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Post by TM on May 19, 2015 13:52:10 GMT -5
I was listening to Minstrel and Warchild the other day and couldn't help but think about what a shame it is that Ian lost his greatest instrument - his voice. I can't help but question if Ian was a bit off, placing the priority on the flute rather than his vocals.
I've been listening to some interviews of a few singers lately who mentioned they had polyps removed from their vocal chords. Guys like Roger Daltry and James Taylor as an example. Daltry mentioned that he is not permitted to sing on consecutive nights due to insurance reasons.
What's done is done, but has Ian ever mentioned what exactly happened to his vocals chords in medical terms?
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Post by TM on May 21, 2015 19:38:23 GMT -5
More on this subject....
I recently heard the reason Robert Plant has not done and will not do another Zeppelin tour is because he knows and knew he couldn't handle the vocals...
What ifs maybes and what have might have beens.
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Post by Biggles on May 21, 2015 21:25:55 GMT -5
I was listening to Minstrel and Warchild the other day and couldn't help but think about what a shame it is that Ian lost his greatest instrument - his voice. I can't help but question if Ian was a bit off, placing the priority on the flute rather than his vocals. I've been listening to some interviews of a few singers lately who mentioned they had polyps removed from their vocal chords. Guys like Roger Daltry and James Taylor as an example. Daltry mentioned that he is not permitted to sing on consecutive nights due to insurance reasons. What's done is done, but has Ian ever mentioned what exactly happened to his vocals chords in medical terms? That's the problem T. We're all left to speculate because Ian isn't talking. The only mention I can recall is when an interviewer (or perhaps it was his self interview, can't remember) asked "So Ian, when did your voice start giving you problems?" and Ian replied "1968". My personal thoughts are, either his doubling down by singing lead vocals while also adding his Roland Kirk tribute/ influence to the flute solos themselves put an extra strain on his vocal cords, or, it's simply hereditary. Now I've also heard the worse thing that any vocalist can do is sing "OOOOOOOoooooooh!" over and over again. But then I think of all the vocalist from that era that did the "OOOOOOOoooooooh!" thing and find some still can and some cannot. I nicknamed Robert Plant, Robert Cant. |
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StanDup
One of the Youngest of the Family
Posts: 85
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Post by StanDup on May 21, 2015 22:50:49 GMT -5
Another vowel that will shred the vocal cords is e. This is why I think you'll hear a lot if singers, especially hard rock singers replace that with an "ay" sound. Like instead of singing the word "me" , they'll pronounce it "may". I read in a concert programme where he blames his first brush with hearing damage on being sandwiched between walls of amp stacks. So having trouble hearing himself onstage probably led to vocal strain. Then touring like they did back then without much of a break couldn't have helped. Also, he smoked cigarettes. Then there's that wind instrument that he was expected to play with all that force and, like Biggs said, in the Roland Kirk fashion where he doubles the notes he played on flute with a falsetto note that he sings. It's a wonder those vocal cords lasted as long as they did.
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Post by Michael Crowe on May 22, 2015 1:01:25 GMT -5
I was listening to Minstrel and Warchild the other day and couldn't help but think about what a shame it is that Ian lost his greatest instrument - his voice. I can't help but question if Ian was a bit off, placing the priority on the flute rather than his vocals. I've been listening to some interviews of a few singers lately who mentioned they had polyps removed from their vocal chords. Guys like Roger Daltry and James Taylor as an example. Daltry mentioned that he is not permitted to sing on consecutive nights due to insurance reasons. What's done is done, but has Ian ever mentioned what exactly happened to his vocals chords in medical terms? Yes, but I don't remember the details. I do know that it had to do with the Under Wraps tour. The songs were in high keys for him and he damaged his voice on tour - I think I read this in an early 90s issue of A New Day - don't know the medical terms though. He took time off you remember then came the Crest album and the lower keys. But then Tull music has always been wordy, Ian talks all the time and smoked all the time and he was a baritone folk singer in a pretty heavy at times rock band, blew the flute, harp and the sax, and being the hyper workaholic type he is, toured all the time. I remember the Rock Island concert in 89. The first hour Ian sounded great, but by the end he was down to a faint rasp and still pushing the voice hard. I remember thinking then that his music life would be short if he didn't stop this, especially after the problems of the mid 80s. Ian not being a typical rock singer whose natural pitch is a bit below the standard, as he has stated, then it's no wonder he hasn't anything left in the tank, not to mention his age. I'm amazed at how good he sounded as late as ten years ago. Well, he certainly didn't embarrass himself on the Homo album, but the live things these days are iffy at best. It is a shame, but, he paid the price. I think that the Passion/Warchild era was his best vocally. |
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Post by TM on May 22, 2015 13:00:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses. I wasn't questioning the causes as much as what actually happened to his vocal chords physically and whether he something could have been done through a procedure which would have saved him as it did those other singers? Although most probably don't play a wind instrument. The only person I can think off the top that does is Van Morrison (sax). And his voice was shot when I saw him many years ago.
