Not about Kiss...JOURNEY!

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Yeah...long story. It's on CMR if you wanna read it.

I read your comments at the CMR and I see your points. I hate what they did to Augeri. I love that guy. Perry I don't feel sorry for, he kinda screwed himself forever. JSS, I wasn't aware he was even considered more than a temp vocalist, but if so, a voice mail firing is the wrong way to go.

But Schon has been driving the Journey bus for well over 30 years, I can understand if he's a little bit of an a-hole. I would be too. But being fake in interviews is just want happens on talk shows, it seems. The "the magic is back" schtick is getting old, but I'm willing to overlook another new singer. I could really care less about Arnel. It's Schon and Cain that I will pay my money to see. Someone can love or hate the pop-rock AOR style of music all they want, but no one does it better, IMO.

But I understand everything you stated over there....

spectrefate wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Yeah...long story. It's on CMR if you wanna read it.

I read your comments at the CMR and I see your points. I hate what they did to Augeri. I love that guy. Perry I don't feel sorry for, he kinda screwed himself forever. JSS, I wasn't aware he was even considered more than a temp vocalist, but if so, a voice mail firing is the wrong way to go.....

Oh yeah, JSS was named "official lead vocalist", did photo shoots and everything...then one day last Summer everyone wakes up to "JSS out of Journey"...with some BS press release from Cain about needing to retain thier "vintage sound"...lame. JSS was the one who said on the MR board that he heard about it overseas and came home to a voice-mail firing.

spectrefate wrote:

But Schon has been driving the Journey bus for well over 30 years, I can understand if he's a little bit of an a-hole. I would be too. But being fake in interviews is just want happens on talk shows, it seems. The "the magic is back" schtick is getting old, but I'm willing to overlook another new singer. I could really care less about Arnel. It's Schon and Cain that I will pay my money to see. Someone can love or hate the pop-rock AOR style of music all they want, but no one does it better, IMO.

But I understand everything you stated over there....

Schon hasn't done a thing in 10 years that Perry wasn't somehow involved in. Perry was getting paid as a full band member the first few tours that Journey did w/ Augeri.

True, nobody can touch Journey in terms of Melodic Rock music and I have tons of past Journey music & memories to enjoy...I'm just tired of being dragged around as a fan.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Schon hasn't done a thing in 10 years that Perry wasn't somehow involved in. Perry was getting paid as a full band member the first few tours that Journey did w/ Augeri.

Can you elaborate? My interested is piqued.

Also I think you said over at the CMR that Augeri sang along with a track?

spectrefate wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Schon hasn't done a thing in 10 years that Perry wasn't somehow involved in. Perry was getting paid as a full band member the first few tours that Journey did w/ Augeri.

Can you elaborate? My interested is piqued.

Also I think you said over at the CMR that Augeri sang along with a track?

It is widely understood that Perry was paid as a sort of 6th member during the first few tours w/ Augeri. Sort of a "worst kept secret" thing. Probably part of what Perry called "the divorce".

As for Augeri singing to a track...it was disovered on the band's first tour of Europe w/ Augeri. At a festival, it was noticed by a journalist that Augeri's vocals were perfect in the crowd...but onstage/backstage, what was coming through the monitors was horrible...Kevin Elson (Journey's soundman) told the journalist that he should listen to his mix cuz it was better...he put on headphones and what was coming through was light years beyond what was coming through the monitors onstage.

Then, some uber-fan noticed that all the vocal inflections on the live boot he had from another Euro festival were identical the the Live In Vegas 2000 DVD. He even took the trouble to make an MP3 of certain key parts as sort of an A/B and the vocal parts were 100% identical. They had Augeri singing along to his live vocal track from the Live In Vegas 2000 DVD...that's why the band's setlist didn't change for 3 years.

The rumors went flying all over the internet & the press. Journey denied it. Then when they came to America w/ Def Leppard that Summer, Augeri was out after a few shows w/ a "chronic throat infection" and JSS was brought into replace him for the tour while he recuperated. JSS gets rave reviews all over, and the tour is extended by 3 months. After the tour, JSS is made "official lead vocalist" for Journey.

Augeri really was sick and had shredded his throat w/ Journey's catalog & touring schedule for 8 years. They had put him in the position to have to mime...I would bet money it wasn't his choice...$$ and contracts prevail. But, instead of letting JSS finish the tour, saying "thank you", and letting Augeri recover, they boot him.

Interesting. I didn't know any of that. Thanks for sharing.

But what did Perry do as the "6th member"? Did he supposedly write stuff?

spectrefate wrote:

But what did Perry do as the "6th member"? Did he supposedly write stuff?

He did nothing. He sat at home and took the check. He took full pay as if he was on tour with them. It's common practice with some bands.

Eric Singer & Bruce Kulick were on KISS payroll all during the 1996 Reunion Tour...but they didn't do anything.

That's crazy. I wonder if Arnel's voice will hold up during a tour? He sounds like he strains as it is.

spectrefate wrote:

That's crazy. I wonder if Arnel's voice will hold up during a tour? He sounds like he strains as it is.

2 tours and he's done...that's my speculation.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Eric Singer & Bruce Kulick were on KISS
payroll all during the 1996 Reunion Tour...but they didn't do
anything.

Right, although I think they were actually on the road with KISS at that time, they just weren't playing. I'm pretty sure Kulick was, at least.

Kulick was there probably in case Ace bagged on a gig or didn't wake up one day.

Tall Tyrion wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Eric Singer & Bruce Kulick were on KISS
payroll all during the 1996 Reunion Tour...but they didn't do
anything.

