Actually it's not necessarily because I'm a singer myself and I'm 60 years old and I've been very blessed I called a blessing because I don't do drugs I don't drink never have been one of those and I've tried to be pretty healthy in my cholesterol levels are very healthy gone to the doctor recently so I call it a blessing because my voice is just as powerful and I can still hit the high notes as I ever have when I was in my twenties
Paul McCartney's voice has deteriorated terribly with age. I honestly have no idea how people still pay a small fortune to see him in concert. Yes, he's a living legend, and everyone wants a piece of that - but is that worth it for such an awful performance? I hope his band is good, at least.
yeah.. it's always weird too when you have these old legends on stage and they have a dude who looks like me in their back up band.. just some guy with piercings and funky hair... it always throws me off. Beach Boys had a band leader like that.
@@DancingwithGhostsHaha, and now that you say that, I could totally see it if they had a bunch of young guys who could rock out playing some of the better Wings stuff, for instance. If they were into it and really made it come alive, I think it could be really enjoyable as an outdoor summer venue show!
Bizarrely, I feel like Alice Cooper's voice has only gotten better and stronger as he aged. It probably helps that he never had a good voice in the first place lol, and quitting alcohol and tobacco 40+ years ago
@@DancingwithGhosts At the risk of sounding like an old hipster (I'm only 40 i swear), his best stuff was pre-rehab, the "Alice Cooper Band" era. Basically all the stuff produced by Bob Ezrin lol
Is the list just “they can’t sing as well as they used to”? Or their voice is now “truly awful”? There’s a difference. The modern clips you played of Geddy Lee, Jon Bon Jovi & Phil Collins aren’t what they were, but they’re not awful either. Instead David Lee Roth & Huey Lewis should have made your list.
Right. If they lower the key a whole step and they still sing off-key, it's them. And in this video, you can hear how the key was changed for many. It must also be said that record companies have ALWAYS wanted singers to sing at their highest key possible. For some, it's where they sound the best, for some, the rec co's just want that high strain. It is NOT a good idea... It must also be said that the vocal chords are extremely sensitive to stress/strain and overuse. You can't just change a string or drum head... When I first hear Crash Test Dummies, before Tantric and Godsmack, I was shocked, but his voice worked. I'm glad to hear more baritone and bass voices in rock/hard rock.
I would love to see a video on vocalists who have maintained their voices quite well through the years. Rob Halford, Ozzy (to an extent), Bruce Dickinson, Dio (up to his death), James Hetfield are all great examples
The hard rock/heavy metal guys all go to shit, kids who found they could hit freakishly high notes but had no formal training, so the years of screaming their balls off, not to mention vodka and crack in many cases, means the ‘reunion tour’ years are painful. The singers who’ve maintained their voices over the years either took really good care, worked with coaches etc, or were never ripping their throats out night after night, take morrissey for instance, he still sounds more or less the same as he did in the smiths, but he’s been essentially crooning for 40 years. Peter Gabriel and Sting are an example of the former - they’ve both taken care of themselves, hence whilst neither have the power they had back in the day, neither come close to embarrassing themselves, and sound pretty damn good given they’re in their early 70’s. Axl rose sounds like Mickey Mouse, jon Bon jovi sounds as if he’s forgotten how to sing altogether. Vince Neil was indeed always fucking terrible. Paul Stanley… go back to miming, please 😂
I also agree with most of your statement. And I'm no Kiss fan or expert, but from what I heard in this video, Paul Stanley sounded just as bad in the 70's!!
I don’t think Elton John’s is too bad considering what happened to him, he knows what his limits are and stays within them so you never really hear his voice cracking or sounding weak. The worst thing is his seeming inability to any sort of falsetto anymore.
He had good moments as baritone when he was younger. He voice actually started to darken a few years before his throat operation in '87 that turned him into a baritone but he still sounded good in that way through at least the last of the 20th century. These 3 songs I perfer how he did 'em after the operation, Your Song, Candle in the Wind and Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me.
@@tomedwards6354 I’ve seen some later clips of him performing and while he’ll dodge certain notes or have singers to back him on certain parts, never ends up being as sad as Genesis on the last domino tour. It probably helps that he doesn’t transpose the songs down half an octave and Elton always has his piano so he isn’t some poor old man in an office chair.
Elton is my all time favorite. I sometimes wonder if he would have stayed at a creative and commercial peak longer if he hadn't been addicted to drugs and had kept the voice and focus.
On the flip side, singers whose voices I feel have aged beautifully are: -Michael Stipe -Cat Stevens -Billy Joel -Eddie Vedder -Robert Plant (dude made the music fit the lowering of his register, to great effect)
i definitely agree with Michael Stipe... his voice is seemingly ageless. I believe the singers who stay in the lower register tend to preserve better than those super high singers
@@DancingwithGhosts with the heavy rock metal singers, Plant was 19/20 when LZ 1/2 were recorded, at 76 he is smart to re arrange the older songs in a folk/country vibe to keep them interesting and without having to scream so much haha
It's definitely worth mentioning that Geddy's voice sounded a hell of a lot better at the South Park 25th anniversary show in 2022 than it did 10+ years earlier. It really seems that the time off from touring did him some good
I think you forgot to put Robert Plant. This guy used to shout Stairway to Heaven lyrics at the top of his lungs in the 70s, but when I watched his performance at the charity event organized by Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, his voice completely went to shit Edit: Well, sadly by your video, I guess we can confirm Rush is not returning any time soon. Neil Peart is dead, Geddy Lee’s voice is gone and Alex Lifeson’s arthritis has affected is guitar skills harshly. A real shame, cuz I wonder what it would look like to see rush perform at Arena MRV
After Zep IV, Robert Plant's vocal quality starts to get progressively weaker, if you listen closely. He's already straining to hit some of the high notes on Physical Graffiti, and there's nowhere near as much force behind it when he does. Now he just sounds kind of like a wheezy bullfrog.
Glenn Danzig is one who had an absolutely amazing voice that he brutalized so much that his later Danzig recordings sounded really rough. I have listened to him do recent Misfits songs live and weirdly enough he can still sing those well, just not the showy vocals of Danzig.
