Operatic analysis of the Voice and what happened to it......

[peridactyl]

Some of you may have seen this blog since it was posted in late September, but I just found it and wanted to share it.
THIS is why Steve was so special.....among other amazing qualities .... (sorry, the clips at the end of the piece aren't there anymore, but probably available on Youtube.)
"September 28, 2008

Steve Perry — a bit confusing, frankly

A slow recognition is beginning to coalesce around former Journey vocalist Steve Perry as one of the great voices of the 20th century. It’s matched by a slight giddiness on the part of his fans, as to be frank, rock hasn’t generated many of these. Whatever one’s opinion may be, Perry is also one of the more difficult to classify.

Considering range and technique presents us with a problem. In his range — high tenor and a very solid mezzo-soprano, the only possible conclusion to draw is that he is a countertenor. However, his technique is not at all that of most counters: he hasn’t a hint of owly, woodwind quality to his lower register as he’s not producing sound the same way, and he has no baritone register.

He rarely employs falsetto except in his extreme upper register and so is not a sopranist either. This leaves only male soprano as a classification, but it stretches belief well past the breaking point to classify him along with Michael Maniaci, who also does not employ falsetto. However, there is more than a passing similarity between Perry’s speaking voice and Maniaci’s, far more than between Perry and Daniels or Scholl (clip links given below). To complicate things further, there is no reason to suspect that Maniaci’s rather unique laryngeal situation applies to him. (Maniaci does not have an “adam’s apple,” while Perry does.)

And lastly, without similar classical training, there is no way of knowing what operatic label might have applied to Perry’s voice had he opted to go the route of “Giulio Cesare” and not “Raised on Radio.” The universe in which La Fenice staged “Crusader in Egypt” thirty years earlier with an Armando named Stephen Pereira robbing the production of its breeches role is not the one in which we live.

Perry is perhaps best considered as part male mezzo and part his own creature, and as he inhabits the worlds of rock and pop, which require far less stringent classification of voices (since labeled parts need not be assigned to equally labeled vocalists), strict classification may be outside of necessary consideration for him — although I imagine voice enthusiasts will continue to debate.

No articles that I’ve found focusing on vocal training or quality exist for Perry, and most interviews concentrate on the somewhat acrimonious breakup between him and his former bandmates. Other interviews mention only in passing the difficulties of performing as a quasi-operatic vocalist for 180+ sets a year for nearly a decade, well beyond that which is euphemistically called “punishing” or “grueling” in the operatic world and firmly in the realm of larynx-shredding insanity. The only accommodation of these pressures that I have found is Perry’s habit of not speaking at all between the time he came off-stage after one performance and 4pm the following day. With few other performers in rock music who had to make that sort of accommodation and to whom he could be compared, Perry acquired the reputation of being distant and unapproachable.

Also unmentioned in anything but first-person detail are the psychological performance pressures widely understood and even anticipated by operatic vocalists but of which Perry, his bandmates, and his management seemed entirely unaware at the time. The problems caused by this apparently took them all by surprise, when any such vocalist in the classical world would have anticipated and permitted for them years in advance. Having originated from outside all three common sources of high-performance vocalist (classical/operatic, musical theater, and gospel), Perry was left quite on his own in dealing with these issues and both he and his voice suffered for it.

There are no implications whatever that these pressures were acknowledged even by Perry until years after his first “sabbatical.” Due to the fact that neither the rock music industry, his management, his bandmates, nor Perry himself apparently had any profound awareness of how to caretake voices of that caliber or the vocalists who own them, what should have been a luminous 35-year career was effectively burned through in what amounted to only one decade of active recorded performance. Like the largely self-taught Titta Ruffo, the great baritone of seven decades prior, Perry “did not have a voice, he had a miracle” — a brilliant, crystalline creation unmatched in the history of popular music — and it was squandered by an industry that had no idea how to manage it or the singer to whom it belonged. Granted he may not have lost his voice, he clearly lost his taste for sharing it.

