Hey everybody welcome back again to Ken Tamplin
Vocal Academy where the proof is in the singing. I'm doing this really interesting series and it's
called Replacement Singers Who Did It Better. Next up is Freddie Mercury, Adam Lambert and Paul Rodgers
all singing for Queen. Now I know this one's going to be a little heated so hang in there guys I want
to hear your opinions but please post respectfully and we're going to talk about the criteria that we
always talk about about what makes them better but before we get started, please like and subscribe to
my channel that'd be really cool. I just finished getting over a million subs I'd love to get to the
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singer. It's called How to Sing Better Than Anyone Else and we cover all these nuances of how these
guys got great at singing. You can find it right here at KenTamplinVocalAcademy.com where I also
have a free singing forums or a singers forum with over 25,000 singers talking about how to get great
okay at singing. So I want to dive right in. Now I want to say a few things that I think that are
important. We've talked a lot about this criteria of what makes a singer great and we've said okay
you know was the original material only written for the original singer and it was so unique and
so characteristically unique that it would be hard for someone to come in and replace absolutely
with Freddie's case. What was their showmanship like gonna be really hard to beat Freddie. Did they
contribute significantly creatively to the band after the singer left the new replacement singer
came in and did they represent the art of that original band's intent and take it to a new level
okay. All these things are important because I think it's the only fair way of evaluating whether
or not this who did it better okay. Now I'm going to dive right in but I also want to point out some
other things Freddie Mercury rode the wave of just immortalizing him to be the greatest singer
that's ever lived, the greatest performer that's ever lived, blah blah blah. Some of that's true but would
I call him the greatest performer that's ever liv, there's a lot of really good, great performers I
mean you know they're all different unique and that's why people are attracted to them is because
they resonate, you know audiences resonate with artists differently. When it comes to actual
live performance I like using live performance because there's no doubt that he was an
unbelievable songwriter, unbelievable orchestrator, unbelievable producer of his own music and whatnot ,an unbelievable showman but when it comes to where the rubber meets the road and
let's be really honest about it. How well do they really perform without
the eulogization of putting them so high in a pedestal that when they do something wrong
everyone ignores it and pretends it doesn't happen okay. So this these all these things are really
important. Let's just dive right in, here we go. By the way on (sings) right. A lot of times performers will do
that because they're out of voice, out of breath, they're saving it up for the
next phrase so they're pacing themselves etc and I already get that feeling as I'm coming into
this. Now I know this was Live Aid I know maybe he couldn't hear himself great because I heard
that was true for a lot of artists at this time. They're not in their element you know they're
kind of, it's kind of a monkey behind the cage in, in, in festivals like this because they're getting
bands on and off so quick you don't get your, your stuff together and it's just not your, you know
your performance best because you don't have, it's like you don't have a home field advantage in that
sense okay. So let's, let's continue, here we go. Okay so I've seen him do this before instead
of (sings) right he, he ducks the notes and he doesn't get to the notes and it could be
an artistic statement, it could be that he can't really get to the notes, it could be that he's
waiting to pace himself for the next phrase like I've said already so but he did he ducked a
couple notes and he's done it on this section so he's probably used to doing it that way
now because he's, he's maybe tried to hit it a couple times and cracked you know and
it didn't work out. So let's check it out. Okay that was really sketchy, I mean really
sketchy and again I'm not here to point out all of Freddie's faults, I'm sure I'm going to
get plenty of hate comments do, you know bring them on I mean I'm, just got to be honest. Would
I say that was an amazing performance well then again I can't grade everything Freddie did
on this one performance here right so that's not really fair either but I've seen enough
of his live stuff to know too that you know I think kind of like Robert Plant. I mean Robert
Plant hardly ever hit all the notes right. At least he's doing this and he's got so much
other charisma going on in his command of the audience etcetera like I said, his showmanship
so but no I wouldn't, I wouldn't give him high marks for that kind of singing, he's Freddie
that's great but let's be honest about it. Now he did it first, he invented it, he composed it
you know everything else it's all Freddie and he's so unique in doing it, very hard to match
that, but I do need to point these things out along the way because what are we doing. Who did it
better right. All right let's continue. Here we go. All right now the reason I bring up the
whole command of the audience thing and I put this section in is I, I forget what this,
wasn't Wembly or whatever but it was a big massive, of course it wasn't
because it was a different festival but I want you to hear and watch
his command of the audience. Check this out. I mean he's literally conducting the audience and
getting them to do whatever he wants. Now by the way for you guys that don't know this originally
he did way early on as an old Harry Belafonte song. I think it was the Banana Boat song or just, it's
on the same record just before the Banana Boat song. I think it was written by Lord Burgess or something
