Why does Barney try to sound like Ian on Ceremony?

I am noticing that on Ceremony and a few other early NO songs that it seems Barney was trying to sing in a dark, cold deep voice kinda like Ian. I was wondering if this was intentional or do you feel his voice has progressively gotten higher pitched? I mean, listen to him on either Ceremony or Procession then listen to something like Run Wild or Someone Like You...seems like almost a totally different singer.

Well he was replacing Ian was't he. On the whole early New Order had not really found its own sound until Temptation/Procession. Yes he was trying to sound like Ian.

I don't think he was conciously trying to sound like Ian, I think it is more a matter of him "finding his voice". If you;ve never been a singer and get sumped in front of a mic, it will take a long time for your true voice to come through, and that time will only be increased if you are trying to start your singing career ( LOL, I used "career" on a NO forum LOL) siging songs written by and for someone with a radically different voice. I mean, try to sing a JD soung you know really well, in a voice other than ian's, either you can't do it, or it sounds wrong to your JD-soaked ears. At least Barney dropped the idiotic american accent ;-)

Remember the old story about JD only using the white notes on the keyboard? In 1986, Bernard realised that if they used black notes as well, he wouldn't have to strain his voice so much.

siging songs written by and for someone with a radically different voice. I mean, try to sing a JD soung

This man Types like me lol

I feel Barneys vocals on Ceremony are absolutly perfect in every way. They really capture the feel and mood of the song. A little dispair, a little hope. Probably exactly matches where they were at that time.

My opinion, did Barney *try* to sound like Ian? absolutly not. Does some of the earlier stuff come across as sounding like Ian? maybe a little.

I think it has more to do with keeping the vocal style in the same vein as the music. When the songs took a more upbeat turn, so did the vocals.

And I totally agree with the earlier posts regarding Barney "finding his voice"

truely i beleive bernard was trying to find his voice, i totally agree, i mean i tried to sound like him when i first sang live i tried to sound like him, but yea.

Hell no. Look, Bernard said in one interview that he finally managed with to use his voice properly when they were working on Technique. So it took 8 years for him to adjust himself to the mic.

Hell no. Look, Bernard said in one interview that he finally managed to use his voice properly when they were working on Technique. So it took 8 years for him to adjust himself to the mic.

Originally posted by A severe young man Hell no.Look, Bernard said in one interview that he finally managed to use his voice properly when they were working on Technique. So it took 8 years for him to adjust himself to the mic.

Uh, and then he was on his way to the more professional approach of everything he's sung since. Well, give me the passionate/cold/minimalistic Sumner of 1983-1987 over that any day. Yeah, he's good now, but maybe a bit TOO good.

Barney could barely sing back then. He never wanted to be the singer. It got dumped on him. I wonder how many takes it took to record Ceremony's vocal track.

i dont want to sound like the odd egg out, but i found that in earlier days , barneys was cooler and sometimes on the same page in live shows, in recent performances and such, hes so off key and his voice for some reason, SEEMS underdeveloped

well carlo you have a point, well now we have to play ceremony and sing like bernard when we meet, will be a rocking old time, only probelm is getting to cali lol

Barney sounds like Ashley from Coronation Street

Originally posted by Digital Mike Binoche Barney sounds like Ashley from Coronation Street

Nay lad,i said nay lad...................

Probably a billion threads on this subject. But I must admit that his vocals have improved over the years. For those without a collection of bootlegs watch 316 and compare the Ukranian gig to Reading. Sure, some of the 2001-02 gigs find his vox lacking but still better than the early 1980 to 1982 days.

I prefered his voice on the early tracks like Ceremony... wish he still sung like it instead of this crappy indie-bopper style he sings in now

Isamu, does ur name have to do with Macross Plus? cuase if it does my cats name is Guld after the guy lol

Originally posted by Spike Isamu, does ur name have to do with Macross Plus? cuase if it does my cats name is Guld after the guy lol

Yup. Best anime ever made.

Originally posted by Isamu > Originally posted by Spike> Isamu, does ur name have to do with Macross Plus? cuase if it does my cats name is Guld after the guy lol

Yup. Best anime ever made.

totally agree with you, its my favorite, plus like i said i named my cat Guld after Guld Bowamen lol im such a dork

Originally posted by Isamu > Originally posted by Spike> Isamu, does ur name have to do with Macross Plus? cuase if it does my cats name is Guld after the guy lol

Yup. Best anime ever made. No, Gravitation is the best anime ever made.

I can suggest something different. Maybe Bernard had known the way he REALLY sounded when he sang (pre-1980, c'mon, of course, he sang at least for himself when composing), so he tried to hide his real voice in the first year of the existence of New Order: otherwise people would have fucked off the new band (coz comparisons were inevitable). But then he saw that everything went smoothly enough to show his real voice... and so he did in Temptation and so forth.