The fact that Perry’s genre has very little experience with vocalists of his caliber goes a long way to explaining why, three decades after he began singing with the band most closely associated with him, both the public in general and the world of fine voice are at last beginning to realize the magnitude of what he accomplished. Rock music has never been seen as a reliable point of origin for vocalists on Perry’s level. Instead, popular music prefers to take its most distinguished voices from the three springs previously mentioned: classical (Benatar), musical theater (Streisand), and gospel (Vandross), none of which were Perry’s point of origin. As a result, there was no community of like vocalists to advocate for him or function as points of comparison. Thus very, very few people realized just what the vocally “tribeless” Perry had achieved, despite decades of solid popularity and a long succession of platinum-selling albums.

As there are no articles or interviews examining vocal issues, I’ve linked only to clips here demonstrating range and clarity, the evolution of Perry’s voice as his preposterous early touring schedule took a far greater toll on it than it should have, the occasional leaps over his second passaggio, and his somewhat more male-sopranolike speaking voice.

Clips illustrating Perry’s singing voice:

“Wheel in the Sky” — countertenor territory particularly with the high “ring” and almost eerie champagne clarity his voice was known for early on, and includes a leap into falsetto territory at 2:30. Strong hints of mixed voice as opposed to modal, which upsets classification of him as a simple high tenor. Late 70s.

“Homemade Love” — multiple accurate leaps back and forth over the second passaggio. Also late 70s.

“Sweet and Simple” — good downward movement across the passaggio at 2:53 in what amounts to a short cadenza.

“Open Arms” — performed live in Houston in 1981, and a clear example of the sort of vocal performance that, while thrilling, could not be reasonably sustained for nearly 200 sets a year.

“You Better Wait” — a good artistic use of the “burr” that developed due to the too-strenuous performance schedule illustrated by the previous clip. Still fairly clean in the high end. Mid 90s.

Clips illustrating Perry’s speaking voice:

Absolutely delightful blues jam session — band instrumentalists only, with Perry introducing them and the blues greats who are joining them on stage. Late 70s.

Interview on Japanese television reminiscing about a performance in Chicago. Again, compare to Maniaci’s speaking voice and that of Daniels and Scholl. (It should be noted that if he were touring to perform, he would have taken care to speak very lightly in order to safeguard his voice.) Mid 90s."

YEAH. Go Steve!! You were a GENIUS even if Rolling Stone didn't get it.

[bluejeangirl76]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

[DrFU]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

Consider the alternative topics: death threats, fur tacos, SJ brawling with a chick, a Dokken interview ...

[peridactyl]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

Hey, it's a free world and you can avoid reading what you don't want to!
I thought it was a good article. To each his own.

[peridactyl]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

Consider the alternative topics: death threats, fur tacos, SJ brawling with a chick, a Dokken interview ...

We could go back to bitching at each other.....

Is anyone actually reading the article? It's good, I think...

[Saint John]

This is a great read. I think I skipped it last time. It really gives Perry some big props. I have always thought history would be kinder to Perry and Journey than the 80's were. It'll only get better. They created timeless music that was precipitated by the advent of the Jon Cain era.

[Rhiannon]

Ease up with the defense tactics, dactyl.

[Saint John]

Ease up with the defense tactics, dactyl.

"Estrogen twin powers...activate."

[peridactyl]

Ease up with the defense tactics, dactyl.

[Rhiannon]

Ease up with the defense tactics, dactyl.

Maybe I read you wrong... *butting out*

[bluejeangirl76]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

Hey, it's a free world and you can avoid reading what you don't want to!
I thought it was a good article. To each his own.

Relax yourself for about a half of a nanosecond. It was a joke, hence all the " "

[bluejeangirl76]

Ease up with the defense tactics, dactyl.

"Estrogen twin powers...activate."

Screw you helmet boy.

[peridactyl]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

Hey, it's a free world and you can avoid reading what you don't want to!
I thought it was a good article. To each his own.

Relax yourself for about a half of a nanosecond. It was a joke, hence all the " "

Kiss and make up?

