Rick wrote:Aaron wrote:I'm with you bro ....Liam wrote:ohsherrie wrote:I'm no Frig fan but even I have to admit he added more to Journey than Rollie did.
No he didn't. Friga was a hell of alot more simplistic musically than Rolie. It just so happened that when he came in THAT'S when Journey got HUGE.
The thing is, if Rolie stayed on, only God knows what Escape would have sounded like. It may have been better, and it may have been worse. I have no idea, but when Cain came in, the band became huge commercially. It could have been the same with Rolie, but we will never know. Rolie was immensely more talented than Cain, but he might have not had that commercial appeal. It's anyones guess as to what might have happened. All I know is that we lost the Rolie/Perry duets that I was such a fan of.
Look...I know a lot of people are in a sulk about Jonathan Cain right now...but come on...he deserves some credit for Journey's success and longevity. Its absurd to say that the band 'accidentally' sold 6 million more albums after Cain joined.
Sure, Rolie helped to lay the groundwork - and I can credit him for that - but you just can't say that the song-writing itself from 1981-1986 didn't owe much to Cain's talent and the chemistry he brought to the band. Yes, timing was in his side for sure - but he still had to deliver didn't he?
And can someone explain to me why Rolie is "immensely more talented" than Cain? Sounds like another of those lazy old Journey myths to me...like the one about Cain bringing a 'gay' influence to the band even though anyone who isn't totally deaf can hear that Escape and Frontiers are by far Journey's heaviest albums....or the one about Cain making the band 'commercial' even though Journey with Rolie made the decision to 'go commercial' in 1977.
Also - for those who feel that Journey would have scaled the same heights with Rolie in the band...well, we'll never know...but Rolie himself made the decision to leave and felt that Cain was the right guy at the right time. And Rolie's instincts were proved to be right.
Has Rolie ever said - even once - that he regrets leaving Journey in 1980? Or that he felt that he still had so much left to give the band?
). No one will know what Journey would have done if Rolie would have stayed. I do know that the Rolie/Perry era is my favorite and like you, I do miss those dueling lead vocals with Rolie and Perry. They we're brilliant.
). I think it comes down to personal preference for the type of music. I learned about Journey starting with Frontiers and then ROR. Once I got to college I realized I had missed the earlier records and loved them.
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