Heartland

Nikolas Vitus Lagartija wrote:

mh wrote:It's odd but I don't really view Eldritch as being so much in the "baritone" class.

Really ? I can't imagine Jimi Somerville singing along with the likes of Bury Me Deep or Afterhours. sound more basso profundo than baritone on these, but as you point out his tenor range on the early work was also fairly impressive, so "baritone" would seem a reasonable compromise.

It's not just about range. It's also about timbre and weight of voice and some other, more technical things. I'm a tenor and I can sing most of the notes Eldritch sings* but our voices sound very different doing it. Even on the high notes you can tell he's a baritone and even on the low ones you can tell I'm a tenor. And his low notes sound fuller and richer than his high notes, which sound like they take more effort. The converse is true for me.

It's not really appropriate to attribute basso profondo to a non-operatic voice but, as it's the lowest of all voices (the very, very low end of the entire bass range), Eldritch doesn't fit anyway. The only two I can think of offhand (as I'm not an opera buff) are Bob Bingham as Caiaphas in the film of Jesus Christ Superstar and whoever sings the "I have to push the pramalot" line in Monty Python and the Holy Grail - and I'm not even sure that they're quite low enough.

*He can sing lower than me; I can sing higher than him. As you'd expect.

Being645 wrote: ... ... He does - or did so in the early days. I've sometimes wondered whether he secretly learned his yelling from the cattle.
Don't know whether you've ever heard it, but there is nothing more passionate and compelling than a bull yelling for his heifer ... :eek::eek::eek::eek: ...

It might be more pastoral an association than he'd like (:lol:), but maybe that is why it's so forceful in "Some Kind of Stranger".

blackandgold65 wrote:Guitarists on the other hand, are not so controllable, ha ha - it is a visceral thrill not a shrinking violet position and they will turn up no matter what for performance sake, hence the vocals go back in the mix!! I think he-who-should-be obeyed has chosen to go the quieter route in recent years in order to get the performance he wants but ultimately it is sometimes much more difficult to achieve a balanced live sound - hit & miss.

I'd like to add when I saw them a few years back, they had the quietest stage volume of any band I've ever seen. I was second row from the stage, and Ben and Chris really weren't any louder than me practicing at home!

Their current choice of amplification has a lot to do with it, though. They were both using ENGL Powerballs at the time, which actually sound passable at low volumes. Unlike, say, my Vox AC30 Top Boost, which doesn't sound like much of anything at all until it's at drummer volume, or my old '76 Marshall, which at least produced sound but sounded weak and thin until it was louder than any human drummer.

And concurred re: 's voice these days; I rather like the character of it.

Their current choice of amplification has a lot to do with it, though. They were both using ENGL Powerballs at the time, which actually sound passable at low volumes. Unlike, say, my Vox AC30 Top Boost, which doesn't sound like much of anything at all until it's at drummer volume, or my old '76 Marshall, which at least produced sound but sounded weak and thin until it was louder than any human drummer.

I agree with you regarding choice of amplification - that is a good point. Certain amps are a lot more efficient these days at producing the required sound, essential tone etc at lower volumes. I didn't realise that they used ENGL gear so that is interesting to note. I used to sing with 2 guitarists one used a Vox AC30 too and the other had a Fender Twin and/or a Marshall JCM800. Jesus, what a battle! I am by no means a quiet singer and can belt 'em if I want to, but against a Marshall no one stands a chance in hell! Hello Tinnitus!! Frustrating for guitarists as they sound rubbish until cranked as you say! So there must be a No-Marshalls-here rule in the Sisters camp! Time for a geek thread on amps that Sisters guitarists have used past & present or has that been done????!!!:D Probably.

blackandgold65 wrote:So there must be a No-Marshalls-here rule in the Sisters camp! Time for a geek thread on amps that Sisters guitarists have used past & present or has that been done????!!!:D Probably.

Tim Bricheno
Squire Strat, 2xSquire Tele, Gibson 'Chet Atkins', 2xJC120, 2x4x12 Marshall cabs, 1x50w Marshall amp, Ibanez Tube Screamer, 2xBoss DD-3, Boss MZ-2
Andreas Bruhn
2xKramer Focus 1000 (with DiMarzio PAFs), Mesa Boogie Strategy 400, Mesa Boogie Quad pre-amp, 2xMarshall stereo cabs, Quadraverb FX, Rat distortion, Morley wah-wah, Boss CS-3

Marshall cabs

But could still sustain some volume in those days..