NOTE: I am sure I may be getting some skewed comments thinking that this is going to be biased AGAIN since one of the involved vocalists is the Journey front man Arnel Pineda (because he is one of my idols). AND, this is a very long read again. I don't expect much people to take time in reading this one.
And please, these are my own opinions. Very arugable opinions. It's ok to argue with these but please pay respect to my opinions as I would pay respect to yours.
---
It is always a controversial whenever a fellow countryman/countrywoman is chosen to sing the Philippine National Anthem before an international boxing match which includes a Filipino boxer in the competition. Why? Because there is this existing government agency that is actually monitoring the usages of our national symbols (do not get me wrong - I believe they are there for a reason, and the reason is legitimate).
It all adheres to the Republic Act 8491 (under Section 37) or the Flag and Heraldic Code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupang_Hinirang#Usage_and_legal_regulation or http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8491.htm for more detail), which states:
"The national anthem must be sung in accordance with the original musical arrangement of composer Julian Felipe, who gave it a marching tempo. Violators may be fined P5,000 to P20,000 or jailed for a year."
From the latter link: Sec. 37. "The rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe."
Get the whole Republic Act 8491 here - http://www.glin.gov/view.action?glinID=74097
This law was written in 1998, on the 100th year of its composition, 100th year after the Philippine independence from Spain, and 54 years after its composer passed away. Again, don't get me wrong - this is the law, and it was written in the very straightforward manner. I would put respect to any kind of law that is enforced by the government. But I would like to put an effort to question how was this law written this way, and how it is actually enforced nowadays.
If this is not a law, it would just boil down to preference (but even it IS the law now, I have read and heard different people's preferences). Some say why should these singers stick to the traditional composition when they can deviate a little; some say it's not that hard to follow the original composition.
Personally, I haven't decided yet what would be my personal preference to this. I am a musician, so I may tend to be yelling out the artistic sense of it, but law itself carries a good reason behind why it is there.
The chosen singers that were to sing the national anthem during international events should feel honored, having the opportunity to represent our country in the international stage in the means of delivering what would be one of the most important national symbols. But I am sure this has not been the case, as I am sure the most recent chosen ones are aware that a group of people are watching them not to feel so proud being represented by an amazing singer, but to dissect every note the singer sings and look for faults or errors that they can pinpoint. But from the singers' points of view and awareness, had they really been bothered by that thought at the actual moment they are singing the beloved anthem? Or the more general question would me, how did they exactly feel at the moment of singing with the fact that some people are watching and listening to them in a "lawful" way?
Do you think the law was well thought and well written? I understand the manifested objective of this law - to respect and to instill usage with respect of our National Anthem at all times. But do you think this written law is too stiff? Was it intentional to seem that way? Or does it lack something?
In my opinion, yes it does lack something. It honestly is lacking more than just one factor. Actually what is lacking are really big factors if you are going to write a law. So let me reiterate - "The national anthem must be sung in accordance with the original musical arrangement of composer Julian Felipe...". So where here in this law is the ORIGINAL MUSICAL ARRANGEMENT? Where do we look for a reference? If we are bound to this law, why are we also bound to look up for the original composition which is not really attached to the law itself. I think that is absurd.
By common sense, one way or another, we would know know the tune for the lead vocalist of our national anthem, whatever the key maybe (but BY LAW, it should be sang in the musical composition by Felipe, including the key signature). BY HEART, if I may add. But that is not enough not to include the composition (or at least an official reference) to the actual law. You know why? Today, I tried looking for a score sheet of Lupang Hinirang, but all I got is a two page sheet in the following link (http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=16729) which is an four-piece acapella arrangement of the song (with the credit goes to a NON-Julian Felipe).
My next concern would be very much related to the above fact. Is there or is not there an existing earlier composition for the voicing parts (e.g. SATB)? Take note that Felipe's original composition is an incidental music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidental_music) and had no lyrics to go with it (until the next year). So BY COMMON SENSE, how do singers should cope up with the law? Sing however the trumpets or any other melodic instruments were played? So yeah, it's easy to say there are musical arrangements made for the lyrics, but I haven't found anything about Felipe's rearrangement for this (as it says ORIGINAL and JULIAN FELIPE = music with no voice).
And touching more on the SATB voicing (take a peek on the La Diva's video below - I know it's not a SATB setup), ASSUMING that the first instance the original music was meshed with voice OR ASSUMING that the first instance the original music was played by a number of melodic instruments on a SATB setup (or any voicing setup), is it enough for us to revisit the written law again and say that it's clear how to simply follow it? Again, no is my answer. A solo singer does not have a reference voice to follow with the assumptions I have made above, and even if the assumptions were not placed, that would lead the solo singer AGAIN to a blind spot still, citing again the "original composition" which is an incidental music. It's actually hard to miss this point out as there are a lot of public establishments out there which have been making use of the national anthem with a choir (or at least a SATB quartet) with different voicing parts (especially radio stations signing on/off) which are in the same lawful umbrella too.
