Why does James sound so good on ACOS considering it is post-accident?

[Ħ]

I always wondered this...ACOS was recorded after the Awake tour and therefore after the food poisoning accident. There is a very stark contrast between James on Awake and James on FII. His range and tone are both significantly weaker on FII. But this was with three years of recovery from the event. ACOS was recorded about a year (I'm guessing) after the accident, with little to no time for true recovery.

So why does James sound like he's still in IAW mode with his crystal clear tone and soaring range? It sounds as if there is no vocal damage at all.

Just wondering if anyone else noticed this.

[TheGreatPretender]

Well, James said that after the accident, his voice was basically very inconsistent, one day it would be okay, the next it wouldn't cooperate at all. That and it was painful for him. But there were still times when it worked okay, so my guess would be, he probably recorded the vocals on his better days, plus using multiple takes and recording it in small parts probably made it a lot more manageable for him.

[GasparXR]

I think the reason his voice sounds worse on FII is because he continued singing lots after the accident. If you listen to shows not long after the accident, he still has a strong voice (at least from what I've heard of the Awake tour), it was just inconsistent and the fact that he was straining his voice like he was already probably damaged his voice further. As for ACOS, what TGP said.

[TheGreatPretender]

I think the reason his voice sounds worse on FII is because he continued singing lots after the accident. If you listen to shows not long after the accident, he still has a strong voice (at least from what I've heard of the Awake tour), it was just inconsistent and the fact that he was straining his voice like he was already probably damaged his voice further. As for ACOS, what TGP said.

That's my theory as well.

[rumborak]

Nicky had the same thing happen to him, he would know.

[SystematicThought]

Nicky had the same thing happen to him, he would know.

Oh dear 

[theseoafs]

Nicky had the same thing happen to him, he would know.

If I'm not mistaken, his voice got much stronger when he got a girlfriend.  JLB should have tried that, I think.

[rumborak]

Well, Nicky is a pro. He's not gonna drink some wimpy hibiscus tea and get a doc appointment, when instead he can bring his vocal apparatus back to strength by going down on some lucky lady.

[El JoNNo]

It's still noticeable on ACOS, his passagio between head and chest is lower than on I&W, and Awake. You can also here the strain the 'live on' at the end. I do generally agree though that FII was worse. It could also be that none of the guys were really feeling that album. Mood, fatigue, and general healthy habits effect the voice.

[Ħ]

It's still noticeable on ACOS, his passagio between head and chest is lower than on I&W, and Awake. You can also here the strain the 'live on' at the end. I do generally agree though that FII was worse. It could also be that none of the guys were really feeling that album. Mood, fatigue, and general healthy habits effect the voice.

Yeah, I agree that "live on" sounds strained. The only other bit that sounds bad is "traaaa-AAAACK". Other than that, he sounds crisp and flawless.

[Rodni Demental]

Haha, the vocals on that part of the song I remember is where I would almost cringe when I was discovering the Band, it was Falling into Infinity songs that put me off the tone of James' voice aswell. Ironic how my first listening impressions of A Change of Seasons and Falling into Infinity were not so great but both albums grow on you immensely if you can be bothered to take the time. (oh snap) 

[Perpetual Change]

I actually like JLB's voice on FII, but the annunciation issues are really prevalent on it

[Rodni Demental]

Definitely can be hard to understand some parts, but for me it was just something missing in the 'fullness' of the tone. Like we were missing some texture from his voice and the high range stuff comes through too sharply. I still love Falling into Infinity for other reasons but I always found it and Train of Thought to be the most lacking DT records vocally. Parts of 6 Degrees can be a bit piercing too but in fairness all of those albums have ups and downs, strong points and weak points vocally.

Also, everyone's beloved Scenes From A Memory has some really piercing falsetto vocals aswell that really put me off that album initially. I felt JLB wasn't truly back to form until Octavarium. And even then the following Systematic Chaos has it's weird vocal moments. Then BCSL/ADTOE/DT12 the vocals just seem to be getting better and better. So I'm cool with that. 

[Tom Bombadil]

I agree that JLB sounds better on ACOS than FII, but it's still nowhere near his Awake/I&W brilliance.

[BlobVanDam]

I think JLB sounds a bit rough on ACOS, so you can tell it's not IaW/Awake era James, but it's in the studio, where he can take the time (lolpun) to sing it as well as he can, and rest until he can nail it, rather than live where it would be inconsistent.
I think he sounds a bit better on FII, smoother, but you can still hear that his voice similarly had not recovered to what it used to be.

It's amazing that JLB's voice has continued to improve over time considering that they've kept a fairly hard touring schedule. His vocals on LALP and Score are by far his best sounding live recordings post-accident. That is impressive.