but it was (sings) right so he kind of stole that and it's interesting because Lord Burgess actually stole it as a vocal exercise from Caruso (sings) right so it's an old piano exercise and an old
Caruso vocal exercise. So it's like the other, everybody always borrows from everybody else but, but
anyway that's, that was the motif and then he kind of made it his own, changed it up a bit and he
did this often, this exact same shtick at his shows and had just tremendous command and people
loved it and they you know feel like they're singing like Freddie and he's conducting them and
so forth but so that's the command of the audience. Now again there's another component to this
and this is going to take a little bit guys so if you guys got somewhere else to go or something
else to be I'm not going to rush this in the name of I got to get this done in 10 minutes because
YouTube says so or I'm going to lose my audience. Go ahead pause it, come back, get a couple tea,
cup of tea, a beer whatever you got to do and, and, and go down this journey with me
because I think it's going to be worth your time. He's a multi-instrumentalist, not only is he a great
singer, a great composer, you know a great conductor, great songwriter. I said that, composer also,
orchestrator I meant to say and he has produced a lot of his stuff you know with Roy Thomas
Baker early on and other producers along the way. He's a multi-instrumentalist and there are
not a lot of really amazing singers that are, though there are a few you know you saw him
playing piano now he's playing guitar and, and, and so that's pretty crazy. Now this particular
song I want to bring your attention to something because John Lennon said it, an interesting
quote he said before Elvis there was nothing. Okay. Before Elvis there was nothing and in this
particular case in this song and a few other songs, he is sort of, I don't want to say channeling
the spirit of Elvis but a lot of artists from this time that we're this age demographic were so
heavily influenced by (sings) you know (sings) where's my hand. I feel like Steve Martin and the jerk trying to find the one. No sorry but, but there's a
spirit and an element of Elvis in this so if you're listening to it he's got this cool Elvis
vibe and he's incorporating all these different styles into his music, creatively man this guy
had a lot going on so I can't just grade him on his singing I got to bring all these elements
in along the way as we're listening to this stuff. You hear the Elvis. Bring me some bacon baby. I mean sloppy right but there's also
an element of being so free in his, his showmanship that he kind of doesn't really
care I get the feeling. He cares but not that much, he cares about entertaining, he cares about
feeling like those 50,000 people out there are 12 of his close best friends in his living room so
to speak and he's giving that, that at ease sort of you know feeling as you're going through this.
It's Freddie man. Freddie's coming out and Freddie's going to sing for us today you know and so there's
this family vibe that he brings with him and so I don't think he holds himself or, or he. I don't
think his main focus is to hold himself as accountable to all the notes exactly like the
record (sounds) no there's an ebb and flow, there's a, let's improvise on this one thing over here,
let's do this song differently. Hey my voice sucks tonight let's do it in a different key. He has
that spirit about him as he's going through this. Elvis baby. Okay now there's another component.
How many artists have written a song not just timeless that gets played on the
radio a lot, that is so anthemic that gets used for virtually every sporting event every you
know, every colosseum, conventiony kind of thing. I can only think of a few right and this is
certainly one of them, this is probably the biggest one maybe of all time I mean there's a
couple here and there but this would be way, way up the food chain if not at the very, very
top. So not only did he write you know (sings). He also gets the anthems that get coliseums to, you know gets major soccer teams to come out on the floor
because you wrote something so catchy that we will rock you and it's such an anthemic thing that
can apply to almost anything okay. Let's continue. Oh I forgot to add one more thing about this song,
is that to me ultimate true genius doesn't come only by composing things with a bunch of
complicated notes maybe some beautiful melodies yes and there's lots of composers I could list I
don't feel like getting myself in trouble but I will say that Freddie on the one hand could write
"Bohemian Rhapsody" yes I know it was three songs that was over a span of his whole you know earlier
career that he melded together into one song with Roy Thomas Baker but I will say that he was also
able to write something so simple that was also as catchy. Most complicated composers or minds can't
or don't do that. There's either the Beatles where they write something really simple, not saying they
didn't have some cool complicated things but they wrote something really simple or there's you know
again composers and whatnot Yes tattooed them on my arm, the rock band. You know there's progressive
bands that write things that are really cool but not simple and catchy like this so there's another
component to this monster composer all right. (sings) Hold on (sings) right you just can sing along with it just
like, it makes me want to sing, doesn't it to you. There's an element to it where I don't know if it's just
I grew up with this or whatever but it just, it makes you want to sing. So not only again all
these different components, all of a sudden he's engaging me to force me to want to sing his stuff
you know what I mean, like I just I, makes me want to sing. Not very many pieces do that anymore. There's
not a lot of music right now that's doing that. I have a funny, a funny joke for you. So anyway that
kind of mistake he made vocally and then he goes like he meant to do it. There's an old joke that a
doctor never says oops, a doctor always says there like he meant to do it, a mistake and that's sort
of Freddie you know he's got so much creative authority and confidence in what he does is sort of there.
