Enigma869]

While Perry would get my vote, Cetera from Chicago strikes me as another who would be hard to imitate even more than Mercury.

Jason Scheff does a pretty good job of it.

I'm not much of a Chicago fan, but didn't Chicago have a fairly big hit (I believe it was "Look Away") as soon as Cetera left the band to pursue his solo career? I always thought Cetera had a unique voice (but not in the same league as Perry or Mercury, IMO), so I was quite surprised that the music industry embraced Chicago without Cetera, who had been in the band forever!

John from Boston

[Voyager]

More difficult to sing: Steve Perry or Freddie Mercury?

That's like asking which guitarist is easier to imitate - Neal Schon or Brian May?

[Rockindeano]

While Perry would get my vote, Cetera from Chicago strikes me as another who would be hard to imitate even more than Mercury.

Oh Hell. Just ram a dildo up your ass, and put a flower in your hair and sing, and you will sound like Cetera. That guy has NO dick. Bleck! Cack!

[whocares]

For me personally Trying to sing more than one or two Perry songs was extremely painful, probably because I was trying to sound TOO much like Perry himself. It always tore up my throat singing Perry Songs

Hey...Nice of Steve Augeri to make an appearance here at MR. Welcome aboard Steve

Post of the day nominee here!

Yeah, that's for sure. Thank God I don't always think before I post. At least I don't try to make people think I'm someone that was actually IN or close to the band at one time, like a certain person (coughDVcough) implies from time to time. Anyway... What was I saying???

[conversationpc]

Yeah, that's for sure. Thank God I don't always think before I post. At least I don't try to make people think I'm someone that was actually IN or close to the band at one time, like a certain person (coughDVcough) implies from time to time. Anyway... What was I saying???

Be careful with that cough there.

[Big J]

While Perry would get my vote, Cetera from Chicago strikes me as another who would be hard to imitate even more than Mercury.

Jason Scheff does a pretty good job of it.

I'm not much of a Chicago fan, but didn't Chicago have a fairly big hit (I believe it was "Look Away") as soon as Cetera left the band to pursue his solo career? I always thought Cetera had a unique voice (but not in the same league as Perry or Mercury, IMO), so I was quite surprised that the music industry embraced Chicago without Cetera, who had been in the band forever!

John from Boston

Yeah, they did, and it was Look Away...I think there was another 1 or 2 hits after that too (What Kind of Man Would I Be - was Cetera there for that?). Chicago did fine for a bit without Cetera.

[jrnyman28]

Chicago benefitted from the fact that they have also always had multiple vocalists. But Jason Scheff certainly can sound a LOT like Peter...

[Jeremey]

Freddie is a lot tougher, and the way he treated his voice makes him a true enigma!

[Saint John]

Freddie is a lot tougher, and the way he treated his voice makes him a true enigma!

Please elaborate, if you will. While you're certainly the more refined critic here, I just can't believe Mercury is more difficult to sing than Perry. I'd love to hear why.

[Jeremey]

Freddie is a lot tougher, and the way he treated his voice makes him a true enigma!

Please elaborate, if you will. While you're certainly the more refined critic here, I just can't believe Mercury is more difficult to sing than Perry. I'd love to hear why.

Freddie had very little formal technique. Guys like Freddie, Bon Scott, Brian Johnson, Axl Rose, Sammy Hagar, and others have/had a very singular way of singing, one that is 95% who they are, and 5% real technique. It's hard for me to explain, but Freddie could smoke, party all night, eat lots of sausages, or whatever, and what came out of his vocal cords was 95% going to be there, because he's basically belting what's there. He was real inconsistant live, had a very affected manor of singing when it came to his showboat style - Songs like "Radio Ga Ga" or "I Want To Break Free," and a very throaty, raw sound when he cut loose on songs like "Tie Your Mother Down." Freddie also didn't have a great tonal center, and he had more tendency to be "pitchy" live than a real studied vocalist.

All of these things make what he did more difficult to sing, for me at least. Perry had great technique, one of the best command of his own instrument of any male pop singer ever. Perry also followed a lot of rules, which makes it easier (not necessarily if you don't have the range) to sing a Perry song "straight" than a Freddie song.

