RE: analysis of roger's voice

["Sigel, James J" <james.sigel@xxxxxx>]

This may be a little off this topic, but the subject of Roger's voice
raises another observation too.  In regards to the "legendary" rock
singers (Daltrey, Jagger, Plant, Stewart, etc..) it seems to me that
Roger's voice became stronger as time wore on, as his contemporaries
voices got much, much weaker.  For example, look at Robert Plant.  The
first three Zeppelin albums (four if you're very generous) Plant's voice
is powerful and passionate.  The first lines sung on "Dazed and
Confused" showcase all of that power.  But with each Zep release later
on, his voice became noticeably weaker.  That whiney cherubic voice of
today.  The same argument can be made about the other vocalists I
mentioned.

But when Daltrey started out, his voice was, well, sort of crappy.  In
the power department, his James Brown imitation was pretty much all he
had.  Then, around Tommy, he matured into the monster vocalist he is
known for now.  And from Tommy up until Who Are You, it's evident to me,
that Roger got better and better with each album.

I think aging is most painful on a singer than the rest of the band, so
I don't think it's fair to apply that concept to him now (or the others
for that matter).  But in the grand heyday, Roger simply got better as
his contemporaries' got worse.  The fact that he can still carry the
music is fine testament to his abilities today.

Jim in Colorado