Under Wraps was the tour where he blew out his voice. And incidentally, while I'm not suggesting this had something to do with his problems, but I've always felt Michael Jackson influenced Ian's singing on that album. Thriller came out the end of 82 and Tull began work on Under Wraps while MJ's album was all over the radio and MTV. Next time you give that album a listen, listen to the vocal "accents" and you'll get the MJ connection right away.
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Post by Michael Crowe on May 22, 2015 15:51:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses. I wasn't questioning the causes as much as what actually happened to his vocal chords physically and whether he something could have been done through a procedure which would have saved him as it did those other singers? Although most probably don't play a wind instrument. The only person I can think off the top that does is Van Morrison (sax). And his voice was shot when I saw him many years ago. Under Wraps was the tour where he blew out his voice. And incidentally, while I'm not suggesting this had something to do with his problems, but I've always felt Michael Jackson influenced Ian's singing on that album. Thriller came out the end of 82 and Tull began work on Under Wraps while MJ's album was all over the radio and MTV. Next time you give that album a listen, listen to the vocal "accents" and you'll get the MJ connection right away. I don't doubt it, he was listening to a lot of the music then. I always thought that ..... I think it was Thomas Dolby? ... "She Blinded Me With Science" I think was the name of that song. That one surely had an influence on Ian at the time. Anyway, some singers just play out. Daltry and Plant can still sing pretty well these days as can John Fogerty and others (Paul Rodgers is still great in fact). I think Ian's problem goes beyond just vocal cord scars. Some voices just don't age as well as others, and not all singers who have had vc surgery made it back. IA has never rested his voice has he. Year after year, tour after tour. Plant and Daltry never did that. |
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Post by Biggles on May 22, 2015 22:15:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses. I wasn't questioning the causes as much as what actually happened to his vocal chords physically and whether he something could have been done through a procedure which would have saved him as it did those other singers? Although most probably don't play a wind instrument. The only person I can think off the top that does is Van Morrison (sax). And his voice was shot when I saw him many years ago. Under Wraps was the tour where he blew out his voice. And incidentally, while I'm not suggesting this had something to do with his problems, but I've always felt Michael Jackson influenced Ian's singing on that album. Thriller came out the end of 82 and Tull began work on Under Wraps while MJ's album was all over the radio and MTV. Next time you give that album a listen, listen to the vocal "accents" and you'll get the MJ connection right away. I don't doubt it, he was listening to a lot of the music then. I always thought that ..... I think it was Thomas Dolby? ... "She Blinded Me With Science" I think was the name of that song. That one surely had an influence on Ian at the time. Anyway, some singers just play out. Daltry and Plant can still sing pretty well these days as can John Fogerty and others (Paul Rodgers is still great in fact). I think Ian's problem goes beyond just vocal cord scars. Some voices just don't age as well as others, and not all singers who have had vc surgery made it back. IA has never rested his voice has he. Year after year, tour after tour. Plant and Daltry never did that. The band Ultravox was the major influence behind Under Wraps. Listen to circa '80-'81 era songs like Sleepwalk and The Voice. Ian and Martin were once again reinventing the sound of Tull and I recall an interview where Ian name drops Ultravox as being the band he was (paraphrase) listening too and following at the moment. Also, I believe they were label mates. MC, I agree with you. Some voices just don't hold up. Call it genetics/ hereditary but, Ian's voice is one of them. I recently saw Bob Seger, just turned 70. He sang for two hours + with the FLU ...and blew me away! |
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Post by Campion on May 30, 2015 20:29:07 GMT -5
These guys never learned how to sing- it all came from their throats. A singer's power comes not from the vocal chords but from the diaphragm. Its breathing as much as singing in terms of projecting the sound. Had Anderson invested in singing lessons in 1969 he'd be in much better form today. Its too bad. He had a wonderfully expressive voice.
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Post by Michael Crowe on Jun 10, 2015 0:17:59 GMT -5
I don't doubt it, he was listening to a lot of the music then. I always thought that ..... I think it was Thomas Dolby? ... "She Blinded Me With Science" I think was the name of that song. That one surely had an influence on Ian at the time. Anyway, some singers just play out. Daltry and Plant can still sing pretty well these days as can John Fogerty and others (Paul Rodgers is still great in fact). I think Ian's problem goes beyond just vocal cord scars. Some voices just don't age as well as others, and not all singers who have had vc surgery made it back. IA has never rested his voice has he. Year after year, tour after tour. Plant and Daltry never did that. The band Ultravox was the major influence behind Under Wraps. Listen to circa '80-'81 era songs like Sleepwalk and The Voice. Ian and Martin were once again reinventing the sound of Tull and I recall an interview where Ian name drops Ultravox as being the band he was (paraphrase) listening too and following at the moment. Also, I believe they were label mates. MC, I agree with you. Some voices just don't hold up. Call it genetics/ hereditary but, Ian's voice is one of them. I recently saw Bob Seger, just turned 70. He sang for two hours + with the FLU ...and blew me away! And I agree with you - I had almost forgotten about Ultravox. Yeah I definately hear a possible influence there. B.B. King never lost his voice either, and Tony Bennett can still sort of fake it. And Dio was like 65 (I've heard he was seventy) and he sounded pretty much the same his whole career. Then there's Clapton, who just gets better as a vocalist every year and he's 70 now I think. |
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