La Diva:
So comparing those radio station quartets to the solo singers (who are obviously getting more attention with a percentage of detractors compared to the former), I believe you can sing along with any of the two entities without any problems (I can go musically technical on this part why, but it is not necessary for now), let alone the tempo as I will touch on that part just a little later on this entry. Take a peek on the videos below on Arnel Pineda, Charice Pempengco, and Regine Velasquez. They have delivered pretty much the same notes (the key signature may differ a bit), and basically any one can just sing along with their renditions with minimal problems(even if it's not needed). But the debate comes in the last part comes in. The line "Ang mamatay ng dahil sa'yo". Firstly, I surely remember from school that the syllables "-tay ng da-hil sa-" is just made within one measure for a 4/4 time measure, or two 2/4 time measure for the standard marching tempo (series of quarter notes), but at times those syllables are sung in two measures for a 4/4 time measure, and let alone the 2/4 time measure because a series of half notes for this part of the song isn't so "marching" sounding. So again, which is the correct composition? There is no reference. But concentrating on the notes themselves, by COMMON MUSICAL SENSE, the unison should sing the last line on notes (of the key signature) MI-DO-RE-(lower)TI-TI-DO. But I believe, in choirs the notes are more than that. In the SATB voicing, I am guessing that would be the tenor part, and the soprano part would be MI-DO-RE-SOL-SOL-SOL. That's exactly how the above mentioned vocalists did in the videos below (except for Regine who sang it MI-DO-RE-SOL-SOL-DO), and for me that's not exactly a way of showing some artistic expression as an erroneous connotation of "doing it your own way" but simply taking on a different set of notes that has been pre-arranged, simply to make the song exclamatory and more dramatic. It may prove to be a simple technique, but it is an effective one. And musicality-wise, I have to say the way those artists have sang it, they did it WITHIN the original composition because even if I didn't live in 1898 to hear the original version, I am sure those notes I have mentioned above were hit by any melodic instrument too.
Arnel Pineda:
Charice Pempengco:
Regine Velasquez:
Martin Nievera and Lani Misalucha's version in the ending were really their "artistic expressions" in a sense that the notes they sang were really off the original composition.
Martin Nievera:
Lani Misalucha:
How about the tempo? The law says that it should be played/sung on a marching tempo. Again, where is the reference to this marching tempo? Does the law have to rely on human common sense again on defining our own idea of a marching tempo? Or is there a separate law wherein a "march" tempo is definitive? But alright, for curiosity's sake, a marching tempo ranges from 120 up to 200 BPM. The law writer on this one must have felt lazy searching for at least the definite tempo rate, or he/she didn't feel the need to make the indication.
But now going back to the original written law, yes, I am very sure in some way, composer Julian Felipe would have appreciated this law as a nationalistic sign to respect his work for the country. But did anyone from the National Historic Institute foresee the string of incidents happening? If he were still alive, would you think he would appreciate the NHI's efforts in keeping the national anthem respected by IMPOSING FINES and JAILTIME?
Nobody can blame the NHI for doing what they are supposed to do. And at the same time, it's plain easy to call the attention of these chosen singers (notably the singers in the videos below) because if you slap the law to them, they'd all be technically defenseless. But the bad thing really is NHI is enforcing the law that they obviously did not write BY COMMON SENSE because there are a lot of loopholes in that section itself and the rest of the chapter. The closest ones that I consider to be "safe" are Sarah, Kyla and Karylle, but no still because the way they sang it wasn't really in the marching tempo (normally a 2/4 measure) even though they sang it as how Felipe composed it in terms of the notes. But when at times (or even if not at all) they say they sang it with nationalistic pride and honor and with all their hearts no matter how they sang the national anthem, I do believe them.
Sarah Geronimo:
Kyla:
Karylle:
As how the law was written and as how the NHI is enforcing the law, I don't think there is a single musician involved in the formation of that law and enforcing of the law, except for Julian Felipe himself. If there is at least a single musician other than Felipe involved, please let me know.
The law as it is now would either be very stiff or very vague. If I have the necessary power, I would have that law rewritten or at least put the necessary reference to it. The reason why - I have already enumerated them above. If the law is going to be too stiff to be revised, why not have a chosen singer sing the national anthem in front of the NHI people privately, agree on how the singer should deliver the anthem in the big stage even on the little deviations, then persecute the singer if he or she does not do it according to the agreement. If that still does not work, why not do what some other people I hear suggesting - play a pre-recorded mp3 file of the anthem. You can actually have different versions of it. In that way, no one has to worry who's doing a bad job.
So, here are my opinions to this. I do not mean to detract any person or group of people in this entry. I do not intend to degrade that law which has been present for 12 years already. I do not intend to push some movement to revise the said law, or something really stupid like that. These are just my opinions and nothing more than that.
Showing posts with label Arnel Pineda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arnel Pineda. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Head2Head: Steve Perry vs. Arnel Pineda Part 3 - Live Performances
This entry had been a long wait due to an audition for a lead vocalist spot that I was getting ready for (which I am still waiting for the decision of the band whether they will take me or not). Nonetheless, I am back here to do some blog work.
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This part of the head2head feature comes actually with a surprise for me. More revelations that I had never realized before. So let's get on with it.
NOTE: I have viewed quite a number of videos of both performers, but I will just be posted just a few notables.