Okay I want to move on. I had a couple more pieces that you know that I have and and you know I can't
really post all this stuff because he has a lot of great stuff and it's going to take a long time
but I got to get to Adam Lambert and before I get to Adam Lambert I'm going to make a gaudacious,
audacious comment I'm sorry I have to make it. Again we are talking about a, a guy that steps into
Freddie's spot very difficult to do. So I remember one time at Juilliard there was this professor there who made this comment and he said you know if you see all these composers
on the wall right, it was List and Brahms and Beethoven, Beethoven, Forcoffiof and you know
all these all these amazing guys. He says if we can just get to one percent of their greatness
I'll have done my job and I'm like really. Okay. I guess that means that you know we're never
allowed to, to be unique and to compose on our own and you know whatever so but it could
be said that if Adam could just get to 10% of Freddie's greatness then, then the world's
a happy place okay. So I've got to just kind of start there because step stepping in Freddie's
you know shoes is just incredibly difficult to do but I also have to go back to our very first you
know prerequisites of did someone do it better okay and did they come in out of nowhere. Well
he kind of did and he, but he came in you know off American Idol didn't win that was interesting.
He didn't even win yet he's, he's not good enough to be the winner of American Idol but he's good
enough to sing for Queen, that's kind of weird. Okay second did he, how long did he last. I think he's
been in the band over 10 years. He's been in the band a while so, so he's kind of satisfying a couple of
these things he came in out of nowhere, amazing to do that, not come from another well-known
band and already have all this charisma and stuff you bring to the table your own audience
and you kind of morph or meld this in together you know synergizing together with a known
band. So he's ten years right. Third thing is, there was the two, actually more
than three things sorry. Third thing is he not only lasted but did he contribute
significantly creatively to the band I'd have to say no. I'd say no that he did not do that. Did
he outperform him as an artist, let's take a look. Oops sorry. So far no I don't think, I don't think it's all
that I know a lot of people have seen him live. I've seen him a couple times, never live myself
personally but I've seen some footage of live stuff and heard some live stuff. I don't think
that was as good as Freddie guys, even though Freddie's cracks and carbuncles and stuff. Now
he's, might be more spar, spot on on the actual note value. I think his voice is kind of whiny and
thin as he goes up top. I know he does a lot of other runs that are may more, maybe more difficult
than Freddie and then one of the things I gotta say that's a pet peeve of mine. I don't care about
your sexual preference. Your thing is your thing. That's fine do your thing. I have my thing you
do your thing but I think that to play it up so much to where it's kind of the shtick. I
don't think Freddie would, would have, would have wanted to do that. Now you say well wait a
minute Ken the very name of the band is Queen. I'm not going to get into some pissing
contest about sexuality. I'm just saying that you know I just think it's kind of unnecessary
to do it just show your talent and do something because you know when i think of a singer like
Mark Martel you guys know that is, I think Mark would have done a better job as a singer.
