It is a shame that when you take one of the premier frontmen of all time, sadly passed away over 30 yrs ago, but then find a nugget like this; there is a temptation to try and 'improve' it. You've got to ask why? He's not out of tune, he's hitting his spots (albeit as and when he wants to and not the software) and by doing so, you lose all the expression in his voice. This. Is. Not. Better - this is photoshop for audio. I find it very sad...
@@Caperhere yeah might be the case, but if the song is better without pitch correction, wouldn't it make more money? I don't like this song, bc i knew it must have been somehow autotuned. It sounds not like it should. So i haven't given a cent!
Amazing vocal forensics going on here. So glad you found this. I'm with you, I wouldn't change a thing about his performance... even if it weren't about expression, or that I prefer his original vocal, it's about history, about preserving Freddie's art. His style of singing, as you've shown, can't be pitch-corrected without destroying it.
imagine being the one to decide what and how to change what Freddie fcking Mercury sang originally because it wasn't... good enough? According to whom? ¬¬
So very interesting Fil this is amazing to see this analysis of Freddie's epic voice. Fil it's always a pleasure to watch and see how well you articulate all & how well you take the time to explain what we are seeing and hearing! We sure do appreciate you Bro. You have made learning and watching immensely fun and tactile for my brain to grasp it all lol ...Thank's for spreading the love of music to so many. Music truly speaks love and unity no matter the language. Luv&Peace Sean&family Cheers!🍻🤝🏼✌🏼
It’s those subtle nuances that bring out the emotional complexity of Freddie’s voice. To flatten and squeeze the life out of his vocal performance is a travesty. Thank you for your dedication Fil. Your expertise in all that you share via your channel is deeply respected and appreciated 💛😊
“Hi Fil. When you said ‘that little dip being eradicated… literally changing what the artist did to suit the pitch correcting soft ware’ … thank you for showing that. They’ve made something ‘like Freddie’ but it doesn’t feel like Freddie. Thought I was crazy but I’m not 😂✌🏼 Rock!
I’ve always referred to this as a “ scratch vocal”. I prefer the scratch vocal to the released one. It’s darker and moodier. Freddie’s voice is perfection. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it !! Thanks Fil… I appreciate this analysis, but I’m pissed off. Much love 🤘🏿🤘🏿❤
and what some people get on my nerve that he never sang like in albums , No as Freddie said If you want listen album just buy it,be at home and listen, I love how he was able and all queen , do what? They perform song in every concert diferently,in different key, I am still in awe with that , for example somebodey to love ,how is even possible sing that song in so much variations, Freddie he waas voiced acrobat ,and that I love about him ,today singer have fear if they hit the note , Freddie was free ,he sang every concerts different
I like the released version, but Freddie doesn't need a mindless computer messing with his voice. I don't understand why anyone would think that a rare and beautiful voice like Freddie's should be "normalized" by a machine. The uniqueness and subtleties of his voice are what captivates people and pulls them in like no one else can.
Considering how old the dats are it would make sense if they weren't able to clear parts of his vocals. Even when I listen to the final version I can't even tell it's been messed with.
Best video yet Fil. Shows so clearly you can lose more than you gain with ‘improving’ a natural vocal from someone who implicitly knows their craft. Thank you
Great to listen to. Couple of things are Freddie is not Freddie he is Farouk and would have grown up around microtonal music - I think this is reflected in how wide his vibrato is. None of these corrections seem to be correcting a mistake but just changing the stylistic choice - the key is I don’t know harmonic minor or modal for sure that’s enough dissonance for any contemporary audience. Also Brian May is noted as saying by getting tones and harmonies too tight they would end up phasing Freddie’s voice and the whole thing could sound small (obviously it worked out ok in “take my breath away” of course).
Could you look at Roger Taylor's recent solo album to see if he is using autotune or pitch correction? I'm curious if they are applying it to everything.
hi, just came across your channel today and watched your two videos on Face It Alone, and wanted to say thank you. Utterly - thank you. Your analysis is brilliant, so to-the-point, not too basic, and not too complex, so that, as a person who knows only about music technique, could get it. Since hearing the 'official' release of face it alone I was haunted by it missing something, and I was listening to the original demo/jam session recording and going on ranting to everyone about how dramatic the original vocal was, but I didn't know why or how is that possible. Thanks so much for the brilliant job you did. PS The part of Face It Alone, which is missing from the studio recording that you analyzed but is present in the original release ("your life is your own"...), was played at Queen fan club convention in the early 2000s... I have a Face It Alone demo version that incorporates that missing part (found it on youtube 10 years ago, but I couldn't find the video anyone so I can't link to it, unfortunately). Given that the recording was known for so long brings more questions as to why they did with it what they did... Anyway. Thanks again!
Loads of Fred trying to get Another One Bites The Dust right Brian said he sang until he bled getting it how John wanted it to sound, don't forget this was the main part of Fred job, they all wrote, but then had to change things somewhere so he could make it sound as whoever had written it had it in their head
Fascinating stuff! I'm glad we have some of that original vocal. I'd like to drop another request for you while I'm commenting - would love to hear an analysis of Len Barry. The anniversary of his passing is coming up next week, and there are so few reactions to him on TH-cam. The song 1-2-3 just makes me happy every time I hear it. Bristol Stomp is great too - I can't resist the "whoa-whoas" in that one 😊.
