Can Jason sing?

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 1:08 pm

So, what do you all think- can Jason sing?

I bring this up cos in the latest Q its says something along the lines of 'their performance of Come Together on Jools Holland would have been the stuff of legend if JP could sing.' One of the comments people make when I play them Spiritualized is that the singing is bad, and often negative reviews pick up on it too.

Personally, I think he's ok, not technically great but the emotion and soul in his voice comes through, which to me is all that matters.

So what do you think? Sorry if this topic seems a little trivial, but thought it was somethin to talk about.

bmmello · Post by **bmmello** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 2:09 pm

I really like his style of singing. Specially on songs like "Don't just do something" or the first part of "Won't get to heaven (the state i'm in)". That may be related to emotion though, so I don't know...

veiko · Post by **veiko** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 2:17 pm

check out the "unplugged" sessions from LICD US-tour.
yeah, no remorse, Jason sings indeed!

jess farr · Post by **jess farr** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:22 pm

well, he cant really sing in a traditional sense, but then
neither can bob dylan, lou reed or neil young.
it dont bother me none.

twentysixdollars · Post by **twentysixdollars** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:35 pm

I think that Jason's singing voice used to be in good shape but as he's aged he's slowly lost pitch control. In fact on first listening to Let It Come Down I was shocked at how thin and raspy he sounded. A lifetime of smoking will do that.

I think he used to be a technically adept singer with a fairly wide active range (compare OD Catastrophe to Feel So Good) but he always sounded better in the upper register till recently. He must do a lot of takes because his live singing is quite erratic, something he seems to realize in light of the massive overdub job on RAH.

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:07 pm

On the RAH album he's great on Shine A Light and Take Your Time, and I think his voice is great on Pure Phase, All of My Tears live B-side and parts of Ladies and Gentlemen. His performance on Don't Just Do Something is also one of my favourites.

However, I agree on Let it Come Down hes seems to be struggling. But I find those songs have really low vocal melodies, particularly Anything More and Wont get to Heaven, which are quite difficult to sing unless you have a wide vocal range. All the LICD songs seem to have 2 of Jason's vocals singing together, like he's recorded one and used it as a guide for the 2nd vocal which will be mixed higher. Overall though, I think he's good. I can't sing so I'm not really judging. It seems Thom Yorke's voice is beginning to go too, judging from the last Radiohead tour.

ps- you know the All of my Tears b-side, was that mixed and overdubbed in the same wayor at same time as the RAH album? Sound like they were recorded at the same gig, despite what the electricity sleeve says.

Also, where can I find the LICD unplugged stuff?

Cheers people.

veiko · Post by **veiko** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 5:14 pm

radioshack wrote: Also, where can I find the LICD unplugged stuff?

like for a start:

http://www.kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl? ... _type=show

after drinking i will go home and listen again to the RAH album. surely.

twentysixdollars · Post by **twentysixdollars** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 9:49 pm

Everybody's voice goes when it's a little shopworn and as one ages. For example Bob Dylan didn't really become a lousy singer until about Blonde on Blonde, when he stopped trying. Before that he was quite expressive. On the next two records he had some nice singing due no doubt to calming a bit of his debauchery after the 'accident' but after that he's the Mumbly Bobbie we know today. Leonard Cohen too didn't really become a 'bad' singer till he lost his baritone after or circa New Skin For Old Ceremony.

Joni Mitchell smoked herself into tunelessness; so did Maryann Faithfull. Van Morrison has always been curious to me; his voice after 1975 was noticeably weaker than in his youth, but since then he's really vacillated; in 1986 or so he couldn't carry a tune at all, but on his last studio record (from 2003) he had a strong, nasal tenor on some tunes ("Whinin Boy Moan") delivered with more force and clarity than he has in years.

Actually I think it's Jason's tenor that is fading; in concert he always remains in what's evidently his more comfortable range, that is, the Sound of Confusion-like baritone. Peter was always a weaker singer but he would run into trouble in the early days when outside his basso; "Honey" is one of my favorite Spacemen 3 songs but in terms of vocal pitch he's woefully off, if still young.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:18 pm

Jason does seem to be going throught a rough vocal patch. When he's not doing the whispery quiet songs, all he seems to do is growl. I've thought this since the first Amazing Grace tour, and the Glastonbury set really brought it home. He still sounds OK on record.

My favourite J vocal performance is May The Circle Be Unbroken, which sends shivers down my spine every time.

Love,

Ian

Horrorflick · Post by **Horrorflick** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:21 am

A couple of people I've played Spiritualized for have said that they don't like Jason's voice. I think that his voice is so genuine and soulful that it makes up for any inadequacies it might have. Anybody could sing these songs, the point is that he writes and sings (most of) them himself. On a side note, I think he does the lead vocal/guide vocal thing (as on LICD) for kind of a "studio weirdness" kind of effect. (I think it sounds great on "Do it All Over Again".)

will this do? · Post by **will this do?** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:53 am

"I am just as good a singer as Caruso. Have you ever heard me sing? You have to listen closely, but I hit all those notes. And I can hold my breath three times as long, if I wanted to."

Bob Dylan

Of course Jason can sing (the songs he writes and/or rips from Roky, Iggy, Lou...).

jb · Post by jb » Mon Jul 12, 2004 12:13 pm

On the whole I do really like JP's voice although I do find it annoying when he insists on the overdone hoarse-croaky effect (Oh I am a modern-day bluesman, life is so tough and weary etc) - taken to ridiculous extremes on 'lay it down slow'.