[Jana]

Again with this? Didn't we just have a "wtf happened to Perry's voice" thread about a week ago? Surely we're not due again until at least after Thanksgiving. Did I miss a memo? Or is it a weekly roundtable now?

Consider the alternative topics: death threats, fur tacos, SJ brawling with a chick, a Dokken interview ...

[TRAGChick]

There are no implications whatever that these pressures were acknowledged even by Perry until years after his first “sabbatical.”

Due to the fact that neither the rock music industry, his management, his bandmates, nor Perry himself apparently had any profound awareness of how to caretake voices of that caliber or the vocalists who own them, what should have been a luminous 35-year career was effectively burned through in what amounted to only one decade of active recorded performance. Like the largely self-taught Titta Ruffo, the great baritone of seven decades prior, Perry “did not have a voice, he had a miracle” — a brilliant, crystalline creation unmatched in the history of popular music — and it was squandered by an industry that had no idea how to manage it or the singer to whom it belonged. Granted he may not have lost his voice, he clearly lost his taste for sharing it.

Yup....I said it before; I'll say it again:

back in the day, they had to "Make (Touring) Hay ($$) while the sun shined"....and look what happened.

...three springs previously mentioned: classical (Benatar), musical theater (Streisand), and gospel (Vandross), none of which were Perry’s point of origin.

As a result, there was no community of like vocalists to advocate for him or function as points of comparison. Thus very, very few people realized just what the vocally “tribeless” Perry had achieved, despite decades of solid popularity and a long succession of platinum-selling albums.

"Vocally Tribeless"....yeah; that sounds about right.

[conversationpc]

Yup....I said it before; I'll say it again:

back in the day, they had to "Make (Touring) Hay ($$) while the sun shined"....and look what happened.

The question begs to be asked, though...If they hadn't done what they did, would we even have gotten a lot of the timeless music that they put out back then anyway? I doubt it. Part of what went into the music was what they were going through at the time and I wouldn't trade what we actually now have for what could have been.

[peridactyl]

This is a great read. I think I skipped it last time. It really gives Perry some big props. I have always thought history would be kinder to Perry and Journey than the 80's were. It'll only get better. They created timeless music that was precipitated by the advent of the Jon Cain era.

Yeah, but at the cost of Perry's pipes. Bastards called him a duck, etc. He shoulda been revered as an operatic phenomenon. No wonder Perry always looks pissed in the videos from 82 - 83, and half crazy in ROR. Man was burning out.

[annie89509]

Any props to SP is a Great read ... Thanks Peridactyl. I think it was someone's dissertation. I remember someone found it before ... only it was like 10 pages long. This, on a blog, is a condensed version.

[Rick]

Yup....I said it before; I'll say it again:

back in the day, they had to "Make (Touring) Hay ($$) while the sun shined"....and look what happened.

The question begs to be asked, though...If they hadn't done what they did, would we even have gotten a lot of the timeless music that they put out back then anyway? I doubt it. Part of what went into the music was what they were going through at the time and I wouldn't trade what we actually now have for what could have been.

I doubt Perry would either.

[annie89509]

Yup....I said it before; I'll say it again:

back in the day, they had to "Make (Touring) Hay ($$) while the sun shined"....and look what happened.

The question begs to be asked, though...If they hadn't done what they did, would we even have gotten a lot of the timeless music that they put out back then anyway? I doubt it. Part of what went into the music was what they were going through at the time and I wouldn't trade what we actually now have for what could have been.

Good point. SP himself always made it a point to say he would not have done anything differently. Sure, HH pushed the grueling schedule, but they were all doing exactly what they wanted to do. As a result, we have lots and lots of material to listen to -- thanks to the world of bootlegs. It's just so bittersweet for us latecomers to the SP/Journey fanwagon -- the more we hear the SP of old ..., the more we want to hear the SP of new.

[Don]

So to save his voice, he would have had to have been performing only twice a week with a maximum 10 song setlist, I'm assuming. Sony would have loved that.

[peridactyl]

Any props to SP is a Great read ... Thanks Peridactyl. I think it was someone's dissertation. I remember someone found it before ... only it was like 10 pages long. This, on a blog, is a condensed version.

