New Neal Interview

[Saint John]

Schon and Cain were on fire in the 80's and adding a vocalist to replace a guy that trashed his voice by giving it everything he had night in and night out would have not only been accepted, but glorified if Perry could have just come to terms with the fact that he was done but Journey wasn't. The whole split would have been much more amicable for the band and the fans. Shit, Jason Kelty was willing to join back then!!!

[STORY_TELLER]

Schon and Cain were on fire in the 80's and adding a vocalist to replace a guy that trashed his voice by giving it everything he had night in and night out would have not only been accepted, but glorified if Perry could have just come to terms with the fact that he was done but Journey wasn't. The whole split would have been much more amicable for the band and the fans. Shit, Jason Kelty was willing to join back then!!!

I know I've proposed this to you before, but can I again suggest xanax? zoloft? effexor? Maybe even an anti-psychotic cocktail of some sort? Please, because many of us are concerned for your mental health.

[Saint John]

Schon and Cain were on fire in the 80's and adding a vocalist to replace a guy that trashed his voice by giving it everything he had night in and night out would have not only been accepted, but glorified if Perry could have just come to terms with the fact that he was done but Journey wasn't. The whole split would have been much more amicable for the band and the fans. Shit, Jason Kelty was willing to join back then!!!

I know I've proposed this to you before, but can I again suggest xanax? zoloft? effexor? Maybe even an anti-psychotic cocktail of some sort? Please, because many of us are concerned for your mental health.

Don't ever worry about me. And how do you know what all of those drugs are for?

[Matthew]

Remember the year(s) we are talking about, 1984 through as late as 1989. It was much more favorable to the likes of Journey with a genre they somewhat help create. A band like Boston came back to the top of their game in 86-87 after a 8 or 9 year absence.

There was a big difference between '86 and '89 in terms of melodic rock. Every major league AOR band had peaked by '87...Journey, REO, Foreigner, Styx, Kansas...even Van Halen. Yes, Boston made a comeback in '86 but that was their last truly big record.

From the moment Bon Jovi hit it big in '86/'87 it all changed and suddenly the bands who had come up during the late 1970s were on their way out and the whole pop/rock market was pretty much taken over by the hair bands. And by '89? Well, Aersomith did okay...and as you say Bad English did reasonably well...but this was nothing compared to the success Journey enjoyed in the early 1980s.

And it's often been said of new bands such as Giant that they arrived too late in 1989...that everything was already on the turn. Even Whitesnake who adapted to the hair/pop metal trend better than any other band of that generation in '87...they too were starting to struggle in '89.

So I reckon Journey quit as exactly the right time in terms of the changing musical landscape. And not forgetting either that Journey had already written all their best material as we discovered from all the subsequent albums.

[STORY_TELLER]

Don't ever worry about me. And how do you know what all of those drugs are for?

I'm educated.

[The Sushi Hunter]

Remember the year(s) we are talking about, 1984 through as late as 1989. It was much more favorable to the likes of Journey with a genre they somewhat help create. A band like Boston came back to the top of their game in 86-87 after a 8 or 9 year absence.

There was a big difference between '86 and '89 in terms of melodic rock. Every major league AOR band had peaked by '87...Journey, REO, Foreigner, Styx, Kansas...even Van Halen. Yes, Boston made a comeback in '86 but that was their last truly big record.

From the moment Bon Jovi hit it big in '86/'87 it all changed and suddenly the bands who had come up during the late 1970s were on their way out and the whole pop/rock market was pretty much taken over by the hair bands. And by '89? Well, Aersomith did okay...and as you say Bad English did reasonably well...but this was nothing compared to the success Journey enjoyed in the early 1980s.

And it's often been said of new bands such as Giant that they arrived too late in 1989...that everything was already on the turn. Even Whitesnake who adapted to the hair/pop metal trend better than any other band of that generation in '87...they too were starting to struggle in '89.

So I reckon Journey quit as exactly the right time in terms of the changing musical landscape. And not forgetting either that Journey had already written all their best material as we discovered from all the subsequent albums.