There's speculation that he had some sort of vocal surgery after Danzig 5. At the time of Danzig 6's release, he claimed in interviews that the reason his voice sounded so different on 6 was because it was the first album where his voice was recorded digitally, which is an absurd excuse. His voice seemed to recover over the years since, but yeah, it's never going to be quite the same.
Just saw Scorpions in Vegas…Klaus Meine (76 yrs old) still sounds amazing and strong! Like Geddy Lee, he and Klaus have two (Scorpions & Rush) of the most unique voices in all of rock!
A slightly more "obscure" example but Toshi from X Japan's vocals were unbearable to listen to after the band got back together in 2008. The man sounded like he was actually in pain when he tried to do a high note.
Toshi left X Japan in the 90's to join a cult and would only do music for that cult for the next 12 years. I think the 'We are X' documentary would be right up ur alley, Josh.
@@SavoxYT One can have a great range and a shitty technique. Keep in mind, he's one of my faves so I'm not hating on him. Kyo burnt down his vocal quite quickly imo. He sounded great on records but kinda awkward in the lives but with Dir and Sukekiyo's last albums/singles, it seems that his vocals are very worn out and his articulation is not good at all.
I saw Genesis in November of 2021 and I thought Phil Collins did a great job! Sounded great to me but I think I was also just ecstatic to see them. Still hold that show in very high regard
Im late to the party but I think it’s interesting that Brian Wilson was able to reinvent his voice 3 times during his career. His 62-66 falsetto, 66-75 raspy tenor, and the baritone he’s had till these last couple of years.
You forgot David Lee Roth. Holy hell lmao. He was never a good singer, but his voice hit the wall HARD. Listen to The VH toyko dome concert it’s hilarious
I always like the singers who had limited voices to begin with. Like the late Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed so as they got older it wasn't a big deal and it gave their voices character.
Leonard actually sounded better with age. I didn't discover him until his resurgence in the '90s and when I listened to his early stuff I was kind of disappointed that he didn't sound the same as he did on I'm Your Man and The Future.
@@robswystun2766 I did first discover Cohen through his early 90's videos. I then started out with 'Songs Of Love And Hate' as my first Cohen album. I don't mind his early vocals. Kind of a nasal. But he was originally a poet. As the years and cigarettes went by he developed that deep smokey voice that's his trademark.
vocals are the most difficult to maintain as you age especially when their are health problems involved . Watching the greats struggle is sad . The unfortunate thing is , because of cellphone footage everywhere these day's there might be more footage of them singing bad then years ago when they were in their prime if they continue .
I had a steroid injection in each shoulder for tendonitis pain recently and it immediately affected my voice for a month until they wore off. My speaking voice sound like I was close to laryngitis every day. Once they wore off I was back to normal. I also sing with my band and had to concentrate really hard on technique so I didn't blow it out. Maybe the steroids finally caught up with Phil Collins.
The failed back surgery didn't help. Try singing while you are forced to slouch in a chair cause you can't stand for any period of time. And yes I know he never had great technique to begin with. But what's the excuse for Bon Jovi and Elton John 😂
Vocals aren’t the only component of music, the soy didn’t ruined just cause they’re not the best. American Idol has destroyed our literacy and perception of music.
Even though I'm a lifelong Queen fan, Freddie's live vocal was beginning to slide by 1986, he smoked 60 cigs a day and it was beginning to show. Unlike those singers you highlighted I'm more than sure that he would have given up touring long before he sounded that bad if Aids hadn't got him.
I know he's been gone for almost a decade, but I'm surprised you didn't include Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots. They were one of my favorite bands from the 90's, but Scott's voice deteriorated pretty heavily the last few years of his life. The clips of him singing Vasoline in 2015 are pretty shocking.
NGL, when I first heard of Bon Jovi, it was the music video to his song "Who says you can't go home". I thought he was just an old country singer. Never knew that it was the same guy who made Wanted Dead or Alive.
This is so sad and painful. In most cases it doesn't have to happen. I didn't start singing in a band till I was almost 70. I have no vices and I know how to work on my voice. I'll never be a front man but I can sing harmony.
Julie Andrews. Have you ever noticed how anytime there's a tribute to Marry Poppins or The Sound of Music Julie is never up there singing? Have you noticed she hasn't been in a musical for decades? A botched vocal surgery in 1997 left her unable to even talk for awhile then took away her singing. If you remember her in The Princess Diaries 2 talk singing that's the best she can do now. Went from a classically trained 4 octovate voice to talk singing and having Raven Symone outsinging you...and Raven Symone shouldn't be outsinging ANYONE.
@@charlotteharriet8656 Julie Andrews was a victim of medical malpractice. She underwent surgery to remove nodes on her vocal cords, and the surgeon botched the operation and destroyed her singing voice. Likewise Linda Ronstadt has lost her voice due to Parkinson's disease, so two of the greatest pop voices of the 20th century have been silenced forever even though their owners are still alive.
For Blink, there was a short period of time from 99-03 where they were good live. They sucked in the beginning, they sucked toward the middle, and they sucked HARD toward the end.
Sounds to me Geddy Lee lost his hearing. 99.999999999% of early rock bands never wore in-ear monitors or any kind of ear protection while performing night after night around VERY loud amps and PAs. Call me a wimp but I wear ear protection even as a crowd member at gigs. Im a singer-songwriter myself and would enjoy having my great hearing up to my gawd damn death. When a vocalist loses his or her hearing, even a little bit, its like a boxer losing their eye sight. They have no sense of what to hit.
I wish wearing ear protection at concerts was more normalized. I bought a fancy pair of ear plugs for this exact purpose. They are not as noticeable as the work ones.
I’d like to mention Robert Plant, as you hear himself now compared to 70s plant is a great difference. Also I love their live album “how the west was won” partly because of the absurd voice cracks. (“Sense I’ve been loving you” has my favorite crack)
Actually Bon Jovi did tour with Stryper. Stryper's vocalist Michael Sweet's choice has gotten better with age, actually and the band has gotten heavier with their sound. Good enough to get in the Metal Hall of Fame.
Possibly a very unpopular opinion, but while The Last Domino tour was painful as all hell to listen to, I do personally really love the horror movie vibes that version of Mama gives. Even Collins’ elderly chicken vocals don’t really wreck it for me, I kinda see it as almost an unintentional reference to the elderly Henry from The Musical Box. That being said, I do wish there was a version of Mama in this new key that was lead by a singer who could really sell it.
