The Journey continues without both Steves unfortunately |
Journey needs a Revelation, literally. They need to Escape to Steve Perry’s house and convince him to take up the microphone again. I was blissfully unaware that Perry replacement Steve Augeri had throat problems on the 2006 Journey tour and was replaced mid-tour. 
At first by Jeff Scott Soto and then permanently by Arnel Pineda who sings the 11 new tracks on Journey’s newest studio album Revelation, available now at Wal-Mart exclusively.
Major props to my music buddy Matt who yesterday through his good blog Addicted To Vinyl tipped me off to this news. There have been a lot of 80s bands releasing new music recently like Asia, Dokken and Whitesnake which I’ve bought and been listening to as well. I’m feeling a small 80s-type uprising. Good time to be a rocker again?
I went out yesterday and bought the Journey CD and have been (mostly) listening to it since. Although I’ll expand in greater detail below, I share many of Matt’s feelings on the vocals:
as much as Arnel Pineda might have the goods vocally, there is NO doubt in my mind that Cain and Schon kicked his ASS in the studio to get the results they wanted to hear on the album, and you can hear it.
Let’s cast aside my irritation that Journey pulled the same stunt as The Eagles by forcing me to get in the car and pay too much for gas to visit the local Wal-Mart. I would have much rather bought ‘Revelation’ online through AmazonMP3 or one of the other non-DRM stores. These music exclusives might be good for the band but they suck for those of us who would rather buy the music from our music retailer/e-tailer of choice.
Must admit that I agree with Matt on the Journey Revelation package as being a good deal for $11.88. Not sure if we should thank Journey, Wal-Mart or both for this one. How many new albums come with 11 new songs, a new singer singing 11 old songs completely re-recorded, plus a DVD of a bonus concert in April of this year.
First up, the re-recorded songs aren’t as good as the originals. They sound old — and not in a good way. Pineda is a somewhat plastic version of Steve Perry. Dude needs more emotion. On one hand I like the fact that they included examples that Pineda could sing the songs, but on the other this feels kind of Karaokeish.
“Wheel In The Sky” - too fast! Come on, Neal Schon, you’re great on the fretboards, listen to the timing of the original and compare. When Journey plays Wheel live they always play the tempo faster than the original and it doesn’t work as well fast. I imagine with a few beers in you, it wouldn’t be as noticeable, but without a buzz it’s easy to hear. Pineda hits most the notes, but seems labored.
“Faithfully” - this is Pineda at his best singing the classics, I liked this one. He’s close to feeling it here. Music is about as close to the original of any of the re-recorded tracks.
“Any Way You Want It” - Remember Caddyshack? This song will always remind me of Rodney Dangerfield cutting it up on the course with a dancing gopher. Pineda’s vocals and the music are faithful to the original. Nice job.
“Who’s Crying Now” - listen to the weak vocals right before the guitar solo at the end and that’s all you need to hear from Pineda as to how he inserts emotion into a classic (answer: he doesn’t). Disappointing. Schon smokes the guitar and the keyboards and bass are there. Sometimes it is the singer, not the song, and that can be no clearer than listening to Journey.
“Separate Ways” - the guitar isn’t mixed as heavy in this re-recording and it’s noticeable. It needs more layering in the mix and some more distortion. Sounds a little too raw for my liking and normally I like raw. The keyboards are as haunting as ever. This is a great Journey song. Pineda covers it ok until he reaches the part about “in vain - vaaaaiiiinnnn” it chokes. I’m surprised they didn’t have him do another take there. Major misstep.
They also do semi-decent re-do versions of “Only The Young”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Lights”, “Open Arms”, “Be Good To Yourself” (w/ extended solo? I like that) and “Stone In Love”. I think you get where this extra disc goes. It gives you an idea of what you might expect if Pineda had been Perry or [gasp] even Augeri. Bottom line: I don’t think it would have worked as well.
Onto the new tracks.
The 11 new songs on Revelation
I’ve been listening back and forth to the new songs and waiting for something to gel with me like a couple of the tracks from Arrival with Augeri on vocals and it’s not happening enough yet. Going to keep trying because some of the riffs are starting to stick out.