Live he does tend to do quite a few 'rock whoops' as well - I think on LAG there are some on 'come together' and maybe 'electricity'

spliffboy · Post by **spliffboy** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:16 pm

I like the plantiff and emotive side of JP's singing.......it more than makes up for what he lacks in techical ability........his singing has never been top drawer and it relies on the emotion of the song coming though in his voice..........for me, this is the most important thing a singer can do........Noel Gallagher is a good example of this; weaker singer than Liam but more expressive and emotional voice and his songs are better than Liams for it (wel I think so anyways).

look at it another way..........Ronan Keating is, technically speaking, a very proficient singer.......how many records will his voice persuade to to buy?????
Cliff Richard is an even better example than Keating and just think how horrible it would be to have to listen to him for too long!!!

Leggy Mountbatten · Post by **Leggy Mountbatten** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:07 pm

Reductio ad absurdum, or what?

twentysixdollars · Post by **twentysixdollars** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:49 pm

I completely agree about the overemotive quality of most of his recent ballad singing. It's one of many reasons why I hate Amazing Grace. Ballad of Richie Lee is one of his most beautiful compositions, but it's almost ruined by that vocal. Lay It Down Slow is just funny, both for the affected vocal and the 'yummy-yummy-yummy I've got love in my tummy' lyric.

But on Let It Come Down he sounds much more laidback and genuine albeit a bit froggy. Most of the doubletracking I'd attribute to residual Spector-love.

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:46 pm

That acoustic version of Stop your Crying is beautiful. Amazing, better than the album version. Is it in a different key? I always assumed the song was C,F and G....

Yeah , the double vocal is a common production technique, I was just saying that Jason benefits from it cos his individual voice isn't earth shattering. Indeed he acknowledges this himself- in Q he once said he didn't have the lung power or temperament of his favourite singers, or something along those lines. And yes, hes not as technically great as Ronan, Cliff, Tom Jones or that twat from Blue, but I'd rather listen to someone singing their own songs with genuine soul and empathy with the words than listen to someone run up and down their vocal scales on a song made purely for profit.

After hearing that radio session I suppose its safe to assume that J is a good singer, who perhaps has off-days like everyone else. That Electric Mainline was waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy too long though.

The Breeze · Post by **The Breeze** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:04 pm

Sounds like Roger Waters fronting The Stooges

twentysixdollars · Post by **twentysixdollars** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 1:01 pm

The Breeze wrote:Sounds like Roger Waters fronting The Stooges

I think I've had that particular nightmare. Or maybe it was Peter Kember fronting Jethro Tull.

I don't know whether I'm proud or disappointed in the fact that I'm ten posts away from 1,000, seeing as how I've been a member here for only about three years.

distantplanet · Post by **distantplanet** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:30 pm

It can be said that the whole is better than the parts. That being said, I choose not to dissect whether or not Jason is a good singer. In fact, he is a great singer -- because I cannot imagine Spiritualized with any other voice. Ironically, his imperfections are what make the music so perfect in the first place. Take away the chocolate from chocolate cake, and some may find its taste bittersweet.

-dp

Starfish · Post by **Starfish** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:01 pm

twentysixdollars wrote:I don't know whether I'm proud or disappointed in the fact that I'm ten posts away from 1,000, seeing as how I've been a member here for only about three years.

You'd have made it by now if you'd divided up some of your r e a l l y

Starfish · Post by **Starfish** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:02 pm

l o n g

Starfish · Post by **Starfish** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:02 pm

posts

a beautiful noise · Post by **a beautiful noise** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:12 pm

radioshack, yes indeed stop your crying acoustic is absolutely beautiful. the progression is c,f, g. but he plays it with a capo on the second fret.

xxxshonnxxx

p/s $26, its better to listen than be heard!

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:17 pm

Cheers Shonn, sounds really good with capo on the 2nd fret. I'll need to try burn it onto a CD or something.

twentysixdollars · Post by **twentysixdollars** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:30 pm

Starfish wrote:posts

Yes, but wouldn't that be cheating Starfish? Actually I think this post is cheating. So what I must do is suggest something, like perhaps another 'who played what' thread, possibly this time for Lazer Guided Melodies, to sort out which lead guitar bits are Refoy's and which are Jason's.As well I think I hear a Refoy backing vocal on I Want You: any thoughts?

So, then, a perfectly legitimate post. 9 to go.

a beautiful noise · Post by **a beautiful noise** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 7:27 pm

no problem radioshack. do you need a copy of it?? i have a version they did on KFSD in san diego a few years ago. it has that and hold on.

xxxshonnxxx

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 9:57 pm

Would you be able to give me a copy? That would be great shonn. Finding it hard to come across Spz stuff.

a beautiful noise · Post by **a beautiful noise** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 10:17 pm

yeah drop me a line at fallenidols2002@yahoo.com

i should have the kcrw show by the weekend. do you want that as well?

xxxshonnxxx

espiritualidad · Post by **espiritualidad** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:24 am

I was in BENICASSIN(SPAIN) august-8 and he was like tired...it was a fantastic concert (superb sound )...and jason could sing very nice!!!!

candy-cane-girl · Post by **candy-cane-girl** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:35 am

Ooooo pretty!

If anyone could explain in small words, how i save stuff like this to my PC id be very thankful!

Cheers!

redbridge · Post by **redbridge** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 7:01 pm

would the music really be as believable if jason came in and let loose in a chris martin manner? i mean i like the dimension and the emotion present with his current way of singing things. other wise it just wouldnt fit.

Can Jason sing?

Can Jason sing?

Yes, He Can Sing!