Right, although I think they were actually on the road with KISS at that time, they just weren't playing. I'm pretty sure Kulick was, at least.

Really, I always understood they were being kept "on retainer" for when the reunion was over...neither was actually on tour with the band.

I believe Eric Singer stepped into the Cat makeup for the first time during a gig on either the Reunion or Psycho Circus tours (I forget which, tho I'm leaning towards PSYCHO), when Peter Criss missed a flight or something. I forget the exact details but I remember reading a story and seeing pix about it in Metal Edge mag back then (probably still have it somewhere).

Who knows, maybe that was the moment that Gene & Paul went "How 'bout that, we stuck a different guy into Peter's make up and the audience didn't rebel. Hmmmm, that gives me an idea for when Ace & Peter aren't holding up their ends anymore..."

Gentlemen, you are turning this into a topic about KISS and that isn't supposed to be. Please refrain or the mods will be forced to lock this thread and Kmorg will beat you all soundly with a lute fish.

My review of the new Journey album...like anyone cares :


1. Never Walk Away - Good song, good vibe...along the lines of "Higher Place" or "Be Good To Yourself"...nothing Journey hasn't done before.

2. Like A Sunshower - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz An attempt at "Lights 2"...played well, boring song.

3. Change For The Better - like a Bad English leftover (the way some of the Augeri material was)...not bad, but not great...good chorus.

4. Wildest Dream - more Bad English-style music...not bad, not great...good chorus.

5. Faith In The Heartland - I guess I'm jaded, but Augeri did this song so much better...boring vocal, great song. The intro now sounds exactly like "Where The Streets Have No Name"...

6. After All These Years - Crap...plain and simple. Like a bad Disney movie ballad...or like a Clay Aiken/American Idol throw away. Cain needs to keep this crap on his solo albums...

7. Where Did I Lose Your Love - starts off sounding like 80s Genesis...weird. More "not bad, not great" material. Good chorus...almost sounds like something The Storm would have done.

8. What I Needed - a much better ballad than the first one. More minor-key like "Living To Do"...this should have been the lead-off ballad.

9. What It Takes To Win - not good. Theme from Rocky 7...training montage "you can do it" crap. Give me Survivor's "Burning Heart" any day...

10. Turn Down The World Tonight - best ballad on the CD...they should have left off AATY...

11. The Journey (Revelation) - Neal's instrumental...sounds like it could have been included on Trial By Fire...reminds me of "Colors Of The Spirit" on the intro. The man can shred, but this was kinda pointless...especially at the end...

Overall:

Good melodies, good guitars, good hooks, but you can't shake the feeling that you've heard it all before and better somewhere else. This sounds like all the good songs on Arrival and Generations simply re-written. Arnel's accent comes through too much for my liking, and his phrasing is a little choppy. Neal sounds awesome, of course. It has it's moments, but this album will not get any repeated listens from me. If this were some new band on Frontiers or something, I don't think some Journey fans would be loving it...they'd say "it sounds like they're trying to be Journey"...that's what this sounds like to me...a band trying to be Journey.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

like a Bad English leftover

That describes the whole Arrival album if you ask me, but I still dig it.

Your review is how I figured this one would sound like, but I'm going to still pick it up. Ain't nothing going to rain on my Journey parade.

spectrefate wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

like a Bad English leftover

That describes the whole Arrival album if you ask me, but I still dig it.

Your review is how I figured this one would sound like, but I'm going to still pick it up. Ain't nothing going to rain on my Journey parade.

It's all good. I even acknowledged how a lot of the Augeri material was BE-like...especially stuff like "Place In Your Heart" and "World Gone Wild"..."All The Things" sounds like Hardline too.

The BEST post-Perry song Journey has ever done is "To Be Alive Again"...should have been the lead single off Arrival...nothing they've done since has topped that song.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The BEST post-Perry song Journey has ever done is "To Be Alive Again"...should have been the lead single off Arrival...nothing they've done since has topped that song.

That's my 2nd favorite off Arrival. That song has great energy.

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/reviews.html

They love the new album.

Eyesore wrote:

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/reviews.html

They love the new album.

Andrew loves anything Neal Schon does...I'm not surprised by that at all...

He gave the last Firehouse a 90-something...it was crap.

[quote="Shawn Of Fire"]

Eyesore wrote:

He gave the last Firehouse a 90-something...it was crap.

Prime Time? Dude, that album is excellent! At least I thought so.

I'm about halfway through this new disc, and it's pretty solid. I don't give a crap about the band politics, to be honest, so my opinion is based solely on the music. The new guys sounds great, too. I think if his time with Journey comes to an end, he'll have no problems hooking up with another solid band out there.

I will say, however, that the beginning of "Like A Sunshower" is nearly a direct ripoff of Tesla's "Gettin' Better." Solid song all around, and the main portion of the song sounds nothing like the Tesla song; but the beginning is nearly identical.

Wow! This album sold 80,000 copies in the first week. Holy crap!

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Really, I always understood they were being kept "on retainer" for when the reunion was over...neither was actually on tour with the band.

I think they were. I remember the Acorn saying he was hanging around after the show on that tour to get some autographs and he was surprised to see Bruce Kulick walking out of the venue. Everyone else was being mobbed, so tA went up to Bruce to get him to sign some stuff and he seemed grateful and a bit surprised. I guess he was used to people not recognising him, since he wasn't playing.

Quote :

I don't give a crap about the band politics, to be honest, so my opinion is based solely on the music.

I'm the exact opposite. The only reason I continue to click on this thread is to read about the back-stage shenanigans. I haven't cared about Journey's music since I was in 8th grade, getting my first feel of over-the-bra boobie while "Open Arms" was playing on the stereo.