Journey Question

[JourneyHard]

According to Journey, this year's tour will play the Hits Only. Journey claims the people want to hear the hits; so they will play the hits and nothing else. This is all fine and dandy, but how come when they make a new album it doesn't sound like the hits? Journey says they don't want to make songs like the ones they already have, but that is exactly what the fans want. Why do they give the fans what they want in their concerts, but they do NOT give the fans what they want in the new albums?

Journey should put out a new album that sounds like it was released in 1981 with six hard rockers, two ballads and then mid-tempo stuff to fill out the tracks. This would be exactly why fans fell in love with Journey in the first place. Journey has already made a half dozen new albums that allowed them to stretch their talents in new directions. Now, they need to make one that has the signature sound.

Let me repeat: Why do they give the fans what they want in their concerts, but they do NOT give the fans what they want in the new albums?

[Memorex]

Trying to figure this band out at this point is a lost cause. The live stuff has to be what sells tickets. Promoters want a tour they can promote. Neal want's enough ticket sales to pay the ex's. Jon needs the sales to donate to his wife. So that's obvious. They made a decision to go that direction and they will forever be stuck there. As far as recorded music, I have zero idea.

[Journey/Survivor]

Has the band come out and stated that they will play "only hits" on this tour?

They've damn near only been playing hits for 10 years or more now. But I myself have not heard that they will ONLY play hits on this tour.

Here's the thing....The casual "fans" only want to hear the hits. The true fans are sick of it being only hits. Therefore they would NOT be giving the fans what they want in concert.

The last tour that they did with Def Leppard was the first time that I missed one of Journey's shows in the Northeast Ohio area since they reformed and started touring again in the late 90's. The reason that I missed that show was because of money issues. I still have the same money issues, but if I could somehow someway come up with the money I was still hoping to see them on this tour. But if all that they are going to play on this tour is hits, then I might as well skip this tour also.

Thanks a lot Cain, your love of money is more important to you than your fans. Why don't you give Neal his band back again?!?!

[Andrew]

According to Journey, this year's tour will play the Hits Only.

I'm shocked

[FamilyMan]

The reason Journey's studio records sans Perry sound the way they do is because the songwriting process is nothing like it was on Escape. In those days, it was Neal, Jon and Steve in a room together brainstorming melodies and ideas. Now, it's Jon and Neal on thousands of miles away from each other with no other creative input from anyone else. They couldn't write an 80's hit now if their lives depended on it.

[Onestepper]

So in other words, they are going to do what they've been doing for the last 10+ years. That's breaking news.

This band lost its artistic integrity years ago. I don't suspect it's coming back any time soon, if ever.

[Arkansas]

...thousands of miles away from each other...

Don't they both live in Nashville now, where JC has a studio (Addiction Sound) and where Eclipse was finished?
New music shouldn't be very difficult, no matter what it sounds like.


later...

[scarab]

I thought an EP was coming our way?
If so, they should be able to sneak in a couple songs from that now that they are touring with the Pretenders,
which I assume the crowd will be half-full during their set.

Only time since Eclipse (nearly ten year ago) I have thought about seeing them was when they were going to play outside with Asia, then Wetton

[Pacfanweb]

It's been 9 years since their last album. They don't put out music anymore.

And the one before that DID have some stuff that "sounded like Journey".

Nobody would buy it anyway.

I guarantee you that even if the seas parted and Perry came back and they made a really good album, it wouldn't sell. Older acts simply don't sell records for the most part. That's why they don't make them much.

[Eric]

Waiting to see some set lists before I commit to buying tickets. The last tour with Leppard was the first I skipped.

A band isn’t really active unless they are creating. So only play one song if that’s what it takes - but keep creating. It’s obvious in the quality of the rest of the show when a band is merely touring. 9 years between new albums is like ROR to TBF! Throw us an EP every couple of years!