“Classic Album Review” copied this same video with a similar title …plus got the year of Elton John’s vocal surgery wrong . Gotta say…yours wasn’t just first, it was better .
Here's a thought for a video: Singers whose voices have _changed_ without going to crap. Hanson, for example, sing a lot lower now than they did when they were big. But I think their voices are now more pleasant than they were back then.
The reason Tom DeLonge voice whet downhill, is because he got abducted too many times. As for all the singers that sing very high, you can't keep that going into old age, it just is not going to happen.
I got to see Elton John live a few years ago. Probably my favorite concert I’ve been to. Not going to deny his vocal power isn’t as good as it used to be.
Does anyone else think Geddy Lee sounds like Pinky from Pinky and the Brain in that last clip? I'm not trying to be mean that's just what he sounds like to me
@@DancingwithGhosts Absolutely ! I thought about John Cale too. The guy is 80 and is still creating great music, and other than the relative deepening of his voice due to aging, his timbre is more or less the sqme !
@@davidjorda-manaut308 One singer whose vocal longevity is pretty amazing in spite of what he's done to himself over the years: Mick Jagger. I was amazed with the new Rolling Stones album, "Hackney Diamonds." That certainly doesn't sound like a singer in his 80's!
Wow, you didnt take this one personally at all, did you? No one is shitting all over them, he is simply pointing out that voices deteriorate over the years as we age. Add in some questionable life choices and the effect is worsened. Those are facts, bud, and if you cant handle it maybe you should avoid the internet - if not life in general.
Um, are these rockers still charging hundreds of dollars per ticket to hear them sing (poorly)? 💵💵💵💵💵💰💰Paul McCartney doesn't exactly need the money... why would he tarnish his legacy by touring when he cannot do justice to his own lyrics? 🎼🎙🎛🎤
Young guys straining at their limits for the emotional effect. Old guys trying to imitate that. Rock is a young man's game, both for the performer and listener.
I hate to say it but i feel like the absolute worst case of this is James Labrie of Dream Theater. Guys voice was phenomenal up until the early 90s. Now he's unbearable live even with the songs transposed 😢
One singer whose voice hasn't gone to shit is Jon Anderson, formerly of Yes. He may have lost a little power, but for the most part, he still sings the same way as he did in the 70's. And he's going to be 80-years old in October.
I think some of the decline in the vocals also comes down to just not giving a shit anymore and being lazy. At least Geddy is giving an effort. Hard to listen to, but an effort none the less
I’d like to have also seen Whitney Houston on this list. She definitely had a gift of a beautiful angelic voice. But years of abusing herself with smoking & drugs ruined it and eventually killed her.
One quick note about Tom Delonge is that during the first Blink hiatus (2005-2009), he himself said that he did drugs, was on heavy painkillers due to a severe back injury and had alcohol problems that lasted even through the 2012-2014 period. That really fckd up his voice and he can even be seen in some shows of that era that he was wasted. I've seen him live recently and it's good to see him doing great now. His voice sounds powerful and with a very punkish-raw awesome tone. Granted he uses a tuner for his vocals, but autotune doesn't give you a good tone; that's all him now. He also claimed he's taken some lessons on how to take care and sing more efficiently. and I have to admit that it shows. Great content as always! Regards from Argentina!
Greg Lake as well. He's passed on, now... But compare pretty much all ELP from the 70's and listen to the 1992 album "Black Moon" Oh, also Brian Wilson's voice is history.
The problem with Geddy Lee is that your voice gets deeper as you age. He used to sing in these high falsettos that his vocal range just can't reach anymore. If they played the songs in a lower key, he'd sound okay
This is why I don't bother with concerts anymore. I saw a lot of bands live "back in the day" and I have no wish to see/hear what time has done to them (or me.)
Getty's voice in the band of rush probably would of sounded a little better if the band low pitched their songs just like bon jovi did with one of their songs like living on a prayer.
As someone who at the time liked some of the bands (Fastway and Whitesnake for a while) and some of the songs but hated the poseur BS. Like they all hit a point where they wanted to be boogie woogie glam bands in clown makeup and costumes. Like WTF? It was the stuff you listened to when you hung out with chicks. Thrash Metal, and Metallica (particularly their post Thrash 1991 self titled album) doesn't get the credit deserved for helping stomp it out. Everyone just says Nirvana.
There was always a big disconnect between the Hair Metal bands and the fans. These dudes would be singing about doing cocaine and fucking super models in LA and your average teenager in Buttfuck, Nowhere couldn't relate to it. Once the Grunge boys came along and started singing about being unsure of yourself and confused much of the time, every teen could relate to that.
Elton was fantastic in the 70s and 80s. I saw his show in the early 2000s and his voice was already going then. Not his fault, age and as you said, surgery. But I can't listen to later material of his. Certainly the earlier years are legendary.
Check out Tony Martin, who sung for Black Sabbath in the 80’s and 90’s in their “bad” era. In his peak he could basically replicate Dio’s range and style with ease, but now he sounds like a mediocre grunge vocalist. Even tuned 3 whole steps down he can’t hit the high notes live. He’s openly acknowledged this is because he refused to take care of his voice and toward through multiple infections, but it’s still sad.
i saw kiss in 2010, and hall and oats in 2013. both daryl hall and pual stanley sucked soo bad. kiss i knew was going to be bad, but hall and oats broke my heart with how much of a barking labradore daryl hall sounded. it was so heartbreaking i never went to a concert again after that
Tom DeLonge made the list! It was so jarring hearing his voice change as a long time fan. I still think he’s mostly just lazy and could sound better with even just a modicum of effort put in. He hasn’t really tried since 2003-04 imo.
Doctoring live albums is a fairly common practice. James Brown, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Rush, Paul McCartney & Wings, and Frank Zappa are among those who did so.
John Fogerty (ex-frontman of CCR) is a good example as well. Him forcing his raspy voice for decades was no good for his vocal cords, so now he doesn't sound like he used to anymore. Although you gotta give the man some credit, he's still touring and hitting those high notes, not with the same raspy and howlin tone, but still.