“Never Walk Away” - made me feel a bit like I did when I first heard Higher Place on Arrival, but I like Higher Place better because it has a better bass riff. I wish this jammed a little more. The Neal Schon guitar solo smokes, but stops short of really breaking out. It’s not a very strong introduction to Pinera vocally. He’s competent, we get that, but what else? This might have been something on Trial By Fire as a B-side reject, maybe.
“Like A Sunshower” - has a rhythm that goes something like “Lights” but with a lot less charm and sans the catchy lyrics. Somebody turn up Ross Valory’s bass. It’s like they mixed him down. It’s not the same with him toned down.
“Change for the Better” - the only thing I’d change about this track is change to another song. Again, this feels like B-side filler from Perry’s worst Journey album: Trial By Fire. I’d add track 4: “Wildest Dream” to this list. Forgettable.
“Faith in the Heartland” - I learned from Matt’s post that this is a remake from a track on Journey’s last album with Augeri singing called Generations which I barely remember listening to on Napster (the legal one) and giving a C+ grade. Never bought that one, but might go out and hunt it down on AmazonMP3, iTMS or the Zune marketplace if it’s available. I like the opening riff, but it just feels like a dozen other (better) Journey songs to me.
“After All These Years” - has the familiar Journey ballad components, but Pineda lacks the passion to go with the score. It comes off like something one of the American Idol voted off finalists would sing instead of Journey’s lead pipes. This track is getting some airplay. It sticks out.
“Where Did I Lose Your Love” - Like the last track, I totally dig the opening riff, but then it we get to the verses and it doesn’t work as well for me. The chorus is very catchy though. Feels like something that might have been on Raised on Radio. B-side again, but I like this one overall. It’s starting to stick.
“What I Needed” - With the piano/keyboard opening you’re thinking Open Arms but it gets heavier. Jonanthan Cain can still tickle the ivories. Ok track overall, nothing groundbreaking.
“What It Takes To Win” - Love the delay and other guitar effects. The chorus isn’t catch enough, but this is among my favorites on the album for guitar work. This might be my favorite track of the whole lot in fact.
“Turn Down The World Tonight” - Next to “After All These Years” this is mellowest track on the album. One too many mellow songs, even for a Journey album. These guys aren’t Air Supply. Crank up the amps already. Give us some anthem rock. A ’show us the lighter’ song every once in awhile is ok, but we need that rocker to mix up the tempo.
“The Journey (Revelation)” - Instrumental. Journey isn’t known for having that many instrumentals so it’s a nice break. The music is ok, it’s no YYZ by Rush or anything but it fits the album.
Summary
I wanted to like Revelation more than I actually have so far. At least I bought it, unlike Generations, but once I lay down $$, I tend to even be more picky, not less. It’s kind of sad that after a day worth of listens I can only point to a single song that I will continue to listen to going forward. That song ironically titled “What It Takes To Win” doesn’t win me over for the whole album. I’ll keep trying to listen and see if something will stick because I feel like I’m missing some sort of brilliance here. I think it’s that I want to like this because it’s Journey more than anything, not because the music is that good.
Must admit I feel badly for Steve Augeri. He seemed like a nice guy and I could hear passion in his voice that I don’t hear with Pineda. I don’t understand what throat problems he had, if it was brought on by the stress of touring or something else, but I would have liked to see him stay — if he could medically anyway. From what I could find from some searching around on the web, it seemed like an amicable split, possibly due to medical reasons more than a fallout with the band. If you know more on the story, please use the comment section below or your blog to trackback in and tell me about the details. I’m curious.
Better yet Journey, just bring back the real Steve. Perry has been in the basement too long. It’s time for him to come out of hiding and do a real reunion with Journey. It’s kind of sad to see a band of Journey’s caliber playing smaller gigs when they used to pack concert arenas. If Diamond Dave and Eddie can hook up and Zeppelin can get together with Jason Bonham what’s holding back Perry?
In fairness to Pineda, he’s a competent singer and sings the songs well. I haven’t watched the DVD yet of his concert and maybe he tears it up vocally there. As a package for value I give Revelation high marks, but at the end of the day it’s not how many extras and much filler you jam into a CD package, the music must do the talking. Sorry, Journey’s Revelation is mostly lips sealed. Grade: D+
Did this post make you go hmm?