Some say the band's (not only the singer's) live performances really tell their real talent (apart the talent in songwriting and composing of course). For me it's not entirely true but a big part of it is true. But let's speak of the lead vocalist alone. Live performances give vocalists the chance to show their ability to replicate IN REAL TIME (or even tweak a bit crediting their creativity) the songs they have recorded on studio where they could have done it NOT in real time. They also give the vocalists to show longevity, stamina and endurance mainly of their singing voices (and Journey songs are songs to be reckoned with). Also, live performances can reveal a vocalist's level of showmanship - one's ability to connect with the audience.
Perry and Pineda definitely got what it takes to deliver long live performances without even breaking a sweat off their asses, but if you try to closely watch their performances, there are a number of things that can be significantly noticeable, and maybe splits the two singers in some fashion more effective than the comparison of their studio performances.
As contrary to popular belief that they have very similar voices, I disagree again. Yes they do have similar vocal range (in the countertenor range), but they have different and distinct timbres. Perry has this trademark rasp, and Pineda has what I would say a clean voice. Making an analogy to a guitar, Perry is to distorted (but of course not too distorted), as Pineda is to clean. Both of them delivered effectively in their live performances with their own styles.
I have noticed that Perry's voice is somewhat different in live compared to the studio versions, where Pineda would maintain his studio voice in live performances. This is very noticeable in the song Separate Ways. I have mentioned in the previous entry that Perry and Pineda had similar delivery in the studio versions of this song, but in Perry's live performance of this song, his voice was thinner. Well, he had a better delivery in his NY 1994 performance than the video below, but he sang it two semitones lower. The video below features Perry singing Separate Ways (the longer version already) in Houston 1981.
Perry's trademark rasp is still true in his live performances. His voice quality in his live performance of Faithfully (find clip here - http://theamateurmusicanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/02/head2head-steve-perry-vs-arnel-pineda.html) would more or less be the same, which is good.
Perry appeared to be the more creative live performer than Pineda, in a sense that he would play with vocal notes (maybe instantaneously on set). He would bend and get out of the usual ways he sings the songs, and make it sound beautiful. Check his 1994 in NY video -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W9SatPrhmU&feature=related (I am sorry about this, embedding is disabled in this video by request). Anyway in Perry's performance there (I'm guessing not with Journey), his creativity in this song was really at the highest level. The only bad thing about that is he sang it two semitones lower than the original. See video below for his less creative (but still highly creative) live performance of the same song in Houston 1981:
Like what I have mentioned above, Pineda would sound pretty much the same in his studio and live performances. His clean and very whole modal voice is very true in all of his performances. And again, as he would do in his studio versions, he does emphasize long notes very effectively. Check his live performance of Faithfully in Chile 2008 concert (find clip here - http://theamateurmusicanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/02/head2head-steve-perry-vs-arnel-pineda.html). The whole song had him display his ability to sing long notes but check his rendition in 2:28-2:30. I never heard Perry do that as how Pineda has been doing it.
Pineda has been proven very gutsy already in his studio versions, but he would just go further in his live performances, hitting those high notes with longer measures, yielding an even more whole voice compared to his studio voice. His vibrato is just top notch, most especially when hitting those tied whole B4 notes in the line "somewhere in the night" in Don't Stop Believin, where in Perry's version, he just hit that note right on with no vibrato.
In the showmanship sense, Pineda just beaten the shit out of Perry. Yea, Perry would do some gestures, and would walk around the stage, interacting a bit with bandmates and speaking with the audience. But Pineda would do a lot better. And I have seen his ultimate performance in the band's and Pineda's homecoming concert here in Manila in 2009, singing Separate Ways. All those moving and running around and jumping around. And any vocalist would know (including I myself) how hard it is to hit those B4 and C#5 notes properly while trying to get down and shake the fans' hands. Well, it may be kinda biased, but that's his first homecoming concert with Journey. He must have been really happy doing those on stage. And mind you, Separate Ways was at least the tenth song already they performed that night, with all that energy Pineda spent before singing Separate Ways (which in my opinion is a very "tiring" song to sing), and he still had that energy to finish the whole concert. Talk about stamina.
And take note: Pineda is already in his 40s, while Perry was in his 30s when he was doing most of these stuff. But it seems Pineda appears to have the more youthful energy than the other vocalist, which is more appropriate for the songs Separate Ways, Don't Stop Believin', Anyway You Want It, and those other songs on that tempo.
As that energy Pineda would show us, that actually takes him down on the mellow songs, particularly on Faithfully, Open Arms and Lights. Pineda would sound overly intense singing those songs (with the exception of his performance guesting in Ellen's show singing Faithfully, which in my opinion his most soulful and relaxed performance of that song), while Perry would maintain his "seemingly hypnotic tone" which is more appropriate in those songs. This difference itself wouldn't be that hurtful on the studio versions, because you would not see the facial expressions of the vocalists, but on live performances, some of Pineda's mannerisms while singing those mellow songs would seem inappropriate, and in a way, it has an effect on the listeners/viewers on how they think Pineda would sound like. The video below is their performance here in Manila singing Open Arms, which had him moving like he wasn't supposed to, at least in my honest opinion. I wish Pineda would just do Open Arms or any other mellow song they got as how he did move in their concert in Chile, AND minus his overly intense delivery in the stanzas.
