Post by falsetokaiba on Mar 26, 2020 22:44:50 GMT
Layne Rutherford Staley (22 August 1967 - 5 April 2002)Vocal Range: E♭2 - A5
Associated Acts: Alice in Chains (1987 - 2002), Mad Season (1994 - 1997), "Alice N' Chains" (1986 - 1987; the band evolved from a group previously called 'Sleze')
{Vocal summary}
With a very naturally bright and twangy voice in his late teens, Staley quickly developed a competent upper register; his earliest vocal influence was apparently Vince Neil, with his bandmates in Sleze recalling him being able to hit the D5s in 'Looks That Kill' by Motley Crue when he first auditioned. Although his belting was a little thin and rough around the edges, Staley showed the ability to belt up to C5, as well as hitting some hair metal-styled 'screams' up to F♯5, and even a harsher G♯5, with Sleze and Alice N Chains in the mid-1980s.
By the end of the 80s, Staley had begun to develop his own style to a greater degree. Initially such as on Alice in Chains' early 'Treehouse Tapes' Staley displayed some rasp comparable to Ratt's Stephen Pearcy. By Alice in Chains' official debut at the beginning of the 1990s, Staley had refined the style for which he is best known, his primary asset being a distortion-heavy, chesty belting register which really peaked around G♯4-B♭4 (though he did show the capability to belt as high as C♯5), as displayed on tracks like 'Man in the Box' and 'Rain When I Die.' Juxtaposed against this, Staley was also known for his emotive mid-range singing and distinctive third octave tone, with a slight nasality a little reminiscent of Axl Rose. Although he generally had to pull his larynx quite a bit to enter the second octave, Staley did display passable chesty low singing even down to a pretty solid F♯2 on 1995's 'Frogs'; below this he used a somewhat more fryish technique, though even managed on sparing occasions some solid enough singing down to E♭2. Although he seldom chose to access his head voice or falsetto from the end of the 1980s onwards, Staley occasionally also employed harshly distorted 'screams' or softer falsetto, with 'Rooster' probably being the best example of him utilizing a more delicate tone there. The track 'Love Song' features Staley putting his falsetto through its paces more heavily, albeit light-heartedly, featuring highs up to A5 and switching comically between faux-operatic and yodel-y tones.
An extremely distinctive and remarkable vocalist overall, Staley's style and technique has influenced many; the gritty, chest-heavy belting style that followed in the late 1990s and early 2000s from singers like Chester Bennington, Corey Taylor and M Shadows being a notable example. Staley remains an icon of grunge and alternative metal and one of the most recognizable voices of his era.
Written by falsetokaiba .
With a very naturally bright and twangy voice in his late teens, Staley quickly developed a competent upper register; his earliest vocal influence was apparently Vince Neil, with his bandmates in Sleze recalling him being able to hit the D5s in 'Looks That Kill' by Motley Crue when he first auditioned. Although his belting was a little thin and rough around the edges, Staley showed the ability to belt up to C5, as well as hitting some hair metal-styled 'screams' up to F♯5, and even a harsher G♯5, with Sleze and Alice N Chains in the mid-1980s.
By the end of the 80s, Staley had begun to develop his own style to a greater degree. Initially such as on Alice in Chains' early 'Treehouse Tapes' Staley displayed some rasp comparable to Ratt's Stephen Pearcy. By Alice in Chains' official debut at the beginning of the 1990s, Staley had refined the style for which he is best known, his primary asset being a distortion-heavy, chesty belting register which really peaked around G♯4-B♭4 (though he did show the capability to belt as high as C♯5), as displayed on tracks like 'Man in the Box' and 'Rain When I Die.' Juxtaposed against this, Staley was also known for his emotive mid-range singing and distinctive third octave tone, with a slight nasality a little reminiscent of Axl Rose. Although he generally had to pull his larynx quite a bit to enter the second octave, Staley did display passable chesty low singing even down to a pretty solid F♯2 on 1995's 'Frogs'; below this he used a somewhat more fryish technique, though even managed on sparing occasions some solid enough singing down to E♭2. Although he seldom chose to access his head voice or falsetto from the end of the 1980s onwards, Staley occasionally also employed harshly distorted 'screams' or softer falsetto, with 'Rooster' probably being the best example of him utilizing a more delicate tone there. The track 'Love Song' features Staley putting his falsetto through its paces more heavily, albeit light-heartedly, featuring highs up to A5 and switching comically between faux-operatic and yodel-y tones.
An extremely distinctive and remarkable vocalist overall, Staley's style and technique has influenced many; the gritty, chest-heavy belting style that followed in the late 1990s and early 2000s from singers like Chester Bennington, Corey Taylor and M Shadows being a notable example. Staley remains an icon of grunge and alternative metal and one of the most recognizable voices of his era.
Written by falsetokaiba .