Now I don't know if he'd have done a better job as a showman but I do believe for sure that he
would have done a better job singing like Freddie than Adam has done. Though Adam again and in
his defense has lasted a really long time, he's really consistent with his performances etc
but, but is he Freddie let's continue to take a look. Okay before I get into this next
thing, also in Adam's defense, the band seems really lackluster and like old men
playing and I love Brian Mays one of my favorite guitar players. I love the whole band but I just
didn't, I feel like they're punching a clock. I don't feel like there's that fire and enthusiasm
and excitement for life, excitement for music, excitement for the, for the audience it's sort of
like okay we're Queen and we've got a new singer and we're, you know we're playing shows. So, so in
his defense too, I don't feel like he's getting the benefit, the full benefit of an energetic,
excited band that everyone's excited to do it and they're new and fresh and hungry. I just don't
get that so. All right let's continue. After this. Here we go. Sorry. Okay so again I'm gonna get back
to this, this playing this up part again. Would, would Freddie have done that
like the class of the band for me has always been incredible virtuosity, incredible compositions,
incredible storytelling, it's actually a story about you know a high paid hooker you
know and so forth killer queen. So, so as I'm looking at this storytelling in "Bohemian
Rhapsody" and, and all these amazing songs "We Will Rock You" we just heard and whatnot. This
is a little, I don't know college performance for me. It doesn't, it doesn't strike me with
the same panache and the same authority and rock band is even also a better way to say it,
as what I believed Queen's intent was originally. Okay I'm already bored I just, I guess I just
want to see someone with a telecaster or a les paul or a stratocaster down here just doing a
couple of these rather than a couple of these personally. It's just not rock and
roll for me and I'm gonna, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna fast forward just because I'm
already bored and, and I'm trying to get as much benefit of the doubt but it's just me,
it's my opinion and it's just not rock and roll. Again it's just kind of lackluster
don't you guys sort of feel like this like just there's no energy in it
you know what I mean it's weird. He's hitting all the notes. Okay now let's be honest guys, come on let's be
really honest. He's jacking off at the microphone stand and now he's jacking off and he's going to
explode all over poor Brian May who's looking at him going don't explode on me pal right and
again everyone can have their schtick and maybe I'm out of place saying hey that's his artistic
right to be able to do that. It just brings Queen down by about five notches from the class act
that Queen is so I'm kind of done with him here and I've got, I even, I even had a lot more
footage of him but I'm just kind of grossed out. It's just not, now by the way you can say Ken rock
and roll what do you think rock and roll means by definition. Gene Simmons, hey moron by definition
rock and roll is. Yeah I know rock and roll is a sexual act I get it but it's just, it just
brings the band down it just doesn't, he doesn't do it for me straight up. He's a good singer. is
he Freddie Mercury I don't even think close. Now I know that there was an argument and I've said this
before about Freddie and Brian May and there was this debate that went on and Freddie says to Brian
May look I'm know Paul Rodgers right because they, at the time Bad Company was, was bigger than when
Queen first started and so they were kind of like looking up at Bad Company believe it or not
as, as the band to beat or a band to beat because there was a lot of really good bands back there
and so if I ever die you should get Paul Rodgers to do the gig. There was a sort of comment and my
understanding is that sort of what, the impetus that brought Paul Rodgers in. Now let's take a listen
to this here we're getting kind of. Okay let me, sorry that's not Paul Rodgers. Here's Paul Rodgers. Here we go sorry. At the end here, here we go. What do you immediately experience right now. (sings) You've got, now again in fairness
and I know this is a long one guys I know you're going to hang with me
you probably already clicked off by now but you that stayed maybe this
would be worth it for you to hear. Consummate professionalism, consummate mature
singer. Yes he came from Bad Company so he did come from a pre-established band with his own
following and get all that, very popular, one of my all-time favorite singers but his command
and authority, his quality of singing, his quality of everything is just brought the band right.
Now what were the criteria, what's the criteria. Did the replacement singer contribute anything new
no actually he didn't. Did the, did the replacement singer come in and at least foot the bell, bill
excuse me or can or you know pull it off in a live situation like Sammy Hagar did when he
replaced David Lee Roth. Absolutely, check this out. Look at that (sings). He's just got that command you know,
that voice. Now I have to say this because I brought up the sexuality comment. I just gotta, I gotta shoot
myself in the head and in the foot. Paul, he couldn't sound effeminate if he
wanted to I mean (sings) He's just a man's, man and he comes out and he is
probably the exact polar opposite from a stage persona, from a you know just a personality as
Freddie. Let's forget about Adam for a minute it's Freddie okay because it's really all
about Freddie it's not about necessarily Adam and in this case you gotta listen to this it's, it's
epic. He comes out singing a song that's kind of, Freddie sings it a little effeminate
comparatively but listen to Paul. After this. Sorry it's hard to get, sometimes
it's hard to get this thing I got such a small little thing I gotta work with here. It's so different than Freddie but it's
cool it's kind of creepy it's like you feel like you're hearing Bad Company and, and Queen like kind of colliding worlds or something. It's so good. Now I sort of, again I keep stopping this.
