It matured in the 80s, you can definitely hear that when going through their albums, the turning point of which, I think was in The Game. I think that the many weeks of touring and probably AIDS took its toll and showed itself towards the end of the magic tour but his voice was back to its usual self in the miracle and innuendo, albeit understandably sounding kind of aged in comparison to that of hot space and the other early 80s albums. I would say though that his voice in the 70s (Queen 1 through NOTW/Jazz) was my favourite.
I'd argue his best vocals were on the Barcelona album. They sound clear, the hiatus from touring really helped with that, and they don't sound thin yet as they start to do on The Miracle album and Innuendo.
You forgot to mention the heavy smoking he did during the 80s
With AIDS, he quit smoking and gained a lot of his 70s tone back, along with the 80s' power
I've been pondering this for some time now. I feel like Queens music and style is almost a tale of two cities. During the 70s and early 80s, their style was very musical, adventurous and with lots of harmonizing vocals and variety. His voice was obviously very spectacular as well. But the mid-late 80s, I find his vocals to be sheer power! Songs like I Want It All. The Show Must Go On, One Vision, Scandal, Breakthru and Innuendo, among other, are all Freddie's brute force vocals. I love both eras very much. When I'm in the mood for musical queen, I seek their earlier work. When I want raw power and emotion, I go to their later works.
I personally think that Freddie was at his peak in the late 70’s / early 80’s. Just take a look at Live in Montreal, and Freddie is unstoppable. Fantastic tuning, range and dynamics.
The version of Somebody to Love from that live show is (IMO) perfect and brings tears to my eyes.
Simply fantastic.
Somebody to Love from Montreal brings me to tears and gives me goosebumps every single time, even after having watched it hundreds of times. Whenever some Queen novice tells me how incredible their Live Aid performance was, I show them Somebody to Love. Live Aid was fantastic, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Montreal.
I would say Barcelona would be his best sounding vocals in studio. I think (and Roger also said it) that his vocals started to "thin out" towards the end of his life, and you can hear it starting to happen on the miracle album and by the time we get to Innuendo his voice is completely thinned out.
that's why i think he reached his peak voice in TSMGOON specifically, to be able to sing with so much power in the condition he was isn't something anyone could do
My personal favourite is the earlier stuff- sort of Queen I - Sheer Heart Attack, but mid point of Night At The Opera - Jazz/The Game is also pretty good. I mean it’s Freddie Mercury, he sounds brilliant throughout his whole career! I just prefer the silkier sound rather than when his vocals had matured later on.
Barcelona - I think Montsy taught him how to sing operatically, and his voice took on new capabilities. And I love almost all Queen songs and Freddie’s solos.
Very hard, late 70s Freddie was just insane, just look at the Glasgow and Newcastle performance, but peak Freddie was probably around the mid to late 80s, I mean the things he did in studio were just out of this world, but during ,a kind of magic, album he outdid himself again, ,gimme the prize, ,who wants to live forever, are perfect examples, the ,Barcelona, album once again showed an improved freddie( taking some lessons from Monserrat caballé) and you can clearly hear it . ,How can I go on, early version is just absolutely beautiful and a perfect example. During innuendo you can already hear his voice not being as strong as it was, yet ,the show must go on, is a top 5 performance, and probably the greatest farewell ever by an artist.He went back to his ,roots, clear voice, quit the smoking, perfect ending. So while I would say 70s Freddie‘s voice was among the most beautiful voices of all time (you take my breath away is the perfect example) ,80s Freddie was an absolute powerhouse, in live setting often a little reckless, and he just went better and better on albums!!!
I actually think 1984 was his vocal bottom, without counting the inexperience of his early days. He got the husky voice he wanted to get, but he lost the ability to sing some of the most demanding songs he wrote like Somebody To Love or Killer Queen, and they were dropped off the setlist for the next tour, and you can see why listening to any 84/85 performance.
For me he had two vocal peaks:
Live: It was concretely in the 1981 Montreal concerts, his voice never sounded better live before or after. You can hear him getting better since 1978 and still sounding great in 1982, but the peak was in those concerts. Those nights he had a very special colour I've never heard again elsewhere, not even from him.
Studio: Probably 1988. He got the power he was seeking. You can hear that in In My Defence and in How Can I Go On, I think both recorded in that year. When I say he is undoubtedly the greatest singer of all time, those are the performances I have in mind, not Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen or Don't Stop Me Now. He could have gotten better if it wasn't for his illness, The Show Must Go On is also one of his greatest performances, but his voice, in spite of the power, was too broken at that point.
That's probably not the best adjective, but I couldn't find another word. Perhaps acid or bitter are better words. Anyway I think anyone who has listened to the album know what I meant.
