Bob Dylan's deteriorating voice.

[Snejk]

Now, we all have heard the clichés "Dylan is a poet, not a singer", however, I have never agreed with the latter. I have found his singing in "Hurricane" to be really great. Lovely sustained notes and such.

So, when we hear him today live he is mostly just mumbling the songs in a monotone voice...

Some have said that he's been singing in an extremely unhealthy way ever since he started off but I wonder if anyone knows a bit more of why his voice has gone from what it was to what it is, other than just guesswork?

*curious Swede*

[ronws]

One of the early interviews I read of Bob Dylan, he said he was trying to sound like the folk singer, Woody Guthrie (father of folk singer Arlo Guthrie.) He never quite got that sound but he did create his own. And had a knack for writing songs. Songs that others would make monster hits from. Such as Jimi Hendrix's cover of "Along the Watchtower."

I never liked too much the sound of Dylan's voice but I liked his phrasing and intention of meaning.

A friend of mine saw him a few years ago and it was as you described modernly. Monotonic and ranging less than 1 octave. I've read elsewhere that because of his poor singing technique, recording could take longer because after a number of takes, he needed rest and his voice was shot and any further attempts that day was a waste of money and tape. Though it could have easily been his perfectionism, as well. Tone of voice aside, he could be as exacting in how he wanted something to sound as anyone else.

I don't know if he has bad technique or if it's just the side effect of singing professionally for 50 years, which is a little longer than I have been alive. A case can be made for voices staying beautiful through good technique, such as Tony Bennett. Even Rod Stewart has made changes in both singing technique and genre of music. Now, he's more likely to copy Tony Bennett than any old thing from Small Faces, for example.

I once made a similar comment about Joe Cocker and it was pointed out that I was wrong. And I may very well be, on both counts.

*verbose redneck*