Hey Fil, I am unsure about "Let Me In Your Heart Again", it´s from 2014 and if they used Melodyne, then definitely way more subtle compared to this one here, where I would have bet a million after the first listen that they did it, but Let Me In Your Heart Again has a lot of bending going on, and it seems like they understood that this song lives from this singing style and maybe just "fixed" or "locked" some high range notes here and there. And one question, looking at their 80s catalogue, where would you rank LMIYHA? I´d say it´s definitely in the top10 of 80s Queen, and I really wonder how this didn´t at least find its way onto Made In Heaven. I believe, if Made in Heaven would have contained this song, some of the haters of that record would change their minds and accept it as the final canonical Queen album. Being just released on this 2014 compilation, it´s painfully underrated.
And now i see this vid minutes after seeing the first. Damn Freddie was so good wasnt he. They were indeed heavy handed with the pitch correction. If they could bring that richness out in his voice I’d prefer to hear it as he interpreted it. Great content btw 👍🏻
Fil - I love your analysis's's's to the moon and back. I'm into leaving Freddie's vocals intact, no manipulation. Of course, I'm also one who would pay for a CD of Queen simply talking, composing, knocking about ideas ( just to be a fly on the wall) of the creative process. Also, Brian's guitar work here is so haunting. Rather wish the final product used more of that as his is always another voice.
Thank you for doing this video and letting us hear for ourselves the comparison. The changes made with the vocal choices Freddie Mercury was making are so blatant and egregious I am left speechless. How can we Feel the scope and message of any artist if we can't experience the real deal?
Its a good song and its very sad they did this. Its like the new `Cavern `just isn`t the old `Cavern `no matter how many original bricks it has. P.S. I would love you to do Dusty Springfields `The Look of Love` i think its an amazing vocal. The perfect voice for a perfect song.
Bought all of Roger Taylors albums and he uses the pitch software to the extent that i can barely listen to the actual songs of which some are quite good,i presume he would be a co-producer of this crap i mean track!
Queen's demos for many years are basically what you're hearing now. Sure, they have polished demos, but these writing sessions are more embryonic. Freddie often scats over missing vocal parts or tosses out melody ideas, etc. The thing with this track is that there really wasn't much there to work with. I'm very curious as to why they decided to use this in the first place. It's always nice to hear a 'new' Queen track, but I think this release was a bit of a misstep. There are actually several versions of this session, different pieces, etc., but they are all extremely rough takes. This was at a time when Freddie was trying to write and record as much material as possible. He wasn't even sure if he would have been able to complete the sessions for The Miracle due to his failing health. There are MANY unreleased tracks from this era and many from the Innuendo sessions and even after. EDIT - To a question you asked on your last video about Brian and Roger knowing about what was happening with the vocals/track. 99.9% yes. They're so extremely opposed to anything of lesser quality being released, that I'd be shocked if they weren't involved in the new mix in every possible way.
Could some of this be that these weren't the exact takes they used in the version they released? Certainly the recording here is incomplete, as half the lyrical parts are missing. I'm not sure.
I was sure about this.. the First day that i Heard the Song i was skeptical, and i Wright comment on official you tube video that still exist. In history Queen Always try to improve performance.. was the same with video of concert live, when they substitute some Little part of Freddie voice with part other concert.. I'm Sorry because when you do that is like try to cheat
Humans are not perfect, so why manipulate recorded voice to be that. I for one would prefer to hear the natural voice with it's nuances. Freddie's voice was fine as it was no real need to be corrected.
Loads of pitch correction on the Christmas 75 Hammy Odeon gig and the Rainbow concert release - they sound great though, and it's relatively subtle - but I have both from pre 90's broadcasts and releases and live his vocals were pitchy - but not enough to take away from the original performances. Sad to hear the pitch correction on Face It Alone when I heard it. But lets face it (collectively) - Brian May and Roger Taylor would have an AI Freddie Mercury if it'd make them £. They don't worry about desecrating the legacy. The only thing that struck me with FIA was how similar to White Queen it was and how sketchy it was.
Since this video came out, I've been seeing other demos and stuff, presumably from there-release of The Miracle. Demos of The Miracle and Breakthrough ETC, where they've autotuned freddie again. I can just about see the reasoning behind doing it for Face It Alone. It's an unfinished demo, so they wanted to try and tidy it up and make it sound polished to release it as a single. I still think it's unnecesary, but as I say, I can seee the thinking behind it. ... But what in the name of bloody sanity is the point of showing us demo versions which are rough and ready, which is always interesting, showing us the writing process ETC ....... and then sticking autotune all over Freddie's voice. It's so ridiculous! It defeats the whole object. And who the hell is this for? Who benefits from this? I'm just perplexed!
Thank you Fil.. as always, a great analysis. When I first heard this release it seemed ‘different’ than the gazillion other Freddie recordings and live performances I’ve had the joy of listening to. It’s interesting to understand the process.. but at the end of the day - it was just wonderful to hear him singing a new song.. regardless of the manipulation they had done to it.
Well now I know why I had a hard time believing that was really Freddie's voice when I was listening to the song the first couple of times. Your face is so full of disappointment while you listened to this track. Everybody should be inundating the record label, the producers, and yes, even Brian and Roger requesting to hear the unaltered (not pitch corrected) song recording.