[Ħ]

I actually like JLB's voice on FII, but the annunciation issues are really prevalent on it

That word. THAT WORD.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Perhaps this should be in the controversial opinions thread, but I really don't think he sounds that great on much of ACOS.

[Perpetual Change]

I actually like JLB's voice on FII, but the annunciation issues are really prevalent on it

That word. THAT WORD.

I mean *enunciation.

Sorry, Catholic bias coming out.

[SeRoX]

The things is, it's not the only reason James lost his power due to accident. His vocal habits in era I&W - Awake was quite tiring and he probably pushed his limits beyond where it had to be.

I think he sounds amazing on ACOS, pretty Awake-ish but you can also hear that he lost his dynamic and powerful voice as he had it on I&W. I'm sure he was aware of that and that's why he sounded so balanced and knew his limits.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

I don't think he sounds "so good" on ACOS. He sounds fine on it, but not "so good." You can work a lot of magic in the studio anyway.

The real question is why does he sound so much better on DT12? I think whoever was responsible for recording, mixing and producing that vocal really understands his voice and abilities, and made him sound very good.

[marlencrabapple]

I don't think he sounds "so good" on ACOS. He sounds fine on it, but not "so good." You can work a lot of magic in the studio anyway.

The real question is why does he sound so much better on DT12? I think whoever was responsible for recording, mixing and producing that vocal really understands his voice and abilities, and made him sound very good.

I honestly think that whoever worked on his vocals emphasized a lot of his shortcomings on DT12. If there's anything the production staff did right it was telling Labrie how to sing on BC&SL. Everything since has been a bit of a step down in terms of attitude and phrasing.

Still, ACOS sounds great considering how raw it was. Its pretty obvious that his vocals were left alone for the most part. Maybe they put it together from a lot of different takes, but aside from that there's no doubt in my mind that what he sang into the mic is what we're listening too.

[Rodni Demental]

I'm fairly sure since BL&SL there's been no one telling James how to sing a particular way, and that allows him to feel it out himself and express the vocals the way he feels appropriate. Look at what happened to parts of Systematic Chaos when people were telling him how to sing... Let the man do it himself. It's much better this way.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

I don't think he sounds "so good" on ACOS. He sounds fine on it, but not "so good." You can work a lot of magic in the studio anyway.

The real question is why does he sound so much better on DT12? I think whoever was responsible for recording, mixing and producing that vocal really understands his voice and abilities, and made him sound very good.

I honestly think that whoever worked on his vocals emphasized a lot of his shortcomings on DT12. If there's anything the production staff did right it was telling Labrie how to sing on BC&SL. Everything since has been a bit of a step down in terms of attitude and phrasing.

Still, ACOS sounds great considering how raw it was. Its pretty obvious that his vocals were left alone for the most part. Maybe they put it together from a lot of different takes, but aside from that there's no doubt in my mind that what he sang into the mic is what we're listening too.

What do you think his shortcomings are that are pushed to the surface on DT12?

The only vocal I did not like on DT12 was Surrender to Reason-- way too breathy in the beginning. Other than that, I thought the rest of the album sounded good.

[marlencrabapple]

He used a lot of his live singing techniques (they're helpful when you have a show the next day and 20 more songs left in a set, but not in a studio where you can go all out and take a break for a few hours if you get tired). I just feel like there isn't anyone willing to criticize his technique left in the band, and there probably won't be since Mike Portnoy kinda turned it into a bad thing.

[Ħ]

I notice he seems more "nasally" in recent years. Starting around SC.

[El JoNNo]

I notice he seems more "nasally" in recent years. Starting around SC.

It's noticeable in his high range, like the end of Illumination Theory. It's much easy to bring the resonance to the front of the skull and go high, keeping a more consistent tone. Yes, it is more nasally but the alternative is flipping into a pure head voice and sounding like he is a different person.

Honestly I think he just needs to take time off and work on his voice. I'm by no means saying he is bad, he's just showing more age, and bad habits. 

[Ħ]

Yeah. It's not even his range I have a problem with - that's evidently still pretty good. It's just his tone/enunciation issues.

[El JoNNo]

Yeah. It's not even his range I have a problem with - that's evidently still pretty good. It's just his tone/enunciation issues.

I'm curious, do you have an example. I notice it more in the high range, he also seems to use grit to get over patchy spots in Illumination Theory.

[marlencrabapple]

Yeah. It's not even his range I have a problem with - that's evidently still pretty good. It's just his tone/enunciation issues.

I'm curious, do you have an example. I notice it more in the high range, he also seems to use grit to get over patchy spots in Illumination Theory.