I'm a huge Elton John fan but really back in the 70's on his classic albums. I still like his later albums up until 'The Captain and the Kid where he still had his voice more or less but from that point forward it just got worse and hearing him sing on his farewell tour was like nails on a chalkboard. But then think about Steven Tyler and all the abuse with drugs that he and the band did over the years and his voice for the most part still sounds pretty good for his age right now. I'll agree but disagree on Geddy Lee. As they went into the 80's he toned down his voice per the different producers request on their albums. I actually liked Geddy's voice more when he toned it down but as stated touring so much and trying to hit the high notes on those early albums does take its toll. Also, don't forget that a lot of these singers are now well into their 70's or even 80 so what would one expect at this point? You're just not going to sound like you did back in your 20's. But I have to ask where is David Lee Roth???
this is why i’m totally fine with prerecorded vocal tracks for the tougher areas of a track for a singer,id rather the live tune sound good rather than butchered
Different genre and era but Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas is the greatest singer to totally lose it. Before Aretha took over Martha was THE female soul singer. Now she can't carry a tune. Makes me sad
I've heard that as well but hey, this is the woman who melted the roof off of Motown studios when she sang "Heat Wave". She seem to be enjoying her life and $$ so I have no idea why she continues to tour.
There's a really good group on RUclips called Home Free. A couple of times they collaborated with Don McClean. In the seventies, he had a pure tenor voice. But when they sang with Don McClean, he sounded more like he was talking than singing.
Now do the opposite of this video, singer's voices that have aged magnificently so we can all feel a little better about getting old, id watch it. Thanks for the vids bro. Love ur stuff.
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To be fair, Tom Delonge never really sounded good.
You beat me to it. He still rocks.
But that’s the charm about his voice though
@@ewalecruz5560went from bad in a good way to bad in a bad way
Listen to Angels & Airwaves
No one says "All dah... Smol theeengs" quite like him.
Elton John’s voice really just changed, it’s not nearly as bad as the others
He could get some of his range and stability back if he gave up drinking and carbs.
Facts tho. He had surgery on his throat in like 86 all it did was make his falsetto basically nonexistent
he doesn't drink anymore@@Attmay
The surgery changed his voice so much he didn’t sound the same but it is better now
He was young when he started folks!---his voice got stronger/ deeper!!!
No Axl Rose? Good video though
he maybe never liked Axl's voice...
I never thought Axl had a good voice to begin with, therefore his voice can't go to shit because i thought his voice was always shit lol
this list has both motley crue and bon Jovi. Axl had a way better voice then either of those 2 in his prime.
I thought the same
@@DancingwithGhostsI can agree with some songs but with other songs no, his voice can be amazing
TLDR: getting older sucks.
*And partying too hard is bad
@@cactoidpinataExactly! Just party enough!🤩
lol yeah... pretty much.. I don't know what Tom Delonge's excuse is though
It does . I threw a tennis ball and now the shoulder of my throwing arm hurts so bad .
Actually it's not necessarily because I'm a singer myself and I'm 60 years old and I've been very blessed I called a blessing because I don't do drugs I don't drink never have been one of those and I've tried to be pretty healthy in my cholesterol levels are very healthy gone to the doctor recently so I call it a blessing because my voice is just as powerful and I can still hit the high notes as I ever have when I was in my twenties
Paul McCartney's voice has deteriorated terribly with age. I honestly have no idea how people still pay a small fortune to see him in concert. Yes, he's a living legend, and everyone wants a piece of that - but is that worth it for such an awful performance? I hope his band is good, at least.
yeah.. it's always weird too when you have these old legends on stage and they have a dude who looks like me in their back up band.. just some guy with piercings and funky hair... it always throws me off. Beach Boys had a band leader like that.
@@DancingwithGhostsHaha, and now that you say that, I could totally see it if they had a bunch of young guys who could rock out playing some of the better Wings stuff, for instance. If they were into it and really made it come alive, I think it could be really enjoyable as an outdoor summer venue show!
@@DancingwithGhosts Paul's band is all over 60. Ringo's voice still sounds great!
@@debjorgo Ringo didnt have much of a singing voice to begin with; John and Paul had great singing voices
@sashizakura9124; yeah; Paul's voice starting to go down hill around the early 2000's its a shame he keeps touring as he doesnt need the money
Good Lord, Vince Neil looks like Dog The Bounty Hunter's wife.
RIP
After she died, you mean.
Let's just call him Beth Neil and call it a day 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
He had a sex change, he is Dogs man wife, the real lady, was only with Dog when he was in public, or filming.
Bizarrely, I feel like Alice Cooper's voice has only gotten better and stronger as he aged. It probably helps that he never had a good voice in the first place lol, and quitting alcohol and tobacco 40+ years ago
never really got into the Coopmeister
@@DancingwithGhosts At the risk of sounding like an old hipster (I'm only 40 i swear), his best stuff was pre-rehab, the "Alice Cooper Band" era. Basically all the stuff produced by Bob Ezrin lol
Have you heard Keith Richards? You can actually understand him when he talks.
There was a live television presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar where Alice Cooper sang "King Herod's Song". He was magnificent!
It's the golfing.
Is the list just “they can’t sing as well as they used to”? Or their voice is now “truly awful”? There’s a difference.
The modern clips you played of Geddy Lee, Jon Bon Jovi & Phil Collins aren’t what they were, but they’re not awful either.
Instead David Lee Roth & Huey Lewis should have made your list.
thats what im thinking, i really like elton john's voice today, still really good
Then you have Rob Halford from Judas Priest. Still a vocal powerhouse at such an old age
Right. If they lower the key a whole step and they still sing off-key, it's them. And in this video, you can hear how the key was changed for many. It must also be said that record companies have ALWAYS wanted singers to sing at their highest key possible. For some, it's where they sound the best, for some, the rec co's just want that high strain. It is NOT a good idea...
It must also be said that the vocal chords are extremely sensitive to stress/strain and overuse. You can't just change a string or drum head...
When I first hear Crash Test Dummies, before Tantric and Godsmack, I was shocked, but his voice worked. I'm glad to hear more baritone and bass voices in rock/hard rock.
You do know Huey Lewis suffers from Ménière's disease, right?
