What happened to Morrissey's voice between 1992 and 2004?

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

I do think if anything on this record he oversings at times because the best vocal moments as far as I'm concerned are the ones where he isn't belting out the lyrics. For example "Kiss Me A Lot" is a great song but I think he sings it with too much force and if he scaled it back just a bit it would honestly be better.

You made some great points, and I agree with you here. Part of the reason I think 'Smiler With Knife' works so well is that it's relatively intimate and pared-back musically, so he doesn't have to belt- it sounds effortless, and there is a Vauxhall-esque quality to it in that respect.

He did have vocal lessons in the early days of The Smiths. It's quite amazing if you watch the first two Hacienda shows-his voice was so flat( I like the punk quality it had), and changed drastically.

Yeah, I only realised how obvious that was recently. I was listening to 'Jeane' the other day and it struck me what a profound difference and technical improvement (although I enjoy his early singing just as much, it was less technically polished) there is between early tracks like that and his voice in, say The Queen Is Dead.

 

[Anonymous]

even just listening to the smiths debut (think what difference does it make when thinking about the flatness) and then meat is murder (any song), the jump in quality is apparent. i believe he did state he took some vocal lessons around this time.

 

[A none E mouse]

Wow arnt we blessed on this site with so many experts in sound & production, (and on the hows & how nots to promote an album but that's for another thread). Morrisseys voice is noticeabley deeper in his mid 90's stuff, (which the guy asking the question describes as singing with a cold) its f*** all to do with music lessons, production or whatever else you wanna make up to appear clever, it's simply to do with hormonal changes like someone's already said. Morrissey could screech like a choir boy in his younger days, can u imagine him trying to do that now.

 

[Agharta]

Morrisseys voice is noticeabley deeper in his mid 90's stuff, (which the guy asking the question describes as singing with a cold) its f*** all to do with music lessons, production or whatever else you wanna make up to appear clever, it's simply to do with hormonal changes .

That and all the pies.

 

[Anonymous]

That and all the pies.

Dorothy Parker lives!

 

[rivum]

Love this. I saw it on facebook yesterday...

well now, this is just about the best thing i've ever seen...

 

[Anonymous]

i do love these types of videos. the one of johnny showing how he came up with heaven knows and the one of bernard butler showing how to play animal nitrate and its inspiration in smells like teen spirit is also very very good. one of these artists should just do a whole video tutorial in how to play there albums. i think music could use a little less mystery myself.

 

[Chickpea]

Love this. I saw it on facebook yesterday...

This is HILARIOUS.

 

[Anonymous]

hey..that's April Richardson's creepy ex-boyfriend Andy!

Love this. I saw it on facebook yesterday...

 

[Anonymous]

whos april richardson? former forumite or famous person i dont know.

 

[Deleted member 1074]

Wow arnt we blessed on this site with so many experts in sound & production, (and on the hows & how nots to promote an album but that's for another thread). Morrisseys voice is noticeabley deeper in his mid 90's stuff, (which the guy asking the question describes as singing with a cold) its f*** all to do with music lessons, production or whatever else you wanna make up to appear clever, it's simply to do with hormonal changes like someone's already said. Morrissey could screech like a choir boy in his younger days, can u imagine him trying to do that now.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

 

[No1uno]

So many things about his voice in this song really kill me as well.

-how he pronounces "cut" and "bus"

-the "you know" after "1972"


-"16 stitches all around my head"

-"I'm packed"

Don't know why, but his voice in those lines are so amazing to me.

Am am dead serious here, great song, I was 18. Because of the timing break to the "I'm packed" line. I always heard it as a separate line. I thought and still do, that he was referring to his junk, like he's really packed down there. Strange yes, but so is being 18 and being a morrissey fan.