Article - Journey and the rock and roll hall of fame

[RocknRoll]

I'm certainly not going to capitalize the rock and roll hall of fame in the title since they don't deserve it, but here's an interesting article from a reporter in Cleveland who does believe Journey will get in eventually. One thing is for certain if they do get nominated it will definitely make for some news worthy bits much like the Sammy and VH fiasco. It would certainly score pretty high in the TV ratings.

http://www.examiner.com/rock-and-roll-h ... -long-ride

Journey to the Hall of Fame is a long long ride
By Mike Raymond, Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Examiner

..No other rock band’s namesake seems more fitting than “Journey”. If it was a journey original founding member and guitarist Neal Schon desired after leaving Santana in 1973, he landed on one heck of a roller coaster ride. Schon’s amazing journey has lasted nearly 40 years involving 16 different members including five lead singers--the latest of whom once sang in a Journey tribute band.

But through all of the changes, as Journey takes the stage tonight at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, it is one of the few successful rock bands in the world that can boast three members with more mileage in the same group. Schon, bassist Ross Valory and keyboardist Jonathan Cain have all played together since Journey’s monumental 1981 release “Escape”—still the band’s biggest selling album having turned nine times platinum.

Not that the critics cared. Dave Marsh, then of Rolling Stone magazine called “Escape” “one of the worst number-one albums of all time.”

Back in 1981, you may remember a guy named Steve Perry was Journey’s lead singer. Aside from a couple of very early Journey songs sung by Greg Rollie, it’s Perry’s voice that is associated with every one of Journey’s biggest hits. Back then, Journey didn’t record hits, they recorded anthems.

“Don’t Stop Believin” is actually the number one downloaded song in Itunes history. You can thank “Glee” in part for bringing that monster hit back on everyone’s playlist.

But, when Perry was named lead singer in 1977, Journey evolved from a rock/jazz band to a power pop/rock band of which there was little comparison with all due respect to rivals like REO Speedwagon and Foreigner. “Lights”, “Wheel in the Sky”, “Lovin’ Touchin’, Squeezin’” and “Anyway You Want It” were FM radio mainstays.

In the 80’s, “Who’s Crying Now?”, “Open Arms” and “Stone in Love” and of course “Don’t Stop Believin” were played ad nauseum.

So, of course the follow up album “Frontiers” surely would flop? Not a chance. The band answered the call with “Separate Ways”, “Faithfully” and “Send Her My Love”.

Was all of this enough to make the band Hall of Fame worthy?

Well, Journey has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2000 (Rock Hall Rule #1 : Wait 25 years after an artist’s first album to be eligible). So how many times has Journey been nominated since 2000?

Zero.

Of course this doesn’t mean Journey won’t get into the Hall of Fame or don’t stand a chance of getting nominated. It just might not happen until Steve Perry really does need a cane to help himself into the ceremony. Neil Diamond, approaching 70, was inducted this year after being nominated for the first time (even though he’d been eligible since the early 90’s.)

What makes Journey an interesting choice for the Hall is the fact they are another one of these bands the critics love to hate but the fans just love them even more. Any voter would ask “How has Journey influence or impacted rock and roll music?”.

I’ve always thought of Journey as the band that basically invented the power ballad. I think of them as what happened to San Francisco after the hippies left. While blending solid vocal harmonies with excellent musicianship behind a dynamic lead singer usually isn’t earth-shattering news, the Journey “sound” if you will became unmistakable.

To the band’s credit, when Perry departed in the late 90’s, instead of folding the tent, they went on with a new singer in Steve Augeri. How the fact that he looked and sounded like Perry might have led us to think Journey was becoming its own tribute band, but they kept on recording new material and a lot of it was pretty darn good. Even today with Arnel Pineda (originally a Journey cover band singer), the band has released yet another studio album.

Still, the band has not had a radio friendly hit since 1997’s “When You Love A Woman” , the last recorded with Perry. Much of that might be attributed to the fact that Perry left the band just as radio stopped caring about bands like Journey.

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

But had Journey just stopped in 1997, would they have done enough to make them Rock Hall worthy? Clearly it hasn’t mattered to the Rock Hall Committee that the band has soldiered on without Perry.