I think it was less him having trouble and more his idea of how to make his vocals sound cool. Nothing on the album was particularly difficult to sing, and his voice is in better shape than ever. The problem is his use of "proper" technique when he doesn't have to worry about it. Until Portnoy left all of his albums had a distinct sound compared to his post 2001 lives. I think its safe to say the only reason why things changed is because the one guy who was complaining wasn't there to bother him anymore. Despite everything I just said though, James is well within his rights to choose to play it safe with his singing. He's still hitting all the notes when he needs to the bands material is as good as ever. I only bother talking about this stuff because I wish he'd do something a little more interesting since he actually can now.

[TheGreatPretender]

I think it was less him having trouble and more his idea of how to make his vocals sound cool. Nothing on the album was particularly difficult to sing, and his voice is in better shape than ever. The problem is his use of "proper" technique when he doesn't have to worry about it. Until Portnoy left all of his albums had a distinct sound compared to his post 2001 lives. I think its safe to say the only reason why things changed is because the one guy who was complaining wasn't there to bother him anymore. Despite everything I just said though, James is well within his rights to choose to play it safe with his singing. He's still hitting all the notes when he needs to the bands material is as good as ever. I only bother talking about this stuff because I wish he'd do something a little more interesting since he actually can now.

Yeah, but JP is the one who writes the vocal melodies. I always thought he should be the one writing more interesting vocal melodies for James. So why would the onus be on James?

[El JoNNo]

Yeah. It's not even his range I have a problem with - that's evidently still pretty good. It's just his tone/enunciation issues.

I'm curious, do you have an example. I notice it more in the high range, he also seems to use grit to get over patchy spots in Illumination Theory.

I think it was less him having trouble and more his idea of how to make his vocals sound cool. Nothing on the album was particularly difficult to sing, and his voice is in better shape than ever. The problem is his use of "proper" technique when he doesn't have to worry about it. Until Portnoy left all of his albums had a distinct sound compared to his post 2001 lives. I think its safe to say the only reason why things changed is because the one guy who was complaining wasn't there to bother him anymore. Despite everything I just said though, James is well within his rights to choose to play it safe with his singing. He's still hitting all the notes when he needs to the bands material is as good as ever. I only bother talking about this stuff because I wish he'd do something a little more interesting since he actually can now.

He does the same type of gritty/lowering the larynx to get a more forceful sound. You can hear it in The Bigger Picture on the "ture" part of the chorus.


EDIT:

I only bother talking about this stuff because I wish he'd do something a little more interesting since he actually can now.

Honestly, I don't think he can.

[ToT-147]

I know the main question it's about DT albums, but I have a more clear idea of his voice's progress with his solo albums.. On KITY () and Mullmuzzler 2 he has this weak voice, same as the one on FII, but yeah, definitely different from the one on ACOS.. Then, he proved not only he had completely recovered his voice (another one, lol) by the time of recording EOP, but also he was able to sing more difficult songs, with multiple styles (not saying on the previous albums there weren't variation, but most of the songs on them are pretty similar in voice style)..

Then, he strictly kick asses with SI.. You hear "I Need You" and almost cannot believe that he is the singer, and off any fx.. You barely hear him that way on DT songs.. Obviously they're different.. Anyway, I'm glad he has his original voice back by now.. I really hope DT can use it even better the next time.. Maybe helps a little the fact that JLB is starting to composing with the guys..

Oops!.. I realize now I didn't answer the poll question.. Well, I'm not erasing all I wrote.. I think it has already being answered anyway.. Hahaha.. Cheers from Buenos Aires! 

[rumborak]

I think partially it's also him "relearning" his voice. I think when he was young he kinda cruised on his soprano voice plus the wide vibrato, and that got him a long way. The accident, plus plain age, forced him to become a more versatile singer I think.

[GasparXR]

I think partially it's also him "relearning" his voice. I think when he was young he kinda cruised on his soprano voice plus the wide vibrato, and that got him a long way. The accident, plus plain age, forced him to become a more versatile singer I think.

I agree! I believe it had to have been around 2003 when he drastically re-shaped his vocal style, because I noticed it quite a bit on Train of Thought as well as the 2003 shows. In 2002 he still more or less retained his vocal style that he had on LSFNY.

[RodrigoAltaf]

 JUst wanted to point out that the worst I´ve seen of James was on OIALT...it´s not just that he can´t reach the high notes, he seems absolutely not interested in being on stage, even though they´re playing in Paris to a packed theater and recording a live record/DVD. Does anyone else agree that he sounds completely disconnected with the audience and the band on a bunch of songs, and that is reflected in his voice?
 
 I think people take for granted the effect that your mood and general attitude has on your voice. On Luna Park, on the other hand, he seems incredibly happy with the new chapter of the band, and seems to interact a lot more with the crowd - his excitement is 100% conveyed in his vocal delivery. And I noticed that in the Rio show in 2012 as well, which was days before or after the Buenos Aires show - can´t remember the exact dates.