Had he never smoked do you think His voice would have been quite the same? That gravelly voice in YA and David Live would not have been there. On the long run though YES it has had a negative effect, he just can't hit the higher notes in the later albums.

But then again the remake of Conversation piece seems to benefir from the lower octave approach.

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"Suspected of being a shoulder surfer
But he didn't know from shit
About challenge response systems"

What notes are these then ?

His voice went bad around 1992. i hate the nasal vocals on everything he's done since. It ruins the TOY stuff.

His voice got much deeper over the years, partly to do with chain smoking and growing old. His vocals sounded strong on pretty much everything he is done since 90. His voice has really changed since 2005. His voice sounds horse all the time, he sounds like a 90 year old man.

yeah I really noticed that when he was talking druing that movie where he played Tesla (can't remember the movie name) His vocals were incredibly tight and that was just talking. Maybe that's a reason why he doesnt record now.

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"Suspected of being a shoulder surfer
But he didn't know from shit
About challenge response systems"

i would imagine the coke fucked his vocal chords way more than the cigs ... but i love the "David Live" vocals in the same way as i love Billie Holiday's "Lady in Satin" vocals ... not hitting the same notes ... but there is soul and "realness". But even on "Heathen" he could sing rings around most modern pop singers .... " Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee never talk anymore " ... shivers.

I've always enjoyed his later vocals more than the fresh faced, or rather make-up caked, Ziggy era ones. After the 90's more so, as long it fit with what he was singing. Sadly much of his earlier songs just don't sound the same. Cigs and age, bound to happen.

'Heathen' and 'Reality' were made after he'd stopped smoking, weren't they? His vocal control is still exquisite but he doesn't reach the way he used to.

I recollect that when Bob Dylan stopped smoking his voice went down half an octave, so that may also have affected his range.

The left wing's broken, the right's insane

half a Bowie ... better than twice anybody else ...

the 1997 versions of quicksand in lower register are better than the album ones.

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Come here mama....and dig this crazy scene
He's not too fancy....but his line is pretty clean