I know they don’t need us anymore (us being the hardcore minority who carried them our backs 97-07) but I would like a hardcore show at some point in a small centrally located venue where we paid out the ass for a hardcore fan picked set list. They could make it a big charity thing.

[Monker]

These guys are in their 70's now. Everybody should feel lucky they even tour at all at this point. The simple truth is they are at a point where they can just enjoy life without doing all this hard work of recording and touring, etc. Neal is a unique beat in that for him it seems recording and touring IS enjoying life. I don't think most people are that way.

I remember an old TV interview with Grace Slick and they asked her about touring again with Starship. She basically laughed it off and said that rock and roll was for the young, and she's a grandma now. Then they pulled the camera back and showed her grey haired in a rocking chair, smiling, and looking over what seemed her back yard...definitely not the rock rebel she once was....and that was over 10yrs ago.

People may not like the fact that Jonathan does not want to record Journey. But, at the same time, what do they have to prove? Yeah, selfish fans want more...but I don't believe the band should feel obligated to do it. Go ahead, relax, enjoy the final years of your life.

[JohnH]

...thousands of miles away from each other...

Don't they both live in Nashville now, where JC has a studio (Addiction Sound) and where Eclipse was finished?
New music shouldn't be very difficult, no matter what it sounds like.


later...

No , Neal still lives in Marin- there’s nothing about him moving to TN.

[Onestepper]

These guys are in their 70's now. Everybody should feel lucky they even tour at all at this point. The simple truth is they are at a point where they can just enjoy life without doing all this hard work of recording and touring, etc. Neal is a unique beat in that for him it seems recording and touring IS enjoying life. I don't think most people are that way.

I remember an old TV interview with Grace Slick and they asked her about touring again with Starship. She basically laughed it off and said that rock and roll was for the young, and she's a grandma now. Then they pulled the camera back and showed her grey haired in a rocking chair, smiling, and looking over what seemed her back yard...definitely not the rock rebel she once was....and that was over 10yrs ago.

People may not like the fact that Jonathan does not want to record Journey. But, at the same time, what do they have to prove? Yeah, selfish fans want more...but I don't believe the band should feel obligated to do it. Go ahead, relax, enjoy the final years of your life.

Sorry, but fans wanting their favorite band to record new music does not make them "selfish". It makes them fans. It happens with every band out there. Journey is no different.

Their fans have put up with 10+ years of paying money to see them perform the same dozen songs over and over. Hoping they put forward new material isn't a selfish wish. But if the band doesn't have the drive to do it, that is also their right as long as they are willing to accept that some will just stop going to see them. It works both ways.

[Journey/Survivor]

These guys are in their 70's now. Everybody should feel lucky they even tour at all at this point. The simple truth is they are at a point where they can just enjoy life without doing all this hard work of recording and touring, etc. Neal is a unique beat in that for him it seems recording and touring IS enjoying life. I don't think most people are that way.

I remember an old TV interview with Grace Slick and they asked her about touring again with Starship. She basically laughed it off and said that rock and roll was for the young, and she's a grandma now. Then they pulled the camera back and showed her grey haired in a rocking chair, smiling, and looking over what seemed her back yard...definitely not the rock rebel she once was....and that was over 10yrs ago.

People may not like the fact that Jonathan does not want to record Journey. But, at the same time, what do they have to prove? Yeah, selfish fans want more...but I don't believe the band should feel obligated to do it. Go ahead, relax, enjoy the final years of your life.

Sorry, but fans wanting their favorite band to record new music does not make them "selfish". It makes them fans. It happens with every band out there. Journey is no different.

Their fans have put up with 10+ years of paying money to see them perform the same dozen songs over and over. Hoping they put forward new material isn't a selfish wish. But if the band doesn't have the drive to do it, that is also their right as long as they are willing to accept that some will just stop going to see them. It works both ways.

Amen

[Monker]

Sorry, but fans wanting their favorite band to record new music does not make them "selfish". It makes them fans. It happens with every band out there. Journey is no different.