(17 votes, average: 1.94 out of 5)
Loading ...Maybe Related Posts (plugin generated)
- Journey’s first album shows a path they should revisit
- Crocodile Hunter Dad Steve Irwin’s child training stunt backfires
- Journey Generations escaped me
- Oooo, that Skynyrd smell … of resilience
- A new Eagle soars
- Guitar Hero On Tour and Guitar Hero Aerosmith weekend but games are too easy
[…] buddy TDavid offers up the counterpoint to my Journey review, giving Revelation a passing grade, but not by […]
Pingback by Quick Hits - Vinyl, Coldplay, Billy Joel, and Lou Reed — June 7, 2008 @ 11:08 am PST
TDavid - I’m quite surprised you didn’t dig the new studio tracks. Not only is this the “rock album” that it seems Journey have been looking for for some time, I think it’s quite a good one. My opinion
You are the second friend, with the harshest review yet - which is why I like your reviews…no holds barred! My friend Chris said day of release that if he had to score it day of release, he’d give it 7/10 - he liked it, yet there was something missing for him - Neal’s guitar wasn’t far enough up in the mix, for one thing.
I forgot until after I listened to it and/or read something else, that Kevin Shirley had produced this. I don’t always love Kevin’s mixes - they can sometimes be a bit muddy….some of the Dream Theater albums come to mind. I think he nailed a great mix on the new studio tracks.
I didn’t really have much interest or reaction in the re-recorded stuff. They walk on a sacred ground of sorts with that stuff, and I didn’t really feel like they added much by re-doing them. But as it happens, that’s how this project originally started - Wal-Mart approached them for a disc of re-recorded hits. The idea of a new studio album started as a few tracks to be tacked on, and became a full CD later. So I can’t blame them - You’re Journey,Wal-Mart is going to hand you a big check - and let’s not forget the huge album sales you’ll get. Last I heard, the CD was on track to do around 100,000 copies first week - I think it’s been quite a while since Journey saw those numbers.
re: Steve Perry - his voice reportedly is a bit “shot” and can’t hold up for touring anymore. He struggled on his last solo tour in 1994, and some people say that it was a bit of a struggle for him back in the successful touring days of Journey as well. As we have seen with Steve Augeri, the Journey catalog is a mother to sing night after night, and takes an eventual toll, as it did with Augeri.
You’re right - as far as I can tell, the split with Augeri was amicable, or at least necessary - either way, he was classy about it, and even had an extended quote in the press release when they announced his departure.
There’s some interesting discussion at the following link, and you can find more by Google’ing Steve Augeri throat problems.
http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/2006/07/28/the-great-journey-lip-synch-controversy/
Comment by Matt — June 8, 2008 @ 6:03 am PST
Actually, I’m a longtime Journey fan - since the “Infinity” days - and I like “Revelation.” Pineda’s got some impressive chops. I like most of the original material very much.
The similarity of his vocals to Steve Perry’s is remarkable. If you’re really sharp, you can detect the lack of the slight dusky undertone that Steve’s voice sometimes had. But really, that’s kinda nit-picky.
I do wonder about the Pineda’s longevity if all he ever does is be a Steve Perry clone. There’s a track or two of the new material where’s he seems to be trying less to be Steve and hopefully, they’ll ease him into more stuff with his own style on the next album.
Comment by Rob O. — June 8, 2008 @ 9:21 am PST
Journey rocks and that album you have an image of is one of my favorites of all times!
Comment by Eric E — June 10, 2008 @ 6:30 am PST
TDavid, you just have to listen to the songs and appreciate how good it is considering how raw AP was when they did the recording. I think you just bought the album for the sake of nitpicking it and looking at the slightest thing that you can point at. But good review anyhow from a point of view of someone who can’t move on and accept changes.
Comment by alesson — June 10, 2008 @ 2:06 pm PST
alesson - you must have missed the part where I listened (and am still listening) to Revelation waiting for songs to stick. Only one did — and has.
But enough of my opinion since you obviously disagree, what songs did you like? Why did you like them? Tell me what’s fresh and new on Revelation that couldn’t be heard on a half dozen other Journey albums? Arrival worked a lot better for me and that’s with a changed singer (Augeri vs. Perry) so I really don’t understand how you think I can’t “move on and accept changes.” If that were the case I wouldn’t have accepted Augeri, capiche?