Or just try to do what Perry did in their Oakland 1982 concert (at least the movement and stanza parts):
I have read a few comments that came to my attention - in live performances, Perry had this tendency to sing that would be hard to understand. So I did try to listen to the videos closely, as if I do not know the lyrics. I found that even though Perry and have these little pronunciation issues, Pineda appears to sing clearly than Perry. I can be a bit technical about it, but I wouldn't bother.
So that's it for now. Definitely two both great vocalists, each with their own strengths and weaknesses (at least for my own pair of eyes and ears). It's really a matter of preference.
Now the last installment of this entry coming up!
----
This part of the head2head feature comes actually with a surprise for me. More revelations that I had never realized before. So let's get on with it.
NOTE: I have viewed quite a number of videos of both performers, but I will just be posted just a few notables.
Some say the band's (not only the singer's) live performances really tell their real talent (apart the talent in songwriting and composing of course). For me it's not entirely true but a big part of it is true. But let's speak of the lead vocalist alone. Live performances give vocalists the chance to show their ability to replicate IN REAL TIME (or even tweak a bit crediting their creativity) the songs they have recorded on studio where they could have done it NOT in real time. They also give the vocalists to show longevity, stamina and endurance mainly of their singing voices (and Journey songs are songs to be reckoned with). Also, live performances can reveal a vocalist's level of showmanship - one's ability to connect with the audience.
Perry and Pineda definitely got what it takes to deliver long live performances without even breaking a sweat off their asses, but if you try to closely watch their performances, there are a number of things that can be significantly noticeable, and maybe splits the two singers in some fashion more effective than the comparison of their studio performances.
As contrary to popular belief that they have very similar voices, I disagree again. Yes they do have similar vocal range (in the countertenor range), but they have different and distinct timbres. Perry has this trademark rasp, and Pineda has what I would say a clean voice. Making an analogy to a guitar, Perry is to distorted (but of course not too distorted), as Pineda is to clean. Both of them delivered effectively in their live performances with their own styles.
I have noticed that Perry's voice is somewhat different in live compared to the studio versions, where Pineda would maintain his studio voice in live performances. This is very noticeable in the song Separate Ways. I have mentioned in the previous entry that Perry and Pineda had similar delivery in the studio versions of this song, but in Perry's live performance of this song, his voice was thinner. Well, he had a better delivery in his NY 1994 performance than the video below, but he sang it two semitones lower. The video below features Perry singing Separate Ways (the longer version already) in Houston 1981.
Perry's trademark rasp is still true in his live performances. His voice quality in his live performance of Faithfully (find clip here - http://theamateurmusicanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/02/head2head-steve-perry-vs-arnel-pineda.html) would more or less be the same, which is good.
Perry appeared to be the more creative live performer than Pineda, in a sense that he would play with vocal notes (maybe instantaneously on set). He would bend and get out of the usual ways he sings the songs, and make it sound beautiful. Check his 1994 in NY video -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W9SatPrhmU&feature=related (I am sorry about this, embedding is disabled in this video by request). Anyway in Perry's performance there (I'm guessing not with Journey), his creativity in this song was really at the highest level. The only bad thing about that is he sang it two semitones lower than the original. See video below for his less creative (but still highly creative) live performance of the same song in Houston 1981:
Like what I have mentioned above, Pineda would sound pretty much the same in his studio and live performances. His clean and very whole modal voice is very true in all of his performances. And again, as he would do in his studio versions, he does emphasize long notes very effectively. Check his live performance of Faithfully in Chile 2008 concert (find clip here - http://theamateurmusicanalyst.blogspot.com/2010/02/head2head-steve-perry-vs-arnel-pineda.html). The whole song had him display his ability to sing long notes but check his rendition in 2:28-2:30. I never heard Perry do that as how Pineda has been doing it.
Pineda has been proven very gutsy already in his studio versions, but he would just go further in his live performances, hitting those high notes with longer measures, yielding an even more whole voice compared to his studio voice. His vibrato is just top notch, most especially when hitting those tied whole B4 notes in the line "somewhere in the night" in Don't Stop Believin, where in Perry's version, he just hit that note right on with no vibrato.
In the showmanship sense, Pineda just beaten the shit out of Perry. Yea, Perry would do some gestures, and would walk around the stage, interacting a bit with bandmates and speaking with the audience. But Pineda would do a lot better. And I have seen his ultimate performance in the band's and Pineda's homecoming concert here in Manila in 2009, singing Separate Ways. All those moving and running around and jumping around. And any vocalist would know (including I myself) how hard it is to hit those B4 and C#5 notes properly while trying to get down and shake the fans' hands. Well, it may be kinda biased, but that's his first homecoming concert with Journey. He must have been really happy doing those on stage. And mind you, Separate Ways was at least the tenth song already they performed that night, with all that energy Pineda spent before singing Separate Ways (which in my opinion is a very "tiring" song to sing), and he still had that energy to finish the whole concert. Talk about stamina.