I am under the impression however that the reason this band will be inducted someday is because Neal Schon has kept his vision alive since 1973. It’s a vision for a band that is ever-changing, ever-evolving, reaching new audiences and breaking new ground (even if that meant looking to You Tube and finding a singer from the Phillippenes.)

The journey that started in 1973 is still going strong.

And when those fans who pack the house at Blossom tonight to hear this band play “Wheel in the Sky” for the millionth time, they’ll just be glad the journey continued for them.

[artist4perry]

Don't ask me what I think of this Nauseating Hall of Shame. I mean when ABBA gets nominated first..................

[lights1961]

guy hits it perfect...probably one of the best articles on JRNY in a long time... i think this might be the year they might get in... if not now, maybe by 2015 when the group hits their 40th anniversary... the reason being is the legacy of DSB...


ABBA deserves to be there... there music is still being played too...

R

[Behshad]

Don't ask me what I think of this Nauseating Hall of Shame. I mean when ABBA gets nominated first..................

You serious??

Just cause your precious Journey didnt get in you have to diss ABBA? Like it or not, ABBA members make more money than you and I, in their sleep!
If Tom Hanks manages to talk them into a reunion tour, you will see how huge they actually are.
Granted their music oozes more cheese than a Mcdouble with extra cheese, but so does Journey's ?

[SF-Dano]

Remember when Rock & Roll defined a certain genre of music? Ever since this useless hall of fame was created - Rock & Roll seems to include every genre of music out there. I mean there are Rappers in there, R&B, Blues artists, standards singers, jazz musicians, Disco players, etc. Why didn't they just name the damn place the Recorded Music Hall of Fame? Because more than half the acts in there most people would not consider Rock & Roll.

[RedWingFan]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

[Behshad]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

[Angel]

Don't ask me what I think of this Nauseating Hall of Shame. I mean when ABBA gets nominated first..................

Watch your mouth, girl! I LOVE ABBA!!!!!

[madsplash]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

That and the band's ability to not have an album that sells 30,000 copies. That's definetely missing, isn't it?

[Escape Artist]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

That and the band's ability to not have an album that sells 30,000 copies. That's definetely missing, isn't it?

Nobody sells records like they used to anymore...especially bands that don't promote like journey.

[Don]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

That and the band's ability to not have an album that sells 30,000 copies. That's definetely missing, isn't it?

Nobody sells records like they used to anymore...especially bands that don't promote like journey.

Adele has been averaging around 100k in sales every week for the last four months. If you have a good product it will still sell these days. Maybe not larger numbers initially but it's how you finish just as much as how you start.
Revelation started out well but kept rolling every week instead of dropping quickly due to launch day pomo and a pre-launch buildup.
Doing promo two months after release has left Eclipse with no room before it hits the bottom.
Looking at the numbers this week, the TV spots came a bit too late in the game for Eclipse. Richard Marx is kicking its ass at Wal-Mart and his album hasn't even charted.

[kgdjpubs]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

That and the band's ability to not have an album that sells 30,000 copies. That's definetely missing, isn't it?

Nobody sells records like they used to anymore...especially bands that don't promote like journey.

Adele has been averaging around 100k in sales every week for the last four months. If you have a good product it will still sell these days. Maybe not larger numbers initially but it's how you finish just as much as how you start.
Revelation started out well but kept rolling every week instead of dropping quickly due to launch day pomo and a pre-launch buildup.
Doing promo two months after release has left Eclipse with no room before it hits the bottom.
Looking at the numbers, the TV spots came a bit too late in the game for Eclipse. Richard Marx is kicking its ass at Wal-Mart and his album hasn't even charted.

which begs the question....why even release an album if you aren't going to promote it? Sure some chunk of the missing sales is from people that don't like the direction of Eclipse. Some part is perceived value (1 cd in a cheap looking cardboard sleeve vs 2cds and a dvd in a professional looking package). The BIG part is from people that don't even know there is a new album out there.

[S2M]

At this point, its much like Jim Rice getting in the baseball HOF. Last year on ballot, writers felt bad - put him in.

If I were Journey I'd decline if ever nominated.

[Saint John]

which begs the question....why even release an album if you aren't going to promote it? Sure some chunk of the missing sales is from people that don't like the direction of Eclipse. Some part is perceived value (1 cd in a cheap looking cardboard sleeve vs 2cds and a dvd in a professional looking package). The BIG part is from people that don't even know there is a new album out there.