Comment by TDavid — June 10, 2008 @ 5:05 pm PST
steve perry is a has been and let’s respect that and sounds like shit look for white sox steve perry in youtube and you will hear he can’t hit the note anymore, enjoyed the good times with him, now we got a new team player to bring back the gold. Go journey!
Comment by steveaugerirules — June 12, 2008 @ 5:40 pm PST
Hello TDavid, before I heard the CD1 Revelation, I’ve already read your review about this and I almost believe in you. Sad to say i conclude that i cannot rely on your future reviews. There are good songs and my best choice is “Turn Down the World Tonight”, it takes not only powerful voice but also a long air breath(I may not good how to describe but I hope you got what I mean) try to sing it along and you would NOT be able to follow it at normal speed of your breath. Arnel’s voice is flexible in interpreting each of the songs, his voice can jive to Neal’s guitar of different streams. Until now I cannot understand how you do your review, its quite misleading to all the readers.
Comment by Jusched — June 21, 2008 @ 5:55 am PST
Jusched - glad to hear that you like Revelation and thank you for taking time to comment.
Truth is I have played Revelation very little since writing this review. I’d be less than honest if I gave some great review to something simply because I thought other people would like it and I didn’t like it myself.
It’s good to see other Journey fans disagree with me and certainly Pineda’s story is a compelling one. He just doesn’t add anything to Journey for me. Unlike Judas Priest new album, Nostradamus — where I also have one fan that strongly disagrees with my review in the comment area — I felt like that albums took the band in a new direction. Other than Pineda singing, what does Revelation add to Journey’s overall library of work? Nothing that I see.
Revelation is just another new Journey album with songs by another new Journey singer who has a good voice and sounds similar to Steve Perry. That’s boring to me, sorry. The first time they had a new singer, I was curious. Second time? Not so much. It’s like what Black Sabbath did after Ozzy. Dio was interesting, but after that? Gillan might have been interesting if he’d stayed more than one album. Otherwise, not so much.
Being this is your first comment, I’m not sure you’ve read any of my past reviews, have you? http://www.hmmreviews.com/ — I’m not asking anybody to agree 100% with my reviews — in fact I’d be disappointed if everybody did (reviews are subjective, after all) — but you should always be able to “rely” on them being an honest opinion and assessment of one music fan’s tastes
If you don’t like my music tastes, then you are apt to disagree more than agree, which is totally cool. I don’t take into account how other people will feel about an album when I review music, for me it is a very personal experience. What did the music do for *ME*? This might sound selfish, but it’s the way I evaluate whether or not the music is good.
Clearly I’m in the minority on this one. I can deal with that. Revelation is still in the Billboard top 10, which is good news for Pineda and company:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top+Rock+Albums
Comment by TDavid — June 21, 2008 @ 6:45 am PST
First, let me agree with you. His story *is* compelling. So much so that as an Augieri fan, I thought this was going to be a critical disappointment just like Jeff Scott Soto was. I was lucky enough to catch three of the 30th anniversary shows and I can assure you Augieri was not lip syncing in*those* events, as he performed very with wit a few unfortunate and yet very notable exceptions. It was clear he was on his way out, the album Generations was poor (why do you have all five players doing lead vocals if your lead vocalist is doing well) and when Augieri dropped off in the middle of the following year I thought we could all stick a fork in Journey - they were certainly done. Jeff Scott Soto certainly didn’t help the cause. I don’t care about “how nice a guy he is” as many Journey apologists will, he is not a tenor, his pipes aren’t even in the same league as Perry / Augieri, and it made the tour a complete bust. The best thing Journey could have done at that point was quit and find a way to re-group, but they continued regardless and did themselves no favors in the process.
Then I heard about Pineda on the web, and immediately just thought it was a hoax. I had a chance to go to the Las Vegas concert featured on the DVD in Revelation but felt so burned by JSS (I generally buy very expensive ILAA tickets since I am traveling cross country to see the shows) that I declined.
