Soni Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 THEN WHY IS THIS THE BEST SELLING ROCK ALBUM EVER??!! http://s2.e-monsite.com/2010/02/23/58435588acdc-back-in-black-cover-jpg.jpg I just don't get it... seriously! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union 5-3992 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 The same could be said for Led Zeppelin IV. Robert Plant's voice is just as high. Or why is Yes so successful? Or Guns N Roses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanadoood Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Brian Johnson's voice isn't nearly as whiny as geddys...its more of a high pitched growl..I love geddys classic vocals, but I get why people rip on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babycat Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I Geddy's voice..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steevo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (Babycat @ Jan 25 2012, 11:55 AM)I Geddy's voice..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenken Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I love Brian Johnson's voice. He isnt really trying to be a good skilled singer, not trying to do something he's unable to do well. So he just goes for a very high pitched distorted bluesy kind of sound. Very unique and original. Geddy on the other hand is trying to do something age wont allow him to do well anymore, so it's painful to listen to, at least in live recordings anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invisible To Telescopic Eye Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (trenken @ Jan 24 2012, 08:37 PM) I love Brian Johnson's voice. He isnt really trying to be a good skilled singer, not trying to do something he's unable to do well. So he just goes for a very high pitched distorted bluesy kind of sound. Very unique and original. Geddy on the other hand is trying to do something age wont allow him to do well anymore, so it's painful to listen to, at least in live recordings anyway. Agreed....But I still like his voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstateNYfan Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 A couple of things first. Don't get me wrong, I like AC/DC. They are tight, fun and loud. It's not "Geddy's voice" that prevents the stratospheric sales. It might be a small fraction, but that's it. Like previous posters commented, look at only fair singers (in the classic sense, that is) like Axl Rose, Robert Plant (the best of this bunch, I think) or even Bruce Springsteen. Did anyone see Steven Tyler sing the national anthem on Sunday? This is what I mean. He's not a great singer but they sell a lot of records; just about all the aforementioned bands (inluding our beloved Rush) are greater than the sum of their parts. In my opinion, it's much more the the complex arrangements, amazing (difficult and intricate) musicianship and heady (not appealing to the lowest common denominator) lyrics. Here's an analogy: Toyota and Ford sell a lot more cars than Porsche. Toyota and Ford have mass appeal, as they are approachable, accessible and affordable. Porsches are not. Rush are the Porsche of rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdFireYYZ Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I think another reason why Geddy gets a bad reputation is because he wasn't showy or flashy and didn't have the same stage presence as guys like Robert Plant and Axle Rose. They had a certain "cool" image while Geddy was a guy wearing a kimono in a prog rock band. Its probably not just his voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstateNYfan Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Good point, ColdFire! Age has mellowed all these guys though, and I think the "cool" factor is less relevant now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J2112YYZ Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 People making fun of how high Geddy sings are just plain dumb because he hasn't sung like that in over 30 years. It's time for the haters to find something new to complain about instead of holding on to a 30 something year old joke. As for Brian Johnson, much like Geddy he has an individual and an instantly recognizeable voice, but the big different is song context. Rush has lyrics about Kubla Khan, Greek Gods, trees and invisible airwaves, not exactly instantly relateable topics to a lot of people. AC/DC on the other hand is straight forward and simple. They write songs about women, drinking, rockin and just plain having a good time. So no matter the singer, those are topics everybody for the most part can relate to right away and that's why BIB and so many of their other albums are such a huge success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucsteve667 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCM Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I love Ged's voice, then and now. His vocals are the reason I first started listening to Rush. The haters can suck it as far as I'm concerned. People bash on his voice cause "the critics" have been telling them to for the last 30+ years. Just my opinion.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 08:55 PM) Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. I agree. All the live videos I've seen(not many though) I have always been let down by Johnson's voice. You just can't do that to your voice every night and get away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucsteve667 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (presto123 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:49 PM) QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 08:55 PM) Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. I agree. All the live videos I've seen(not many though) I have always been let down by Johnson's voice. You just can't do that to your voice every night and get away with it. I cant even listen to the studio stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of a Rider Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 While I'm sure that for some Rush haters Geddy's voice is a legitimate problem, I have a feeling that for most of them, it has more to do with their just not getting the music. Geddy has a distinctive voice so it's easier to blame it on that. Rush's sound has always been unique and it just doesn't appeal to the average listener. So for some of these people who criticize Geddy's voice, even if you were to put somebody like Steve Perry or Steve Walsh in there, they're still not going to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presto-a RUSH fan! Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (Babycat @ Jan 24 2012, 06:55 PM)I Geddy's voice..! I agree with Babycat...I mean how can you not? She is a woman RUSH fan, she has the name Babycat, she loves cats, the greatest animal on the planet...and she herself is a Party Animal". Oh....what was the topic again? Do we have to debate Geddy's voice again? Some people hate it, hence will never give RUSH a chance. Some people just deal with it as they love the music. And then there are the smart people like myself and Babycat who just love his voice AND still don't have a problem with a with a 58 yr old man not being able to hit the notes he when he was younger. AND off topic QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 10:52 PM)QUOTE (presto123 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:49 PM) QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 08:55 PM) Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. I agree. All the live videos I've seen(not many though) I have always been let down by Johnson's voice. You just can't do that to your voice every night and get away with it. I cant even listen to the studio stuff... ucsteve667, I caught your MY SHOW podcast the other night, the one with Dr. Robert "The Bible Geek" Price and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucsteve667 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silas Lang Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:52 PM)QUOTE (presto123 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:49 PM) QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 08:55 PM) Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. I agree. All the live videos I've seen(not many though) I have always been let down by Johnson's voice. You just can't do that to your voice every night and get away with it. I cant even listen to the studio stuff... Same here. The difference is Geddy was able to adapt with age and experience to explore the other facets of his voice while Johnson kept trying to sing the same way and it just ended up sounding awful. I think the reason Back in Black was more successful than anything Rush ever did has less to do with the vocals or the lyrics and is more about the music itself. It's loaded with classic riffs and the songs are catchy as hell. It's simple, straight ahead stuff (something Rush rarely has been). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 When I first heard Rush (Vital Signs) I thought they were Supertramp. Over time, I started to see the distinction in each band's vocal sounds. Either way, it never bothered me. It became an identifier for the band. One girl told me once that she didn't like Geddy's voice because it was "like opera". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presto123 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:52 PM) QUOTE (presto123 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:49 PM) QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 08:55 PM) Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. I agree. All the live videos I've seen(not many though) I have always been let down by Johnson's voice. You just can't do that to your voice every night and get away with it. I cant even listen to the studio stuff... Can't say I agree with you there. That gravelly, growly voice fits those power riffs on BIB to a T. I think the reason it's so popular is because just about every song on there could be a rock single. Top notch from top to bottom. AC/DC's Moving Pictures if you will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucsteve667 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 QUOTE (presto123 @ Jan 25 2012, 12:19 AM) QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:52 PM) QUOTE (presto123 @ Jan 24 2012, 09:49 PM) QUOTE (ucsteve667 @ Jan 24 2012, 08:55 PM) Too bad Brian blew his voice out on thr For Those About To Rock tour and has been painful to listen to ever since. I agree. All the live videos I've seen(not many though) I have always been let down by Johnson's voice. You just can't do that to your voice every night and get away with it. I cant even listen to the studio stuff... Can't say I agree with you there. That gravelly, growly voice fits those power riffs on BIB to a T. I think the reason it's so popular is because just about every song on there could be a rock single. Top notch from top to bottom. AC/DC's Moving Pictures if you will. no power or range anymore... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sq7VfI5X90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babycat Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilb1972 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I think its more about the highness in his voice more than anything. Yea, Robert Plant sang high, but Ged sounds a little thinner than Robert and I think that, coupled with the complex musical arrangements, can throw folks off. But based on personal experience over the years, I have had a variety of reactions, and I think it has to do with personal preference: Back in the '90's I played the Fly by Night album for a guy and his reaction was shock -- he thought it was a girl singing, and when he found out it was a guy, he laughed and shook his head and replied, "Sorry man, that's just too high for me!" And didn't want to hear anymore because it sounded painful to him. Which I thought was strange, because he seemed okay with it when he thought it was a girl singing. Then I had my own mother, who grew up on classic rock, threaten to turn off the car radio if I didn't change the station one day a few years ago when 2112-Overture/Temples of Syrinx came on; it hadn't even gotten to the singing yet, it was still in the overture part, and she was like, "Would you please turn that off?!" A co-worker of mind recently said, when we were discussing music we liked, "Nah, never cared much for Rush, can't get past that guys voice." On the other hand, you have my wife, who never even gave Ged's voice much of a second thought. She thinks its cool and unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerofthor Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Geddy's voice aside, Rush music isn't "sexy" and has no swagger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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