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Doesn't Eric Want To Talk About His Voice?


Ernesto

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I happen to admire the way Mr. Carmen sings but just have the impression he never answers any post relating his voice or singing techniques. Of course I understand he is an artist and may choose to use his rights of remaining silent about whatever he wants but... Does anybody know if he has a particular reason for keeping it as a mystery? maybe he doesn't like his own voice (strange but... tends to happen when listening to ones own recorded voice). May I pay more attention to other posts in which he spoke about it? (never found one) Are we making too silly questions? Haha... OK.

Eric: Don't take it bad, I'm asking as a "fan" and just wanted to know more about what I admire (your sound) didn't mean to steal any secret neither to be impolite.

(forgive again my English, I'm not a native speaker)

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Eric has talked about his voice many times. Check these comments from an interview from 1977:

...Most noticeable is the change in Carmen's voice. Whereas he used to come off as a sweet-toothed Carl Wilson, constant smoking and a deliberate drastic reduction in sleeping time have resulted in a gravely, tough-edged tone, not unlike Rod Stewart's. The lack of sleep also worked to combat the detrimental preciseness that comes with spending so much time in the studio. Carmen calls what he's done to his body adrenalin-fatigue:

"I know that if I go in to sing real rested that: 1 ... I won't like the sound of my voice (cause it's too smooth), and 2 ... I'll have too much presence of mind…I can think it to death.

"I'm really analytical. It's my best and worst characteristic. So I have to get beyond the point where I'll zoom in and try to change a little vocal curl, and instead just sing and feel the song. It's a matter of getting myself back to 10 months ago when I wrote the damn things."...

Don Krider :)

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Thanks Don:

Many accomplished athletes note the same thing. They feel they perform better when their brains aren't dealing with the adrenaline that comes from being fresh. That encourages a truer "mind/body connection"..or "muscle memory". I reckon musicians/singers might feel the same way. Just get the over-analytical brain out of the way...and trust your talent. Yes something tells me EC recorded "Take It Or Leave It" after a carton of imported cigarettes at 3AM. That's why it ROCKS.

John

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I could go into so much detail, but EC writes for his current band,obviously at times for Wally's guitar. I'm not sure EC every really got it, and thought his vocal soundtrack on a demo was exactly that, a demo track. In reality, second only to the wonderful melody he just wrote, he didn't realize how special his vocals were, and are, special, and quite unique.

I know it's sacreligious to say this, but they have proved they can find another Steve Perry, and I can't believe they can find another Dennis DeYoung (who I thought also had the goods), but you will never find another Eric Carmen, Burton Cummings, John Fogerty, or Kevin Cronin fronting their 70's rock and roll band that is close to the truth.

Springsteen, Mellencamp, Joel, McCartney, John, excluded as they weren't "the band".

Anybody agree with my take on the vocals of the Raspberries, The Guess Who, Creedence, or REO?

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I don't like what the smoking did to EC's range, but it sure makes his speaking voice sound cool. The smoky voice suits his dry humor. This, of course, is not to promote smoking for anyone's toddlers, or for themself, for that matter. I don't smoke, myself.

Once, when I was in college, I was doing research. I found this magazine with an ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes on the inside cover. It was this opera singer's endorsement of their fine, filterless cigarettes, including his claim that Luckys really "clear up his throat." Gotta love the ironies extirpated by modern medicine, don't ya?

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