Obviously we don't know what other vocals they may have had, we are hearing a small section and comparing. However from what we can hear I don't see why any manipulation was needed, they would have had their reasons but I would rather hear Freddies 'imperfections' than a computers perfection any day.
Lots of people asked him to do it And fans wanted to understand why they did it and was it needed we can see it wasn't And to make people realise if they are spending a lot of money on new releases they might not be getting an approved quality of the original but a processed corrected version
That's the other face of the medal. Technology made it possible somehow to recover a lost and precious song. As usual it is how you use stuffs that make a whole lot of difference.
Thank god for this video Fil because they've copyright claimed the original recording, he original audio is so much better than the corrected version it's obscene. I think audio engineers have an optimised workflow where they just put everything in to the process and save time by not actually listening and increasing profits. That's fine for generic pop acts, I suppose. I wonder what peoples reactions would be if we sent in a robot to recolour the Sistine Chapel and clean up Michelangelo's "mistakes".
Maybe your analysis will demonstrate that these vocals should be left alone. What a gift and legacy. Freddy was such an amazing singer! Thank you for this wonderful video!
I just want to say you can be in love with many actors, or singers, but it's just something that's for a short time and it's over. Did you notice the comments, how many people said that Freddie is the love of my love, or my forever love? I never read anything that was said about other singers, actors, etc., etc. there is no way back, when he sang he didn't sing towards the audience but he ,hugged and pulled everyone to him you was his ,he was yours, it is like he melted into you and you melted into him and that is cannot be separated,I am in love with him cuse there is that connection you can not separate,and I never have been felt that with another person
As far as music goes, I'm grateful I grew up way before pitch correction and auto-tune was created. would be interesting to see and hear an analysis from you 25 years from now on what music would sound like then? 😗
Same here (born in the 60's) Cher bullshit in 1998....... Sorry now I know why this song never got on the Miracle, simply not good enough! No hit-potential. Said from somenone who attended The Freddie Tribute in London wayback in 1992.
I'm not a musician but I remember in a documentary about the song writing process toward the end of Freddie's life. He was in a race to record as much as he could, wanting the band to put down music and he would do the vocals. In 1988 Freddie was sick but I believe he recorded well after that.
To be fair, Brian did say he was surprised to be able to construct the song but it was due to modern technology. So we have snippets of Freddie mastered, albeit he's been augmented. I don't think it's dishonest and I'm pleased to have the song (and the rest they're going to be releasing)
But its like claiming your selling a famous original painting and not disclaiming you touched it up because you thought you were improving it People like Freddie as a singer because of how he sang If you alter it then its not his song the way he sang it The other issue is should they have released it if Freddie didnt want it to be, he didn't finish it
This just makes me all the more resolute in my preference for hearing Freddie's 'real' voice! I shudder to think what might happen if pitch correction software ever got hold of Sade!! 😨
On the other video someone said they have the other recording of them discussing ideas about 10m Would you be willing to post it for us to hear? Or would you not be allowed to post it?
This pitch correction trend is more like acting out an OCD than making a concious artistic decision. We as musicians and music fans need to be loud about it. It is ok if they want do this with contemporary pop music. But we as fans of rock and generally more complex or progressive music need to raise our voices against this awful trend, adjusting human expression to the machines. When even "I want to break free" sounds like being sung by a robot, we come to a point of ridiculousness we shouldn´t be silent about. I posted both of your videos to the videos of the Queen Official channel. I hope Brian and Roger will stumble upon it. Maybe they didn´t fully realize what happened there.
Great analysis - thank you! I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it but I think the reason it sounds like there's a mic picking up the band and Freddie's vocals is because the demos were played years ago at a Queen convention and they were effectively bootlegged using a single mic - other takes do exist (including a take of the chorus vocals) but I've not heard them in years. I wasn't there unfortunately so can't confirm exactly what the original audio quality was like but I'm pretty sure it was soundboard quality before it was taped by someone.
Another excellent video (you must be bored of hearing that now!). Freddie's health was obviously a factor by this point, but the last song he ever recorded: Mother Love, in early 1991 is still an amazing vocal.
When I click on the link in your description I get" This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by RIAA" I hope this won't affect your analysis Fil.
Thank you so much that you did this ‚version‘ which I really like. Freddies voice is so wonderful and I love his expression and ‚drama‘ it is so dynamic to me!
Agreed, it is even less than a demo. It´s playing around with multitrack recording. There is one cool chord progression at this da-da-da-part, which they didn´t use.
I just had a scary thought. Do they actually think this is better than the original because all they're familiar with are artificially processed vocals?
I'm a massive queen fan, but I have to admit, I'm disappointed with them for how they released this song, and I get it, we all want to hear freddie singing something we haven't heard before, but it's a crime using autotune, or pitch correction, on such a great talent. Have the rest of the band knowingly done this? If so it's a bit out of order imho.
Hi there! Curious if you could consider analyzing whether the new Elvis ReIssues and Remasters have been touched up? I can’t imagine so. Could be a good example of remasters done right? I’m thinking of the Elvis is Nashville album and the song Just Pretend.
Freddie was such an amazing singer I don’t think he needed pitch correction. They’ve said he had perfect pitch. He was an incredible singer. Yes you are nit picking it. Plus you’ve got two different verses going at the same time.
