Okay, so it wasn't really that big a deal. While we hadn't planned on having a second guitarist, Jason's skills on the instrument could only be an asset to the band. Also, while he didn't want to sing lead all of the time, he was willing to share lead vox with me and Bill, giving us three distinct singing voices in the band. Not too shabby.
He was therefore, in.
Before I go on, however, I want to share an example that I think will shed some light on why, still to this day, I believe Jason and his voice fit the lead singer slot. In fact, I honestly believe that, while I can't honestly say I believe in doing things for commercial appeal (gag), I have no doubt that Jason's voice is much smoother and his stage demeanor would have been much more leadsingeresque which, in the long run, might have won us a larger audience.
The evidence before the court consists of two recordings of the same Naked song, "What's the Difference?", one of my own compositions. The first recording is from the Naked - Live at the Coffeemill of Exeter album, and features the band in an "unplugged" setup with Jason singing lead:
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The second recording is from Naked iii, and features me on lead vocal:
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Am I a horrible singer? No, not at all. However, I still think Jason's version wins out.
Comments? Votes?
I wont vote on the vocals, thats like asking which kid do you love more.. Great song Jim. WE have two distint styles of singing that song. I beleive you sing it the way it was writen, there is a certain cadence those words are supposed to be sang over the music.. In my young musical inexpirence That whole theroy of having words and music compliment each other was lost to me. If the vocals in anyway were off beat, I was done for. At that time there was no layering of the textures for Jason. There were certain words and phrases that for the life of me I couldnt get comfortable with singing. I remeber you and I spending some time working that out, just to have me go back to the way I was orgionally singing it when we played out. Your voice has always cut through, there has always been sort of a powerful, yet sometimes high pitched sound that you were able to summon up from the deapths of your gut.. you have always been ables to get your voice across the loud back round of two guitars, an obnoxious drummer and a bass that was maybe slightly too loud.. he must have ran the sound. damn bass players, ha ha. My voice at the time, and still now has been sort of a soomth blended sound, not alot of range pitch wise, however it has a Teddy Pendergrass, through your panties on stage feel.. ha ha ha... I blended In, Your voice cut through, and Bills Voice was the happy medium between us two.. The chorus for Whiter Shade of pale is a good example of our Three different voices working togeteher to create something very incredible vocaly..
ReplyDeleteWhiter Shade of Pale! I bet I have video of us doing that somewhere! I'll have to go digging...
ReplyDelete