The Voice of Alice Cooper

[larryelbows]

I saw Black Sabbath recently. And Jesus, Ozzy's voice is just terrible.
Don't get me wrong, I love the band, but Osbourne just can't do it. I don't know if it's the drugs, the drinking,
bad genetics, being sixty-five, but he's just shot. And it's not just Osbourne; a lot of the greats can't really do it anymore.

Every time I see Alice Cooper, his voice is still strong. Sure, he doesn't have the range he displayed in the 70s (his vocal performance on the Old School Box Set was really great), but for the most part, it's intact. Apart from some mishaps during the 90s and 2000s, I'd say Cooper is one of the most consistent classic rock vocalists.

What is his secret?

[evil syd]

I agree fully on both accounts. Cooper's singing is still great! I'm seeing Sabbath tonight, Iommi and Geezer!

[Inmate]

I'm glad that Alice still sounds good!

[recoop]

Commenting only on Alice, the lack of alcohol in his diet avoids the body/throat drying out (i.e alcohol=diuretic)-believe caffienated drinks have similar effect-so singers are advised to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Singers who do drink alcohol before singing risk loss of inhibition leading to oversinging-alcohol often leads to reduced singing performance (think Alice Cooper and friends performance maybe)...

[The son of Don Quijote]

I was disappointed by recent Black Sabbath concert clips. Ozzy seems to be out of breath, out of tune and not really enjoying to be on stage. I thought his last solo gig here in Finland (Ozzy and Friends tour) was a very good one. He sang well and his voice didn't fail in entire 2 hour concert. He was surprisingly good (but not phenomenal) and extremely happy. The gig got great reviews by the press. In fact Scream tour saw a huge improvement in Ozzy's live performances(At least here in Finland).

But those clips I have seen from Houston seem to imply he has regressed and taken many steps backwards. Maybe it's because his drug relapse and heated situation in his marriage.

[tuneylune]

I think Alice still has a strong voice by following a simple rule:
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!

[While Heaven Wept]

Ozzy has been relying on large amounts of live and studio effects to thicken his voice and keep it in tune for the best part of 25 years now.

Alice has never had a technically great voice, but his sneer and pronunciation have been really great since the mid 90s.

[danielleV]

excellent reflexion. hear GNR...Axl has a cat voice. Hear ACDC...horrible high voice....etc
Alice has a very rich and changing voice.in a same song he change tones....fantastic.i always admired this

[Mr.Bluelegs]

I agree, he still sounds great. Interesting how great he sounded on the FTI album, but on the tour he struggled a lot. He would "talk-sing" during a lot of songs. IMO, some of his best vocals are ( sounds like a good thread topic!) Desperado, Nervous, BDB, Chop Chop Chop, I Never Cry.....I will stop now- too many to list.

[recoop]

Re FTI tour- if one looks at The Strange Case video it seems he is out of breath, looks malnourished and generally not in his best state of health- would take time to recover health, then physical fitness, after alcoholism/treatment-on that video he is out of breath and as you say Mr Bluelegs he did "talk-sing" at times. He was a real professional imo for being able to come back so quickly. As touched on earlier alcohol itself has a negative effect on the voice and impairs oxygen use so even after weeks/months he would have been feeling the effects. Other than AC and friends video he has always been able to use his voice to carry the story he is telling.The different tones and shades in his voice are fantastic-listen to the tracks on Welcome TMN and even OWB on its own for evidence. Not saying he has Steven Tyler's range but Alice for me is a great singer/vocalist/storyteller.

[While Heaven Wept]

I thought his vocals on The Nightmare Returns video were pretty poor, but that was just a case of him finding his voice again. Unfortunately his vocals on the Brutally Live dvd weren't great either but I think that was just him on a bad night as they were great the night I saw him on that tour.

The best i've heard him sing was on the Rock N Roll Carnival tour.

[SickThings]

Steven Tyler has a range?