Significant High Notes:
A5 ("Love Song")
G♯5 ("False Alarm" live Lakeside High, Seattle 1985, "Killing Yourself" live Central Tavern 1989, "Sickman" live Memphis 1992)
G5 ("Love Song", "Tell Me How To Love You")
F♯5 ("I Can't Have You Blues", "I Can't Remember", "King of the Kats", "Lip Lock Rock", "Love Song", "Queen of the Rodeo", "Sealed With A Kiss")
F5 ("Bleed the Freak", "Hate to Feel" several live performances, "Living After Midnight" live Cincinnati 1991, "Over the Edge")
E5 ("Fat Girls", "Glamorous Girls", "I Don’t Care", "Lip Lock Rock", "Living After Midnight" live Cincinnati 1991, "Nothin' Song", "Over the Edge", "Sealed With a Kiss", "Sickman" live at the Palladium 1992, "Tell Me How To Love You", "Them Bones" live Milan 1993, "Unidentified live performance with Seventhsign", "Ya Yeah Ya")
E♭5 ("Bleed the Freak", "Fairy Tale Love Story", "I Can't Remember", "Living After Midnight" live Cincinnati 1991, "Real Thing", "Rooster", "Sludge Factory", "Taxi Driver" live Hollywood 1991)
D5 ("Dirt", "Fat Girls", "Ya Yeah Ya")
C♯5 ("Fear the Voices", "Nothin' Song", "Nutshell", "Party People", "Queen of the Rodeo" live Dallas 1990, "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Would?")
C5 ("Fairy Tale Love Story", "False Alarm" live Lakeside High, Seattle 1985, "Lip Lock Rock", "Long Gone Day", "Man in the Box" live Weedsport 1991, "Over the Edge", "Sickman", "Tell Me How To Love You", "Wake Up", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Ya Yeah Ya")
B4 ("Artificial Red", "Dam that River" demo, "Don't Be Satisfied", "Don't Follow", "False Alarm" live Lakeside High, Seattle 1985, "Fat Girls", "I Don’t Care", "Junkhead", "Nutshell", "Party People", "Rooster", "Suffragette City", "Sweet Leaf" live Cincinnati 1991)
B♭4 ("Again", "Bleed the Freak", "Brush Away", "Chemical Addiction", "Confusion", "Down in a Hole", "Fairy Tale Love Story", "God Smack", "Got Me Wrong", "Head Creeps", "Hunted Down" live Cincinnati 1991, "Hush, Hush", "I Can't Have You Blues", "I Can't Remember", "I Know Somethin (Bout You)", "I'm Above", "It Ain't Like That", "Junkhead", "Killing Yourself", "King of the Kats", "Lifeless Dead", "Living After Midnight" live Cincinnati 1991, "Love, Hate, Love", "Man in the Box", "No Excuses", "Put You Down", "Queen of the Rodeo", "Real Thing", "Right Turn", "Rooster", "Sealed With a Kiss", "Sludge Factory", "Social Parasite", "Suffragette City", "Tell Me How To Love You", "Them Bones" demo, "What the Hell Have I", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Would?", "Ya Yeah Ya")
A4 ("All Alone", "Artificial Red", "False Alarm" live Lakeside High, Seattle 1985, "Fear the Voices", "Football", "Glamorous Girls", "Hate to Feel", "Lip Lock Rock", "Over the Edge", "Party People", "Rain When I Die", "Ring Them Bells", "Sea of Sorrow", "Shame in You", "So Close", "Tell Me How To Love You", "Unidentified live performance with Seventhsign", "Wake Up")
G♯4 ("Again", "Bleed the Freak", "Brush Away", "Confusion", "Dam That River", "Dirt", "Don't Follow", "Down in a Hole", "Frogs", "God Am", "Got Me Wrong", "Hate to Feel", "I Know Somethin (Bout You)", "I Stay Away", "It Ain't Like That", "Junkhead"/"Junkhead" demo, "Killing Yourself", "A Little Bitter", "Love, Hate, Love", "Lying Season", "Nothin' Song", "Party People", "Rooster", "Sea of Sorrow", "Shame in You", "Sickman", "So Close", "Suffragette City", "Sunshine", "Sweet Leaf" live Cincinnati 1991, "Them Bones", "Things You Do", "We Die Young", "Would?")