And take note: Pineda is already in his 40s, while Perry was in his 30s when he was doing most of these stuff. But it seems Pineda appears to have the more youthful energy than the other vocalist, which is more appropriate for the songs Separate Ways, Don't Stop Believin', Anyway You Want It, and those other songs on that tempo.
As that energy Pineda would show us, that actually takes him down on the mellow songs, particularly on Faithfully, Open Arms and Lights. Pineda would sound overly intense singing those songs (with the exception of his performance guesting in Ellen's show singing Faithfully, which in my opinion his most soulful and relaxed performance of that song), while Perry would maintain his "seemingly hypnotic tone" which is more appropriate in those songs. This difference itself wouldn't be that hurtful on the studio versions, because you would not see the facial expressions of the vocalists, but on live performances, some of Pineda's mannerisms while singing those mellow songs would seem inappropriate, and in a way, it has an effect on the listeners/viewers on how they think Pineda would sound like. The video below is their performance here in Manila singing Open Arms, which had him moving like he wasn't supposed to, at least in my honest opinion. I wish Pineda would just do Open Arms or any other mellow song they got as how he did move in their concert in Chile, AND minus his overly intense delivery in the stanzas.
Or just try to do what Perry did in their Oakland 1982 concert (at least the movement and stanza parts):
I have read a few comments that came to my attention - in live performances, Perry had this tendency to sing that would be hard to understand. So I did try to listen to the videos closely, as if I do not know the lyrics. I found that even though Perry and have these little pronunciation issues, Pineda appears to sing clearly than Perry. I can be a bit technical about it, but I wouldn't bother.
So that's it for now. Definitely two both great vocalists, each with their own strengths and weaknesses (at least for my own pair of eyes and ears). It's really a matter of preference.
Now the last installment of this entry coming up!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Head2Head: Steve Perry vs. Arnel Pineda Part 2 - Studio Versions
So now we're going to focus on the studio versions of the same songs they have recorded. I have chosen the following songs for comparison (from the slow ballad songs to the power rock songs):
1. Faithfully
2. Open Arms
3. Don't Stop Believin'
4. Separate Ways
By the way, I am hoping I will not rouse fans around (more or Arnel's fans as I am a Filipino too), and I'd like to keep everything as unbiased as possible.
1. Faithfully
Steve - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vUriVEn7FU
Arnel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNBSo44t5a8
The first difference that I have spotted, On delivering the very first line, it's almost a definite given that Steve's voice can tend to be more "soothing" to listeners compared to Arnel's.
I have also noticed that Arnel seems to be more able to sustain long notes longer than Steve, and at times that can tell that he is able to put more emphasis on some words better than the other vocalist. One of the notables too is when they deliver the line "Two strangers learn to fall in love again..." - Arnel made a good emphasis and power on the line, and Steve just delivered a dotted quarter note and just did a rest the measure. In my opinion, the emphasis as Arnel had done it would be more suitable as in those parts Neal (lead guitars) was already delivering his power lines. There are also other parts of the song that manifest this.
As reference in the first statement for this song, Steve having the "more soothing" voice, it may seem that Steve may appear on the speakers as the more relaxed singer as Arnel.
2. Open Arms
Steve - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHHHmi_8Bhs (note: this isn't the official Open Arms video, but a very hilarious video. thought of sharing it)
Arnel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OqLI1X72RE
This is going to be actually a difference in preference in the part of the listeners. Both are equally musically effective in delivering the song. If you prefer the rock star leaning to a thin voice compared to Axl Rose, listen to Steve's version, but if you prefer a whole voice all throughout the song, go for Arnel. Steve delivered such power in this song that I thought it was missing in Faithfully, while Arnel was getting the rasp on high notes especially in the chorus parts. Too bad this is is just three and a half minutes long, that they could have showcased more of their vocal skills in this very nice song.
There is, by the way, a surprise about this song in the last part of this head to head.
3. Don't Stop Believin'
Steve - http://www.trilulilu.ro/magic_dream/3f00a3d4117350
Arnel - http://www.livevideo.com/video/C7A2769589614AF2852B9694639AD855/journey-don-t-stop-believin.aspx
This song, let alone which singer would do better, deserves a powerful rocker. The way Steve sang this song, in my opinion, is a bit soft. Arnel gave justice more to this song than the original counterpart, maybe because of Steve's more relaxed demeanor on the microphone. His voice was a bit reasonable wholler than Steve's. The range in the whole in both versions aren't really different, but noticably, Steve's famous rasp becomes less evident when he tries to hit the high notes (unlike Michael Bolton's seemingly infinite supply of rasp even on high notes). But undoubtedly, both singers can deliver the eight count (2 whole notes) on the chorus line "...hiding somewhere in the night." So that actually slices the gap of the two singers in terms of vocal timbre. I honestly like Arnel's version of this compared to Steve's, and even to the other past Journey vocalists.
On a side note, Steve surprisingly sang this way better in live.
4. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Steve - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbZRMLKozk
Arnel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2UxLRG2kNE
Here's actually a surprise for me. They sounded almost exactly the same in this song except for a slight mispronunciation on Steve's version in the second stanza, which isn't really bad (overstating the word "forgivable"), and a little creative differences. Arnel beautifully nailed the last note (a whole B4 note using modal register) of the refrains as Steve did in his version. For the untrained ear, you can almost never distinguish the difference between the two singers for this song. No vocal notes were delivered longer by one singer compared to the other.