Then I was flipping through their website recently on the same day they were to appear on “Ellen.” I recorded it on the DVR and went back to it later in the day for shits and giggles. They played “Separate Ways” (one of my all time faves, especially in concert) and a new track “After All These Years.” I thought SW was ok… Pineda was a bit pitchy in spots, but that was easily attributed to being nervous - on the national stage for the first time. AATY was a disappointment as well… not because of the performance, but because they cut the damn song off so early, it is a masterful piece of writing!
I chose to not pre-order the album, however. I wanted to hear more of Pineda before I invested myself more in the new iteration of the band. Then when I heard the album released via wal mart, a three disc set for less than 12 bucks, it was a complete no brainer. I bought the disk and I have loved it.
Steve Perry fans need to get over it already. First, Perry cannot, could not and will not ever record or tour with Journey again. So quit crying in that beer. Second, the folks who say that Journey doesn’t have the right to continue using the name Journey are making an emotional statement with literally no basis in fact. Journey is and always will be Schon’s group. They have had SEVERAL lead singers now, and Perry may have fronted the band during an extremely successful run, but Augeri was actually at that post the longest.
As to the “controversy” about Augieri, being a HUGE fan of his and his work with the band I have to believe there is no bullshit to the story. I think he got up and sang his ass off for seven years and that was all he had. He got to quit working at the Gap and live a rock and roll fantasy that we all dream about. There hasn’t been a single negative thing by him posted anywhere on the web, where salacious details are way easy to print and spread, I think in the long run it was just too much for him.
As for Pineda’s story, any objective person has to recognize the cinderella aspect to this. How long ago was he singing in Philippino bars for chump change? And now headlining a major tour and album? It’s like Augieri X 10 in terms of an inspirational story. As for pipes, he’s everything Augieri tried to be, and just as much of a talent as Perry ever was. If you want proof, just look at the LIVE performances available, the Revelation DVD and the Escape Video released in 2006. This is no knock on Perry, he is (was) amazing. It’s nothing but props for Pineda. The only thing that hurts Pineda is he does have some carry over from his accent, and as a result, I think he tends to over-pronounce some words when he sings, but he sounds damn good.
As for the Album, generally speaking I really like it. My favorite tracks are “Change for the Better,” “Never walk away,” “After All These Years,” “What it Takes to Win” and “Turn Down the World Tonight.” Pardon my french, but this album is full of great fucking music. As for the remakes on disc 2, I must admit that my take was the same as the author… at first. However, the more I listen, this stuff is growing on me. Not necessarily because of Pineda, but because the band is totally solid. Castronovo rocks it with his drum style (never been a Steve Smith fan, sorry purists) and he totally punches the background vocals. Perfect example was Separate Ways… starts a little weak, but by the time you are into the chorus and the band is going at full steam, they sound amazing.
I think the only thing Journey could have done different with this album is how it was produced. They were hyper-smart to bring back Kevin Shirley and for Schon to shut up and get out of the way and let him do his job. It’s never unusual to have a massive talent like Schon and Cain, et al get in and muck things up from a production standpoint. And here’s the perfect example, the difference between the two discs. Shirley did not produce disc 2. Why? Money? Mistake.
The author is right about disk 2. It sounds often like a produced live take not a produced album. They should have done this one step better and had Shirley produce this themselves to bring it full circle. It’s still an amazing remake, but could have been better.
As for the concert DVD, all I can say is that yesterday I booked my flight to Vegas in July and bought my $500 ILAA tickets where I will be very happy to watch these guys do there thing from 10-15 rows back. That’s as high of a compliment as I can offer. I see the DVD and disc 2 more as a sales pitch than anything… a message that says “we’re here, we’re back and we’re sorry. Please come see the show.”
Great to see the album doing so well on the charts and I wish the band continued success.
