Jimmy Barnes with Neal Schon - Too Much Aint Enough Love
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:05 amOne of the more interesting side projects of Schon/Cain post Journey was their work with Australian hard rock icon Jimmy Barnes, who was attempting to break into the US market. After a huge success in Oz with the Cain-penned Working Class Man in 1985, Barnes was back for more in 1988 enlisting the majority of Journey (Schon/Cain and Randy Jackson) along with a whole bunch of other songwriters forced upon him by Geffen Records for the follow-up Freight Train Heart album, co-produced by Cain. Interestingly enough, 8 out of the 10 songs (1 of the others being a rocking cover of Dylan's Seven Days) featured writing contributions by Cain, Schon, or in one case, Barnes/Schon/Cain...and several of Barnes/Cain. A couple of rumours started popping up with the possibility of Barnes filling the now-vacant vocalist slot in Journey--even though he has since said he doesn't particularily care for the band's music. Can't see that working anyways... He was also offered the lead vocalist position in Van Halen several years prior after Roth left, turning it down because he was told VH were going for a softer sound...which didn't settle well with the volatile, hard rocking Barnes.
Of course, the involvement with Cain/Schon didn't last however. Barnes fought with the record company over being forced to use outside songwriters, and fought with Cain over the production of the lead vocals, eventually up taking the entire album back to Australia to re-record the vocals and use some Australian musicians. The album hit #1 in Australia, ensuring that Jimmy Barnes would have success as a solo artist after the breakup of the hugely popular and influential Cold Chisel.
The lasting testament to the whole project was the video for Too Much Ain't Enough Love, the bluesy ballad which was the lead single for the album. Written by Barnes/Schon/Cain/Randy Jackson/Tony Brock, the song ended up being one of many disputes on the album. Geffen Records, Barnes' label in the US, wanted to replace the Neal Schon solo with one by blues guitarist Robert Cray--something Barnes was against. In the end, the Schon solo stayed, and Schon appeared being featured very prominently in the music video for the song.
Interestingly enough, Barnes and Schon got along well enough that Schon even played lead guitar for Barnes for several shows, but it didn't last very long. To the best of my knowledge, no live recordings were ever done though with Schon in the band. Oh to hear what that would have sounded like...
Live recordings from the Freight Train Heart tour (with Australian guitarist Johnny Diesel taking over from Schon) were later released as the Barnestorming live album--which is a must-have, as it highlights the difference between the Journey-ish layered studio cuts vs. Barnes' tight-knit, hard-driving Aussie pub rock sound in the live setting. Barnes never would crack the US, severing ties with Geffen Records soon after the release of Freight Train Heart. Other than a popular duet with INXS on the Easybeats cover Good Times, and a re-recorded duet with Tina Turner on Simply the Best a few years later, Barnes' success was confined mainly to Australia, though he still maintains a following in Europe and the UK.
At any rate, here's Barnes and Schon, with the disputed solo, in Too Much Ain't Enough Love...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLWWF1IBKcA
Of course, the involvement with Cain/Schon didn't last however. Barnes fought with the record company over being forced to use outside songwriters, and fought with Cain over the production of the lead vocals, eventually up taking the entire album back to Australia to re-record the vocals and use some Australian musicians. The album hit #1 in Australia, ensuring that Jimmy Barnes would have success as a solo artist after the breakup of the hugely popular and influential Cold Chisel.
The lasting testament to the whole project was the video for Too Much Ain't Enough Love, the bluesy ballad which was the lead single for the album. Written by Barnes/Schon/Cain/Randy Jackson/Tony Brock, the song ended up being one of many disputes on the album. Geffen Records, Barnes' label in the US, wanted to replace the Neal Schon solo with one by blues guitarist Robert Cray--something Barnes was against. In the end, the Schon solo stayed, and Schon appeared being featured very prominently in the music video for the song.
Interestingly enough, Barnes and Schon got along well enough that Schon even played lead guitar for Barnes for several shows, but it didn't last very long. To the best of my knowledge, no live recordings were ever done though with Schon in the band. Oh to hear what that would have sounded like...
Live recordings from the Freight Train Heart tour (with Australian guitarist Johnny Diesel taking over from Schon) were later released as the Barnestorming live album--which is a must-have, as it highlights the difference between the Journey-ish layered studio cuts vs. Barnes' tight-knit, hard-driving Aussie pub rock sound in the live setting. Barnes never would crack the US, severing ties with Geffen Records soon after the release of Freight Train Heart. Other than a popular duet with INXS on the Easybeats cover Good Times, and a re-recorded duet with Tina Turner on Simply the Best a few years later, Barnes' success was confined mainly to Australia, though he still maintains a following in Europe and the UK.
At any rate, here's Barnes and Schon, with the disputed solo, in Too Much Ain't Enough Love...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLWWF1IBKcA
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