But perhaps the biggest differences lie on two things: firstly, because the Revelation release (Arnel's) is an extended version of the Escape release (Steve's), extended by an extra 1:03 with a couple of additional riffs in-fixed in the ending of the song, and secondly, Arnel just raised the bar of his vocal range in the modal register.
The first difference: Check out 4:42 up to 5:11 of the Revelation release. Those riffs are additional ones. The lines "I still love you girl, I really love you girl" and "If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you" sang by Arnel are nasty lines. The first line was sang with starting note at B4, then just hits C5 and D5 with one note each. That's not easy. And the next line was sung with starting note at B4 then peaks at E5 for two notes.
And if you think that's really hard (well it is really hard), wait til you get to the ending which brings us to the second difference. Steve in the Escape release hit the whole B4 notes twice. That's actually already an exclamation point for an ending of a song. But Arnel did it differently and a lot harder, hitting a whole B4 note in the first then doing a nasty portamento from B4 to E5, and he did not have to employ falsetto in the whole process.
My friend researched about this and Arnel was the first Journey vocalist who did this. I do not want to think that Arnel's predecessors (including Perry) were not capable of doing it, and just thought that they just did not think of doing it. So that's +1 in creativity and guts for Pineda.
So wait for the next installment of this head to head :)
1. Faithfully
2. Open Arms
3. Don't Stop Believin'
4. Separate Ways
By the way, I am hoping I will not rouse fans around (more or Arnel's fans as I am a Filipino too), and I'd like to keep everything as unbiased as possible.
1. Faithfully
Steve - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vUriVEn7FU
Arnel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNBSo44t5a8
The first difference that I have spotted, On delivering the very first line, it's almost a definite given that Steve's voice can tend to be more "soothing" to listeners compared to Arnel's.
I have also noticed that Arnel seems to be more able to sustain long notes longer than Steve, and at times that can tell that he is able to put more emphasis on some words better than the other vocalist. One of the notables too is when they deliver the line "Two strangers learn to fall in love again..." - Arnel made a good emphasis and power on the line, and Steve just delivered a dotted quarter note and just did a rest the measure. In my opinion, the emphasis as Arnel had done it would be more suitable as in those parts Neal (lead guitars) was already delivering his power lines. There are also other parts of the song that manifest this.
As reference in the first statement for this song, Steve having the "more soothing" voice, it may seem that Steve may appear on the speakers as the more relaxed singer as Arnel.
2. Open Arms
Steve - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHHHmi_8Bhs (note: this isn't the official Open Arms video, but a very hilarious video. thought of sharing it)
Arnel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OqLI1X72RE
This is going to be actually a difference in preference in the part of the listeners. Both are equally musically effective in delivering the song. If you prefer the rock star leaning to a thin voice compared to Axl Rose, listen to Steve's version, but if you prefer a whole voice all throughout the song, go for Arnel. Steve delivered such power in this song that I thought it was missing in Faithfully, while Arnel was getting the rasp on high notes especially in the chorus parts. Too bad this is is just three and a half minutes long, that they could have showcased more of their vocal skills in this very nice song.
There is, by the way, a surprise about this song in the last part of this head to head.
3. Don't Stop Believin'
Steve - http://www.trilulilu.ro/magic_dream/3f00a3d4117350
Arnel - http://www.livevideo.com/video/C7A2769589614AF2852B9694639AD855/journey-don-t-stop-believin.aspx
This song, let alone which singer would do better, deserves a powerful rocker. The way Steve sang this song, in my opinion, is a bit soft. Arnel gave justice more to this song than the original counterpart, maybe because of Steve's more relaxed demeanor on the microphone. His voice was a bit reasonable wholler than Steve's. The range in the whole in both versions aren't really different, but noticably, Steve's famous rasp becomes less evident when he tries to hit the high notes (unlike Michael Bolton's seemingly infinite supply of rasp even on high notes). But undoubtedly, both singers can deliver the eight count (2 whole notes) on the chorus line "...hiding somewhere in the night." So that actually slices the gap of the two singers in terms of vocal timbre. I honestly like Arnel's version of this compared to Steve's, and even to the other past Journey vocalists.
On a side note, Steve surprisingly sang this way better in live.
4. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Steve - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbZRMLKozk
Arnel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2UxLRG2kNE
Here's actually a surprise for me. They sounded almost exactly the same in this song except for a slight mispronunciation on Steve's version in the second stanza, which isn't really bad (overstating the word "forgivable"), and a little creative differences. Arnel beautifully nailed the last note (a whole B4 note using modal register) of the refrains as Steve did in his version. For the untrained ear, you can almost never distinguish the difference between the two singers for this song. No vocal notes were delivered longer by one singer compared to the other.
But perhaps the biggest differences lie on two things: firstly, because the Revelation release (Arnel's) is an extended version of the Escape release (Steve's), extended by an extra 1:03 with a couple of additional riffs in-fixed in the ending of the song, and secondly, Arnel just raised the bar of his vocal range in the modal register.