I'm not so sure about all of this, but after Bon Jovi made it big, it just seemed like lots of bands that had been around since the early 70's were hitting the charts big time all of a sudden with killer tunes. I'm refering to Genesis/Phil Collins, Keith Richards, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, Roy Orbison, Rod Stewart, David Bowie. That was really a strange time for music in my opinion. It just seemed like not too much was coming from such artists in the 80's until 86'/87'ish. I personnally was shocked to learn in the late 80's that Judas Priest and the Scorps had been around way before that timeframe.

[jrnyman28]

Well, Neal dodged most of my question. But the interview was very well done!

[WykkedSensation]

What Neal says in an interview may be classy but far from his true personality.
His words may show class, but in the past his actions has proven to be the exact opposite.

I fail to recall one bad thing he's done (publicly).

Unless you consider backstabbing band members as classy, then Im wrong .

Or....Sorry to bring up this but 'If he was lipsynching then i knew nothing about it'...Gotta admit, that is a real classy thing to say. Talk about fuckin bullshit.

[Tito]

What Neal says in an interview may be classy but far from his true personality.
His words may show class, but in the past his actions has proven to be the exact opposite.

I fail to recall one bad thing he's done (publicly).

Unless you consider backstabbing band members as classy, then Im wrong .

Or....Sorry to bring up this but 'If he was lipsynching then i knew nothing about it'...Gotta admit, that is a real classy thing to say. Talk about fuckin bullshit.

P.R. and/or just protecting a fellow bandmate. Keyword was IF in his comment.

[Gibby]

I think the 'backstabbing' comment is in reference to JSS.

[stevew2]

I think the 'backstabbing' comment is in reference to JSS.

It could be for Steve A or JSS, it was done to both,and will be done in the future to the "real deal"

[Maui Tom]

I think the 'backstabbing' comment is in reference to JSS.

It could be for Steve A or JSS, it was done to both,and will be done in the future to the "real deal"

Evander Holyfield?

[stevew2]

I think the 'backstabbing' comment is in reference to JSS.

It could be for Steve A or JSS, it was done to both,and will be done in the future to the "real deal"

Evander Holyfield?

They will do it to him to homey

[Rick]

Schon and Cain were on fire in the 80's and adding a vocalist to replace a guy that trashed his voice by giving it everything he had night in and night out would have not only been accepted, but glorified if Perry could have just come to terms with the fact that he was done but Journey wasn't. The whole split would have been much more amicable for the band and the fans. Shit, Jason Kelty was willing to join back then!!!

I know I've proposed this to you before, but can I again suggest xanax? zoloft? effexor? Maybe even an anti-psychotic cocktail of some sort? Please, because many of us are concerned for your mental health.

Actually SJ makes a good point there. Perry suggested they quit touring at the end of the Escape tour. He was ready to hang it up then. The only problem was, he didn't want them to go on without him as Journey, which I can partially understand.

[Alex Landenburg]

.......With touring being their life's blood, I think Neal just wants to be with as many guys he can get along with as possible. I mean he didn't pick Deen because he's the best possible drummer out there, he chose him because they're buds.

Deen is way too underrated among most Journey fans....
The stuff he did for Shrapnel like Joey Tafolla's record, Marty Friedman's stuff (Cacophony), the incredible record he did with Tony Macalpine....just amazing!
I also think the entire Hardline record is great, just listen to the drum intro on "Lifes a bitch".

While Steve Smith is, without a doubt, more versatile, Deen is imho the better choice when it comes to rock/metal drumming.
You guys have no idea what the guy is capable of......
If you wanna hear Deen at his best, check "Kill the guy with ball" from Steve Vai.

If you add the insane singing abilities, I dont see a much better choice out there.

[STORY_TELLER]

.......With touring being their life's blood, I think Neal just wants to be with as many guys he can get along with as possible. I mean he didn't pick Deen because he's the best possible drummer out there, he chose him because they're buds.

