Is it a siren or is it Axl wailing? ????

In the beginning of Welcome To The Jungle, starting at about 12 seconds in, there is a siren sounding sound. I am curious. Is this an actual siren or is this Axl wailing? I mean, Axl definitely has the pipes and lung capacity to wail like a siren, so I am confused and curious...

That's Axl

You can see him do a version of it here:

It has become more like a regular scream now than that suppressed growl. Here is a great example from "modern" days:

Soulmonster wrote:That's Axl

You can see him do a version of it here:

Thanks. Only Axl can wail like an actual siren.

The regular music video was absolutely no help. In the regular music video, when the "Axl wailing like a siren," part plays, Axl is walking around on the streets looking dazed and confused, not singing or anything like that. Absolutely no help in the regular music video. It would have helped if Axl was shown wailing into a microphone at that part, not walking around looking dazed and confused.

In the video, the first person approaching Axl is a guy selling drugs. The idea was of course to portray naive country boy Axl coming to dangerous Los Angeles. Fun fact, the dealer is played by Izzy who was, actually selling drugs in LA at the time.

Soulmonster wrote:In the video, the first person approaching Axl is a guy selling drugs. The idea was of course to portray naive country boy Axl coming to dangerous Los Angeles. Fun fact, the dealer is played by Izzy who was, actually selling drugs in LA at the time.

Okay, I now get why Axl looks dazed and confused in the opening of Welcome To The Jungle video. He kind of looks lost like,"I have no idea what I'm doing." Thanks for the explanation. Hmm. Now that you mention it, in a live video of Welcome To The Jungle, Axl said he was like 22 and wondering aimlessly around LA with like 22 dollars on him with a couple of Friends who also had about 22 dollars on them and some random guy looked at these 22 year old kids who each only had about 22 them and told them,"You know where you are? You're in the Jungle. You're gonna die!" And Axl said this random guy's "Jungle," quote to him and his Friends was how he came up with,"Welcome To The Jungle."

Karice wrote:

Soulmonster wrote:In the video, the first person approaching Axl is a guy selling drugs. The idea was of course to portray naive country boy Axl coming to dangerous Los Angeles. Fun fact, the dealer is played by Izzy who was, actually selling drugs in LA at the time.

Okay, I now get why Axl looks dazed and confused in the opening of Welcome To The Jungle video. He kind of looks lost like,"I have no idea what I'm doing." Thanks for the explanation. Hmm. Now that you mention it, in a live video of Welcome To The Jungle, Axl said he was like 22 and wondering aimlessly around LA with like 22 dollars on him with a couple of Friends who also had about 22 dollars on them and some random guy looked at these 22 year old kids who each only had about 22 them and told them,"You know where you are? You're in the Jungle. You're gonna die!" And Axl said this random guy's "Jungle," quote to him and his Friends was how he came up with,"Welcome To The Jungle."

Another tell-tale is the straw in his mouth

The story about the guy who said he was going to die actually happened in Chicago, if I remember correctly. Axl travelled a bit around before he settled in Hollywood.

Soulmonster wrote:

Karice wrote:

Soulmonster wrote:In the video, the first person approaching Axl is a guy selling drugs. The idea was of course to portray naive country boy Axl coming to dangerous Los Angeles. Fun fact, the dealer is played by Izzy who was, actually selling drugs in LA at the time.

Okay, I now get why Axl looks dazed and confused in the opening of Welcome To The Jungle video. He kind of looks lost like,"I have no idea what I'm doing." Thanks for the explanation. Hmm. Now that you mention it, in a live video of Welcome To The Jungle, Axl said he was like 22 and wondering aimlessly around LA with like 22 dollars on him with a couple of Friends who also had about 22 dollars on them and some random guy looked at these 22 year old kids who each only had about 22 them and told them,"You know where you are? You're in the Jungle. You're gonna die!" And Axl said this random guy's "Jungle," quote to him and his Friends was how he came up with,"Welcome To The Jungle."