That's all my opinion, of course - Jeff's got a good deal of experience covering both, so I'm sure he may have a different take on it, but every singer's different. Bottom line, you can't really say "what's tougher to sing - Howlin' Wolf or Wayne Newton?" because it's all subjective!!

[Saint John]

Freddie is a lot tougher, and the way he treated his voice makes him a true enigma!

Please elaborate, if you will. While you're certainly the more refined critic here, I just can't believe Mercury is more difficult to sing than Perry. I'd love to hear why.

Freddie had very little formal technique. Guys like Freddie, Bon Scott, Brian Johnson, Axl Rose, Sammy Hagar, and others have/had a very singular way of singing, one that is 95% who they are, and 5% real technique. It's hard for me to explain, but Freddie could smoke, party all night, eat lots of sausages, or whatever, and what came out of his vocal cords was 95% going to be there, because he's basically belting what's there. He was real inconsistant live, had a very affected manor of singing when it came to his showboat style - Songs like "Radio Ga Ga" or "I Want To Break Free," and a very throaty, raw sound when he cut loose on songs like "Tie Your Mother Down." Freddie also didn't have a great tonal center, and he had more tendency to be "pitchy" live than a real studied vocalist.

All of these things make what he did more difficult to sing, for me at least. Perry had great technique, one of the best command of his own instrument of any male pop singer ever. Perry also followed a lot of rules, which makes it easier (not necessarily if you don't have the range) to sing a Perry song "straight" than a Freddie song.

That's all my opinion, of course - Jeff's got a good deal of experience covering both, so I'm sure he may have a different take on it, but every singer's different. Bottom line, you can't really say "what's tougher to sing - Howlin' Wolf or Wayne Newton?" because it's all subjective!!

Your explanation made a lot of sense to me. Thanks a million Jeremey.

[Rockindeano]

but Freddie could smoke, party all night, eat lots of sausages, or whatever,

Just what exactly do you mean by "eat lots of sausages?" You mean Dicks, or the actual grinded up meat product?

[Rockindeano]

By the way Jeremey, are you coming to the "Baltimore Blowout?".....for you girls, it's "On all fours in Baltimore"

[Enigma869]

but Freddie could smoke, party all night, eat lots of sausages, or whatever,

Just what exactly do you mean by "eat lots of sausages?" You mean Dicks, or the actual grinded up meat product?

Who didn't see this one coming??? Thanks for making me piss myself, laughing, Deano! Although, I must admit that I felt a bit guilty finding humor in that line, due to what led to Freddie's demise (i.e. the sausage!)

John from Boston

[SteveForever]

but Freddie could smoke, party all night, eat lots of sausages, or whatever,

Just what exactly do you mean by "eat lots of sausages?" You mean Dicks, or the actual grinded up meat product?

Are you on dope?

[Rockindeano]

Yeah, I re-read what I wrote, and I even laughed at myself.

[AR]

I think Robin Zander is pretty tough to emulate properly. Another singer who really hasn't taken care of his voice (smoking & drinking) but somehow still has it.

[conversationpc]

and a very throaty, raw sound when he cut loose on songs like "Tie Your Mother Down."

That's one of my favorite songs to sing and one that I can do fairly well, actually. Love everything about that song!

On another note, it seems that Freddie's voice actually sounded higher on the last couple of albums, or at least on "Innuendo". Perhaps that was from his severe weight loss? I know at the end, though, when they were recording "Made in Heaven" he would come into the studio when he felt up to it and give it his all and would basically have to go lie down until he had enough energy to do the next take. "Mother Love" was his last vocal and one of his best, in my opinion. That song just reeks of raw emotion. Very depressing song but poignant and one that I listen to occasionally just to remind myself of how well I actually have it in life.

[Jeremey]

By the way Jeremey, are you coming to the "Baltimore Blowout?".....for you girls, it's "On all fours in Baltimore"

I would love to be there in Baltimore - But I have to be in Atlanta the next night, which would make for a pretty shitty show in Atlanta if I really wanted to enjoy myself Friday night!!!

[squirt1]

I am still laughing and will add this one to my catalog of other RnD gems.