The first difference: Check out 4:42 up to 5:11 of the Revelation release. Those riffs are additional ones. The lines "I still love you girl, I really love you girl" and "If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you" sang by Arnel are nasty lines. The first line was sang with starting note at B4, then just hits C5 and D5 with one note each. That's not easy. And the next line was sung with starting note at B4 then peaks at E5 for two notes.
And if you think that's really hard (well it is really hard), wait til you get to the ending which brings us to the second difference. Steve in the Escape release hit the whole B4 notes twice. That's actually already an exclamation point for an ending of a song. But Arnel did it differently and a lot harder, hitting a whole B4 note in the first then doing a nasty portamento from B4 to E5, and he did not have to employ falsetto in the whole process.
My friend researched about this and Arnel was the first Journey vocalist who did this. I do not want to think that Arnel's predecessors (including Perry) were not capable of doing it, and just thought that they just did not think of doing it. So that's +1 in creativity and guts for Pineda.
So wait for the next installment of this head to head :)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Head2Head: Steve Perry vs. Arnel Pineda Part 1 - Introduction
I already have four remakes of Journey songs (with Arnel Pineda) here in my phone, namely Faithfully, Open Arms, Separate Ways and Don't Stop Believin'. Before I have thought of making this entry about these two great Journey singers, and have actually tried listening to the above mentioned songs sung by Steve Perry, I was already hoping by my simple methods that I was to do for this entry will reveal, at least for my own opinion, who would turn out to be the overall better singer in their prime. But honestly, I was wrong and when the other reviews said Steve and Arnel have very similar voices, they were right. My opinion is they have very distinctive voices, but very very similar. So what separates the two of them?
I will try to compare these two singers the best way that I can. I have already assumed that they are of more or less the same vocal range (countertenor range with maybe around 3 octaves using the normal voice, let alone the range for falsetto as they do not use it in the Journey hit songs), but I'm just hoping I would stumble upon articles which really discusses their vocal range as I can't seem to find any. All I have read from random people here in the internet is that they are saying Arnel's range is higher than Steve's (maybe just by a few semitones). As they have sung some of the hits in the studio quite differently, I have already assumed one can sing how the other has sung it, and vice versa (except for Arnel's portamento in the ending of Separate Ways - which is a real tenor tester). So I am guessing this may be a battle of creativity, guts and showmanship.
Well, to introduce the two vocalists:
Steve Perry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Perry_(musician))
Steve came in the band Journey in 1977, replacing the band's former singer. He basically set the musical direction with his soaring tenor voice and his songwriting skills, making hit after hit after hit, especially on the albums Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983), which included four songs I have enlisted above (except for Faithfully, which was written only by Journey keyboardist Jon Cain).
Aside from his success as a band member of Journey, he also pushed out efforts as a solo artist, released two solo albums entitled Street Talk (1984) and For The Love of Strange Medicine (1994). Street Talk includes the hit songs Oh Sherrie (which topped the charts, but I honestly don't know this song) and Foolish Heart. I don't know much about the latter album, but this was released just before the band's reunion in 1995.
Steve suffered a hip injury that caused him unable to perform, and needed corrective surgery. He was hesitant of having the surgery done, and the rest of the band had to wait since the tour had to be delayed (and it got so delayed). Steve parted ways from the band, after Neal Schon and Jon Cain set an ultimatum for Steve to have the surgery done. The tour was so delayed, that the band had to look for a replacement vocalist. That was 1998.
Around that time, Arnel Pineda and his band (band name at that time is New Age) was asked by an owner of a restaurant/nightclub in Hong Kong to perform there. Dressed in skeleton outfits, they called themselves "The Rolling Bones".
So let's move on to the other guy...
Arnel Pineda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnel_Pineda)
I'd like to skip most of Arnel's very dark past and keep it private for him (and I know the story is already widespread in the internet).
Arnel started to be a band's lead vocalist when he was 15 years old, with the band named Ijos. Armed with passion and encouragement to sing by his mother, he was pretty much ready to rock at a young age.
Basically his band made a few changes in members and name along the way, joining a few contests and remained active doing their gigs mostly in Luzon. At the Yamaha World Band Explosion in 1990, Arnel won the best vocalist award while his band won as first runner up. A talent agent spotted Arnel and the band and was asked to perform in Hong Kong. In 1991, Arnel with his band moved to Hong Kong and performed six nights a week.
The year 1994 could have been the end of Arnel's singing career. His health was comprised after his long-term romantic relationship failed that year, almost losing his voice. He was advised by the doctor that his singing was over and he had to stop. But after several months of recuperation here in his homeland, he was able to sing again. By 1998, he and his band went back to Hong Kong to perform again, but flew back again here in Manila to record his solo self-titled album, with some of the songs he wrote and arranged himself. Added note: in the album, he cut his hair short and dyed it blonde.
From 2002 to 2005, Arnel and his band went back to Hong Kong to perform again, now sharing the lead vocals seat with a female singer. By 2006, Arnel flew back here with Monet Cajipe, the guitarist who had been in all bands were Arnel was in. They formed the band called The Zoo, and released the album Zoology in September 2007.