Comment by Jeff — June 22, 2008 @ 8:47 am PST
For TDavid, i respect your reviews and commnetaries..but when one reads your input, somehow there’s already a negative energy from beginning to an end..I just lose credibility with critiques that seem to be nitpicking throughout the reviews..it just turns you off…..i had not felt any slightest positive tone while reading your notes..and almost feel like your reviews are biased and defensive rather than being constructive..I enjoyed Ryan Coyle’s reviews because he seemed to point out the positives and negatives….the entire commentaries were stated with a respectful manner and tone..that’s quality reviews..I did not find that “respectful” tone in your statements…everyone has the right to share their honest opionions..that’s why I respect yours..but I think that Revelation has a lot more than what you had depleted..the vocals show the crisp to rasp..low to high ranges..hitting all the high notes and even with longer or firmer high notes..the keyboards, drums, and guitar instruments sounding exquisite rock sounds…the new guy Arnel had barely rehearsed with the band enough…and Journey still able to produce Revelation…give some credit here..In old days i hear that Journey & SP would rehearse for months…and still it wasn’t perfect…so I think your score of D+ is a joke..you sound more like in self denial or refuse to see the positives…it was the negatives that you seemed to want to focus and pick on. it just sounds so obviously so…
Comment by helen — July 17, 2008 @ 11:34 am PST
helen - I’m not sure where you get “in self denial” or “refuse to see the positives.” If the grade is a D+ there aren’t going to be many positives. Try reading some of the other reviews that I’ve given better grades to and you’ll see that the tone of the review often mirrors the grade. This isn’t accidental. You may disagree, heck, I disagree with lots of reviews, but the truth is that if I give something a D+ grade, there isn’t much positive to write about. A D+ borders close to a C- which is below average. I don’t believe Revelation will be anything better than Trial By Fire at best which is a long way from a success when compared to the rest of the Journey disography.
As for this: “…the new guy Arnel had barely rehearsed with the band enough…and Journey still able to produce Revelation…give some credit here..”
Come on, helen. The band doesn’t get points for rushing out an album, they should get docked. Stay in the studio longer, make sure it’s something they are proud of and then put it out for sale. Don’t publish and make excuses.
Again, you are welcome and encouraged to disagree as others have above, but I’m sticking by this album being D+. Sorry if we have to agree to disagree.
Comment by TDavid — July 17, 2008 @ 12:02 pm PST
Looks like the new 3 Doors Down album (released about the same as Revelation) which peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts has sold over 500,000 albums according to Billboard over the first 6 weeks of charting:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top+Rock+Albums
3 Doors Down is at #8 (not reviewed or purchased yet) as of this comment writing and Journey ‘Revelation’ is at #7 (but doesn’t have the RIAA certification for shipping more than a half million albums). Revelation peaked at #2 on the charts. Motley Crue new album Saints of Los Angeles is at #9 and fading fast (I gave that a B- grade).
Comment by TDavid — July 17, 2008 @ 12:17 pm PST
TDAVID,
I’m so disappointed with your review about the JOURNEY’S REVELATION CD…It sounds that you already pre-judged them negatively..Have you watched their concerts? My God,Arnel Pineda is so good considering he is very new with the band, people we’re so estatic about the concert and AP has the “VOICE”….People should stop reading your article because all you can say are negative things….thats a shame….if you want people to continue reading your article then you better analyze the above article and see where you went wrong…CASSIDY of LOS ANGELES CA.
Comment by CASSIDY — July 31, 2008 @ 10:20 am PST
CASSIDY - other than on video I have never seen any iteration of Journey live. I’ve seen plenty of YouTube clips with Arnel Pineda singing and I’ve tried a few times to go back to Revelation and enjoy it. Sorry, I’m sticking by my review, we’ll have to agree to disagree.
Comment by TDavid — July 31, 2008 @ 10:51 am PST
just what i thought, you are afraid to see and hear the AP/Journey LIVE, and have your opinion be swayed towards positive. you gotta be there and experienced how it is. YT and other videos do not do justice to how good this guy is. i have seen AP perform live and witnessed how A MONSTER vocalist he is, he will not be Perry but can definitely hold his own against him. again, he was RAW when they recorded Revelation, barely 4 months when recruited.
pressed by WallFART to release a re recorded greatest hits with the new compilation was absolutely F%^&!ing crazy idea. AP was to memorized all those 11 new songs and come up par with SP’s recording of GH its absolutely insane, the guy is awesome. you must also remember, he did good ..in fact woonderful behinds his thick Filipino accent which is almost unnoticeable.
my take..go and see them live and if you are hardpressed to part your precious USD for a ticket, ping me..i’ll send you one via Fedex with ILAA pass to go…i’ll just solicit from some filipino friends to chip in! just kiddin..go and see them live TDavid, you’ll not be disappointed.