Eclipse failed for 3 reasons ... management, management and management. When you release an album every 3 years you need to make it special. Especially when your core base is foot soldiers venturing into Walmart. You need to leave no stone unturned. You need pre-release TV appearances, you need to be assured there will be cardboard promotional advertising, you need the album stocked where it should be (new releases), you need proper audio samples on Walmart's site, you need the band doing promotional spots on radio stations (and knowing where the album will be available), you need a better price and package (live DVD or Everyman's Journey DVD) with excellent liner notes and lyrics and you need the band to release and play the right songs in concert. Of the following things I just mentioned, Journey did none of them. And the sales reflect that. Garbage in=garbage out. Honestly, it would be hard for Journey to release another album and intentionally do worse. This is the worst release in modern music history. They did everything wrong. Everything. The last being playing City Of Hope right before they tell us that AIP ... is charting!!!

[artist4perry]

Don't ask me what I think of this Nauseating Hall of Shame. I mean when ABBA gets nominated first..................

Watch your mouth, girl! I LOVE ABBA!!!!!

Preparing for Swedish meatballs to be hurled my way! LOL

[rcgamer]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

That and the band's ability to not have an album that sells 30,000 copies. That's definetely missing, isn't it?

Nobody sells records like they used to anymore...especially bands that don't promote like journey.

Adele has been averaging around 100k in sales every week for the last four months. If you have a good product it will still sell these days. Maybe not larger numbers initially but it's how you finish just as much as how you start.
Revelation started out well but kept rolling every week instead of dropping quickly due to launch day pomo and a pre-launch buildup.
Doing promo two months after release has left Eclipse with no room before it hits the bottom.
Looking at the numbers, the TV spots came a bit too late in the game for Eclipse. Richard Marx is kicking its ass at Wal-Mart and his album hasn't even charted.

which begs the question....why even release an album if you aren't going to promote it? Sure some chunk of the missing sales is from people that don't like the direction of Eclipse. Some part is perceived value (1 cd in a cheap looking cardboard sleeve vs 2cds and a dvd in a professional looking package). The BIG part is from people that don't even know there is a new album out there.

I agree with this. I am a big Journey fan and didn't even know they had a new album out until a few weeks ago. I also think the songs they have been trying to promote is a mistake. In my mind Someone, She's a Mystery and Anything is Possible are the songs they should be using as singles. City Of Hope is a great song but it's just not a Journey type song to me. I love the whole cd but those 3 would be my singles.

[yandtguy]

The truth is there are many singers out there who sound a lot like Steve Perry, but they aren’t Steve Perry. There is some intangible that is missing without him and its been missing for 14 years.

Maybe the band's average sense of smelling is lower now, but thats about all thats missing without him

That and the band's ability to not have an album that sells 30,000 copies. That's definetely missing, isn't it?

Nobody sells records like they used to anymore...especially bands that don't promote like journey.

Adele has been averaging around 100k in sales every week for the last four months. If you have a good product it will still sell these days. Maybe not larger numbers initially but it's how you finish just as much as how you start.
Revelation started out well but kept rolling every week instead of dropping quickly due to launch day pomo and a pre-launch buildup.
Doing promo two months after release has left Eclipse with no room before it hits the bottom.
Looking at the numbers, the TV spots came a bit too late in the game for Eclipse. Richard Marx is kicking its ass at Wal-Mart and his album hasn't even charted.

which begs the question....why even release an album if you aren't going to promote it? Sure some chunk of the missing sales is from people that don't like the direction of Eclipse. Some part is perceived value (1 cd in a cheap looking cardboard sleeve vs 2cds and a dvd in a professional looking package). The BIG part is from people that don't even know there is a new album out there.

I agree with this. I am a big Journey fan and didn't even know they had a new album out until a few weeks ago. I also think the songs they have been trying to promote is a mistake. In my mind Someone, She's a Mystery and Anything is Possible are the songs they should be using as singles. City Of Hope is a great song but it's just not a Journey type song to me. I love the whole cd but those 3 would be my singles.

Exactly. And the baffling moves continue when they play "Edge Of The Moment" in concert instead of "Anything Is Possible." That would be like playing "Troubled Child" instead of "Faithfully" in 1984.