Sorry, but fans in general are selfish. They want this and that and that and this...regardless of what is reasonable or doable or what those involved want. It is the very definition of being selfish. And, yes, fans of every "thing" are selfish and Journey is no different.

Their fans have put up with 10+ years of paying money to see them perform the same dozen songs over and over.

No, they don't HAVE to. They can decide to stop going. Instead, their selfish nature draws them to forums like this to tell the band what to do and when.

Hoping they put forward new material isn't a selfish wish.

Except that is not what happens. This thread started with a question of why Journey does not give fans what they WANT, not what they wish for. Also, saying things like 'Journey should..." or "Journey needs to...", etc, are DEMANDS - not wishes. Very rarely do I read people "I wish ____ would record a new album." "I hope Journey plays some rarer songs." It is "Journey should record a album." "Journey needs to play more than just the hits."

Yes, I'll admit those are settle differences...but it's the truth. "Fans" are selfish.

But if the band doesn't have the drive to do it, that is also their right as long as they are willing to accept that some will just stop going to see them. It works both ways.

But, what difference does it REALLY make? They have been playing the same set of core songs for 20yrs now. Doesn't seem to matter much. Frankly, I'm surprised they still tour every year anyway.

[Onestepper]

Sorry, but fans wanting their favorite band to record new music does not make them "selfish". It makes them fans. It happens with every band out there. Journey is no different.

Sorry, but fans in general are selfish. They want this and that and that and this...regardless of what is reasonable or doable or what those involved want. It is the very definition of being selfish. And, yes, fans of every "thing" are selfish and Journey is no different.

Their fans have put up with 10+ years of paying money to see them perform the same dozen songs over and over.

No, they don't HAVE to. They can decide to stop going. Instead, their selfish nature draws them to forums like this to tell the band what to do and when.

Hoping they put forward new material isn't a selfish wish.

Except that is not what happens. This thread started with a question of why Journey does not give fans what they WANT, not what they wish for. Also, saying things like 'Journey should..." or "Journey needs to...", etc, are DEMANDS - not wishes. Very rarely do I read people "I wish ____ would record a new album." "I hope Journey plays some rarer songs." It is "Journey should record a album." "Journey needs to play more than just the hits."

Yes, I'll admit those are settle differences...but it's the truth. "Fans" are selfish.

But if the band doesn't have the drive to do it, that is also their right as long as they are willing to accept that some will just stop going to see them. It works both ways.

But, what difference does it REALLY make? They have been playing the same set of core songs for 20yrs now. Doesn't seem to matter much. Frankly, I'm surprised they still tour every year anyway.

The fact that you can't determine between a fan being selfish and a fan being a fan is of no consequence. No one feels sorry for them because people want more new material. They've become incredibly wealthy and famous from those same fans that you think are so "selfish". It really takes a selfish person to go buy a ticket every time they come to town to see a band play the same songs for a decade or two.

It's an utterly ridiculous position to take.

[JourneyHard]

I know Journey has played the dirty dozen to death for the last 20 years, but in the past they sprinkled in other songs such as Escape and even new songs Edge of the Moment and so on. But this year, they are advertising the tour as Hits Only. So they will play only stuff off of the Greatest Hits Album. That is very boring. At the very least, they need to play one brand new song that is coming on a future release or something. But instead, they double down on the dirty dozen!

Also, I feel we were cheated out of a third album that sounded like Escape/Frontiers when Perry crushed Freedom and forced Journey to release Raised on Radio which didn't rock like the previous two. A big disappointment for any Journey fan.

[Journey/Survivor]

Sorry, but fans wanting their favorite band to record new music does not make them "selfish". It makes them fans. It happens with every band out there. Journey is no different.

Sorry, but fans in general are selfish. They want this and that and that and this...regardless of what is reasonable or doable or what those involved want. It is the very definition of being selfish. And, yes, fans of every "thing" are selfish and Journey is no different.

Their fans have put up with 10+ years of paying money to see them perform the same dozen songs over and over.

