finalfight wrote:STORY_TELLER wrote:Journey69 wrote:It was probably the label's decision also..How do you know the label didn't threaten to dump them? We don't know for sure,unless someone was in the room with them..Would it have really been Journey or Soul SirkUs..?
My recollection is they didn't have a record contract at the time Jeff joined up and that they only attracted label attention in response to the positive reviews from fans and critics of Jeff's performances during that double ticket tour with Def Leppard. Neal was quoted as saying Azoff was excited and told them they need to get this lineup into a studio (or something to that effect).
I too was wondering/worried that a Jeff fronted Journey would be Soul Sirkus with keyboards. I didn't dig Soul Sirkus at all. Then I heard Winds of Freedom and I really felt Jeff's delivery. He really emoted those crappy lyrics. It would have been a true change in their sound for the better (as compared to the Augeri years). The band would have finally moved on from sounding like Perry's station wagon. The analogy I give is sort of like how Van Halen sounded different but the same with Hagar on vocals after Roth's departure. I really think Jeff in Journey could have had that same result (maybe not monetarily, but creatively).
Honestly, I don't think Neal and Jon have the stones to attempt to move on from what they were with Perry. They believe Perry was the successful ingredient and they just want to replicate it as close as possible.
Winds of Freedom was an embarrasment and didn't bode at all well for the future if this was to be a new direction. To be fair even Perry himslef coudn't have polished that turd!
Well, I didn't say it was a good song. I said Jeff sang it with heart and I liked his vocal on it. I thought the melody was decent, but the lyrics fried any chance of it turning into something worth listening to. Still, if you listen to what Jeff did with Cain's melody, it should give you a glimpse of what might have been. That's what I was referring to with that example.