You are right. To make a perfekt voice more perfekt is rediculous, as Freddie might say. But why I'm happy and overwhelmed to hear His voice again? Because all this technique can't destroy his passion or attitude. His timbre ist still there. You still hear, how he uses vibrato and nonvibrato. How he uses dynamics... So pitchcorrection is a shame but it doesn't destroy Freddie's generally.
Fil, THIS IS WHY YOU'RE THE BEST. I appreciate your in-depth analysis... and you explain things so that even I can understand them!😅 I feel stupid, though, for not picking up on these differences before! (I thought I had a pretty good musical ear... but others noticed the differences here that I didn't.) Now that you've so clearly pointed out the subtle changes, I feel CHEATED. It would be easy to "blame Brian" for the homogenized auto-tuning that took place, but I feel it was more a case of Brian & Roger "trusting the experts" to do the job they were being entrusted with. (It makes me feel better to think that, anyway... Just like regarding the GLARING inaccuracies/fact manipulation in the BoRhap movie.) IDK. Anyway, I'm going to have trouble listening to the finished released song now after this... And I'm a little "worried" about the FIVE OTHER NEW SONGS that are about to be released in November!! ...MORE THAN ANYTHING, I APPRECIATE your dispelling the idea that they were "fixing" Freddie's voice because it was too frail etc due to illness. He sounded just as lovely in his natural state as ever! (BTW... The only version of Queen's Live Aid performance that I watch now, is your analysis version... You pointed out so many little things that I never would've noticed/known about otherwise!)
Hey Fil, I was wondering if I could request an analysis of a vocal performance? I think it will be a good example to show how emotion effects vocals. The song is サーモスタットの瞳 (Thermostat no Hitomi) by Show-Ya, look for the "Date Line" live performance, the song is in Japanese, you might not understand the lyrics but it's about the emotion conveyed in the vocals not the lyrics.
It is weird how little comment was made by Queen about how Face It Alone was put together. Brian mentioned that their engineers said they could do "this and this" and then didn't say what they actually did. I suspect he knew of the pitch correction and then avoided walking into that minefield in interviews later. Queen had around 30 songs for The Miracle album and Freddie got them to pick 10 to work on to make into the final album tracks and that's what they did. Face It Alone was one of the 20 that didn't make the final cut and wasn't chosen as a B-side or resurrected for Innuendo in 91 or Made In Heaven in 95 as some of those 20 were. It would be interesting if you could check the "new" 2014 Queen Forever tracks (There Must Be More To Life Than This with Michael Jackson and Let Me In Your Heart Again) for pitch correction.
This was a great video! I’m a Queen fan for an awfully long time and I’ve seen every video and read every book about Freddie. How do they dare to change this song in the way the did? Freddie is dead for almost 31 years and can’t speak out anymore and May and Taylor ruin everything. Not to mention their new “singer”…
Hey, Phil. Not trying to beat a subject to death but there are 2 reasons voice can change w age. 1) Aging vocal mechanism. This is common aging voicebox and respiratory system and 2) Decline in health status. I still invite you to our little church. You won't regret it. Thanks for putting out good stuff and thanks for even answering me
It is a shame that when you take one of the premier frontmen of all time, sadly passed away over 30 yrs ago, but then find a nugget like this; there is a temptation to try and 'improve' it. You've got to ask why? He's not out of tune, he's hitting his spots (albeit as and when he wants to and not the software) and by doing so, you lose all the expression in his voice. This. Is. Not. Better - this is photoshop for audio. I find it very sad...
$$$
@@Caperhere yeah might be the case, but if the song is better without pitch correction, wouldn't it make more money? I don't like this song, bc i knew it must have been somehow autotuned. It sounds not like it should. So i haven't given a cent!
@@SoneaT sounds like a piece of a song they used artificial means to stretch into a full “ song”?
@@Caperhere yeah could be 🤔. But that doesn't implies pitch correction...
This guy has no idea what he's talking, about he's a jerk!!
This vocal of Freddie just showed how expressive and accurate he could be
Freddie's voice = the best
Fil's analysis = the best
Freddie was perfect and amazing. No one should mess with that. Thanks Fil😊🎼🎶
simp
Amazing vocal forensics going on here. So glad you found this. I'm with you, I wouldn't change a thing about his performance... even if it weren't about expression, or that I prefer his original vocal, it's about history, about preserving Freddie's art. His style of singing, as you've shown, can't be pitch-corrected without destroying it.
imagine being the one to decide what and how to change what Freddie fcking Mercury sang originally because it wasn't... good enough? According to whom? ¬¬
Exactly 🤔
So very interesting Fil this is amazing to see this analysis of Freddie's epic voice. Fil it's always a pleasure to watch and see how well you articulate all & how well you take the time to explain what we are seeing and hearing! We sure do appreciate you Bro. You have made learning and watching immensely fun and tactile for my brain to grasp it all lol ...Thank's for spreading the love of music to so many. Music truly speaks love and unity no matter the language. Luv&Peace Sean&family Cheers!🍻🤝🏼✌🏼
Thanks so much, Fil! Now I can listen to “Face It Alone” again without feeling like I’m cheating on 1988 Freddie with 2022 Freddie. ❤️✌🏻
It’s those subtle nuances that bring out the emotional complexity of Freddie’s voice. To flatten and squeeze the life out of his vocal performance is a travesty. Thank you for your dedication Fil. Your expertise in all that you share via your channel is deeply respected and appreciated 💛😊
Flatten and squeeze the life out of it … great comment ✌🏼
Thank you for this great analysis. I learn a lot with you. I really love Freddie's voice (on the original)...