I would love to see a video on vocalists who have maintained their voices quite well through the years. Rob Halford, Ozzy (to an extent), Bruce Dickinson, Dio (up to his death), James Hetfield are all great examples
yeah i just may do that video at some point.. i have a few of my own that i can think of
Hetfield blew his voice out and has never sounded the same
I'd add David Gilmour to the list.
@@DancingwithGhosts definitely would love to see that video. Looking forward to it
@@Mpresley83 great example! Gilmour sounds great to this day
Last time I saw Rob Zombie he couldn't keep up with the music. His stage show was awesome but he was out of breath the whole time 😢
breath control has always been a huge problem for him, look at any performance of thunder kiss from the early 90s and he STILL can't keep up with it!
Rob always sounded weird live to me. I saw him when White Zombie was a thing. He would just stop singing verses.
yeah i've heard he's really bad live
@clutch2827 I thought it was because I had seen him after 2004 I just figured he was old and tired by then 😅 guess not? 🤷♂️
@visitor5451 that's crazy. You would think one of the band members would help out by singing backing vocals 😅
Imagine no longer being able to sing POP PUNK well. The bar isn't low, it's underground
yeah.. i mean Tom wasn't a great singer even in his prime lol
@@DancingwithGhosts Everyone was like "Bring Tom back!" when I was like "Matt is a way better singer."
@@marcen12 oh i'll take Tom's songwriting over Matt any day of the week. Tom writes way more interesting music he just sucks live.
The hard rock/heavy metal guys all go to shit, kids who found they could hit freakishly high notes but had no formal training, so the years of screaming their balls off, not to mention vodka and crack in many cases, means the ‘reunion tour’ years are painful. The singers who’ve maintained their voices over the years either took really good care, worked with coaches etc, or were never ripping their throats out night after night, take morrissey for instance, he still sounds more or less the same as he did in the smiths, but he’s been essentially crooning for 40 years. Peter Gabriel and Sting are an example of the former - they’ve both taken care of themselves, hence whilst neither have the power they had back in the day, neither come close to embarrassing themselves, and sound pretty damn good given they’re in their early 70’s. Axl rose sounds like Mickey Mouse, jon Bon jovi sounds as if he’s forgotten how to sing altogether. Vince Neil was indeed always fucking terrible. Paul Stanley… go back to miming, please 😂
yeah agreed, sting and pete still sound amazing.. wish i coulda caught their co-headling tour a few years ago
I also agree with most of your statement. And I'm no Kiss fan or expert, but from what I heard in this video, Paul Stanley sounded just as bad in the 70's!!
@@Piece-O-Pie retard ass take
I don’t think Elton John’s is too bad considering what happened to him, he knows what his limits are and stays within them so you never really hear his voice cracking or sounding weak. The worst thing is his seeming inability to any sort of falsetto anymore.
yeah he's def lost that awesome falsetto he once had
He had good moments as baritone when he was younger. He voice actually started to darken a few years before his throat operation in '87 that turned him into a baritone but he still sounded good in that way through at least the last of the 20th century. These 3 songs I perfer how he did 'em after the operation, Your Song, Candle in the Wind and Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me.
@@tomedwards6354 I’ve seen some later clips of him performing and while he’ll dodge certain notes or have singers to back him on certain parts, never ends up being as sad as Genesis on the last domino tour. It probably helps that he doesn’t transpose the songs down half an octave and Elton always has his piano so he isn’t some poor old man in an office chair.
Elton is my all time favorite. I sometimes wonder if he would have stayed at a creative and commercial peak longer if he hadn't been addicted to drugs and had kept the voice and focus.
Well, to have Vince Neil and Paul Stanley on the list certainly changes the curve. Nobody should ever be compared to those two clowns.
On the flip side, singers whose voices I feel have aged beautifully are:
-Michael Stipe
-Cat Stevens
-Billy Joel
-Eddie Vedder
-Robert Plant (dude made the music fit the lowering of his register, to great effect)
i definitely agree with Michael Stipe... his voice is seemingly ageless. I believe the singers who stay in the lower register tend to preserve better than those super high singers
@@DancingwithGhostsStipe smoked Like a chimey in the band's most popular Era. Good genetics, I suppose.
@@Mpresley83 oh wow.. the dude did always look sickly
@@DancingwithGhosts with the heavy rock metal singers, Plant was 19/20 when LZ 1/2 were recorded, at 76 he is smart to re arrange the older songs in a folk/country vibe to keep them interesting and without having to scream so much haha
Peter Gabriel Thom Yorke Neil Young
You know who took long than anyone to lose his voice? Ronnie. James. Dio. He was a god. Truly missed.
Staying away from hard drugs really helps.
@@robswystun2766 Answered the wrong commentary by mistake, sorry. But yeah, Dio really had a clean body.
It's definitely worth mentioning that Geddy's voice sounded a hell of a lot better at the South Park 25th anniversary show in 2022 than it did 10+ years earlier. It really seems that the time off from touring did him some good
All of the success that Elton john had for decades after the vocal surgery at least speaks to his musical talents not just as a vocalist.
I think you forgot to put Robert Plant. This guy used to shout Stairway to Heaven lyrics at the top of his lungs in the 70s, but when I watched his performance at the charity event organized by Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, his voice completely went to shit
Edit: Well, sadly by your video, I guess we can confirm Rush is not returning any time soon. Neil Peart is dead, Geddy Lee’s voice is gone and Alex Lifeson’s arthritis has affected is guitar skills harshly. A real shame, cuz I wonder what it would look like to see rush perform at Arena MRV
After Zep IV, Robert Plant's vocal quality starts to get progressively weaker, if you listen closely. He's already straining to hit some of the high notes on Physical Graffiti, and there's nowhere near as much force behind it when he does. Now he just sounds kind of like a wheezy bullfrog.
Hence his move to full-time folk artist.
Glenn Danzig is one who had an absolutely amazing voice that he brutalized so much that his later Danzig recordings sounded really rough. I have listened to him do recent Misfits songs live and weirdly enough he can still sing those well, just not the showy vocals of Danzig.
Saw Danzig last summer and he sounded amazing.
There's speculation that he had some sort of vocal surgery after Danzig 5. At the time of Danzig 6's release, he claimed in interviews that the reason his voice sounded so different on 6 was because it was the first album where his voice was recorded digitally, which is an absurd excuse. His voice seemed to recover over the years since, but yeah, it's never going to be quite the same.
