Schon comes clean... well sort of...

[MRMUSIC413]

Hey... not sure if this has already been mentioned, but the latest issue of CLASSIC ROCK (Aug '08 Issue #122)
has a great 4 page spread on the bands current tour, with some excellent photos.

It also had this little blurb that surprised me out of NS:


Shortly after the '06 Monsters tour, Journey played the Sweden Rock Festival. It was here an eagle-eared
Scandinavian sound engineer speculated that Steve Augeri-Journey's singer at the time-might be lip synching.
CLASSIC ROCK has quizzed Journey about this in the past and has always received evasive answers.

This time however, Schon is a trifle more open:

"Y'know, people get themselves into trouble and they do what they gotta do to get through shows. Augeri had serious problems with his vocals. He had a yeast infection in his throat that was incurable. He couldn't get the gunk off his throat, so he couldn't get anything out of it. Anybody in the band who knows what he sounded like when we first got him knew he was hurting."

So Journey were actually trying to bolster up Augeri by the use of extra added 'vocal assistance' shall we say ?

"No comment. You'll have to talk to him (Augeri) about it. In all seriousness, this is such old news."

Whatever, Augeri exited soon enough, to be replaced by Jeff Scott Soto.

"Jeff did a great job," says Schon. "He came in, got us through a tour and got paid very, very well for it. But
personality-wise he was not right. After we asked Jeff to leave it got nasty and he decided to sue us. Which
was a shame because he had already been taken care of very well.

Did Journey always regard Soto as something of a stop-gap frontman ?

"I think for a second we thought it was going to work," Schon admits. "He was a very good showman. But what
turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals...
and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a
baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't
sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

[Since 78]

Whatever, Augeri exited soon enough, to be replaced by Jeff Scott Soto.

"Jeff did a great job," says Schon. "He came in, got us through a tour and got paid very, very well for it. But
personality-wise he was not right. After we asked ?Jeff to leave it got nasty and he decided to sue us. Which
was a shame because he had already been taken care of very well.

Did Journey always regard Soto as something of a stop-gap frontman ?

"I think for a second we thought it was going to work," Schon admits. "He was a very good showman. But what
turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals...
and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a
baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't
sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

Well this is a little different from the first post about the article! Comments?

[MRMUSIC413]

Well this is a little different from the first post about the article! Comments?

I looked for a similar post but didn't notice one. Have a link ?

[Memorex]

Fuck Neal.

[Ms_M]

Fuck Neal.

How can you improve on that comment?

[Since 78]

Well this is a little different from the first post about the article! Comments?

I looked for a similar post but didn't notice one. Have a link ?

Never tried this before but!

http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/vie ... 55&start=0

And I see its already started!

[texafana]

"He was a very good showman. But what turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals... and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

Is that a real Neal quote? That's pretty fkin harsh.

[SusieP]

I have the magazine and that is exactly what it says.

The journalist didn't delve into the manner of the sacking, though.
I know it's old news, but I would have liked to read Neal's answers to those kind of questions.

[wednesday's child]

"He was a very good showman. But what turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals... and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

Is that a real Neal quote? That's pretty fkin harsh.

Keep in mind that when Neal spoke of "it" not sounding great or being nondescript, he could easily
have been referring not solely to JSS'voice, but the overall "sound" of the band with JSS' voice.
Printed interviews sometimes compress the verbatim answer, with less than satisfactory results.

-wech

[SusieP]

"He was a very good showman. But what turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals... and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

Is that a real Neal quote? That's pretty fkin harsh.

Keep in mind that when Neal spoke of "it" not sounding great or being nondescript, he could easily
have been referring not solely to JSS'voice, but the overall "sound" of the band with JSS' voice.
Printed interviews sometimes compress the verbatim answer, with less than satisfactory results.

-wech

And Neal isn't exactly eloquent at the best of times, as we know.

[Saint John]

Fuck Neal.

How can you improve on that comment?

Easily...Fuck Memorex.

[Memorex]

Fuck Neal.

How can you improve on that comment?

Easily...Fuck Memorex.

I can't argue with that.

[Saint John]

Fuck Neal.

How can you improve on that comment?

Easily...Fuck Memorex.

I can't argue with that.

lol...at least you realize I was joking. Schon has certainly been a buffoon at times, but I found this article to be what I believe pretty straight forward regarding the Soto termination. The "No comment" part was pretty dumb...though we all understand why he had to say it. It's just a dumb thing to say because it would certainly raise my suspicions into looking a bit deeper had I never heard anything about it. It comes across like he has something to hide...which again we know the answer to.

[Greg]

Pure BS from Neal at its stinkiest.

Neal, it's not about the money. It's about being honest with people and you sir are not.

[Michigan Girl]

Whatever, Augeri exited soon enough, to be replaced by Jeff Scott Soto.

"Jeff did a great job," says Schon. "He came in, got us through a tour and got paid very, very well for it. But
personality-wise he was not right. After we asked ?Jeff to leave it got nasty and he decided to sue us. Which
was a shame because he had already been taken care of very well.

Did Journey always regard Soto as something of a stop-gap frontman ?