Another tell-tale is the straw in his mouth

The story about the guy who said he was going to die actually happened in Chicago, if I remember correctly. Axl travelled a bit around before he settled in Hollywood.

A Guns And Roses Fan on YouTube said something like a few 22 year old kids wandering around aimlessly and they each only had about 22 dollars on them? How did they not "Diiiiiiiieeeeeeyooooooow! in that "Jungle?"

They held various job and hustled for money, and had friends who helped them out. I wouldn't be surprised if they had some support from home, although that is not something they have talked about. Steven and Slash came from Hollywood and could always go home for food if needed. Axl was perhaps the one that struggled the most and was homeless for a period.

Soulmonster wrote:They held various job and hustled for money, and had friends who helped them out. I wouldn't be surprised if they had some support from home, although that is not something they have talked about. Steven and Slash came from Hollywood and could always go home for food if needed. Axl was perhaps the one that struggled the most and was homeless for a period.

A Guns And Roses Fan said something like,"In 1984, Axl was wandering the streets of LA singing for fun. He and I had a nice conversation about music. I told him in the near future that he would become VERY big in the Music World and even have his own band who is also big. He asked me,"Is the name of my big Band going to be,"LA Guns?" I responded,"You got half the Band name right! LOL!"  I knew he was going to be big, but he became even bigger than I predicted."

I remember thinking,"This Fan's story sounds like BS. Axel wandering the streets of LA singing for fun and talking to a Random person about how big he's going to become in the music world? Yeah right. 🧐 But, the Fan says this happened in 1984, and in 1984, Axl was 22, the exact age that Axl admitted he was wandering around the streets of LA so maybe the Fan's recollection isn't as BS as I originally thought.... Hmm.

About Welcome To The Jungle, is it just me or does William in the beginning look about 10 years younger than his "Brother," Axl does in the live singing parts? I mean, William in the beginning looks about 18 and Axl looks about 28. Strange, huh..

I wonder if this person was being innocent or being mean. Someone asked something like,"Who is that girl watching the Television News in Welcome To The Jungle video?"

A Poster responded something like," That's not a girl! That's Axl Rose watching the Television News!"

I wonder just WHY didn't they just go with an actual Siren rather than have Axl wail like a Siren? :/ Surely just adding an actual Siren would have been easier on Axl's vocals and probably would have been easier all around.... :/

Karice wrote: Surely just adding an actual Siren would have been easier on Axl's vocals and probably would have been easier all around.... :/

Making it easier wasn't the goal here - I'm sure Axl wanted to show off his vocal range and what he can do, incl. imitating a siren!

Karice wrote:I wonder just WHY didn't they just go with an actual Siren rather than have Axl wail like a Siren? :/ Surely just adding an actual Siren would have been easier on Axl's vocals and probably would have been easier all around.... :/

funny fact i been listening to that song for ages and I never thought that axl was trying to do a siren sound there but maybe that is what it was

axl does that type of "extended vocals" (and lots of "ay-ays" "hey-heys") in a few other songs and it is just SO FANTASTIC and adds so much life and drama to the songs

he usually creates a "crescendo" thing with those type of vocals it is just so good

one of my favorite takes on the Welcome to the Jungle extended "siren" vocal is from the first night of Rock in Rio 1991. It is around 23m20s:



At the beginning of "My way, Your Way", which is an early version of the song "Anything Goes", Axl does a similar version of the Jungle "siren"



I don't know any other singer who does that kind "crescendo" scream so much and so well in the songs

It adds so much like I said before. It fits perfectly with what the others are doing. It is just brilliant.

Maybe Layne Staley from Alice in Chains did a little bit of that, specially in the "ay-ays" parts. For what I read about Alice in Chains, I think it is safe to say that he was influenced by Axl

Hmm. A Guns N'Roses Fan on YouTube said something like,"Music Producer. "We need a Siren noise for Welcome To The Jungle but we don't have any sirens." Axl. "I can screech and wail like a Siren!"