Just saw Scorpions in Vegas…Klaus Meine (76 yrs old) still sounds amazing and strong! Like Geddy Lee, he and Klaus have two (Scorpions & Rush) of the most unique voices in all of rock!
A slightly more "obscure" example but Toshi from X Japan's vocals were unbearable to listen to after the band got back together in 2008. The man sounded like he was actually in pain when he tried to do a high note.
hmm interesting i'll have to check them out
Toshi left X Japan in the 90's to join a cult and would only do music for that cult for the next 12 years. I think the 'We are X' documentary would be right up ur alley, Josh.
I would add kyo from dir en grey if we're talking about Japanese bands 🥲
@@tiramisucocolands7952 Really? I thought he supposed to be one of the best vocalists in the world based on octave range?
@@SavoxYT One can have a great range and a shitty technique. Keep in mind, he's one of my faves so I'm not hating on him. Kyo burnt down his vocal quite quickly imo. He sounded great on records but kinda awkward in the lives but with Dir and Sukekiyo's last albums/singles, it seems that his vocals are very worn out and his articulation is not good at all.
I saw Genesis in November of 2021 and I thought Phil Collins did a great job! Sounded great to me but I think I was also just ecstatic to see them. Still hold that show in very high regard
Im late to the party but I think it’s interesting that Brian Wilson was able to reinvent his voice 3 times during his career. His 62-66 falsetto, 66-75 raspy tenor, and the baritone he’s had till these last couple of years.
Now that he has dementia, his ability to use his instrument is going to be compromised until he is gone altogether.
@@Attmay Yeah, it’s really sad. At least we have his records.
You forgot David Lee Roth. Holy hell lmao. He was never a good singer, but his voice hit the wall HARD. Listen to The VH toyko dome concert it’s hilarious
I always like the singers who had limited voices to begin with. Like the late Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed so as they got older it wasn't a big deal and it gave their voices character.
Leonard actually sounded better with age. I didn't discover him until his resurgence in the '90s and when I listened to his early stuff I was kind of disappointed that he didn't sound the same as he did on I'm Your Man and The Future.
@@robswystun2766 I did first discover Cohen through his early 90's videos. I then started out with 'Songs Of Love And Hate' as my first Cohen album. I don't mind his early vocals. Kind of a nasal. But he was originally a poet. As the years and cigarettes went by he developed that deep smokey voice that's his trademark.
3:50 You can't fool me. That's Rob Paulsen in a wig doing his Pinky voice.
What does today"s music have to offer that is really good
True and will people be talking about today's music in 30 to 40 years from now?
Daily use of drugs/cigs/booze/buffet= Vince Neil's voice and belly
vocals are the most difficult to maintain as you age especially when their are health problems involved . Watching the greats struggle is sad . The unfortunate thing is , because of cellphone footage everywhere these day's there might be more footage of them singing bad then years ago when they were in their prime if they continue .
I had a steroid injection in each shoulder for tendonitis pain recently and it immediately affected my voice for a month until they wore off. My speaking voice sound like I was close to laryngitis every day. Once they wore off I was back to normal. I also sing with my band and had to concentrate really hard on technique so I didn't blow it out. Maybe the steroids finally caught up with Phil Collins.
The failed back surgery didn't help. Try singing while you are forced to slouch in a chair cause you can't stand for any period of time. And yes I know he never had great technique to begin with. But what's the excuse for Bon Jovi and Elton John 😂
Vocals aren’t the only component of music, the soy didn’t ruined just cause they’re not the best. American Idol has destroyed our literacy and perception of music.
Even though I'm a lifelong Queen fan, Freddie's live vocal was beginning to slide by 1986, he smoked 60 cigs a day and it was beginning to show. Unlike those singers you highlighted I'm more than sure that he would have given up touring long before he sounded that bad if Aids hadn't got him.
i donno. Freddie loved to perform, I could see them milking it for a few more decades.
I know he's been gone for almost a decade, but I'm surprised you didn't include Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots. They were one of my favorite bands from the 90's, but Scott's voice deteriorated pretty heavily the last few years of his life. The clips of him singing Vasoline in 2015 are pretty shocking.
oh i was unaware of Scott's vocal downfall, i just knew he could never really kick the drugs
NGL, when I first heard of Bon Jovi, it was the music video to his song "Who says you can't go home". I thought he was just an old country singer. Never knew that it was the same guy who made Wanted Dead or Alive.
This is so sad and painful. In most cases it doesn't have to happen. I didn't start singing in a band till I was almost 70. I have no vices and I know how to work on my voice. I'll never be a front man but I can sing harmony.
Look on how Bob Dylan's voice changed
Bob was always an awful singer.
Julie Andrews.
Have you ever noticed how anytime there's a tribute to Marry Poppins or The Sound of Music Julie is never up there singing? Have you noticed she hasn't been in a musical for decades? A botched vocal surgery in 1997 left her unable to even talk for awhile then took away her singing. If you remember her in The Princess Diaries 2 talk singing that's the best she can do now. Went from a classically trained 4 octovate voice to talk singing and having Raven Symone outsinging you...and Raven Symone shouldn't be outsinging ANYONE.
yeah she kept coming up under examples of singers whose voices went to crap, to be honest i've never heard of her
@@charlotteharriet8656 Julie Andrews was a victim of medical malpractice. She underwent surgery to remove nodes on her vocal cords, and the surgeon botched the operation and destroyed her singing voice. Likewise Linda Ronstadt has lost her voice due to Parkinson's disease, so two of the greatest pop voices of the 20th century have been silenced forever even though their owners are still alive.
@@DancingwithGhosts Never heard of her? You've never watched The Sound of Music or Mary Poppins??
@@jkkay477 This dude wasn't even born yet when those movies came out. It's not surprising that he hasn't heard of her.
@@robswystun2766Right? Who’s expected to know classic films and music from times prior to their lives?
For Blink, there was a short period of time from 99-03 where they were good live. They sucked in the beginning, they sucked toward the middle, and they sucked HARD toward the end.
