Neal Interview 12-30-20

[The_Noble_Cause]

Neal was on Sirius/XM today with Eddie Trunk. I transcribed/paraphrased the parts about Journey.

*First Journey 2021 date booked is headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago*


Interviewer: Did you working with Narada on the Universe solo record let you know he would be the right guy in Journey? I know you guys had history already…
Neal Schon: To be honest, it did not. At the time of Universe, everything was fine in the Journey camp. When things went south, and we are still trying to fix this and are releasing an album in February regardless, the first person we brought on was Randy Jackson. We asked him who do you want to play with. He said Narada.


Interviewer: Tell me where you are at with new Journey music? I know you have been saying it's close. Is the album done?
Neal Schon: Ok, well we have right now 6 rockers and many many ballads. We have 21 songs all together that we continue to work on. It’s just a lengthy process given how we have to work on Zoom and Arnel has to work in the middle of the night because he’s in the Philippines. We are going to release our first single in February. The video is already done. It's sounding amazing. I don’t like blowing smoke, but it’s some of our best work.


Interviewer: What can you tell us about the first single and video?
Neal: I can’t give you the title. It correlates lyrically with everything we have seen lately in the world. It’s a medium tempo rocker - hard rock with some blues in it. Very hooky, catchy, but rocky. It was the first song we did together. I wrote it on keyboards. I sent the keyboard loop to Jon. He wrote lyrics and sang it and bam! it sounds amazing. We still have a great connection going on and chemistry together. And it's getting better. Narada just worked on 3 more songs with Arnel. 7 songs completed. 3 need to be mixed. We are moving right along.

Interviewer: Have you heard anything more from Steve Perry? I know he’s been out there with a new acoustic version of his solo album and seems semi active.
Neal: Y’know, I am always open. But it’s remained the same the way. I wish him the best as I always do. I hope we cross paths at some point. Last time we spoke was at the rock n’ roll hall of fame.

[Eric]

Thanks! Great news!

[JourneyHard]

21 songs? They need to break this up into two albums. Or are they going to take the ten or eleven best songs?

[youkeepmewaiting]

21 songs? They need to break this up into two albums. Or are they going to take the ten or eleven best songs?

I think he means most of those 21 songs are ballads at the moment so definitely won't be a double CD once they get rid of 85 percent of them hopefully

[Journey/Survivor]

If this turns out to be a ballad loaded album I'm going to be EXTREMELY disappointed!!!

Also, I hope that they're not planning on having songs about Covid or racism or anything political like that. We don't need to be lectured to in the music that we listen to!

[JourneyHard]

If this turns out to be a ballad loaded album I'm going to be EXTREMELY disappointed!!!

Also, I hope that they're not planning on having songs about Covid or racism or anything political like that. We don't need to be lectured to in the music that we listen to!

I agree on both points. The album needs two ballads tops, five rockers, and then the rest should be mid-tempo songs. This would be a good mixture. I think 12 songs is a good number for total tracks. Anything longer will make it bloated unless Neal is going to have a bunch of instrumentals like on the last Santana album he did.

Also, they should avoid being political. They will make half their fans angry. That is not good for anybody.

[The_Noble_Cause]

After 10 years of no music, I will take an entire album of ballads. I think with this lineup, even ballads will be musically exciting.

As for Jon/Neal becoming Childish Gambino or Bob Dylan or something and addressing racial inequality, police injustice....get real. Lyrically they have always painted in the broadest of strokes to appeal to many.

[Journey/Survivor]

After 10 years of no music, I will take an entire album of ballads. I think with this lineup, even ballads will be musically exciting.

As for Jon/Neal becoming Childish Gambino or Bob Dylan or something and addressing racial inequality, police injustice....get real. Lyrically they have always painted in the broadest of strokes to appeal to many.

My comment about hoping that they leave topics like Covid or racism out of the lyrics is based on Neal's comment "It correlates lyrically with everything we have seen lately in the world"

What have been the main topics in the world over the last year? Covid, racism, sexism and every other possible propaganda point known to man.

[youkeepmewaiting]

I don't want to hear any songs about covid for sure



However I wouldn't say its propaganda that sexism and racism have been called out a lot this year ... only people I've noticed who have a problem with that are racists and sexists

[Journey/Survivor]

I don't want to hear any songs about covid for sure



However I wouldn't say its propaganda that sexism and racism have been called out a lot this year ... only people I've noticed who have a problem with that are racists and sexists

I'm neither a racist or sexist, and I think that we can all agree that those things are very wrong! But those topics have been almost completely USED for propaganda purposes.

I don't intend this as an insult toward you, and it's certainly not intended to be directed at you in specific! So please don't take it that way!

But if people look into why those are topics that are being forced on everyone at this time, they will come to realize that those are indeed massive propaganda points right now.

[The_Noble_Cause]

My comment about hoping that they leave topics like Covid or racism out of the lyrics is based on Neal's comment "It correlates lyrically with everything we have seen lately in the world"

What have been the main topics in the world over the last year? Covid, racism, sexism and every other possible propaganda point known to man.

I understood your comment. As I already said, Cain/Schon paint in broad strokes. The last topical song they did was "Out of Harms Way" - and even that was largely inoffensive and apolitical.

[JourneyHard]

If Journey releases a song "All White People Must Die," they will win a Grammy. The people who hand out Grammies will say, "Journey is woke! Journey is woke!" Of course, Journey would lose at least half their fans. So, I highly doubt they will release such a song.

[Monker]

If Journey releases a song "All White People Must Die," they will win a Grammy. The people who hand out Grammies will say, "Journey is woke! Journey is woke!" Of course, Journey would lose at least half their fans. So, I highly doubt they will release such a song.

They can just rerecord some of Paula White's sermons. They can call the album "Abundance of Rain"

[youkeepmewaiting]

If Journey releases a song "All White People Must Die," they will win a Grammy. The people who hand out Grammies will say, "Journey is woke! Journey is woke!" Of course, Journey would lose at least half their fans. So, I highly doubt they will release such a song.

Bit dramatic but I can tell exactly what type of person you are

'Ooo us white people are now the opressed'