“Hi Fil. When you said ‘that little dip being eradicated… literally changing what the artist did to suit the pitch correcting soft ware’ … thank you for showing that. They’ve made something ‘like Freddie’ but it doesn’t feel like Freddie. Thought I was crazy but I’m not 😂✌🏼 Rock!
I’ve always referred to this as a “ scratch vocal”. I prefer the scratch vocal to the released one. It’s darker and moodier. Freddie’s voice is perfection. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it !!
Thanks Fil… I appreciate this analysis, but I’m pissed off.
Much love 🤘🏿🤘🏿❤
Me too. I could listen to that all day.
@@VKrulikoski
I know right? Freddie’s scratch vocals are amazing. Why they did that to his voice is crazy and insulting.
Me TOO! (Pissed off)🙃
I love Freddie so much! In my opinion he's the greatest of all time vocally
Great follow up analysis. I enjoyed listening to Freddie's original vocals and it was interesting to see both versions on the pitch monitor.
and what some people get on my nerve that he never sang like in albums , No as Freddie said If you want listen album just buy it,be at home and listen, I love how he was able and all queen , do what? They perform song in every concert diferently,in different key, I am still in awe with that , for example somebodey to love ,how is even possible sing that song in so much variations, Freddie he waas voiced acrobat ,and that I love about him ,today singer have fear if they hit the note , Freddie was free ,he sang every concerts different
Good comment about the music! 👍
I like the released version, but Freddie doesn't need a mindless computer messing with his voice. I don't understand why anyone would think that a rare and beautiful voice like Freddie's should be "normalized" by a machine. The uniqueness and subtleties of his voice are what captivates people and pulls them in like no one else can.
Considering how old the dats are it would make sense if they weren't able to clear parts of his vocals. Even when I listen to the final version I can't even tell it's been messed with.
Best video yet Fil. Shows so clearly you can lose more than you gain with ‘improving’ a natural vocal from someone who implicitly knows their craft. Thank you
Thank you! My musical education continues at age of 74! Learning for life!!!
You are an incredible teacher, Fil! Freddie had an amazing voice and didnt need pitch correction. Thank you for explaining this to us! 🙂👍🏻
Great to listen to. Couple of things are Freddie is not Freddie he is Farouk and would have grown up around microtonal music - I think this is reflected in how wide his vibrato is. None of these corrections seem to be correcting a mistake but just changing the stylistic choice - the key is I don’t know harmonic minor or modal for sure that’s enough dissonance for any contemporary audience.
Also Brian May is noted as saying by getting tones and harmonies too tight they would end up phasing Freddie’s voice and the whole thing could sound small (obviously it worked out ok in “take my breath away” of course).
Could you look at Roger Taylor's recent solo album to see if he is using autotune or pitch correction? I'm curious if they are applying it to everything.
Why process something through pitch correction, that is already perfectly fine on pitch?
I've been pissed at these two since movie "BS Rhapsody" came out. making money off Freddie is the most important thing to them.
hi, just came across your channel today and watched your two videos on Face It Alone, and wanted to say thank you. Utterly - thank you. Your analysis is brilliant, so to-the-point, not too basic, and not too complex, so that, as a person who knows only about music technique, could get it. Since hearing the 'official' release of face it alone I was haunted by it missing something, and I was listening to the original demo/jam session recording and going on ranting to everyone about how dramatic the original vocal was, but I didn't know why or how is that possible. Thanks so much for the brilliant job you did.
PS
The part of Face It Alone, which is missing from the studio recording that you analyzed but is present in the original release ("your life is your own"...), was played at Queen fan club convention in the early 2000s... I have a Face It Alone demo version that incorporates that missing part (found it on youtube 10 years ago, but I couldn't find the video anyone so I can't link to it, unfortunately). Given that the recording was known for so long brings more questions as to why they did with it what they did... Anyway. Thanks again!
Why try to make Freddie sound like everyone else, and make him boring and processed.
Queen MUST release a version of this song without pitch correction!
Loads of Fred trying to get Another One Bites The Dust right Brian said he sang until he bled getting it how John wanted it to sound, don't forget this was the main part of Fred job, they all wrote, but then had to change things somewhere so he could make it sound as whoever had written it had it in their head
Can't get enough of Mercury analysis.
Fascinating stuff! I'm glad we have some of that original vocal. I'd like to drop another request for you while I'm commenting - would love to hear an analysis of Len Barry. The anniversary of his passing is coming up next week, and there are so few reactions to him on TH-cam. The song 1-2-3 just makes me happy every time I hear it. Bristol Stomp is great too - I can't resist the "whoa-whoas" in that one 😊.
Hey Fil, I am unsure about "Let Me In Your Heart Again", it´s from 2014 and if they used Melodyne, then definitely way more subtle compared to this one here, where I would have bet a million after the first listen that they did it, but Let Me In Your Heart Again has a lot of bending going on, and it seems like they understood that this song lives from this singing style and maybe just "fixed" or "locked" some high range notes here and there.
And one question, looking at their 80s catalogue, where would you rank LMIYHA? I´d say it´s definitely in the top10 of 80s Queen, and I really wonder how this didn´t at least find its way onto Made In Heaven. I believe, if Made in Heaven would have contained this song, some of the haters of that record would change their minds and accept it as the final canonical Queen album. Being just released on this 2014 compilation, it´s painfully underrated.