Sounds to me Geddy Lee lost his hearing. 99.999999999% of early rock bands never wore in-ear monitors or any kind of ear protection while performing night after night around VERY loud amps and PAs. Call me a wimp but I wear ear protection even as a crowd member at gigs. Im a singer-songwriter myself and would enjoy having my great hearing up to my gawd damn death. When a vocalist loses his or her hearing, even a little bit, its like a boxer losing their eye sight. They have no sense of what to hit.
I wish wearing ear protection at concerts was more normalized. I bought a fancy pair of ear plugs for this exact purpose. They are not as noticeable as the work ones.
I’d like to mention Robert Plant, as you hear himself now compared to 70s plant is a great difference.
Also I love their live album “how the west was won” partly because of the absurd voice cracks.
(“Sense I’ve been loving you” has my favorite crack)
Elton John's voice is still okay, but lower. All of his fans know and understand this. You can't make your case with him.
Actually Bon Jovi did tour with Stryper. Stryper's vocalist Michael Sweet's choice has gotten better with age, actually and the band has gotten heavier with their sound. Good enough to get in the Metal Hall of Fame.
They're still Satan's least favourite band, though.
Possibly a very unpopular opinion, but while The Last Domino tour was painful as all hell to listen to, I do personally really love the horror movie vibes that version of Mama gives. Even Collins’ elderly chicken vocals don’t really wreck it for me, I kinda see it as almost an unintentional reference to the elderly Henry from The Musical Box. That being said, I do wish there was a version of Mama in this new key that was lead by a singer who could really sell it.
hell.. the key it's in now I could freakin sing it
“Classic Album Review” copied this same video with a similar title …plus got the year of Elton John’s vocal surgery wrong . Gotta say…yours wasn’t just first, it was better .
Here's a thought for a video: Singers whose voices have _changed_ without going to crap. Hanson, for example, sing a lot lower now than they did when they were big. But I think their voices are now more pleasant than they were back then.
This was a lot meaner than i expected. Pretty much everyone declines significantly over time. Except dylan, who always sounded like that.
The reason Tom DeLonge voice whet downhill, is because he got abducted too many times. As for all the singers that sing very high, you can't keep that going into old age, it just is not going to happen.
As much as i love Queensryche Geoffs vocals have gone down the toilet. He was the goat back in his prime though
I got to see Elton John live a few years ago. Probably my favorite concert I’ve been to. Not going to deny his vocal power isn’t as good as it used to be.
ALL voices eventually "go to crap" if you get old enough.
9:58 Did you do this? It got me good!
Does anyone else think Geddy Lee sounds like Pinky from Pinky and the Brain in that last clip?
I'm not trying to be mean that's just what he sounds like to me
Ian Gillan from Deep Purple.
James LaBrie from Dream Theater.
Meat Loaf.
my friend saw deep purple live a few years ago and said the same thing.. people were walking out
Good topic! If you haven't already, I would enjoy the inverse, singers whose voices held up really well.
yeah i thought about that one too.. Sting and Michael Stipe are two that come to mind
@@DancingwithGhosts Nice! Tommy Shaw from Styx sounded really good the last time I heard him sing on Daryl Hall's channel a few years ago.
@@DancingwithGhosts Absolutely ! I thought about John Cale too. The guy is 80 and is still creating great music, and other than the relative deepening of his voice due to aging, his timbre is more or less the sqme !
@@davidjorda-manaut308 One singer whose vocal longevity is pretty amazing in spite of what he's done to himself over the years: Mick Jagger. I was amazed with the new Rolling Stones album, "Hackney Diamonds." That certainly doesn't sound like a singer in his 80's!
Kind of unfair to shit all over 70 year old men who've been singing professionally for 40-50 years, no?
Wow, you didnt take this one personally at all, did you? No one is shitting all over them, he is simply pointing out that voices deteriorate over the years as we age. Add in some questionable life choices and the effect is worsened. Those are facts, bud, and if you cant handle it maybe you should avoid the internet - if not life in general.
@@pathfinder1273 The video title literally has "crap" in it. And speaking of taking things personally ... "if not life in general?" Dude.
@@robswystun2766 I only speak English. Could you please translate that? And fuck off with the "dude" already.
Um, are these rockers still charging hundreds of dollars per ticket to hear them sing (poorly)? 💵💵💵💵💵💰💰Paul McCartney doesn't exactly need the money... why would he tarnish his legacy by touring when he cannot do justice to his own lyrics? 🎼🎙🎛🎤
Getting older fucking sucks, and Paul should have stayed with the way he sung in 70s, through the next five decades.
indeed.. i myself am feeling it too
Tommy Shaw of Styx is 70 years old and still sounds like he did at 25 . Come on man. 😮
It's the music that sucks in Styx's case.
Why this program?
Young guys straining at their limits for the emotional effect. Old guys trying to imitate that. Rock is a young man's game, both for the performer and listener.
I hate to say it but i feel like the absolute worst case of this is James Labrie of Dream Theater. Guys voice was phenomenal up until the early 90s. Now he's unbearable live even with the songs transposed 😢
Chris Barnes
One singer whose voice hasn't gone to shit is Jon Anderson, formerly of Yes. He may have lost a little power, but for the most part, he still sings the same way as he did in the 70's. And he's going to be 80-years old in October.
I think some of the decline in the vocals also comes down to just not giving a shit anymore and being lazy. At least Geddy is giving an effort. Hard to listen to, but an effort none the less
I’d like to have also seen Whitney Houston on this list. She definitely had a gift of a beautiful angelic voice. But years of abusing herself with smoking & drugs ruined it and eventually killed her.
One quick note about Tom Delonge is that during the first Blink hiatus (2005-2009), he himself said that he did drugs, was on heavy painkillers due to a severe back injury and had alcohol problems that lasted even through the 2012-2014 period. That really fckd up his voice and he can even be seen in some shows of that era that he was wasted.
I've seen him live recently and it's good to see him doing great now. His voice sounds powerful and with a very punkish-raw awesome tone. Granted he uses a tuner for his vocals, but autotune doesn't give you a good tone; that's all him now. He also claimed he's taken some lessons on how to take care and sing more efficiently. and I have to admit that it shows.
Great content as always! Regards from Argentina!
Greg Lake as well. He's passed on, now... But compare pretty much all ELP from the 70's and listen to the 1992 album "Black Moon" Oh, also Brian Wilson's voice is history.