Are you thinking of Ross Muir's "One in a Million" which is 21 pages long? this isn't him....

[annpea]

That, was a tough read. He deserve every dollar he get.

[tammy]

I don't remember reading this before - thanks for the article, p. "Tribeless"...the next time someone brings up the "didn't feel like part of the band"...can ya see why? He should have had someone looking out for his voice.

[Saint John]

Yup....I said it before; I'll say it again:

back in the day, they had to "Make (Touring) Hay ($$) while the sun shined"....and look what happened.

I present to you exhibit A:

Nov. 14, 1994 Albany, NY Sass Jordan
Nov. 15, 1994 Massey Hall, Toronto, ONT Sass Jordan
Nov. 16, 1994 Tower Theater, Philadelphia Upper Darby, PA Sass Jordan
Nov. 17, 1994 Central Maine Civic Center. Lewiston, ME Sass Jordan
Nov. 18, 1994 Orpheum Theater. Boston, Ma Sass Jordan
Nov. 20, 1994 Hershey Park Arena. Hershey, PA Sass Jordan
Nov. 22, 1994 Fox Theater. Atlanta, GA Sass Jordan
Nov. 23, 1994 Jacksonville, FL Sass Jordan
Nov. 24, 1994 Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. Orlando, FL Sass Jordan
Nov. 25, 1994 Sunrise Musical Theater. Sunrise, FL Sass Jordan

This is part of the FTLOSM tour schedule. For those of you following along at home it illustrates 10 shows in 12 days at the age of 45. You can't blame this on Herbie Herbert, Neal Schon, Sony or George Bush. It is my belief that Steve Perry's voice incurred a variable amount of damage from a combination of alcohol, drugs, improper vocal technique(s) and over-touring. But to blame it on over-touring alone seems far fetched at best.

And let me add this...I was pondering the whole reunion possibility and it dawned on me that Neal, Jon and management also owe Steve Perry an apology for disgracing the songs he helped make famous by lip synching. I feel we should go in chronological order and Perry can first apologize for cracking the stone first by touring without the rest of Journey and the ensuing TBF debacle and then Neal, Jon and management can apologize for disgracing songs that he poured his heart and soul into. Maybe then, and only then, we can move on. I am throwing my hat in the ring to mediate negotiations between the 2 sides.

[peridactyl]

That, was a tough read. He deserve every dollar he get.

and an even tougher write. Wow. But Ross isn't the author of the article here.

This is from some website that focuses on operatic male voices, from the looks of it. Steve's voice was just one study of many. But to me that gives the opinions in it more validity,coming from someone who analyzes the greatest male voices.

And it doesn't blame anyone for acting out of ignorance as to what a rock schedule would or could do to an operatic voice. Just too bad it happened. We coulda had Steve still singing for the past two decades.

It's not news, and really water over the bridge. But I always find it interesting to read anything about Steve that respects his gift, no matter how many times I read it. this one was new to me!

[Rick]

Yup....I said it before; I'll say it again:

back in the day, they had to "Make (Touring) Hay ($$) while the sun shined"....and look what happened.

I present to you exhibit A:

Nov. 14, 1994 Albany, NY Sass Jordan
Nov. 15, 1994 Massey Hall, Toronto, ONT Sass Jordan
Nov. 16, 1994 Tower Theater, Philadelphia Upper Darby, PA Sass Jordan
Nov. 17, 1994 Central Maine Civic Center. Lewiston, ME Sass Jordan
Nov. 18, 1994 Orpheum Theater. Boston, Ma Sass Jordan
Nov. 20, 1994 Hershey Park Arena. Hershey, PA Sass Jordan
Nov. 22, 1994 Fox Theater. Atlanta, GA Sass Jordan
Nov. 23, 1994 Jacksonville, FL Sass Jordan
Nov. 24, 1994 Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. Orlando, FL Sass Jordan
Nov. 25, 1994 Sunrise Musical Theater. Sunrise, FL Sass Jordan

This is part of the FTLOSM tour schedule. For those of you following along at home it illustrates 10 shows in 12 days at the age of 45. You can't blame this on Herbie Herbert, Neal Schon, Sony or George Bush. It is my belief that Steve Perry's voice incurred a variable amount of damage from a combination of alcohol, drugs, improper vocal technique(s) and over-touring. But to blame it on over-touring alone seems far fetched at best.

