Is Paul McCartney ruining his voice by all the touring?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jwb1231970, Jun 22, 2016.

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  1. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    That's about as good as it gets these days - it got stringer as the show went on ("Jet" came early in the setlist). No getting around the fact that his voice is weaker; he struggles in parts; and the timbre is noticeably different from when he was 21 years old. But, in a live setting, he remains an exciting performer, and a talented, often compelling vocalist. There have been nights where he sings "Yesterday" with that fragile voice and it seems to carry a poignancy and grace that is missing from his Beatles days.

    I understand that for those of us who are accustomed to his 21 year old voice singing high notes with incredible ease, it's very difficult to appreciate his singing abilities when the voice is no longer what it was.
     
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  2. Bullis

    Bullis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Niagara County
    The guy is 75 and has miles on his vocal cords.
     
  3. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
  4. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Well, I think he still puts on a great show, so I've scheduled our Christmas holiday around one of his shows so we'll see him one last time - at the end of the year.
     
  5. guitarman1969

    guitarman1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I don't buy the idea that every person's singing voice has to deteriorate when they get older. I saw The Manfreds (formerly Manfred Mann) live at a small theatre back in 2013. Paul Jones (who is a few months older than Macca) sounded great, if not better, than his younger self. He can still hit all the notes and his voice is richer and warmer than ever. He's obviously looked after it and he was working the stage like a man half his age. I had to remind myself that he was 71.

    Macca, on the other hand, has not looked after his voice. I put it down to cigarettes and decades of singing right at the top of his range without warming up. It's affected his speaking voice too - he always sounds like he's got laryngitis and that it's a real effort for him to get the words out. In another thread on this forum, someone said that he'd done some serious damage to his voice when he was getting ready to tour again in 1989-90 - he ignored sensible advice and did something like a week of full-on singing and it never recovered. Even now, apparently he doesn't drink water or warm up before going on stage. It's that Macca tendency to do the exact opposite of what people suggest. Silly bugger.
     
  6. showtaper

    showtaper Concert Hoarding Bastard

    I hope Paul does whatever makes him happy. He's earned it.
     
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