The problem with Geddy Lee is that your voice gets deeper as you age. He used to sing in these high falsettos that his vocal range just can't reach anymore. If they played the songs in a lower key, he'd sound okay
But what is wrong with Stryper?
This is why I don't bother with concerts anymore. I saw a lot of bands live "back in the day" and I have no wish to see/hear what time has done to them (or me.)
Billie Joe Armstrongs voice is ageless no matter how old he gets he still sounds like Green Day in their prime hes not human
Getty's voice in the band of rush probably would of sounded a little better if the band low pitched their songs just like bon jovi did with one of their songs like living on a prayer.
You really introduced me to the genre of hairmetal. Thanks, it has some killer songs. I used to think it was all just cheesy, but it's great.
ah geez I'm responsible for that? darn it
As someone who at the time liked some of the bands (Fastway and Whitesnake for a while) and some of the songs but hated the poseur BS. Like they all hit a point where they wanted to be boogie woogie glam bands in clown makeup and costumes. Like WTF? It was the stuff you listened to when you hung out with chicks.
Thrash Metal, and Metallica (particularly their post Thrash 1991 self titled album) doesn't get the credit deserved for helping stomp it out. Everyone just says Nirvana.
There was always a big disconnect between the Hair Metal bands and the fans. These dudes would be singing about doing cocaine and fucking super models in LA and your average teenager in Buttfuck, Nowhere couldn't relate to it. Once the Grunge boys came along and started singing about being unsure of yourself and confused much of the time, every teen could relate to that.
Cigars don't help
At least Eddie Vedder still sounds amazing
It's hard to screw up yarling.
Elton was fantastic in the 70s and 80s. I saw his show in the early 2000s and his voice was already going then. Not his fault, age and as you said, surgery. But I can't listen to later material of his. Certainly the earlier years are legendary.
indeed.. what a voice
You're takes on hair metal make me happy
Check out Tony Martin, who sung for Black Sabbath in the 80’s and 90’s in their “bad” era. In his peak he could basically replicate Dio’s range and style with ease, but now he sounds like a mediocre grunge vocalist. Even tuned 3 whole steps down he can’t hit the high notes live. He’s openly acknowledged this is because he refused to take care of his voice and toward through multiple infections, but it’s still sad.
i saw kiss in 2010, and hall and oats in 2013. both daryl hall and pual stanley sucked soo bad. kiss i knew was going to be bad, but hall and oats broke my heart with how much of a barking labradore daryl hall sounded. it was so heartbreaking i never went to a concert again after that
oh wow... lol i love how you went to the kiss concert knowing they were gonna suck and still went anyway 😂
😂barking labrador! I have to look it up now.
Perhaps you can do a clip with vocalists who havent changed or even got better like Paul Rogers, Jon Anderson or Steve Walsh
Tom DeLonge made the list! It was so jarring hearing his voice change as a long time fan. I still think he’s mostly just lazy and could sound better with even just a modicum of effort put in. He hasn’t really tried since 2003-04 imo.
well now he's really not trying.. all his shit is autotuned now live, it's subtle but it's definitely there if you listen closely
Then there were shit voices regardless of age...Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan....etc
You're right...they suck.
Doctoring live albums is a fairly common practice. James Brown, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Rush, Paul McCartney & Wings, and Frank Zappa are among those who did so.
Yes, but Kiss was the biggest fraud of them all; Kiss Alive was basically re-recorded in the studio
Some of these people never had a good voice.
John Fogerty (ex-frontman of CCR) is a good example as well. Him forcing his raspy voice for decades was no good for his vocal cords, so now he doesn't sound like he used to anymore.
Although you gotta give the man some credit, he's still touring and hitting those high notes, not with the same raspy and howlin tone, but still.
Maann...its tough to watch these legend going down hill.Geoff tate is the hardest for me to watch because he was that great when he at his prime.
When I was a kid I didn’t like the way Geddy Lee sang but now that I’m an adult with sophisticated tastes I’m into it
What about Axl Rose?
I'm a huge Elton John fan but really back in the 70's on his classic albums. I still like his later albums up until 'The Captain and the Kid where he still had his voice more or less but from that point forward it just got worse and hearing him sing on his farewell tour was like nails on a chalkboard. But then think about Steven Tyler and all the abuse with drugs that he and the band did over the years and his voice for the most part still sounds pretty good for his age right now. I'll agree but disagree on Geddy Lee. As they went into the 80's he toned down his voice per the different producers request on their albums. I actually liked Geddy's voice more when he toned it down but as stated touring so much and trying to hit the high notes on those early albums does take its toll. Also, don't forget that a lot of these singers are now well into their 70's or even 80 so what would one expect at this point? You're just not going to sound like you did back in your 20's. But I have to ask where is David Lee Roth???
Such a great video man, this should be a series in the channel...
thanks! I wanted to mix it up from my "failed album" videos I was doing
It sorta sad when they don’t know when to quit :/
Also sorta reminds me how viral songs absolutely suck live.
Michael McDonald can’t hit his notes anymore. Neither can Peter cetera
Totally agree! and I used to love Motley Crue \m/ until I heard real music from friends and then rejoiced when Smells Like Teen Spirit happened.
this is why i’m totally fine with prerecorded vocal tracks for the tougher areas of a track for a singer,id rather the live tune sound good rather than butchered
Different genre and era but Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas is the greatest singer to totally lose it. Before Aretha took over Martha was THE female soul singer. Now she can't carry a tune. Makes me sad
I've heard that as well but hey, this is the woman who melted the roof off of Motown studios when she sang "Heat Wave". She seem to be enjoying her life and $$ so I have no idea why she continues to tour.
There's a really good group on RUclips called Home Free. A couple of times they collaborated with Don McClean. In the seventies, he had a pure tenor voice. But when they sang with Don McClean, he sounded more like he was talking than singing.
Now do the opposite of this video, singer's voices that have aged magnificently so we can all feel a little better about getting old, id watch it. Thanks for the vids bro. Love ur stuff.
James Labrie from Drram Theater. He had an amazing voice and could hit insane highs, but now struggles to even stay in key.
When their voices reach a point where they're more speaking the words than singing them, that's when it really bothers me.
Please do a video on Pat Boone’s attempt to do heavy metal in 1997.