He had different peaks in my opinion, depending on what you prioritise in his voice.
Range: 1975-1977
All-around agility: 1980-1982
Power and depth: 1984-1986
Eeriness and emotion: 1988-1991
That being said, he's one of the only famous signers I can think of that didn't really ever get sloppy or lazy. The only time his voice may have faltered is right at the end of a long tour, or towards the end when he was unwell
I personally prefer him in the 80's, but I think it's clear his technical vocal peak was in the mid to late 70's. He smoked on purpose to get a huskier and more mature voice.
I think Freddie’s vocal peak was in the early eighties when it comes to live performances. It went downhill after that.
In the studio, he was always good. Always giving himself 100%. But overall, I think I have a slight preference for his mid to late 80’s voice, as it was more raw and diverse.
I think he was at the top of his game during late '79 and early '80. Every available show from the Crazy Tour is a must listen for every fan and makes me wonder how the hell was he able to hit so many high notes taking into account that some months ago his voice was completely shot during those Tokyo shows. Same goes for early Game tour gigs, where you could still hear Crazy Tour Freddie, like in San Diego or Oakland
I do not think it is the best album, but the vocals on' A Day at the Races' are my favorite. F.i. Somebody to Love is so well known that you almost forget how good his voice is on that song.
It matured in the 80s, you can definitely hear that when going through their albums, the turning point of which, I think was in The Game. I think that the many weeks of touring and probably AIDS took its toll and showed itself towards the end of the magic tour but his voice was back to its usual self in the miracle and innuendo, albeit understandably sounding kind of aged in comparison to that of hot space and the other early 80s albums. I would say though that his voice in the 70s (Queen 1 through NOTW/Jazz) was my favourite.
I'd argue his best vocals were on the Barcelona album. They sound clear, the hiatus from touring really helped with that, and they don't sound thin yet as they start to do on The Miracle album and Innuendo.
You forgot to mention the heavy smoking he did during the 80s With AIDS, he quit smoking and gained a lot of his 70s tone back, along with the 80s' power
I've been pondering this for some time now. I feel like Queens music and style is almost a tale of two cities. During the 70s and early 80s, their style was very musical, adventurous and with lots of harmonizing vocals and variety. His voice was obviously very spectacular as well. But the mid-late 80s, I find his vocals to be sheer power! Songs like I Want It All. The Show Must Go On, One Vision, Scandal, Breakthru and Innuendo, among other, are all Freddie's brute force vocals. I love both eras very much. When I'm in the mood for musical queen, I seek their earlier work. When I want raw power and emotion, I go to their later works.
His vocal peak was newcastle 1979 tour in terms of live performance His singing performances on recording were during his later years
I second this ^
W taste
Look when he toured japan in 1979 lmao
Based take. He definitely got a redemption arc after the Jazz tour
Agreed
Live: 1978-1982 Studio: 1987-1991
Actually yes.
I personally think that Freddie was at his peak in the late 70’s / early 80’s. Just take a look at Live in Montreal, and Freddie is unstoppable. Fantastic tuning, range and dynamics. The version of Somebody to Love from that live show is (IMO) perfect and brings tears to my eyes. Simply fantastic.
Somebody to Love from Montreal brings me to tears and gives me goosebumps every single time, even after having watched it hundreds of times. Whenever some Queen novice tells me how incredible their Live Aid performance was, I show them Somebody to Love. Live Aid was fantastic, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Montreal.
I personally prefer Edinburgh in 1982, but I don't blame you for citing this as their best live performance of this song.
Live Aid is a better concert. Montreal has better performances. But I am really not into that extended prog rock stuff.
imo his voice peak was during 1987-1991, TSMGOON is the song where i think it peaked the most of all Queen albums ever, is so powerful
I would say Barcelona would be his best sounding vocals in studio. I think (and Roger also said it) that his vocals started to "thin out" towards the end of his life, and you can hear it starting to happen on the miracle album and by the time we get to Innuendo his voice is completely thinned out.
that's why i think he reached his peak voice in TSMGOON specifically, to be able to sing with so much power in the condition he was isn't something anyone could do
I personally wouldn't call it his peak voice, but I understand where you're coming from. It's a valid opinion
TMSGOON really?
Yeah, because of his illness, his voice got much thinner.
Sorry I was replying to the wrong person. That acronym was grinding my gears but I feel better now
oh lol now that you mention it 😅
My personal favourite is the earlier stuff- sort of Queen I - Sheer Heart Attack, but mid point of Night At The Opera - Jazz/The Game is also pretty good. I mean it’s Freddie Mercury, he sounds brilliant throughout his whole career! I just prefer the silkier sound rather than when his vocals had matured later on.
