Why do so many feel Journey needs Perry to get airplay?

[ohsherrie]

I would love to see a hot female country singer do a duet with the boy's. Like Bon Jovi did w/ Jenifer Nettles. I think they could gain a ton by doing this. JSS could pull off just about anything vocally.

Shania? Faith?

Either of those ladies or better yet, Kelly Clarkson.

I vote for Gwen Stefani. I know the members of No Doubt are Journey fans.

That'd probably be a great thing PR wise, but the music wouldn't sound nearly as good.

[NealIsGod]

I would love to see a hot female country singer do a duet with the boy's. Like Bon Jovi did w/ Jenifer Nettles. I think they could gain a ton by doing this. JSS could pull off just about anything vocally.

Shania? Faith?

Either of those ladies or better yet, Kelly Clarkson.

I vote for Gwen Stefani. I know the members of No Doubt are Journey fans.

That'd probably be a great thing PR wise, but the music wouldn't sound nearly as good.

Tragic Kingdom is one of my favorite CDs. I don't like the direction Gwen has take lately, but No Doubt is a great band. And I love her voice.

[SF-Dano]

I think Journey should concentrate on getting new song airplay on both XM and Sirius. It is becoming more and more popular and is the wave of the not so distant future. Conventional radio has turned their backs to new music from Journey and others of the era, so I would not waste time with conventional radio. They could fit quite nicely onto several satellite stations. Definately continue trying for TV and movie exposure also. How about "Crossroads" on CMT. I haven't really seen a bad one of those yet. And they tend to play more songs from the "rock" band in the set than the "country" artist. I can see someone one like Martina McBride or Shania working really well with the band. Neal and Jon can play anything, Jeff can sing anything, and the I am sure with a little practice Deen and Ross could be right there. I also have a feeling that Journey songs would be very well received by Country fans. JMO.

[Moose]

I'll take a crack at this. First and foremost, let me say that I have certainly expressed this thought, but, it's important to understand that my opinion has NOTHING to do with the talent of Jeff or what he brings to the table. Journey had a certain sound when Perry was in the band, and although you're absolutely correct that many people didn't know Perry's name...that point really has nothing at all to do with Perry. That's simply the way music is. Most people who are not hardcore fans have no idea what any of the guy's names are in a given band. Look at one of the most successful bands ever...The Eagles. Glenn Frey has had some solo success outside of The Eagles and Henley has had enormous success without The Eagles. That said, most people have no idea that these two guys were the main vocalists on many of The Eagles hits. Why do you think Rob Thomas called his band "Matchbox Twenty, featuring Rob Thomas". The guy understands that with only a band's name, he is going to go virtually unrecognized! Now...back to my Perry point. While many people didn't really know who Steve Perry was, it doesn't change the fact that EVERY single one of Journey's classic hits were brought to the masses (i.e. the fans, the radio, the music industry, etc.) through Perry's voice!

Most casual music fans (which I think describes most music fans) are hooked by a voice, and not a guitar riff or drum solo. Perry was that voice for Journey. I also think that when a band has the success that Journey had, it makes it that much more difficult for them to be taken seriously, by the masses, when introducing a new frontman. I know it's been discussed before that other bands have managed to pull it off. That said, I'm not sure a band with the commercial success Journey has had (and I don't mean just a few hits...I mean Journey's level, period!) has ever quite pulled off replacing their frontman and continued on without missing a beat. The only band that I recall who didn't seem at all affected by the change was Van Halen. In the interest of full disclosure, I personally thought Hagar was MUCH more talented than Roth, on a vocal level, so that may explain why VH continued to have commercial success (not to mention "5150" was the biggest commercial album VH ever put out and was the 1st with Hagar at the helm).

I think at the end of the day, Journey, with Perry, was a band that was more reliant on soaring vocals than any band I ever remember in my lifetime. Because of that, it makes replacing a guy with Perry's vocals virtually impossible! He simply had a sound and range that couldn't really be replicated (at least not well)! Hell, Perry couldn't replace himself from 25 years ago, at this stage!

As I've stated before, I truly hope that I'm wrong about Journey not being taken seriously with Jeff at the helm. Jeff is a good guy with tremendous talent. The fact that he has such a profound respect for Steve Perry and the legacy of this great band makes it that much easier to pull for the guy. Let's just hope that Journey is headed down the right road with Jeff and can prove some of us wrong, in terms of being commercially relevant again. If they are to realize that dream, the first thing that they MUST do is figure out how the hell to promote themselves! I'm not sure that I've ever seen a band as bad as Journey is at promoting themselves and their music. Their catalogue of music is unmatched by most, and they should promote the hell out of EVERY CD and tour they're partaking in!

John from Boston

Well stated!

[journeyrock]

Rick[/quote]

No, it's not 1983, but don't you think that with the right PR they could do as well as Nickelback or Train? I think they could. Even though those two bands don't have a Journey sound, they are a lot more melodic than Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani. I think there's room for an even more melodic sound if it's presented in the right way.[/quote]This is true, I think they could also, but they need to have someone with brains running the shop.