And who would have known just three months after that release, he would officially become the lead singer of Journey. Somehow, one of Arnel's fans and a good friend of his managed to record and upload most of The Zoo's performances with his VC. And somehow, from halfway around the globe, from the places where the timezones are maybe fifteen or sixteen hours in difference of Arnel's (and mine too) local timezone, Neal Schon made his way to these videos and had him convinced that Arnel could be the perfect frontman for their band.
And he was right. The whole band was right. Now they have released their first album with Arnel entitled "Revelation" which debuted at #5 in the US charts, and they have been touring around the world with their new music and the invigorated old ones.
Around this time, Steve is enjoying his retirement but some news spreading out rumors that he's making a new album. Dunno.
So watch out for my analysis on the head to head battle of these two undeniably great vocalists (at least when Steve was still in his prime). :) Three more parts to go.
I will try to compare these two singers the best way that I can. I have already assumed that they are of more or less the same vocal range (countertenor range with maybe around 3 octaves using the normal voice, let alone the range for falsetto as they do not use it in the Journey hit songs), but I'm just hoping I would stumble upon articles which really discusses their vocal range as I can't seem to find any. All I have read from random people here in the internet is that they are saying Arnel's range is higher than Steve's (maybe just by a few semitones). As they have sung some of the hits in the studio quite differently, I have already assumed one can sing how the other has sung it, and vice versa (except for Arnel's portamento in the ending of Separate Ways - which is a real tenor tester). So I am guessing this may be a battle of creativity, guts and showmanship.
Well, to introduce the two vocalists:
Steve Perry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Perry_(musician))
Steve came in the band Journey in 1977, replacing the band's former singer. He basically set the musical direction with his soaring tenor voice and his songwriting skills, making hit after hit after hit, especially on the albums Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983), which included four songs I have enlisted above (except for Faithfully, which was written only by Journey keyboardist Jon Cain).
Aside from his success as a band member of Journey, he also pushed out efforts as a solo artist, released two solo albums entitled Street Talk (1984) and For The Love of Strange Medicine (1994). Street Talk includes the hit songs Oh Sherrie (which topped the charts, but I honestly don't know this song) and Foolish Heart. I don't know much about the latter album, but this was released just before the band's reunion in 1995.
Steve suffered a hip injury that caused him unable to perform, and needed corrective surgery. He was hesitant of having the surgery done, and the rest of the band had to wait since the tour had to be delayed (and it got so delayed). Steve parted ways from the band, after Neal Schon and Jon Cain set an ultimatum for Steve to have the surgery done. The tour was so delayed, that the band had to look for a replacement vocalist. That was 1998.
Around that time, Arnel Pineda and his band (band name at that time is New Age) was asked by an owner of a restaurant/nightclub in Hong Kong to perform there. Dressed in skeleton outfits, they called themselves "The Rolling Bones".
So let's move on to the other guy...
Arnel Pineda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnel_Pineda)
I'd like to skip most of Arnel's very dark past and keep it private for him (and I know the story is already widespread in the internet).
Arnel started to be a band's lead vocalist when he was 15 years old, with the band named Ijos. Armed with passion and encouragement to sing by his mother, he was pretty much ready to rock at a young age.
Basically his band made a few changes in members and name along the way, joining a few contests and remained active doing their gigs mostly in Luzon. At the Yamaha World Band Explosion in 1990, Arnel won the best vocalist award while his band won as first runner up. A talent agent spotted Arnel and the band and was asked to perform in Hong Kong. In 1991, Arnel with his band moved to Hong Kong and performed six nights a week.
The year 1994 could have been the end of Arnel's singing career. His health was comprised after his long-term romantic relationship failed that year, almost losing his voice. He was advised by the doctor that his singing was over and he had to stop. But after several months of recuperation here in his homeland, he was able to sing again. By 1998, he and his band went back to Hong Kong to perform again, but flew back again here in Manila to record his solo self-titled album, with some of the songs he wrote and arranged himself. Added note: in the album, he cut his hair short and dyed it blonde.
From 2002 to 2005, Arnel and his band went back to Hong Kong to perform again, now sharing the lead vocals seat with a female singer. By 2006, Arnel flew back here with Monet Cajipe, the guitarist who had been in all bands were Arnel was in. They formed the band called The Zoo, and released the album Zoology in September 2007.
And who would have known just three months after that release, he would officially become the lead singer of Journey. Somehow, one of Arnel's fans and a good friend of his managed to record and upload most of The Zoo's performances with his VC. And somehow, from halfway around the globe, from the places where the timezones are maybe fifteen or sixteen hours in difference of Arnel's (and mine too) local timezone, Neal Schon made his way to these videos and had him convinced that Arnel could be the perfect frontman for their band.
And he was right. The whole band was right. Now they have released their first album with Arnel entitled "Revelation" which debuted at #5 in the US charts, and they have been touring around the world with their new music and the invigorated old ones.
Around this time, Steve is enjoying his retirement but some news spreading out rumors that he's making a new album. Dunno.
So watch out for my analysis on the head to head battle of these two undeniably great vocalists (at least when Steve was still in his prime). :) Three more parts to go.
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