Significant Low Notes:
E3 ("Artificial Red", "Died", "Fear the Voices", "God Am", "I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier" live at the Moore 1995, "I'm Above", "Long Gone Day", "River of Deceit", "Sea of Sorrow", "Wake Up")
E♭3 ("Angry Chair", "Chemical Addiction", "Dirt" demo, "Fairy Tale Love Story", "Frogs", "Get Born Again", "God Smack", "Hate to Feel", "Head Creeps", "I Can't Remember", "I Don’t Care", "I Stay Away", "It's Coming After", "Killing Yourself", "Lifeless Dead", "Love, Hate, Love", "Lying Season", "Nearly Lost You" live with Screaming Trees 1992, "Nutshell", "Queen of the Rodeo", "Put You Down", "Real Thing", "Right Turn", "Rooster", "Sickman", "Suffragette City", "Sunshine")
D3 ("Am I Inside", "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", "I Don't Know Anything", "Lip Lock Rock", "River of Deceit", "Swing on This", "Wake Up")
C♯3 ("Again", "Dam That River", "Died", "Frogs", "Get Born Again", "Grind", "Head Creeps", "I Stay Away", "It Ain't Like That", "A Little Bitter", "Love, Hate, Love", "Man in the Box", "Nothin' Song", "Rotten Apple", "Shame in You", "Sludge Factory", "So Close", "Them Bones", "We Die Young", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "X-Ray Mind")
C3 ("Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", "Brush Away", "Over Now")
B2 ("Glamorous Girls", "Long Gone Day", "Shame in You")
B♭2 ("Angry Chair", "Bleed the Freak", "Would?" live Lollapallooza soundcheck 1993)
A2 ("Lip Lock Rock", "Sludge Factory", "Unidentified live performance with Seventhsign")
G♯2 ("Heaven Beside You", "Junkhead" several live performances, "Nothin' Song", "Sludge Factory")
F♯2 ("Frogs")
E2 ("Grind", "Sickman" live Milan 1993, "Junkhead" live Oakland 1992)
E♭2 ("A Little Bitter", "Frogs")
{Questionable notes}
E♭6 ("Fat Girls" [2][5])
C♯6 ("Killing Yourself" demo [5][6])
B5 ("Love Song" [2, possibly an instrument])
F5 ("Rooster" live Rotterdam 1993 [5])
E5 ("Suffragette City" [1])
E♭5 ("Real Thing" live Cincinnati 1991 [5])
C5 ("Sealed With a Kiss" [2])
B4 ("Glamorous Girls" [2])
A4 ("Them Bones" live Detroit 1996 [5])
B2 ("Love, Hate, Love" [5])
A2 ("I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier" live at the Moore 1995 [1], "A Little Bitter" [3])
G♯2 ("Fat Girls" [2][3], "Sickman" [3], "Junkhead" [3])
G2 ("Junkhead" live Glasgow 1993 [4b])
E2 ("Sludge Factory" [3])
E♭2 ("Heaven Beside You" [3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
(a.) Heavy overtones also make this note sort of sound like it's an octave higher.
(b.) This note is off-key; presumably Staley was aiming for G♯2, as he has sung a G2 in that same place in other performances of this song, but ended up hitting a G2 by mistake.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
[6] marks notes that are likely inhaled.
.......................................................E♭6 ("Fat Girls" [2][5])
C♯6 ("Killing Yourself" demo [5][6])
B5 ("Love Song" [2, possibly an instrument])
F5 ("Rooster" live Rotterdam 1993 [5])
E5 ("Suffragette City" [1])
E♭5 ("Real Thing" live Cincinnati 1991 [5])
C5 ("Sealed With a Kiss" [2])
B4 ("Glamorous Girls" [2])
A4 ("Them Bones" live Detroit 1996 [5])
B2 ("Love, Hate, Love" [5])
A2 ("I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier" live at the Moore 1995 [1], "A Little Bitter" [3])
G♯2 ("Fat Girls" [2][3], "Sickman" [3], "Junkhead" [3])
G2 ("Junkhead" live Glasgow 1993 [4b])
E2 ("Sludge Factory" [3])
E♭2 ("Heaven Beside You" [3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
(a.) Heavy overtones also make this note sort of sound like it's an octave higher.
(b.) This note is off-key; presumably Staley was aiming for G♯2, as he has sung a G2 in that same place in other performances of this song, but ended up hitting a G2 by mistake.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
[6] marks notes that are likely inhaled.
Blue marks falsetto notes.
Green marks extremely harsh/distorted notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
{Album ranges}
Alice in Chains:
The Treehouse Tapes/Publisher Demos: (1988-89): C♯3-F♯5
We Die Young (EP) (1990): C♯3-B♭4
Facelift (1990): B♭2-B♭4-F♯5
Sap (EP) (1990): D3-B♭4-A5
Dirt (1992): B♭2-C5-E♭5
'Last Action Hero' soundtrack (2 songs only) (1993): E♭2-C♯3-B♭4
Jar of Flies (EP) (1994): C♯3-B4-C♯5
Alice in Chains (1995): E♭2-B♭4-E5
Mad Season:
Above (1995): B2-C5
Alice N' Chains:
Demo No. 1 (1987): A2-F♯5
Demo No. 2 (1987): B2-F♯5
Alice in Chains:
The Treehouse Tapes/Publisher Demos: (1988-89): C♯3-F♯5
We Die Young (EP) (1990): C♯3-B♭4
Facelift (1990): B♭2-B♭4-F♯5
Sap (EP) (1990): D3-B♭4-A5
Dirt (1992): B♭2-C5-E♭5
'Last Action Hero' soundtrack (2 songs only) (1993): E♭2-C♯3-B♭4
Jar of Flies (EP) (1994): C♯3-B4-C♯5
Alice in Chains (1995): E♭2-B♭4-E5
Mad Season:
Above (1995): B2-C5
Alice N' Chains:
Demo No. 1 (1987): A2-F♯5
Demo No. 2 (1987): B2-F♯5
Thread on The Range Place 3.0 by Sandblasted , original thread by @crepeaccrual. Also thanks to sandblasted for the Jerry Cantrell thread on TRP 3.0 which really helped me in identifying backing vocals.
Also thanks to @onemorelight for providing additional live and rare notes.