And now i see this vid minutes after seeing the first. Damn Freddie was so good wasnt he.
They were indeed heavy handed with the pitch correction.
If they could bring that richness out in his voice I’d prefer to hear it as he interpreted it.
Great content btw 👍🏻
Fil - I love your analysis's's's to the moon and back. I'm into leaving Freddie's vocals intact, no manipulation. Of course, I'm also one who would pay for a CD of Queen simply talking, composing, knocking about ideas ( just to be a fly on the wall) of the creative process. Also, Brian's guitar work here is so haunting. Rather wish the final product used more of that as his is always another voice.
You and I would be buying the same CD!
Thank you for doing this video and letting us hear for ourselves the comparison. The changes made with the vocal choices Freddie Mercury was making are so blatant and egregious I am left speechless. How can we Feel the scope and message of any artist if we can't experience the real deal?
Its a good song and its very sad they did this. Its like the new `Cavern `just isn`t the old `Cavern `no matter how many original bricks it has. P.S. I would love you to do Dusty Springfields `The Look of Love` i think its an amazing vocal. The perfect voice for a perfect song.
Bought all of Roger Taylors albums and he uses the pitch software to the extent that i can barely listen to the actual songs of which some are quite good,i presume he would be a co-producer of this crap i mean track!
Queen's demos for many years are basically what you're hearing now. Sure, they have polished demos, but these writing sessions are more embryonic. Freddie often scats over missing vocal parts or tosses out melody ideas, etc. The thing with this track is that there really wasn't much there to work with. I'm very curious as to why they decided to use this in the first place. It's always nice to hear a 'new' Queen track, but I think this release was a bit of a misstep.
There are actually several versions of this session, different pieces, etc., but they are all extremely rough takes. This was at a time when Freddie was trying to write and record as much material as possible. He wasn't even sure if he would have been able to complete the sessions for The Miracle due to his failing health. There are MANY unreleased tracks from this era and many from the Innuendo sessions and even after.
EDIT - To a question you asked on your last video about Brian and Roger knowing about what was happening with the vocals/track. 99.9% yes. They're so extremely opposed to anything of lesser quality being released, that I'd be shocked if they weren't involved in the new mix in every possible way.
Could some of this be that these weren't the exact takes they used in the version they released? Certainly the recording here is incomplete, as half the lyrical parts are missing. I'm not sure.
I was sure about this..
the First day that i Heard the Song i was skeptical, and i Wright comment on official you tube video that still exist.
In history Queen Always try to improve performance.. was the same with video of concert live, when they substitute some Little part of Freddie voice with part other concert..
I'm Sorry because when you do that is like try to cheat
Humans are not perfect, so why manipulate recorded voice to be that. I for one would prefer to hear the natural voice with it's nuances. Freddie's voice was fine as it was no real need to be corrected.
Loads of pitch correction on the Christmas 75 Hammy Odeon gig and the Rainbow concert release - they sound great though, and it's relatively subtle - but I have both from pre 90's broadcasts and releases and live his vocals were pitchy - but not enough to take away from the original performances. Sad to hear the pitch correction on Face It Alone when I heard it. But lets face it (collectively) - Brian May and Roger Taylor would have an AI Freddie Mercury if it'd make them £. They don't worry about desecrating the legacy. The only thing that struck me with FIA was how similar to White Queen it was and how sketchy it was.
Since this video came out, I've been seeing other demos and stuff, presumably from there-release of The Miracle. Demos of The Miracle and Breakthrough ETC, where they've autotuned freddie again. I can just about see the reasoning behind doing it for Face It Alone. It's an unfinished demo, so they wanted to try and tidy it up and make it sound polished to release it as a single. I still think it's unnecesary, but as I say, I can seee the thinking behind it. ... But what in the name of bloody sanity is the point of showing us demo versions which are rough and ready, which is always interesting, showing us the writing process ETC ....... and then sticking autotune all over Freddie's voice. It's so ridiculous! It defeats the whole object. And who the hell is this for? Who benefits from this? I'm just perplexed!
You can't improve perfection. They should've you strung it together. Either way tho it's a great track. They could've released both version's.
Merci for this. I listened to this at first and thought it was musical gibberish, but you really pulled the diamond out of the rough.
Thank you Fil.. as always, a great analysis. When I first heard this release it seemed ‘different’ than the gazillion other Freddie recordings and live performances I’ve had the joy of listening to. It’s interesting to understand the process.. but at the end of the day - it was just wonderful to hear him singing a new song.. regardless of the manipulation they had done to it.
Need to preview Rocky Horror Picture Show music. Thanks. 🤯
Well now I know why I had a hard time believing that was really Freddie's voice when I was listening to the song the first couple of times.
Your face is so full of disappointment while you listened to this track. Everybody should be inundating the record label, the producers, and yes, even Brian and Roger requesting to hear the unaltered (not pitch corrected) song recording.
:) Very nice... they were my favourite for many years... thank you Fil. 🙂
Obviously we don't know what other vocals they may have had, we are hearing a small section and comparing. However from what we can hear I don't see why any manipulation was needed, they would have had their reasons but I would rather hear Freddies 'imperfections' than a computers perfection any day.