Comment by alesson — August 1, 2008 @ 5:02 am PST
alesson - I’m not “afraid” to see Journey. I’d love to see Journey live someday, with or without Arnel Pineda or some other guy singing.
Comment by TDavid — August 1, 2008 @ 9:04 am PST
How about that, Journey is still on the Billboard charts (#10) after 13 weeks. Good for them
They are here with Heart and Cheap Trick next Friday (9/19/08) and tickets are still available ($90 each).
Comment by TDavid — September 10, 2008 @ 9:40 am PST
Let’s face it, they need Mr. Perry back. I will buy all their Cd’s when that happens. Neal, cant you and Steve just get along?
Comment by RBarr — September 10, 2008 @ 1:42 pm PST
@RBarr
That’s not why he can’t come back… He can’t hit notes that he used to be able to hit. Just look at videos of his latest live performances.
Being a big Steve Perry fan, I’ve accepted the fact that he’s way past his prime. Journey is better off without him. Besides, Steve Perry didn’t make Journey, Journey made him.
Comment by Doone — September 17, 2008 @ 6:01 pm PST
Really I loved Journey. Unforgettable Perry’s passion and Augeri’s harmony. Pineda is too young to reach the level, he’s got good voice but the way he exteeeeeeeeeeend each note is almost boring and out of rythm. NO, NO, NO. I loved Journey (Past Tense)
Comment by Marianín — February 19, 2009 @ 7:59 pm PST
No one loves the MANY, MANY single hits and albums written and/or co-written and sung by Steve Perry as a member of Journey (and solo) more than me, but there’s NO WAY Steve will ever again sing with Journey. Anyone who’s naive enough to believe that has to be 12 years old, or delusional, or had never HEARD of Journey until the American Idol “TA-DA!” Or the last episode of ~THE SOPRANOS~ which featured “Don’t Stop Believin’” thus starting a revival of interest in classic Journey songs.
It’s NOT that SP WON’T or CAN’T come back because “he can’t hit the high notes.” Sheesh, he’s 60 years old and shouldn’t be expected to have the same vocal range (especially tenor!) that he had at 30. He no longer hit those notes at 36, but back then no one then seemed to notice. When he toured solo in the mid-’90s he was 45. Despite posts to the contrary from people whose only knowledge comes from watching videos on YouTube, Steve still belted out his songs on the FLOTSM tour. The difference then was that he was singing without Neal, Jon, Ross and Deen/Steve backing him. Totally different sound, but his voice was GREAT. I saw him in three venues on the tour. The crowds were wild and he was obviously enjoying performing.
He’s said several times over the past decade that while he loves performing, he really doesn’t want to ever feel like a “caricature” of himself at 30 years old. That era is gone, and with it his Spandex pants and bare chest. Hip replacements, no matter how successful, don’t allow for the manic running on (and up and down) stages like for which he’s best remembered.
Most importantly, Steve Perry doesn’t HAVE to return to Journey. He’s enjoyed a profitable professional career outside of Journey (as a songwriter and producer of several major theatrical events), and he continues to rake in mega-royalties on every song for which he received credit EVERY TIME those songs are sung, regardless of WHO sings them. His life is a far cry from remaining cloistered at home watching TV and eating potato chips.
If Neal (or Ross or Jon or any other current/former Journeymen) had to SING, they, too, would be TOAST. It’s a helluva lot easier to play an instrument on Journey’s catalogue for 40 years than to SING the songs.
Marianin posted: “Pineda is too young to reach the level … .” TOO YOUNG??!! He’s nearly 42, WAY OLDER than Perry was when he made the hits that AP tries to imitate. He’ll burn out SOON, though not soon enough for me. This past winter he was already crying to Neal about how “LONELY” he was on tour and how he needed to see his home and family. Hmmmm, guess that might be why Journey’s ‘09 tour has been an Asian tour up ’til now. They do have a number of State Fairs booked in the States this summer, not quite the major venues they’d like. But with their latest CD sold only at Wal-Mart, is anyone surprised?