And let me add this...I was pondering the whole reunion possibility and it dawned on me that Neal, Jon and management also owe Steve Perry an apology for disgracing the songs he helped make famous by lip synching. I feel we should go in chronological order and Perry can first apologize for cracking the stone first by touring without the rest of Journey and then ensuing TBF debacle and then Neal, Jon and management can apologize for disgracing songs that he poured his heart and soul into. Maybe then, and only then, we can move on. I am throwing my hat in the ring to mediate negotiations between the 2 sides.

I'm not taking anything away from what you said, but as far as vocal stress, there were enough vocal breaks in the FTLOSM tour that you could do 2 shows a day. He'd sing a verse, stop, let the crowd cheer, do a dance with his tailed tux coat, etc... He wasn't blowing his voice out on that tour at all. During the Escape tour, for instance, they'd sing several songs back to back without stopping. A much more demanding pace, for sure.

[Abitaman]

1st - a good read, that explains a lot
2nd - Can't blame it all on Perry, the band or mgmt. They all were quilty of pushing it to the limit.
3rd - Yea Perry broke the stone first, but it is history and move on..
4th - yea Augeri "lipped" to some degree, it's the past move on...
5th - The new guy needs to be treated right or they may be lipping a new broken stone.

Each and every band member has had something good and bad they ahve done to the band. No one is perfect. Perry has set a high bar that NO ONE for a long time will be able to beat. I have liked what each member past and present has brought to the table. They have made some great music and they are still keeping the music alive...

[brywool]

Perry's voice was definitely NOT operatic ...
I would say that you'd have to lump him in with the gospel singers. Sam Cooke was a gospel singer and Perry was as close to Sam as anyone ever will be.

whoa- Maniaci didn't have an adam's apple? Weird. I'm going to have mine removed next week!
Sounds like he sings in falsetto to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2liGFJFuGk
Sounds like a chick when speaking. Dang, it'd be amazing to have this discussion with Perry.

His touring schedule was so close together, there's no way a guy with that high of a voice could keep doing that. I'm amazed at the FTOSM tour schedule SJ posted. Did the guy learn nothing?

I hope to Hell that Neal and the band give Arnel more care and space between dates.

[Aaron]

This was a damn good read and a pretty reasonable explanation of Perry's time as the best vocalist on the planet. I think this guy's analysis makes good sense and explains Steve's approach during the mega touring time while he was in Journey. I think this guy was on the edge of loosing it every night when we was singing. I think Sweet and Simple is a good example of what range Perry had for a period of time. There is simply no way this guy could pull off shit like that day in and day out. I think a song like Sweet and Simple was pulled of in the studio when his voice was at it's absolute best. Any hint of a cold. allergies, or a sinus issue would keep him from hitting notes even close to this. And that coupled with 5 shows in 7 days kind of touring had to take it's toll on Steve's voice. I think the bigger deal was the pressure it put on Steve to deliver every night he was on tour. I think the guy sang right on the edge of his range capability every night. That pressure had to take it's toll on Steve. My guess is as he became older it was much more difficult to deliver and the pressure caused him to bail.

I'm still pissed at the bastard for quiting on me as a fan. However, this article has helped me better put together what the guy must have been going through when he was on top of his game with Journey. I'm still kinda pissed, but now I think he's just a bit less of an asshole. The dude must have lived a life of questionable delivery every night which had to be tremendous mental pressure.

Steve, thanks for doing what you did. You touched a lot of our souls with those vocal performances. I'm still pissed at you for quiting, but I now understand better why you did. You made your mark by being the BEST VOCALIST EVER TO WALK THE PLANET.

Cheers to Steve and what he did give to us fans.

Thanks for the great read peridactyl,

Aaron