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Robert's voice/surgery


ybt8888

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As a vocalist, I'm interested in how the throat surgery in 1973 affected his voice...

There's a lot of people who have said that his voice isn't what it was, and with all due respect to him, I don't think it is. His voice is GOOD, but he can't really hit the high notes anymore. Compare it to Royal Albert Hall in 1970, when he was belting everything, and, well...

Do you think the surgery had something to do with this? How did you find his voice afterwards, in the 70's, like on Physical Graffiti? I think what didn't help him in the end was the smoking and cocaine after the shows, too. I respect him enormously as a musician but I don't think he looked after his voice the greatest.

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I won't put this in the article, because I read it only in a book of sheet music, but Plant supposedly sang higher than soprano C (two octaves above middle C) on some songs. I believe it, but would want to cite specific examples before adding it. Richard K. Carson 05:46, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

Robert Plant reportedly had surgery on his vocal chords to remove polyps, which are common among singers, sometime in late 1973 or 1974. Plant's voice was not deeper onstage until 1973 and thereafter. It is widely believed that overuse and abuse (cigarettes, cocaine) caused a deterioration in his vocal quality which prohibited him from consistently hitting high notes live. It is true that people's voices get huskier as they age. I think that is partly the case here, as well. Monkeybreath 09:26, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Generally speaking tenor vocal parts (which I believe Plant sang in his heyday) are sung one octave lower than they are written. Hence, a tenor line that appears to start on middle C is actually starting one octave lower, down in the bass clef, "true" middle C appears in the middle of the treble clef, and the "tenor high C" is two hashmarks above treble clef. Sometimes the treble clef sign will have a stylized 8 (for octava bassa) appended to it to help dispel confusion (ie, Why does the tenor sing higher than soprano?). Hope that helps. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.165.57.190 (talk) 05:31, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

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Vocal fold nodules defined, prognosis and treatment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_fold_nodule

Vocal chord nodules are also common in football and basketball coaches that scream and yell too much on a daily basis, and many of them require surgery. University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino now has to "mike up" with microphone system during practices because he has shot his vocal chords. When he coached at University of Kentucky, I used to be able to hear every work he screamed, no microphone, about 20 rows up, over the crowd noise in Rupp Arena. Cleveland Clinic supposedly has the best outcomes with that type of surgery, they have a great ENT that stays busy with this type of surgery on singers and professional screamers.

Edited by Kentuckygirl
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Unmitigated Tripe Center? (I'm just being a smartass, I have no idea. :P )

Gives me an opportunity to ask my usual question about why singing higher=singing better, though.

It's not. Not to mention, even people who do take good care of their voices, years of constant singing takes its toll on your vocal chords to some degree. Monitors and sound equipment I would suspect was not as advanced in the early 70s so it's possible that could have contributed. Anyways, I don't care. He still sings great to me now.

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In a 1988 interview for The Scotsman's newspaper, Plant claims he was unable to speak for three weeks following the surgery.

Meg

As a vocalist, I'm interested in how the throat surgery in 1973 affected his voice...

There's a lot of people who have said that his voice isn't what it was, and with all due respect to him, I don't think it is. His voice is GOOD, but he can't really hit the high notes anymore. Compare it to Royal Albert Hall in 1970, when he was belting everything, and, well...

Do you think the surgery had something to do with this? How did you find his voice afterwards, in the 70's, like on Physical Graffiti? I think what didn't help him in the end was the smoking and cocaine after the shows, too. I respect him enormously as a musician but I don't think he looked after his voice the greatest.

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If you like the way the songs were originally sung then yes, the lower register may not cut it for you as far as your enjoyment of those tunes.

Higher may not necessarily be better, as a standalone, but it's a matter of range loss. He lost that dynamic range with time.

I prefer the full range of his earlier singing, for instance, take a summer '72 version of Over the Hills and Far away and compare it with a '73 or '75 version and range exhibited doesn't nearly match the earlier versions. And I prefer the full range versions. Yeah I think being capable of utilizing that range that was lost is 'better'.

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Unmitigated Tripe Center? (I'm just being a smartass, I have no idea. :P )

Gives me an opportunity to ask my usual question about why singing higher=singing better, though.

Because when Robert Plant sang high he sounded like the greatest rock singer in the universe. You're right singing higher doesn't necessarily mean singing better, but in the case of Robert Plant it does. Those early Zeppelin records and performances he sounds like something from another planet! His ability to sing high is what made his voice so unique and distinctive and it was a huge part of the Zeppelin sound. Don't get me wrong, I still love his voice now and I think he sounds great on the Raising Sand album but back then his voice was new and ground breaking and no one else could sound like him no matter how hard they try.

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Roy Orbison could. :D (He could sing even higher. And he could rock, too.)