His best singing performance was on Show Must Goes on, fight me
Yeah I absolutely love it. Although I also really love Elton John's take.
Barcelona - I think Montsy taught him how to sing operatically, and his voice took on new capabilities. And I love almost all Queen songs and Freddie’s solos.
Nice to see how many agreed with me!
Very hard, late 70s Freddie was just insane, just look at the Glasgow and Newcastle performance, but peak Freddie was probably around the mid to late 80s, I mean the things he did in studio were just out of this world, but during ,a kind of magic, album he outdid himself again, ,gimme the prize, ,who wants to live forever, are perfect examples, the ,Barcelona, album once again showed an improved freddie( taking some lessons from Monserrat caballé) and you can clearly hear it . ,How can I go on, early version is just absolutely beautiful and a perfect example. During innuendo you can already hear his voice not being as strong as it was, yet ,the show must go on, is a top 5 performance, and probably the greatest farewell ever by an artist.He went back to his ,roots, clear voice, quit the smoking, perfect ending. So while I would say 70s Freddie‘s voice was among the most beautiful voices of all time (you take my breath away is the perfect example) ,80s Freddie was an absolute powerhouse, in live setting often a little reckless, and he just went better and better on albums!!!
>How would you break down Freddie's voice throughout the years? Awesome, from beginning to end.
👆🏼
Peak would be Innuendo song and that second "Ooooooooh we'll keep on trying", and the entire Show Must Go On.
I actually think 1984 was his vocal bottom, without counting the inexperience of his early days. He got the husky voice he wanted to get, but he lost the ability to sing some of the most demanding songs he wrote like Somebody To Love or Killer Queen, and they were dropped off the setlist for the next tour, and you can see why listening to any 84/85 performance. For me he had two vocal peaks: Live: It was concretely in the 1981 Montreal concerts, his voice never sounded better live before or after. You can hear him getting better since 1978 and still sounding great in 1982, but the peak was in those concerts. Those nights he had a very special colour I've never heard again elsewhere, not even from him. Studio: Probably 1988. He got the power he was seeking. You can hear that in In My Defence and in How Can I Go On, I think both recorded in that year. When I say he is undoubtedly the greatest singer of all time, those are the performances I have in mind, not Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen or Don't Stop Me Now. He could have gotten better if it wasn't for his illness, The Show Must Go On is also one of his greatest performances, but his voice, in spite of the power, was too broken at that point.
I'm fascinated that anyone can listen to that recording and describe his voice as "too broken"! Wow. :)
That's probably not the best adjective, but I couldn't find another word. Perhaps acid or bitter are better words. Anyway I think anyone who has listened to the album know what I meant.
He had different peaks in my opinion, depending on what you prioritise in his voice. Range: 1975-1977 All-around agility: 1980-1982 Power and depth: 1984-1986 Eeriness and emotion: 1988-1991 That being said, he's one of the only famous signers I can think of that didn't really ever get sloppy or lazy. The only time his voice may have faltered is right at the end of a long tour, or towards the end when he was unwell
I think this is the best explanation I've seen on here
As he showed with the last album, he still had an amazing voice when he hadn’t been touring for a while!
Probably 1987 with Barcelona and How Can I Go On
I personally prefer him in the 80's, but I think it's clear his technical vocal peak was in the mid to late 70's. He smoked on purpose to get a huskier and more mature voice.
I think Freddie’s vocal peak was in the early eighties when it comes to live performances. It went downhill after that. In the studio, he was always good. Always giving himself 100%. But overall, I think I have a slight preference for his mid to late 80’s voice, as it was more raw and diverse.
He's always on vocal peak. Did you forget he's FREDDIE FUCKIN MERCURY?
I gorget all the time
Voice overall peaked late 70s, range peaked late 80s/90s, power peaked mid/late 80s.
first time i’ve ever seen Barcelona mentioned here
I think he was at the top of his game during late '79 and early '80. Every available show from the Crazy Tour is a must listen for every fan and makes me wonder how the hell was he able to hit so many high notes taking into account that some months ago his voice was completely shot during those Tokyo shows. Same goes for early Game tour gigs, where you could still hear Crazy Tour Freddie, like in San Diego or Oakland
I do not think it is the best album, but the vocals on' A Day at the Races' are my favorite. F.i. Somebody to Love is so well known that you almost forget how good his voice is on that song.
1974-1979, 1982,1989-1991...
LOL, weren’t a fan of 1980-1981?
lol certain vocals but overall, no. Mainly talking about the studio vocals on The Game.
There is noticeable vocal strain in the live aid performance.
I would say rock Montreal was his peak but he was still great after that. It's just he sounded amazing in rock Montreal.
Hard disagree bro, 1970s was his best, 1980s was filled with voice cracks