Karice wrote:Hmm. A Guns N'Roses Fan on YouTube said something like,"Music Producer. "We need a Siren noise for Welcome To The Jungle but we don't have any sirens." Axl. "I can screech and wail like a Siren!"

i really don't think that was a music producer idea

like i told you, axl was doing this sort of thing YEARS before guns n roses even existed, when he was just starting out with izzy and chris weber and doing demos for little money, years before they could afford a producer

ludurigan wrote:

Karice wrote:Hmm. A Guns N'Roses Fan on YouTube said something like,"Music Producer. "We need a Siren noise for Welcome To The Jungle but we don't have any sirens." Axl. "I can screech and wail like a Siren!"

i really don't think that was a music producer idea

like i told you, axl was doing this sort of thing YEARS before guns n roses even existed, when he was just starting out with izzy and chris weber and doing demos for little money, years before they could afford a producer

I think the Guns N'Roses Fan was joking when they said that about the Music Producer and the Siren thing....

About William being a naive Country Boy at first, I rewatched Welcome To The Jungle a little while ago, and I noticed William's eyes are small. Axl's eyes are huge, especially in the close-up of his eyes looking around in fear. The subtle implication is that "Wild," Axl does drugs whereas Naive Country Boy William does not(Diluted/big eyes are a sign of drug use)

About Axl making sound effects using his mouth, like sounding like a Siren, , is the whistle sound at about 1:22 of Paradise City an actual whistle or Axl making a whistle sound effect using his mouth like he did for the Siren sound effect? I'm 98 percent sure it's an actual whistle, but who knows with Axl?

Karice wrote: is the whistle sound at about 1:22 of Paradise City an actual whistle... ?

Yes, it's a whistle. At concerts he used to throw the whistle into the crowd after he used it...

Uli wrote:

Karice wrote: is the whistle sound at about 1:22 of Paradise City an actual whistle... ?

Yes, it's a whistle. At concerts he used to throw the whistle into the crowd after he used it...

Thanks. I halfway expected the answer to be something like,"Axl screeched like a whistle." Hmm. So Axl did use the whistle using his mouth, just not the way I envisioned (He put the whistle in his mouth and blew, not making the whistle sound effect with his voice like the siren effect for Welcome To The Jungle.

ludurigan wrote:

Karice wrote:I wonder just WHY didn't they just go with an actual Siren rather than have Axl wail like a Siren? :/ Surely just adding an actual Siren would have been easier on Axl's vocals and probably would have been easier all around.... :/

funny fact i been listening to that song for ages and I never thought that axl was trying to do a siren sound there but maybe that is what it was

axl does that type of "extended vocals" (and lots of "ay-ays" "hey-heys") in a few other songs and it is just SO FANTASTIC and adds so much life and drama to the songs

he usually creates a "crescendo" thing with those type of vocals it is just so good

one of my favorite takes on the Welcome to the Jungle extended "siren" vocal is from the first night of Rock in Rio 1991. It is around 23m20s:



At the beginning of "My way, Your Way", which is an early version of the song "Anything Goes", Axl does a similar version of the Jungle "siren"



I don't know any other singer who does that kind "crescendo" scream so much and so well in the songs

It adds so much like I said before. It fits perfectly with what the others are doing. It is just brilliant.

Maybe Layne Staley from Alice in Chains did a little bit of that, specially in the "ay-ays" parts. For what I read about Alice in Chains, I think it is safe to say that he was influenced by Axl

I listened to "My Way/Your Way/Anything Goes Demo that you provided here, and I must say, that opening note to me CLEARLY sounds like Axl wailing, and not like a Siren. Compare this to Welcome To The Jungle where Axl's wail sounds indistinguishable from an actual Siren.