No, they don't HAVE to. They can decide to stop going. Instead, their selfish nature draws them to forums like this to tell the band what to do and when.

Hoping they put forward new material isn't a selfish wish.

Except that is not what happens. This thread started with a question of why Journey does not give fans what they WANT, not what they wish for. Also, saying things like 'Journey should..." or "Journey needs to...", etc, are DEMANDS - not wishes. Very rarely do I read people "I wish ____ would record a new album." "I hope Journey plays some rarer songs." It is "Journey should record a album." "Journey needs to play more than just the hits."

Yes, I'll admit those are settle differences...but it's the truth. "Fans" are selfish.

But if the band doesn't have the drive to do it, that is also their right as long as they are willing to accept that some will just stop going to see them. It works both ways.

But, what difference does it REALLY make? They have been playing the same set of core songs for 20yrs now. Doesn't seem to matter much. Frankly, I'm surprised they still tour every year anyway.

The fact that you can't determine between a fan being selfish and a fan being a fan is of no consequence. No one feels sorry for them because people want more new material. They've become incredibly wealthy and famous from those same fans that you think are so "selfish". It really takes a selfish person to go buy a ticket every time they come to town to see a band play the same songs for a decade or two.

It's an utterly ridiculous position to take.

Once again, Amen!

Without the fans Journey and all other bands would have to have normal jobs and wouldn't be wealthy. It's the true fans that made them their millions. They could remember that and try to please the true fans some more.

If all it's going to be is a Greatest Hits show, everyone might as well stay home and listen to the Greatest Hits album.

None of the casual fans are going to skip the shows because Journey throw in a few non-hit songs.

[Monker]

Without the fans Journey and all other bands would have to have normal jobs and wouldn't be wealthy. It's the true fans that made them their millions. They could remember that and try to please the true fans some more.

I disagree. I think the "fake fans", the ones who just go out to have fun and enjoy a show, buy an album/CD/DVD and then sell after a year, they are the ones who made Journey their millions. They are the ones who bought most of the albums and concert tickets. The "true fans" are minuscule in number in comparison. They are the ones Journey has catered to, especially the past 20yrs, not you.

If all it's going to be is a Greatest Hits show, everyone might as well stay home and listen to the Greatest Hits album.

Well, you may want to watch one of the live DVD's...probably closer to what you would miss. But, that is absolutely correct.

None of the casual fans are going to skip the shows because Journey throw in a few non-hit songs.

[/quote]

No, they'll just sit on their hands or take a break....which Neal himself has whined about.

[Monker]

I know Journey has played the dirty dozen to death for the last 20 years, but in the past they sprinkled in other songs such as Escape and even new songs Edge of the Moment and so on. But this year, they are advertising the tour as Hits Only. So they will play only stuff off of the Greatest Hits Album. That is very boring. At the very least, they need to play one brand new song that is coming on a future release or something. But instead, they double down on the dirty dozen!

No they don't. They don't "need" to do anything you say. They are doing fine ignoring you.

You say these things because that is what YOU want. It is what YOU need so you are not bored. That is the very definition of being selfish.

Also, I feel we were cheated out of a third album that sounded like Escape/Frontiers when Perry crushed Freedom and forced Journey to release Raised on Radio which didn't rock like the previous two. A big disappointment for any Journey fan.

Yeah, so? ROR also caused the breakup of the band and Perry to go on hiatus until FTLOSM, face in the atmosphere and all that. So? That is history, 35yrs ago. It can't be changed. You can also say they cheated us out of an album with Chalfant, and JSS. You can say they should not have fired Herbie prior to TBF. You can say they should have added vocals to the instrumentals in the box set...they could have found someone else besides Perry to do it, if he continued to refuse. You can say they should not have goofed with the sound on GHLIve, or edited certain things. You can say they should have added certain unreleased songs to the box set. You can say they should release this and that concert video, or the full KBFH Superjam. You can say a lot things...a lot of missed opportunities that fans may (or may not...) have liked. But, at this point, what difference does it really make?