I sort of get the feeling that it's more like a tribute to Freddie and not
Queen so there is that element of it. It's not Queen and it's not even close to Queen. It's not
even close to Freddie it's a very different vibe. It's a macho strutting, you know rock and roll guy
you know coming out and so he's not trying to be Freddie he's trying to be himself. He reminds me a
lot you know when I saw, and again everyone, that's why I'm going to bring this up because we,
I keep, the sex word keeps coming up. When I saw Elton John and I saw oh was his name,
oh duh you gotta have, George Michael. I saw George Michael come out and do the duet with Elton
John "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and it was so masterfully done and I mean masterfully done and
he didn't come out and try to sound like Elton. He's also did a Queen song, you guys remember he
did this. He didn't try to come out and sound like Freddie, he came out and sounded like himself but
he's so good it's like he didn't care like I'm me you know what i mean. I'm George Michael and
I'm gonna be George Michael, I'm gonna do George Michael. He didn't come out selling his sexuality, didn't
and Elton didn't come out selling his sex, they just came out and played it was awesome
and they did awesome stuff and in the same way that's exactly what we're experiencing here.
He's not coming out selling anybody anything. He's just coming out throwing down being a
rock and roll guy. All right so. Love that voice. (sings) you know instead of. He's got his thing man right Okay now we said could the replacement singer
step into music that was originally written for the original singer and pull it off and did he
contribute anything creatively significantly. Not from a songwriting standpoint but from a
personality in his own unique style standpoint absolutely he did, absolutely incredible, absolutely. (sings) Okay now we've also talked about and I know
this is going over time here guys if you don't want to click off, click off but
most of the time a lot of times singers default to the audience to sing because they
lose their voice in this, and Freddie didn't do that actually. A lot of times he actually just
got great audience participation but remember Adam didn't get anybody participating in anything right
and he's getting everybody to participate and he's not doing it because he lost his voice he's doing
it genuinely to get the audience to participate. He's doing a Freddie. Now what did we see Paul Rodgers plays keyboards, Paul Rodgers plays guitar, Freddie plays keyboards,
Freddie plays guitar I wasn't seeing Adam Lambert, I know he plays instruments but not
multi-instrumental in the same kind of way Flawless pitch. Flawless pitch. Okay I'm gonna move it on. Here we go. Now how cool is it, guys think about
this. How cool is it to have such command that your voice is as big as the band,
you're controlling the band like Freddie but that the audience also can cross-pollinate or
cross over with your band that was so successful. "Feel Like Making Love" and some of the other songs
that they have that a Queen audience is singing Bad Company songs and crossing over where your
backup band now is Queen singing your own stuff you know what I mean that's pretty stinking
cool if you ask me. For you, for you youngins out there that don't know Bad Company I'm introducing a little something something to you That's awesome. Badass. (sings) So good. Last one here you go guys. This is last one. (sings) I don't know what he's gonna do but I know Paul. it's good stuff. That tone. Okay I don't know how this got back in the end. All
right so yeah. I don't know guys, you guys decide. Of course there's only one Freddie Mercury there
will probably only be one Freddie Mercury and with the advent of video games and all the
little things we do on our phones and filters and auto tuning and stuff maybe we'll never
see another Freddie Mercury but I will say that I don't think Adam Lambert is anywhere as
near the replacement for Freddie Mercury. Sorry Adam it's the way I feel, I think Mark Martel would have done a better job singing the band but I don't know about his front, frontmanship of the band. I think Paul Rodgers crushed it but he's Paul Rodgers, more, it was more like
a tribute to Freddie with Paul honoring him coming and sitting in for the band then also being
like Freddie Mercury so I can understand why that didn't last and I can understand why people
didn't gravitate toward having him continue on with the band. You tell me your thoughts
and comments, put them in the comment section. Please post respectfully God bless you guys,
definitely check out my next video and peace out
