The R2D2-esque "beep/whistle" in "All The Beautiful Worlds"

[mitzo]

I first noticed the spitty S's on Soldier's Angel.

[Nickingham]

Some of these posts have me rolling!

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

But back to R2D2...anyone hear this?

I think I know what you mean. It sounds bloopy and almost like when someone is holding back a burp whilst talking.


I noticed the 'S' thing too in the songs. I just chalked it up to Stevie having veneers, drooping jowls and more space in the cheeks or a tongue thing (I don't remember what it's called). Like a lisp. I think she licked the sides of her mouth more a few years ago and now she purses and smacks her lips somewhat these days. Like she salivates more and is trying to keep the saliva from drooling out. I've noticed that happens with certain types of dental work.

I don't think she has dentures but you never know. I could be wrong. I'm sure today's state-of-the-art dentistry can fix you up a pair of falsies that are 98% identical to your own teeth.

I watched the Watch Chain commentary video again and at 1:14 (when she says "same" and "jeans") you can see she places her tongue up behind her top front teeth which makes the 'S' sound almost like a lisp. And she's also smiling when she does it. Maybe she's smiling sometimes when she sings and that's why some of the S's sound different?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xkyywc1zFU

[KarmaContestant]

Totally TMI, but if I've been smoking a little pot (hey, it's legal here) my S's get VERY lispy pretty quickly because pot makes your mouth a little dry. Maybe Stevie was passing a joint around while recording these vocals.

[lulu28]

It's not just the S's that are different. Listen to her pronounce her H's, R's and F's during songs.
I've wondered about this very subject for years. Is it a speech impediment or just how she learned to enunciate and project while working with her vocal coach or a speech therapist? Also, it's not just on this new album. Soldier's Angel is a very good example, but also check out Sorcerer from TISL. I think it's just a part of how she sings....nothing at all wrong with it, just different. I love it when she sings and her voice is all raw, raspy and wild!!!!

[pwyll]

I hear it cleary....it was driving me nuts. I kept grabbing for my phones to see what kind of nonsense I was hearing. Then realized it was indeed from the music.

[michelej1]

But she's always pronounced her "R" a bit funny. That's nothing recent.

Michele

[jeffd8382]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

Does anyone else hear this? It comes at the 0:45-0:46 mark during the word "on" when the girls sing the line "on the edge of my heart"...please tell me I'm not going crazy.

I think I hear what you're talking about. But I think it might be partly a frequency anomaly from the girls voices singing at that moment overlapping with the backing music. I also think it's just the sound that one or both their mouths are making from beginning the word "on." If you think about any word that starts with a vowel, the human voice almost makes a little percussive sound to start the vowel sound. With the reverb on the vocals, it probably accentuates it.

[jeffd8382]

In regards to different vocal takes making her sound different, just take a listen to the first verse of "Watch Chain" - then immediately skip forward to the second verse. It's very different - 2nd verse is much crisper and bright - I think it's because it's a different mic in a different setting. Although not as crisp and clear, the first verse vocal is so nice when she sings "lovely soft faded jeans" - I definitely see why they kept that. I just can't figure out why they didn't equalize her retake vocals recorded later to better match what they sounded like in the Nashville studio just for consistency-sake.

[StreetAngel86]

Originally Posted by Nickingham

I watched the Watch Chain commentary video again and at 1:14 (when she says "same" and "jeans") you can see she places her tongue up behind her top front teeth which makes the 'S' sound almost like a lisp. And she's also smiling when she does it. Maybe she's smiling sometimes when she sings and that's why some of the S's sound different?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xkyywc1zFU

i don't know whether to laugh or cry at this thread
y'all are horrible. and funny
when i was little i was appointed a speech pathologist type person to improve my pronunciation of "Ss" because apparently i had a problem.
turns out it was because of the freaking gap between my 2 bugs bunny teeth
and once that closed up i could say my "Ss" properly
but some words are still hard. like CLOTHES ...CLOOOODZ

i think it's probably just how she's learned to speak/sing
although the joint idea ... would not surprise me

[Nickingham]

Originally Posted by StreetAngel86

i don't know whether to laugh or cry at this thread
y'all are horrible. and funny
when i was little i was appointed a speech pathologist type person to improve my pronunciation of "Ss" because apparently i had a problem.
turns out it was because of the freaking gap between my 2 bugs bunny teeth
and once that closed up i could say my "Ss" properly
but some words are still hard. like CLOTHES ...CLOOOODZ

i think it's probably just how she's learned to speak/sing
although the joint idea ... would not surprise me

Well I joke but I was being serious with most of what I said. Not picking on anyone.
Everybody speaks and enunciates differently. It makes them unique!
I like the way Stevie pronounces words and sings. It makes for good songs and add's some mystery (like when we tried to figure out if she was singing "Tara" or "Sara" in Seven Wonders for example. Which is actually "Aaron".) . I wouldn't have it any other way!

[reebokandlace]

I hear that r2d2 sound. The one that really annoys me (while driving) is the whoop whoop sound at 2:00minutes on I Don't Care.... It sounds exactly like my built in radar detector going off and for the first few times I would slow down ... Now that I know it's there I don't jam on the brakes anymore.... But it still annoys me. That sound is not used anywhere else on the song so I am not sure why it is even there.

[welcomechris]

There is talking/noises at the end of some other tracks

Starshine
24 Karat Gold
Lady
Hard Advice


I also hear "One, two, three" right before the band starts on Cathouse Blues

[lulu28]

Originally Posted by Nickingham

Well I joke but I was being serious with most of what I said. Not picking on anyone.
Everybody speaks and enunciates differently. It makes them unique!
I like the way Stevie pronounces words and sings. It makes for good songs and add's some mystery (like when we tried to figure out if she was singing "Tara" or "Sara" in Seven Wonders for example. Which is actually "Aaron".) . I wouldn't have it any other way!

Same for me. I wouldn't change a thing about how she speaks/sings. It's what makes her "Stevie"!

[MusicInferno]

Originally Posted by jeffd8382

In regards to different vocal takes making her sound different, just take a listen to the first verse of "Watch Chain" - then immediately skip forward to the second verse. It's very different - 2nd verse is much crisper and bright - I think it's because it's a different mic in a different setting. Although not as crisp and clear, the first verse vocal is so nice when she sings "lovely soft faded jeans" - I definitely see why they kept that. I just can't figure out why they didn't equalize her retake vocals recorded later to better match what they sounded like in the Nashville studio just for consistency-sake.

Yes, definately. The different takes are very obvious on many songs, for example the bridge of "The Dealer". The recording quality of her voice changes almost from line to line. Sometimes it's crisp and sometimes it's muffled.

It's also audible on "Mabel Normand" when the verse at 2:55 starts. It's not as crisp there.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

This isn't the first time that "weird sounds" have popped up in Stevie's music. There is what sounds like a screech at 0:56 on "Think About It" before they sing "fortune is your life's love" for the first time.

I've heard that for years and just kind of wait for it as part of the song. There's also something that sounds like a bracelet hitting the microphone in BATB. I'll have to listen to it to see exactly where it happens.