[ArnelRox]

While many people didn't really know who Steve Perry was, it doesn't change the fact that EVERY single one of Journey's classic hits were brought to the masses (i.e. the fans, the radio, the music industry, etc.) through Perry's voice! ... Perry was that voice for Journey. I also think that when a band has the success that Journey had, it makes it that much more difficult for them to be taken seriously, by the masses, when introducing a new frontman. ...I think at the end of the day, Journey, with Perry, was a band that was more reliant on soaring vocals than any band I ever remember in my lifetime. Because of that, it makes replacing a guy with Perry's vocals virtually impossible! He simply had a sound and range that couldn't really be replicated (at least not well)!

I really appreciate ur points & the amount of thought that went into them. I've saved a few of them in the quoted portion above. What hits me is that ur talking about the past, about the Journey of the 80s. Let's face it Journey really hasn't been relevant in the music scene since the 80s (yes I know they had a hit w/WYLAW in the 90s but their big success was in the 80s, agreed?). The kids of today don't know Journey unless they know them thru their parents/older siblings. But if a band called Journey comes out today w/a dazzling frontman who appeals to the youth, lots of PR in TV & radio, & strikes a hit, the kids will buy it. They won't know about the soaring vocals of yesteryear. They'll be mesmerized by Jeff's soaring vocals.

Remember when Santana had that hit some years back with Rob Thomas? My girlfriend's son was about 15-16 at the time & really into music. He loved that song. He was telling me about this old guy who smoked! I pulled out my old Santana vinyl albums & his eyes bugged out. He never knew there was a Santana of yesteryear.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the introduction of a new frontman & the Journey of yore is only relevant to us, the old fogies. But if Journey appears "new" to the youth of today, they won't know about the past unless their parents/older siblings tell them. Then, they'll think it's totally cool because they're already sold on the new stuff.

I don't know if this can happen, but it's a thought.

[donnaplease]

I really appreciate ur points & the amount of thought that went into them. I've saved a few of them in the quoted portion above. What hits me is that ur talking about the past, about the Journey of the 80s. Let's face it Journey really hasn't been relevant in the music scene since the 80s (yes I know they had a hit w/WYLAW in the 90s but their big success was in the 80s, agreed?). The kids of today don't know Journey unless they know them thru their parents/older siblings. But if a band called Journey comes out today w/a dazzling frontman who appeals to the youth, lots of PR in TV & radio, & strikes a hit, the kids will buy it. They won't know about the soaring vocals of yesteryear. They'll be mesmerized by Jeff's soaring vocals.

Remember when Santana had that hit some years back with Rob Thomas? My girlfriend's son was about 15-16 at the time & really into music. He loved that song. He was telling me about this old guy who smoked! I pulled out my old Santana vinyl albums & his eyes bugged out. He never knew there was a Santana of yesteryear.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the introduction of a new frontman & the Journey of yore is only relevant to us, the old fogies. But if Journey appears "new" to the youth of today, they won't know about the past unless their parents/older siblings tell them. Then, they'll think it's totally cool because they're already sold on the new stuff.

I don't know if this can happen, but it's a thought.

It's a great thought.

[Enigma869]

I really appreciate ur points & the amount of thought that went into them. I've saved a few of them in the quoted portion above. What hits me is that ur talking about the past, about the Journey of the 80s. Let's face it Journey really hasn't been relevant in the music scene since the 80s (yes I know they had a hit w/WYLAW in the 90s but their big success was in the 80s, agreed?). The kids of today don't know Journey unless they know them thru their parents/older siblings. But if a band called Journey comes out today w/a dazzling frontman who appeals to the youth, lots of PR in TV & radio, & strikes a hit, the kids will buy it. They won't know about the soaring vocals of yesteryear. They'll be mesmerized by Jeff's soaring vocals.

Remember when Santana had that hit some years back with Rob Thomas? My girlfriend's son was about 15-16 at the time & really into music. He loved that song. He was telling me about this old guy who smoked! I pulled out my old Santana vinyl albums & his eyes bugged out. He never knew there was a Santana of yesteryear.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the introduction of a new frontman & the Journey of yore is only relevant to us, the old fogies. But if Journey appears "new" to the youth of today, they won't know about the past unless their parents/older siblings tell them. Then, they'll think it's totally cool because they're already sold on the new stuff.

I don't know if this can happen, but it's a thought.

I certainly agree with your point that Journey's success was in the 80's. That was clearly Journey's decade! I certainly don't disagree with your point that the young kids of today could certainly "latch on" to a new Journey song, with Jeff at the helm, that gets their attention, for whatever reason. My larger point is really that Journey, as a band will forever be identified with the vocals of Perry ("yesteryear" or not). Because of this, I just don't know that any new Journey music will ever be played on the radio for these kids to hear (and that's where youngins find new music!). I've always thought Journey was atrocious at promoting themselves, and unless something changes in that arena, I think getting new music in front of the masses is going to be quite the arduous task. As I've continously said, I hope my theory is proven to be 100% wrong. I'm simply speculating what might happen, and forming my opinions based upon past occurrences.

Also, for what it's worth, I'm not someone who believes Journey is "relevant" (at least not in the larger music industry sense). Sure, we "old" folks are Journey fans, and as hardcore fans, we'll buy almost anything they put out (Hell, I was dopey enough to even buy "Generations"). Again, I hope your theory is correct. I just think Perry cast a shadow that this band will NEVER escape from! I suspect we'll all find out soon enough.

John from Boston