Deen is way too underrated among most Journey fans....
The stuff he did for Shrapnel like Joey Tafolla's record, Marty Friedman's stuff (Cacophony), the incredible record he did with Tony Macalpine....just amazing!
I also think the entire Hardline record is great, just listen to the drum intro on "Lifes a bitch".

While Steve Smith is, without a doubt, more versatile, Deen is imho the better choice when it comes to rock/metal drumming.
You guys have no idea what the guy is capable of......
If you wanna hear Deen at his best, check "Kill the guy with ball" from Steve Vai.

If you add the insane singing abilities, I dont see a much better choice out there.

Journey is not any of the bands you mentioned. If all Deen is good at is being a metal drummer then no, he's not a good choice for Journey (musically). Journey's not a hair band. They're not metal. It doesn't fit. Dean is a one trick pony and that pony is just pure power, no finesse. Perfect for metal, sure. Perfect for Journey? Not hardly.

There are tons of jazz fusion drummers who would be a better fit, I'm sure. That being said, it will never happen. Deen is in Journey because he's buddies with Neal. Lucky for them, he has a killer voice. He's bailed them out on several tours with it. Much better singer than drummer.

[Saint John]

.......With touring being their life's blood, I think Neal just wants to be with as many guys he can get along with as possible. I mean he didn't pick Deen because he's the best possible drummer out there, he chose him because they're buds.

Deen is way too underrated among most Journey fans....
The stuff he did for Shrapnel like Joey Tafolla's record, Marty Friedman's stuff (Cacophony), the incredible record he did with Tony Macalpine....just amazing!
I also think the entire Hardline record is great, just listen to the drum intro on "Lifes a bitch".

While Steve Smith is, without a doubt, more versatile, Deen is imho the better choice when it comes to rock/metal drumming.
You guys have no idea what the guy is capable of......
If you wanna hear Deen at his best, check "Kill the guy with ball" from Steve Vai.

If you add the insane singing abilities, I dont see a much better choice out there.

Journey is not any of the bands you mentioned. If all Deen is good at is being a metal drummer then no, he's not a good choice for Journey (musically). Journey's not a hair band. They're not metal. It doesn't fit. Dean is a one trick pony and that pony is just pure power, no finesse. Perfect for metal, sure. Perfect for Journey? Not hardly.

There are tons of jazz fusion drummers who would be a better fit, I'm sure. That being said, it will never happen. Deen is in Journey because he's buddies with Neal. Lucky for them, he has a killer voice. He's bailed them out on several tours with it. Much better singer than drummer.

Deen lacks finesse and "feel" for the songs in some instances. Metal and hard rock allow for pounding, but AOR isn't as forgiving. Journey's music is a different animal and needs that jazz style finesse during a lot of ballads and some of the mid-tempo songs.

[STORY_TELLER]

Schon and Cain were on fire in the 80's and adding a vocalist to replace a guy that trashed his voice by giving it everything he had night in and night out would have not only been accepted, but glorified if Perry could have just come to terms with the fact that he was done but Journey wasn't. The whole split would have been much more amicable for the band and the fans. Shit, Jason Kelty was willing to join back then!!!

I know I've proposed this to you before, but can I again suggest xanax? zoloft? effexor? Maybe even an anti-psychotic cocktail of some sort? Please, because many of us are concerned for your mental health.

Actually SJ makes a good point there. Perry suggested they quit touring at the end of the Escape tour. He was ready to hang it up then. The only problem was, he didn't want them to go on without him as Journey, which I can partially understand.

Nah, he doesn't make a good point because it's not realistic. Journey was not Van Halen. Van Halen was centered around Eddie's guitar. Journey rose to popularity on the strength of Perry's voice. He was (and still is) to Journey what Freddie Mercury was to Queen. At the end of the Escape tour, the band was at the height of its popularity. No way the public was going to accept a singer replacement at that time. They barely accepted one in 98 (touring only). Had that happened, you and I (and everyone on this board) would not be visiting this forum discussing Journey. A majority of their most popular hits came from Escape and Frontiers. Public would have shunned Frontiers with another singer the same way they shunned Van Halen III with Sherone.