Stevie Augeri was only in his 30s when his vocal chords became a train-wreck thanks to the relentless touring demanded by Schon & Co. SA asked for some time to heal, but guess what? Just as when SP had major health issues, Neal demanded performance. With SA, they made the unfortunate mistake of technically “enhancing” his vocals, which was caught in a major way by musicians and tekkies who followed Journey. That was a heavy blow to his career (and should have been an embarrassment to Neal Schon). However, I personally think Neal’s jumbo ego precludes him from feeling embarrassment.
Steve Perry isn’t the only former member of Journey who’s owed an apology by Neal, but he’s certainly due the most MAJOR apology. Neal was responsible for a HUGE LOSS in Steve Perry’s personal life, a loss about which neither he nor Neal has spoken publicly, and it’s doubtful they ever will. It was, however, the main reason Steve AND Neal chose to go on mutual hiatuses (their own “separate ways”) in the mid-’80s. It’s also ties into why Steve’s then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was given all royalties to Perry’s song about their break-up, “Oh Sherrie.” She has long had her own “confidentiality contract.”
Stevie Augeri HAD to appear “amicable” about his departure from the group due to non-disclosure (confidentiality) stipulations in his contract. Every member of Journey has faced those stipulations since Perry left, even short-lived Journey singer JSS, the only one who ever mentioned it to the media. And he really had nothing to lose, as he was GONE.
As with ANY R&R band that stayed together for a number of years, all sorts of SHIT happened that would be embarrassing and leveling to any of their careers and personal lives if made public. If Neal, Jon, Ross (or any other member of Journey) violates that part of their contract with Perry, then Neal and Jon (as Journey, the group) forfeit their rights to play any songs that SP had a hand in writing.
Neal will suck any life-force out of Pineda, and will then leave him for roadkill.
Finally, to the ignorant asses who post negative crapola about Steve Perry’s a capella singing of “Don’t Stop Believin’” after the World Series, let me just say this: (1) He’d been screaming for hours at a time throughout the Series, so of course, one would EXPECT him to be hoarse; (2) He had NO musical back-up; and (3) NONE of the players at the mic behind him even knew the WORDS to the song they CHOSE as their team’s ANTHEM. How LAME they were and what a good sport Steve was to try to lead them on national TV!!!
PERRY4EVER!!
RIP, JOURNEY!!!
Comment by Cate — April 22, 2009 @ 5:21 pm PST
I disagree with your review. I think he did a better job than anyone they could have gotten with the older songs. I can hear where his voice falls off, but he is hell of a lot better than they previous singers since Steve Perry. Put into consideration that the mand barely speaks English.
The newer songs are some of the best songs they have done since “Frontiers” especially “Wildest Dream”, “Never Walk Away”, “Change for the Better” & “Where Did I Lose Your Love”.
It is unfortunate that the label dropped the ball on this. They wouldn’t even put new material up on Journey’s MySpace page. Lame.
Comment by Kevin — July 4, 2009 @ 4:17 pm PST
I’d be curious, TD, to hear what your thoughts are on this album, now a year later.
I recently revisited “Revelations” and it really stuck in my head. In the 2 weeks since I’ve replayed probably it a dozen times and it grabbed much more on this revisit than it did a year ago. Maybe I’m just in more of a nostalgic & receptive mood. Dunno. I like the re-dos of “Only The Young,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Be Good To Yourself,” and “Stone In Love.” These new versions have a subtle, punchier take on the classics.
And it finally dawned on me that the baseline & chorus in “What I Needed” has a distinct similarity to “Mother, Father” from the “Escape” album. Go to about 4:00 in the song and see if you catch the vibe. It’s definitely there around 4:45.
Comment by Rob O. — July 6, 2009 @ 3:52 pm PST
[…] Rob O. asks what my thoughts are on Revelation a year later. Rob, I still wouldn’t change the review grade and none of the songs grab me the way I would have […]
Pingback by Journey’s first album shows a path they should revisit » Make You Go Hmm — July 14, 2009 @ 9:39 am PST
Rob, good question. I pondered on it and did give Revelation some more listens. See the link in comment #25 as to where this musical journey led me.
Comment by TDavid — July 14, 2009 @ 9:40 am PST
‘Journey’ album is one of my dad’s favorite. I have heard it many times and there is no doubt in that the band’s albums sold in millions of copies. It is worrying that now-a-day’s the ‘quality’ of the band is degrading
Comment by Simon — September 26, 2009 @ 6:48 am PST