"I think for a second we thought it was going to work," Schon admits. "He was a very good showman. But what
turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals...
and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a
baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't
sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

Well this is a little different from the first post about the article! Comments?

It is a tad different, it seems a little more abrasive~is it me?

[Onestepper]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

[Saint John]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

Agreed on all counts.

[WykkedSensation]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

Agreed on all counts.

Ditto.

[Tito]

lol...at least you realize I was joking. Schon has certainly been a buffoon at times,

Neal has NEVER been a buffoon. Unless you consider being too loyal - buffoonery.

[Tito]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

Agreed on all counts.

Ditto.

Count me in.

[Arkansas]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

Agreed on all counts.

Ditto.

Yeah, ditto ditto.

I don't see at all why people bash NS for this. He seems honest. While this may not be the whole story, it's probably true. And about handling the 'termination' professionally, I believe it was. That's the way it goes in business - avoid confrontation. That is the professional way. Management does the dirty work, and you be quiet. It's not that you don't want to talk to people, you just don't. The politics and the legals virtually prohibit you from talking. I've been in these tough situations. You keep your mouth shut and re-focus on your work. Maybe down the road you can say something, but even then you purposely keep it vague and ambiguous.

No way Neal Schon is as dumb as some out here seem to think.


later~

[Saint John]

Neal has NEVER been a buffoon. Unless you consider being too loyal - buffoonery.

Everyone has been a buffoon at one time or another. Thank you for being so kind and using yourself as an example just now.

[Michigan Girl]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

Agreed on all counts.

Ditto.

Count me in.

Did any one of you read the entire article? It's not just about JSS!!!

[Tito]

Neal has NEVER been a buffoon. Unless you consider being too loyal - buffoonery.

Everyone has been a buffoon at one time or another. Thank you for being so kind and using yourself as an example just now.

I have never been a buffoon.

[Tito]

Yeah, ditto ditto.

I don't see at all why people bash NS for this. He seems honest. While this may not be the whole story, it's probably true. And about handling the 'termination' professionally, I believe it was. That's the way it goes in business - avoid confrontation. That is the professional way. Management does the dirty work, and you be quiet. It's not that you don't want to talk to people, you just don't. The politics and the legals virtually prohibit you from talking. I've been in these tough situations. You keep your mouth shut and re-focus on your work. Maybe down the road you can say something, but even then you purposely keep it vague and ambiguous.

No way Neal Schon is as dumb as some out here seem to think.


later~

Thank you.

[Onestepper]

Not sure what people are not seeing in those comments. They are not mean spirited or even 'harsh'. It appears to be a diplomatic way of saying what everyone was looking for as a reason to let JSS go. He didn't say 'he sucked' or anything close to that. Just that it didn't fit their sound. I think that is reasonable.

My belief is that most people would have a completely different feeling about those comments if they had handled the termination more professionally, and actually discussed the issue of why they wanted to go in a different direction to JSS one on one. I don't think how or what he said in the interview was that bad.

Agreed on all counts.

Ditto.

Count me in.

Did any one of you read the entire article? It's not just about JSS!!!

What's your point? I think that subject got the attention because it is the first time (that I know of) anyone from the band has gone on record about the split. I think the 'no comment' statement was addressed in a different thread.

[The_Noble_Cause]

"I think for a second we thought it was going to work," Schon admits. "He was a very good showman. But what
turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals...
and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a
baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't
sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."
[/i]

Total BS.
Anyone with a short-term memory will remember Neal gushing over JSS giving Perry an emotive run for his money on "Coming Home", as well as in concert.
The fact that he wasn't a total vocal doppelganger was a good thing. He captured the spirit of Journey without being an outright fraud.

[Tito]

Count me in.

Did any one of you read the entire article? It's not just about JSS!!! [/quote]

Is there a link?

[Deb]

"No comment. You'll have to talk to him (Augeri) about it. In all seriousness, this is such old news."

- Never was a fan of Augeri's but that comment just pissed me off, ya sure, lay the whole tapegate episode at Augeri's feet?

It didn't
sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."

- JSS? Nondescript? That one actually made me laugh out loud.....coming from somebody who's got an SP vocal duplicate fronting Journey now. No disrespect to Arnel, I like the guy.............but I lose more and more respect for NS everytime he opens his mouth.

[Tito]

"I think for a second we thought it was going to work," Schon admits. "He was a very good showman. But what
turned my head around was when we wrote a couple of new songs. We sent them to Jeff... he laid down some vocals...
and it didn't sound like Journey at all. Jeff didn't have to be a clone of Steve Perry, but his register was more like a
baritone. We needed an alto-tenor... that timbre of voice that everybody's used to. So that was the problem. It didn't
sound great. It didn't sound like Journey.. It was just very nondescript."
[/i]

Total BS.
Anyone with a short-term memory will remember Neal gushing over JSS giving Perry an emotive run for his money on "Coming Home", as well as in concert.
The fact that he wasn't a total vocal doppelganger was a good thing. He captured the spirit of Journey without being an outright fraud.

He was just hyping him up.