James Labrie vs Bruce Dickinson

[TAC]

 

I don't even know where to go in this thread. Both are awesome and front my 2 favorite bands. There's something about James' voice that really touches me. I
I had always liked Brce, but I never really appreciated him until I heard Balls To Picasso. I was like Holy S##t! This guy IS incredible.

[wasp2020]

I always thought BD's vibrato was way too wide and a bit annoying.

[GuineaPig]

That's a valid criticism, but JLB's vibrato is about 1000x bigger than Bruce's now.   




BLIND FAITH WE HAVE IN YOuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuU

[Failtality]

LaBrie is terrible.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

That's a valid criticism, but JLB's vibrato is about 1000x bigger than Bruce's now.   




BLIND FAITH WE HAVE IN YOuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuU

That was a few years ago, not now. Listen to some BC&SL bootlegs and be amazed by his amazing performance and vibratto.

[Ħ]

LaBrie is terrible.

[jonny108]

LaBrie is terrible.

I beg your pardon...BLASPHEMY! 

[ddtonfire]

LaBrie is terribly good.

[sneakyblueberry]

LaBrie is terrible.

Don't know if I'd say 'terrible', but in the context of the poll; finally, some sense!

[ricky]

DarkLord_Lalinc, I just realized, you freaking post alot in this forum.

[Tomislav95]

James Labrie is not terrible.He just was in bad period for few years.He is great now 

[Dream_Theater01]

LaBrie is a great singer, but I have to go with Dickinson.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

DarkLord_Lalinc, I just realized, you freaking post alot in this forum.

I also put women in cages.

Nice to meet you.

[Slain]

big fan of BD in the 80s but his voice is painful to llisten to on cd these days so live will be torture.
JLB is my favourite singer and a huge part of why I love DT and why other prog metal bands don't cut it.

Bruce is actually pretty great live, and better at enunciation than JLB. For example, listen to JLB singing the Maiden songs from a while back... It's just not that great, and the main reason is because they are very different singers, style wise. I can't choose...

[Jirpo]

Bruce is fucking amazing live.

[ricky]

DarkLord_Lalinc, I just realized, you freaking post alot in this forum.

I also put women in cages.

Nice to meet you.

um wut

[2Timer]

I voted a tie. I guess JLB does use a lot more range and gets different sounds out than Bruce does, but Bruce's voice is just so damn cool!

[Perpetual Change]

Hard to tell. As a frontman, clearly Bruce. As a vocalist? I'd say James probably.

[The King in Crimson]

Went with Bruce. He's spot on live, great on the albums, and a great showman.

LaBrie is great most of the time (and sometimes he blows Bruce away), but he's not as consistent and he isn't as good live.

That was a very hard choice for me.

[Perpetual Change]

Went with Bruce. He's spot on live, great on the albums, and a great showman.

LaBrie is great most of the time (and sometimes he blows Bruce away), but he's not as consistent and he isn't as good live.

That was a very hard choice for me.

I'm astounded by how mythologized Bruce's live vocals are. He's not spot-on live, nor is he very consistent. He never has been. He's had his share of bad shows, and even a couple tours which were just outright bad.

[The King in Crimson]

Really? All the live performances I've heard of his are pretty damn good.

[Perpetual Change]

Well, one explanation:

In the 80s, people weren't uploading people's performances up to Youtube to be dissected by legions of fans. I'm sure Bruce would catch more heat if Iron Maiden were at their peak now. For example, he's never sung the first verse of Aces High correctly. I think James' vocals have received a ton of abnormal heat because: 1.) the technology is there for us to put him under that microscope and 2.) he's alone in it, as an operatic vocalist in a time where they don't exist and there are few other contemporaries to compare him to.

Also, just to ruin your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm2_cpljz2M

[The King in Crimson]

Oh, you sonuvabitch. 

[sneakyblueberry]

Interesting thought, you're probably right.  I think, because Bruce is a much better frontman it kind of makes up for it and means people are more forgiving.  Maybe.  Personally, I'd take a Bruce trainwreck over a LaBrie trainwreck anyday.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Also, just to ruin your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm2_cpljz2M

That's awful

[pogoowner]

Went with Bruce. He's spot on live, great on the albums, and a great showman.

LaBrie is great most of the time (and sometimes he blows Bruce away), but he's not as consistent and he isn't as good live.

That was a very hard choice for me.

I'm astounded by how mythologized Bruce's live vocals are. He's not spot-on live, nor is he very consistent. He never has been. He's had his share of bad shows, and even a couple tours which were just outright bad.

I haven't seen THAT many videos of their live performances, but in the ones I have watched, Bruce has sounded very strained most of the time.

[mrjazzguitar]

who is Bruce Dickinson?

[Perpetual Change]

[Martinman300]

Yeah bruce sometimes doesn't even try to get the notes and just shouts, but his stage presence makes up for it.

[j]

Well, one explanation:

In the 80s, people weren't uploading people's performances up to Youtube to be dissected by legions of fans. I'm sure Bruce would catch more heat if Iron Maiden were at their peak now. For example, he's never sung the first verse of Aces High correctly. I think James' vocals have received a ton of abnormal heat because: 1.) the technology is there for us to put him under that microscope and 2.) he's alone in it, as an operatic vocalist in a time where they don't exist and there are few other contemporaries to compare him to.

Great points.

I like both guys, I won't try to choose one over the other.

-J

[The Dark Master]

Also, just to ruin your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm2_cpljz2M

WTF?!?!  Is there a particular reason why this sounds so bad?  Did they all sleep with a bunch of syphalitic groupies before the show or something?  This barely even sounds like Maiden.  Sounds more like Ozzy toward the end of his original tenure in Sabbath when he was particularly bad (although it's obviously not him, not only would Ozzy never cover Maiden, but I can kinda understand the words in this song).

[Zook]

Maiden's 90s live albums are good proof that Bruce isn't always spot on, but he sure did try.

[Perpetual Change]

Maiden's 90s live albums are good proof that Bruce isn't always spot on, but he sure did try.

Even the 80s ones aren't great. Live After Death is full of shakey vocal sections, and that's an 'official' one.

[Perpetual Change]

Also, just to ruin your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm2_cpljz2M

WTF?!?!  Is there a particular reason why this sounds so bad?  Did they all sleep with a bunch of syphalitic groupies before the show or something?  This barely even sounds like Maiden.  Sounds more like Ozzy toward the end of his original tenure in Sabbath when he was particularly bad (although it's obviously not him, not only would Ozzy never cover Maiden, but I can kinda understand the words in this song).

Bruce wasn't feeling good for some reason, hungover or whatever, just like James doesn't feel good sometimes. It happens. Plus, it always sounds worse when you aren't there, no matter how you look at it. That's what people fail to understand when they decided to cast judgement on bare-bones straight from the soundboard releases like Chaos in Motion.

[sneakyblueberry]

Also, just to ruin your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm2_cpljz2M

WTF?!?!  Is there a particular reason why this sounds so bad?

Besides the fact that they're human just like everyone else?  Dunno.  In the Donington '88 show on the Eddie's Archive boxset, Bruce sounds the same.  Just tired I guess.  

Maiden's 90s live albums are good proof that Bruce isn't always spot on, but he sure did try.

Even the 80s ones aren't great. Live After Death is full of shakey vocal sections, and that's an 'official' one.

Agreed.  Although the vocal performance on the CD version is a lot better than the DVD.  Different nights.