[FamilyMan]

Journey went into the hit-writing business decades ago because they were forced to. They would have lost their recording contract w/ the label if they didn't. No such threat exists today.

The Eagles are on the road playing nothing but hits. So is Billy Joel. So are scores of other bands, playing to sold out crowds. This is the nostalgia business, and business is booming.

[Maui Tom]

At this stage...I’m fine with anything...yeah they have a few songs they seldom play that I would love to hear...I’ve had a blast the last shit...12 years? Vegas many times...4 shows in the Midwest in 2016 ...the few times they played out here...I’m not walking away but...I’m definitely pumping the brakes a little...

[JourneyHard]

You say these things because that is what YOU want. It is what YOU need so you are not bored. That is the very definition of being selfish.

If you want to talk about somebody being selfish, it was Steve Perry when he kicked Ross Valory out of the band and Steve Smith and so on. Perry wanted full control of Journey and he got it. They released Raised on Radio instead of a rock'n Freedom album. Perry is the selfish one. Journey was on top of the world and could have made one more rocking album before grunge took over, but instead Journey went over the edge with Raised on Radio and never fully recovered.

Sure. They are making money on the road today playing the hits, but that is with another big act on the bill. And Journey isn't filling the big stadiums like they did in 1981 and 1983. They could have stayed on top of the world with Freedom, but instead they went straight down a rathole with Raised on Radio. The hard rock stations stopped playing Journey after that Raised on Radio fiasco. Only the classic rock stations play them now. With Freedom, Journey could have remained on top of the world.

[perryfan61]

I'm not expecting them to play anything other than hits. That's what most of the fans want, so that's what they will do.
Burton Cummings, who is in his 70's, tours consistently. He isn't recording any new music either, fans go to hear the hits. He and Randy Bachmann are getting back together this year, after years of animosity. No one is expecting new music from them either, we are going so we can see them together again, and to hear their hits.
That was sells, that's where they make their money.No one buys music anymore, or not enough of us to make it worth the artist's time and effort. Sad, but true.

[JourneyHard]

It is 100% true that people do NOT buy new Journey music, but if they wrote songs like sounded like they came out in the 1980's they could play these songs during their concerts and people would think, "I remember this song from 1983" when the song is actually brand new.

I was just saying that Journey, Look Into The Future, and Next all sound similar. Infinity, Evolution and Departure sound similar. Escape and Frontiers sound similar, but Raised on Radio is totally different. Freedom would have been the third album of the same style.

[annie89509]

If you want to talk about somebody being selfish, it was Steve Perry when he kicked Ross Valory out of the band and Steve Smith and so on. Perry wanted full control of Journey and he got it. They released Raised on Radio instead of a rock'n Freedom album. Perry is the selfish one. Journey was on top of the world and could have made one more rocking album before grunge took over, but instead Journey went over the edge with Raised on Radio and never fully recovered.

Sure. They are making money on the road today playing the hits, but that is with another big act on the bill. And Journey isn't filling the big stadiums like they did in 1981 and 1983. They could have stayed on top of the world with Freedom, but instead they went straight down a rathole with Raised on Radio. The hard rock stations stopped playing Journey after that Raised on Radio fiasco. Only the classic rock stations play them now. With Freedom, Journey could have remained on top of the world.

Good grief! Are we dredging this up again? Who says ROR is not rocking? It may not have been Escape or Frontiers, but it most certainly was Journey! Why? Because of the Lead Singer, who is one of the Top 5 lead vocalist of a rock band of all time.

I’m not good at going back to check on stuff, but didn’t ROR reach #4 on the Billboard charts? And didn't all their shows sold out, without Ross and Smitty? Granted, Steve was straining in that tour (I have the boots to prove it), but nobody cared.

Music critics across the pond loved ROR, called it Journey’s best album. Or, maybe they were just enamored with the vocals. Our Journey board posters over there can chime in on that.