quote:Originally posted by Brian 57:
I was wondering if maybe the sudden voice change for Salute wasn't really a physiological change but an electronic one. That is, did they drop out the bottom of his voice to help it punch through the arrangements of background instruments?
Excellent point...that certainly makes sense. East of Midnight has a similar vocal sound to it as well, and of course, that album is very electronic. It also occurs to me that during what is considered his "classic" vocal period--the 70s--the albums were being produced by Lenny Waronker, who could have had a lot to do with the vocal sound. Per GL's quote in Canadian Composer in '75 (which I've shamelessly lifted from the Gabiou biography): "Although my voice has a good lyrical quality to it, it's a little thin and I need all the fatness I can get."
As I think about this, I realize that I tend to think of the "change in voice" from the voice of the 70s to the voice of the 90s (and beyond). But if I listen to his body of work, his voice in the 70s was far different than the voice from the 60s, and from the 70s to the 80s and so on. As you say, Brian, recording technology probably has a lot to do with it. And let's not forget, Gordon Lightfoot WORKS. While most recording artists tour every three years or so to support a new album, GL is out there every year whether he's got new product or not...and this has been going on for around 40 years. I think that has a lot to do with it too. For me, I think that whatever his voice may have lost over the years in depth and timbre, it has gained in expressiveness. To take an example, I love hearing him do "Sit Down Young Stranger" in concert these days...there are layers to the song that I never caught before, and I think a lot of that is due to the way he sings it now.
Derek
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