Hunter

[recoop]

Yep, even Alice has commented on Steven Tyler's vocal range..many years ago like... re Only My Heart Talking...Tyler could certainly hit high notes (can't be certain about now)..."Dream on" I think was a good example of hign note singing/ screaming imo..somewhere on youtube there is some music under "vocal range Steven Tyler" or similar--but we all hear different I guess..both great vocalists for me

[recoop]

http://therangeplace.forummotions.com/t494-alice-cooper

The above should give more technical stuff re AC's voice and range..of course most of it is about using what you have got-AC expert imo at this- you can look up S Tyler who I think starts from a higher point...low tenor I think higher than AC( high baritone?)- I am no expert I hasten to add but have a little knowledge...you can look up many of your other faves I think-sure there are others on here with more knowledge to share re vocals

[larryelbows]

Interesting replies, all.

The other thing I noticed is that, often, he can sing clean in the studio, but the same songs he cannot get through live. "Man of the Year" and, more recently, "The Congregation," are great examples. He has a nasally, punk rock sound in both of those songs, but live, he sounds hoarse and gravelly. Is this just the benefit of multiple takes in the studio?

And yes, I've seen The Range Place's page on Cooper, but I don't think they're 100% correct. The high harmonies in "Catch Me If You Can" sounded like one of the backing vocalists. Also, I'm pretty sure he gets up to a B4 or a C5 in "Only My Heart Talkin'," and I know in the "Old School" boxed set from the Love it to Death Tour, he does some pretty nice scream notes.

[RemarkablyInsincere]

A few years back, I was told Alice was trying in-ear monitors for the first time and he was trying to get used to them. This was around the time he was going through a rough patch with his voice. I think the second year of the TOD Tour.

My understanding is singing with them vs. without can be quite a different experience. I've heard it can easier on the voice as you can hear everything in the mix much easier and don't have to try to sing louder to hear yourself. Maybe some of you musicians can elaborate.

I'm wondering if he stuck with them.

[A_MichaelUK]

A few years back, I was told Alice was trying in-ear monitors for the first time and he was trying to get used to them.

The first time he used them was in 1998, at a rehearsal in London, if I remember correctly.

> I think the second year of the TOD Tour.

He definitely had a problem that year and I think the year before as well. In 2010, he lost his voice overnight, while in London the day before the show in Vienna (he literally had no voice). He had a live television interview planned which still went ahead, despite him only being able to whisper. By the next day, enough voice had returned to be able to perform.

>I've heard it can easier on the voice as you can hear everything in the mix much easier and don't have to try to sing louder to hear yourself.

Yes.

>I'm wondering if he stuck with them.

I think so and I'm almost certain he sometimes (or did in the past) wears only one of them so that at least the other ear can get the full blast of the on - stage sound.

[Robbie]

In ear monitors, I think, are very much a matter of taste. Some singers like them, some hate them and can't get used to them because they can be quite isolating in terms of not hearing the the power of the band naturally. In my experience (only semi pro by the way!) monitoring of vocals usually causes a lot of problems for bands-if they are not right it makes vocalists very uncomfortable and usually results in shouting and strain on the voice!

[While Heaven Wept]

I'm in the process of trying in ear monitors myself. It's very hard to get used to as you need to trust the sound of your voice as you don't get the full live sound. It definitely helps in terms of not shouting.

[The son of Don Quijote]

I personally really like Alice's vocals on The Nightmare Returns DVD (With maybe some exceptions). I even prefer it over Brutally Live DVD in that aspect as well(I found Brutally live DVD to be a bit overrated but still a great live DVD). But maybe fans have different preferences not only regarding song selection but vocals as well.

I got to admit that Live at Montreux has some of Alice's best vocals despite being a little bit disappointing release in other ways. Alice's vocals are very clear and not so gravelly and hoarse as on many later releases. Only concert DVD that I will probably skip is Strange Case of Alice Cooper which is totally unlistenable.

Nonetheless I find Alice Cooper to be a very consistent live act and still totally relevant artist in his mid sixties. He is the true definition of longevity.