Freddie doesn't need autotune (pitch correction), autotune (pitch correction) needs Freddie
Queen used pitch correction over the years. ..now it's software. That's the difference
....perhaps they used AI to fill in missing parts?
Hey Fil, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Jerry Lee Lewis died today. He was 87.
Great Balls Of Fire!
No one is better for doing a eulogy for a musician than Fil.
Jerry Lee Lewis was my deceased father's absolute favorite. What a performer he was!
just heard on the news a couple of hours ago.
Yes I heard, thanks!
RIP Jerry. Amazing musician.
I prefer the original raw version. Much more interesting.
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Thank you for sharing.
I am not impressed that you should do rhis analysis. Why..it may be your job..but I am not a fan
Lots of people asked him to do it
And fans wanted to understand why they did it and was it needed we can see it wasn't
And to make people realise if they are spending a lot of money on new releases they might not be getting an approved quality of the original but a processed corrected version
Perhaps we should start an online petition to rerelease the track with no autotune on the vocals :)
That's the other face of the medal. Technology made it possible somehow to recover a lost and precious song. As usual it is how you use stuffs that make a whole lot of difference.
Thank god for this video Fil because they've copyright claimed the original recording, he original audio is so much better than the corrected version it's obscene. I think audio engineers have an optimised workflow where they just put everything in to the process and save time by not actually listening and increasing profits. That's fine for generic pop acts, I suppose. I wonder what peoples reactions would be if we sent in a robot to recolour the Sistine Chapel and clean up Michelangelo's "mistakes".
Maybe your analysis will demonstrate that these vocals should be left alone. What a gift and legacy. Freddy was such an amazing singer! Thank you for this wonderful video!
I just want to say you can be in love with many actors, or singers, but it's just something that's for a short time and it's over. Did you notice the comments, how many people said that Freddie is the love of my love, or my forever love? I never read anything that was said about other singers, actors, etc., etc. there is no way back, when he sang he didn't sing towards the audience but he ,hugged and pulled everyone to him
you was his ,he was yours, it is like he melted into you and you melted into him and that is cannot be separated,I am in love with him cuse there is that connection you can not separate,and I never have been felt that with another person
Sabes deberías sub titular en español te lo agradeseria
As far as music goes, I'm grateful I grew up way before pitch correction and auto-tune was created. would be interesting to see and hear an analysis from you 25 years from now on what music would sound like then? 😗
Same here (born in the 60's) Cher bullshit in 1998....... Sorry now I know why this song never got on the Miracle, simply not good enough! No hit-potential. Said from somenone who attended The Freddie Tribute in London wayback in 1992.
@@kristofbossuyt4609 Agree! And you are lucky to have attended that tribute. It was so great. So much talent. Sadly, many no longer here.
I'm not a musician but I remember in a documentary about the song writing process toward the end of Freddie's life. He was in a race to record as much as he could, wanting the band to put down music and he would do the vocals. In 1988 Freddie was sick but I believe he recorded well after that.
haha you already did it^^ freddie sounds great as always, no need to correct him.
He's so accurate! Again I ask why??
To be fair, Brian did say he was surprised to be able to construct the song but it was due to modern technology. So we have snippets of Freddie mastered, albeit he's been augmented. I don't think it's dishonest and I'm pleased to have the song (and the rest they're going to be releasing)
But its like claiming your selling a famous original painting and not disclaiming you touched it up because you thought you were improving it
People like Freddie as a singer because of how he sang
If you alter it then its not his song the way he sang it
The other issue is should they have released it if Freddie didnt want it to be, he didn't finish it
What the blazes. I was going to watch the performance video first and it's gone for copyright strike.
This just makes me all the more resolute in my preference for hearing Freddie's 'real' voice! I shudder to think what might happen if pitch correction software ever got hold of Sade!! 😨
On the other video someone said they have the other recording of them discussing ideas about 10m
Would you be willing to post it for us to hear?
Or would you not be allowed to post it?
This pitch correction trend is more like acting out an OCD than making a concious artistic decision.
We as musicians and music fans need to be loud about it. It is ok if they want do this with contemporary pop music. But we as fans of rock and generally more complex or progressive music need to raise our voices against this awful trend, adjusting human expression to the machines.
When even "I want to break free" sounds like being sung by a robot, we come to a point of ridiculousness we shouldn´t be silent about. I posted both of your videos to the videos of the Queen Official channel. I hope Brian and Roger will stumble upon it. Maybe they didn´t fully realize what happened there.
RIP JERRY LEE LEWIS
Great analysis - thank you! I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it but I think the reason it sounds like there's a mic picking up the band and Freddie's vocals is because the demos were played years ago at a Queen convention and they were effectively bootlegged using a single mic - other takes do exist (including a take of the chorus vocals) but I've not heard them in years. I wasn't there unfortunately so can't confirm exactly what the original audio quality was like but I'm pretty sure it was soundboard quality before it was taped by someone.
Fil your analysis is always a breath of fresh air. Great stuff as always! Working on an impression of you, will upload and link when I can 🙏
Интересно он слушает разные версиеи и глумится
Another excellent video (you must be bored of hearing that now!). Freddie's health was obviously a factor by this point, but the last song he ever recorded: Mother Love, in early 1991 is still an amazing vocal.
When I click on the link in your description I get" This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by RIAA" I hope this won't affect your analysis Fil.
