I know a few that just can't sing like they use to anymore and just aren't the same.


Vince Neil;not sure what happened to his voice but he can't even finish the lyrics half the time anymore. He skips words and all that. I don't think he really took care of his voice over the years.

There are a few more, but Vince stands out in my mind the most.

I think Vince's voice is still fine; he basically has the exact same range and tone he always has. Live though, he does skip basically every other word which is annoying. I think it has to do with being out of shape (because he runs around a lot on stage) and the drinking.

Don Dokken comes to mind; his voice is hardly even close to what it used to be. Halford is still good at the clean singing, but is losing a lot of quality with some of the screaming (just watch Painkiller on the newest DVD).

Brian Johnson goes without saying...

I have every ac/dc album...and if I put them on in chronological order...you can literally hear his voice getting worse every album. He sounds very powerful on the first 3...then he puts on some weird reverb to like hide his vocal demise...("fly on the wall"), then from "Blow up your Video" onwards its just sounds straight up weird.

Add Phil Mogg from UFO to that list.

I saw those guys recently and he sounded poor until the end when they did Rock Bottom and Doctor Doctor.

He seemed to be saving himself for these fan favourites.

David Coverdale also, he struggles to get the notes he used to.

Joe Elliot of Def Leppard. I saw them live last year and saw them recently on tv and his voice is just terrible anymore.

Then you have a singer like James Labrie who has learned flawless vocal technique, and his voice is better than it ever has been...

To me the number one example of this is Steve Walsh of Kansas.

In the 70's this guy had pipes the likes of which have never been heard before or since. But vocal surgery and years of hard living (including admitted problems with coke and whiskey) totally ravaged those once glorious chords.

On the bright side, the man still has the heart of a true singer and communicator. So while he has no where near the range and tone he used to, he is still a great SINGER. Sounds like an early Paul Rodgers at times. (and I know Walsh is a huge PR fan so that's no surprise)

Speaking of Rodgers, he's almost the opposite. If you listen to the early Free records, he was just so hard on those chords, but he sang with so much heart. But again, admitted coke and alcohol abuse really hurt his tone (even if added to the charm) of his voice. However, when he realized, shortly before Free broke up, that he had to go straight if he was going to sustain a career, he did so. And today the man is well over 50 and sounds better than ever. I truly think he is one of the all time greatest singers in Rock history. He still sings with as much heart as when he was 19, add to that the maturity and wisdom of 50+ years of life, but now he has golden tone to go with it.

Back to the Topic, Joe Lynn Turner is also a case like Walsh. His tone doesn't sound nearly as clear as it once did. But he's such a great singer that he makes great use of what he still has.

Jon Bon Jovi. I don't think he even tries to hit the notes in Prayer anymore. Just lets the crowd sing. Also I think he drops "Always" down an octave when he does it live.

Jaime Can YOu Save our Fallen Heroes??? Please. I know if anyone could you could

It is the call of the individual singer. So many CAN be helped but the ball is in their court.

JV

Bon Jovi for sure.... maybe thats why their going country with there next album... lol. Dude used to shoot cortosone like it he was an addict back in the day because of his chords swelling so much. I've heard he had great technique ages ago,but who knows.

Add Dave Lee to the list. He wasn't a great singer 25 years ago, but he could sing(scream) and was an excellent performer. He is kind of a joke these days and I am glad the VH isn't going to happen because it will further tarnish his image.

Sammy Hagar is very consistent and can almost sing the VH tunes the way he wrote them 15 or 20 years ago. He will be 60 and still has an amazing rock voice.

I have never heard a better rock performance than Journey at The Summit 1981. He needs to come back and blow all the pretenders away.

Sammy Hagar amazes me. Every time I've seen or heard him live he is practically flawless. He has obviously taken great care of his voice.