It wasn't his ability to sing high that made Plant the greatest rock singer (which I agree he was), IMO. Most of the time he wasn't doing the Immigrant Song-type wails. In fact, at the time that aspect of his voice kinda put me off. But he had some great songs which he knew how to sing, and how to interact with Jimmy on guitar, in particular (and with the band as a whole). He wasn't just a frontman with a bunch of guys playing behind him, he knew how to use his voice to make the whole unit work. And he's got better at that over time. His range is almost irrelevant, in fact.

I know most people agree with you, though!

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But he had some great songs which he knew how to sing, and how to interact with Jimmy on guitar, in particular (and with the band as a whole). He wasn't just a frontman with a bunch of guys playing behind him, he knew how to use his voice to make the whole unit work. And he's got better at that over time.

:thumbsup:

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Roy Orbison could. :D (He could sing even higher. And he could rock, too.)

It wasn't his ability to sing high that made Plant the greatest rock singer (which I agree he was), IMO. Most of the time he wasn't doing the Immigrant Song-type wails. In fact, at the time that aspect of his voice kinda put me off. But he had some great songs which he knew how to sing, and how to interact with Jimmy on guitar, in particular (and with the band as a whole). He wasn't just a frontman with a bunch of guys playing behind him, he knew how to use his voice to make the whole unit work. And he's got better at that over time. His range is almost irrelevant, in fact.

I know most people agree with you, though!

well, i agree with YOU aqua. robert was/is the greatest rock vocalist/frontman of all time, imo.

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I think Robert is at his best right now!

Check out youtube for the clips with Mrs. Krauss. Of course he´s not screaming and moaning like he used to do. He´s using his voice in a very sweet, mature way. Not like all those Metal granddads trying to be 25 again. Urgh.

Robert seems very comfortable and THAT is singing. Very cool!

I wish the others would come up with something new and inspired like that. BTW I am not into country at all, I just appreciate good musicianship.

Edited by Jiri
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In a 1988 interview for The Scotsman's newspaper, Plant claims he was unable to speak for three weeks following the surgery.

Meg

222

That’s normal it follows every polyp or gland surgery. I myself couldn’t talk for three or four weeks after surgery.

The surgery does not change the voice make it deeper or higher or cause stress and fatigue. It wont ruin the voice and make it worse then it was befor. Yet it changes the Tone tie a bit but its normal, as you’re cutting out two huge meat balls that are hanging in your throat, but it does not ruin the voice as the voice comes from the V Chords that are deep in the throat and Gland or polyp surgery wont ruin it. In my opinion the thing with Plant was age and also the drug problems + drinking and smoking just before the gigs and there you go. In studios he had no problems to take the high notes. Even Freddie Mercury, who is The Greatest Singer In not only the Rock history had problems with the high notes on live shows when he got older and had drinking problems, he used to drink beer while playing on stage which is very bad for singers as it causes the chords to relax and drop out. Ian Gillan who is also my favorite had problems with singing because he wouldn’t ta ke a good care of his voice and scream the crap out of it on every live shows. but still it doesn’t matter whether Plant sings High or low still hes the greatest and the best Along With Those Two I mentioned up there. He still rocks and always will. BELEAVE me Gland Or Polyp Surgery does not ruin the voice but bad care, drinking, MJ, drugs, cigarettes (wish I could quit smoking :))) shouting and so further will currently destroy the voice. So take a good care of yours my dear colleague. (I mean the author of this topic, the singer, don’t remember his nic, It was something with 8 s :)))

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Basically, Robert Plant couldn't 'sing', he has an untrained voice that he used to scream his way through songs as a youngster, when he got to his mid twenties his voice was damaged and he needed surgery, after that he 'sang' in a lower register, used vocal harmonisers on stage and avoided to some extent screaming.

He probably 'sings' better now than at any other time in his career, if he'd had vocal training as a young man he may have started out differently to what he did.

To call him a singer is an insult to trained vocalists, he used his voice to make a trade mark, that trademark ended in 1974.

Listen to the bootlegs and make your mind up.

Best rock vocalist ever is Ronnie James Dio, wonderfully sounding voice, clearly trained.

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Basically, Robert Plant couldn't 'sing', he has an untrained voice that he used to scream his way through songs as a youngster, when he got to his mid twenties his voice was damaged and he needed surgery, after that he 'sang' in a lower register, used vocal harmonisers on stage and avoided to some extent screaming.

He probably 'sings' better now than at any other time in his career, if he'd had vocal training as a young man he may have started out differently to what he did.

To call him a singer is an insult to trained vocalists, he used his voice to make a trade mark, that trademark ended in 1974.

Listen to the bootlegs and make your mind up.

Best rock vocalist ever is Ronnie James Dio, wonderfully sounding voice, clearly trained.

Jimmy Page wasn't "trained" as a guitarist either so by that are you saying he's not really a guitar player? I don't think just because Robert never formally studied vocals means he isn't really a singer.

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