Hello Fil, do you know about ‘The Teenmakers’ (the Danish Hollies). Maybe look into them sometime when you are not too busy.
orig session has been taken down : (
Thank you so much that you did this ‚version‘ which I really like. Freddies voice is so wonderful and I love his expression and ‚drama‘ it is so dynamic to me!
Agreed, it is even less than a demo. It´s playing around with multitrack recording.
There is one cool chord progression at this da-da-da-part, which they didn´t use.
I just had a scary thought. Do they actually think this is better than the original because all they're familiar with are artificially processed vocals?
Am I the only one preferring the guitar in this "demo" rather than in the release?
Fascinating. Seems to categorically put to bed the whole necessity of the vocal needing such overwhelming pitch correction
I'm a massive queen fan, but I have to admit, I'm disappointed with them for how they released this song, and I get it, we all want to hear freddie singing something we haven't heard before, but it's a crime using autotune, or pitch correction, on such a great talent. Have the rest of the band knowingly done this? If so it's a bit out of order imho.
Hi there! Curious if you could consider analyzing whether the new Elvis ReIssues and Remasters have been touched up? I can’t imagine so. Could be a good example of remasters done right? I’m thinking of the Elvis is Nashville album and the song Just Pretend.
I like the release, it is good to hear a new Queen song. You ever do a Marc Martel , Freddie comparison?
Freddie was such an amazing singer I don’t think he needed pitch correction. They’ve said he had perfect pitch. He was an incredible singer. Yes you are nit picking it. Plus you’ve got two different verses going at the same time.
You are right. To make a perfekt voice more perfekt is rediculous, as Freddie might say. But why I'm happy and overwhelmed to hear His voice again? Because all this technique can't destroy his passion or attitude. His timbre ist still there. You still hear, how he uses vibrato and nonvibrato. How he uses dynamics... So pitchcorrection is a shame but it doesn't destroy Freddie's generally.
Sorry, Freddie's voice of course
Fil, THIS IS WHY YOU'RE THE BEST.
I appreciate your in-depth analysis... and you explain things so that even I can understand them!😅
I feel stupid, though, for not picking up on these differences before! (I thought I had a pretty good musical ear... but others noticed the differences here that I didn't.) Now that you've so clearly pointed out the subtle changes, I feel CHEATED.
It would be easy to "blame Brian" for the homogenized auto-tuning that took place, but I feel it was more a case of Brian & Roger "trusting the experts" to do the job they were being entrusted with. (It makes me feel better to think that, anyway... Just like regarding the GLARING inaccuracies/fact manipulation in the BoRhap movie.)
IDK.
Anyway, I'm going to have trouble listening to the finished released song now after this... And I'm a little "worried" about the FIVE OTHER NEW SONGS that are about to be released in November!!
...MORE THAN ANYTHING, I APPRECIATE your dispelling the idea that they were "fixing" Freddie's voice because it was too frail etc due to illness. He sounded just as lovely in his natural state as ever!
(BTW... The only version of Queen's Live Aid performance that I watch now, is your analysis version... You pointed out so many little things that I never would've noticed/known about otherwise!)
Beautiful learning with you, Prof Fil! Rock!
Ah you found it! Was wondering if you would
Hey Fil, I was wondering if I could request an analysis of a vocal performance? I think it will be a good example to show how emotion effects vocals.
The song is サーモスタットの瞳 (Thermostat no Hitomi) by Show-Ya, look for the "Date Line" live performance, the song is in Japanese, you might not understand the lyrics but it's about the emotion conveyed in the vocals not the lyrics.
its obvious that this is s very early demo . and its one of several takes . you can not judge without having them all.
It is weird how little comment was made by Queen about how Face It Alone was put together. Brian mentioned that their engineers said they could do "this and this" and then didn't say what they actually did. I suspect he knew of the pitch correction and then avoided walking into that minefield in interviews later. Queen had around 30 songs for The Miracle album and Freddie got them to pick 10 to work on to make into the final album tracks and that's what they did. Face It Alone was one of the 20 that didn't make the final cut and wasn't chosen as a B-side or resurrected for Innuendo in 91 or Made In Heaven in 95 as some of those 20 were. It would be interesting if you could check the "new" 2014 Queen Forever tracks (There Must Be More To Life Than This with Michael Jackson and Let Me In Your Heart Again) for pitch correction.
WOW thank you! Where do you have that gotten from? Anyway, thanks.
Oh ha ha I left a comment about this demo and you’d already done this. Thanks.
The vocal isn't iso'ed..lotsa mush... this is a work out the details
❤️❄️🇨🇦☃️
This was a great video! I’m a Queen fan for an awfully long time and I’ve seen every video and read every book about Freddie. How do they dare to change this song in the way the did? Freddie is dead for almost 31 years and can’t speak out anymore and May and Taylor ruin everything. Not to mention their new “singer”…
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'# vids that remind me ah did live after all!'
Hey, Phil. Not trying to beat a subject to death but there are 2 reasons voice can change w age. 1) Aging vocal mechanism. This is common aging voicebox and respiratory system and 2) Decline in health status. I still invite you to our little church. You won't regret it. Thanks for putting out good stuff and thanks for even answering me
Yes, but this video shows none of those had an impact on his voice, as it didn't need correcting!
@@wingsofpegasus Got it. Thanks for taking time