The Immigrant Song

[ronws]

I know, it's the third submission of the night. Normally, I don't burden people this much. This the third song I recorded tonight, though the actual order was "Immigrant Song," "Dust in the Wind," and "Last in Line."

Anyway, I had tried this before when I had the desk mic and a backing track. And it wasn't working out. Then, I was using echo and it wasn't meshing with Plant's echo, which you can still hear as his echo vocals were mixed away from center pan.

So, again, in the spirit of keeping it real, I did it the way I have always done it, guitar in hand. This one I dedicate to Jaime Vendera. I know exactly how he feels with this song, which he talks about in "Raise Your Voice" 2.0.

No apologies, I sing this as if I wrote it.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8750209/Immigrant%20Song.mp3

[devaitis]

I dont like it. It sounds funny. Like not serious singing.

Why do you sing that way? Is it your artist choice, like beegees....etc??? You ve got super flexibility of the voice. Use it in different way.

[ronws]

In what way? What part was not serious? Or maybe I should ask what you meant by serious. If I were to do it in a different way, how would you suggest I do so? I'm not picking on you, just needing some clarification.

Now, I did get a giggle out of the bee gees. Perhaps I was too close to the microphone and overloaded it.

[devaitis]

I mean about high part only. Its your artist music. I dont want to contrain you. I d like to say i dont like the high parts of your voice, it sounds annoying for me. Thats all.

If I were your music producer I would ask you to change high theme and would suggest you to give little scream a'la Tayler/Lambert in this part.

European (especially slavic) are mentally different from Americans. Dont be nervous i have got other temperament.

[ronws]

I'm not nervous. I was singing the high part in full voice, rather than the tight twang and creak that Adam Lambert uses. So, yes, it's a stylistic choice on my part. I get more fully what you are saying. And it's funny, too, that when I do those high parts, it's with lots of volume. If I am too close to the mic, it overloads the mic. Farther away, one loses some of the harmonics and overtones present in the note. I'm not much into screaming, myself but that was a good suggestion on your part. Thanks for clarifying for me.

[Ronron]

Wow.

Is that "distorsion through twang" I hear ?

I didn't know I knew this song :D

[ronws]

Yes, Ronron. But evidently, I don't do it with enough distortion to suit some. Which is fine. I also didn't have any effects other than light compression to even the volumes of loud and soft. I also listened to it again, myself. I can't determine where it is that I sound like the Bee Gees. And others are going to have to believe me when I say that I am singing much louder than the Bee Gees did. And, I thought, with more grit or rasp or whatever.

For those not familiar with the song, I shall write another book's worth of a post. The song is from the third Led Zeppelin album and is entitled "The Immigrant Song" but is largely about the nordic tribes, such as vikings, northern germans and those who believed in the Great Cycle, with Odin, Loki, and the cycle of Ragnarok. The banshee wailing in selected parts of the song (my bee gees part) is to mimick the intensity of a beserker going into battle. For it was the northern tribes that produced the beserker, a fighter so intent he would fall upon your sword so that his mate could finish you off. The song also speaks of the westerward expansion and subsequent invasion of the northern UK. And lastly, an admonition to change one's ways for peace as those who live by the sword will die by the sword. It's a cautionary tale of history.

Stylistically, it was one of the straight ahead rock and roll songs, one might say a heavy metal song. But Led Zeppelin were not heavy metal despite others' insistence that they were. They were heavy blues and Robert Plant considered himself to be a jazz singer and certainly his vocal riffing was more reminiscent of scat singing than traditional opera and theater. The unique thing about Plant's singing, personalities aside, is that he used the voice as a sonic instrument. It was not about vocals over music. It was about creating a sonic picture of which the voice is a timbre and effect. Even on his solo work, he did the same thing. Whatever the song requires, rather than his ego.

[gno]

Ron that sounds really good! Your voice is great on this song and it is a tough song. Your guitar sounds great too. Your recording is greally good too - good balance and very clear.

Thanks for the history on this tune and Zepplin. I find that stuff fascinating.

[jonpall]

My guess is that what's bugging devaitis the most is the way you end many of the words - too harsh even for heavy metal lovers. On the positive side, you have good range and your connectivity ain't too shabby. My suggestion would be to do tons of basic vocal exercises and not so many songs. And it's not just you but everyone who needs to build and then maintain a solid foundation of vocal technique.

[ronws]

Thanks, jonpall. Those are high compliments, coming from you.

And thanks, Geno. It's about as basic as it gets. Guitar and me, with me about two feet away from the mic on the high parts. A bit of compression to even the volumes. That's it.

I think I will go ahead and link in the original for comparison or difference, what floats a person's boat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u--97IytCSE

If my ears do not deceive me, even through all the echo and other studio tricks they did to the album, it would seem that Plant sang this at a lower volume than I did. Plus, they had all that echo which also mixed out of center pan to left and right (a standard trick for beefing up a vocal track. I have tried it, reading it in a book on recording the voice. Essentially, a center track. Then that track gets copied and panned 70 % left ear and a another copy panned 70 % right ear. Try it.)

But I enjoy the comments. One thinks I am too light like the Bee Gees, without enough distortion. Another thinks I hit it too hard. Then a middle of the road that picked up the slight rasp I get from slightly overdriving the note. As well as hearing that I'm actually quite relaxed and not straining at all on this.

Thanks for the help and pointers, guys, and also thanks for the compliments and kudos (with or without disclaimers.) I feel like Jaime Vendera does with this song. It feels right to me.

[ronws]

Also, is it just me, or did I channel a little Jack Black in those banshee wails?