Let's not forget that Perry suggested they quit touring, not quit the band or quit making albums. Had they reduced their touring and spent more time in the studio, we'd have much more music to listen to from their heyday and the band would likely have lasted a lot longer. Perry's voice wouldn't have been toast and they might have continued until the grunge era.

[Saint John]

At the end of the Escape tour, the band was at the height of its popularity.

Incorrect. Frontiers was easily the height of their popularity. Worldwide, Frontiers moved the most albums if I'm not mistaken. Plus, opening for The Stones at the end of the Escape tour probably had a nice carry over effect and Bryan Adams was a monstrous upgrade from The Greg fucking Kihn Band. And they filmed that cool DVD.

[Tito]

Let's not forget that Perry suggested they quit touring, not quit the band or quit making albums. Had they reduced their touring and spent more time in the studio, we'd have much more music to listen to from their heyday and the band would likely have lasted a lot longer. Perry's voice wouldn't have been toast and they might have continued until the grunge era.

That would've been a very foolish business move. Touring is where the money's at. Not sure if they would've lasted longer too. For a band to be huge (as they were) you need to tour. Not touring would've caused a lot of fans to lose interest. Then, they also become pigeonholed as a studio band. Not good.

[Red13JoePa]

Or....Sorry to bring up this but 'If he was lipsynching then i knew nothing about it'...Gotta admit, that is a real classy thing to say. Talk about fuckin bullshit.

What in the sweet name of Christ was he SUPPOSED to say???

[STORY_TELLER]

At the end of the Escape tour, the band was at the height of its popularity.

Incorrect. Frontiers was easily the height of their popularity. Worldwide, Frontiers moved the most albums if I'm not mistaken. Plus, opening for The Stones at the end of the Escape tour probably had a nice carry over effect and Bryan Adams was a monstrous upgrade from The Greg fucking Kihn Band. And they filmed that cool DVD.

No. Escape moved more than Frontiers and gave them their highest ranking hit (open arms at #2). While I have grown to prefer Frontiers, most (casual) fans tout Escape as their best album. Either way, your history revisionist theory doesn't hold water.

[Saint John]

At the end of the Escape tour, the band was at the height of its popularity.

Incorrect. Frontiers was easily the height of their popularity. Worldwide, Frontiers moved the most albums if I'm not mistaken. Plus, opening for The Stones at the end of the Escape tour probably had a nice carry over effect and Bryan Adams was a monstrous upgrade from The Greg fucking Kihn Band. And they filmed that cool DVD.

No. Escape moved more than Frontiers and gave them their highest ranking hit (open arms at #2). While I have grown to prefer Frontiers, most (casual) fans tout Escape as their best album. Either way, your history revisionist theory doesn't hold water.

Look up the word "worldwide" and then you'll better understand my post. I pulled some figures and posted them here a long time ago, and assuming they're true and I'm recalling correctly, Frontiers moved 22 million worldwide. The numbers coincidentally added up to approximately 70 million albums, which by all accounts is what they've moved WORLDWIDE. Comprende?

[STORY_TELLER]

Let's not forget that Perry suggested they quit touring, not quit the band or quit making albums. Had they reduced their touring and spent more time in the studio, we'd have much more music to listen to from their heyday and the band would likely have lasted a lot longer. Perry's voice wouldn't have been toast and they might have continued until the grunge era.

That would've been a very foolish business move. Touring is where the money's at. Not sure if they would've lasted longer too. For a band to be huge (as they were) you need to tour. Not touring would've caused a lot of fans to lose interest. Then, they also become pigeonholed as a studio band. Not good.

Not with the introduction of MTV. Most 80's bands enjoyed enormous album sales without the need of touring because of the rise of music videos. Many bands have said they owed their success to MTV and it reduced their need to tour.

[STORY_TELLER]

At the end of the Escape tour, the band was at the height of its popularity.

Incorrect. Frontiers was easily the height of their popularity. Worldwide, Frontiers moved the most albums if I'm not mistaken. Plus, opening for The Stones at the end of the Escape tour probably had a nice carry over effect and Bryan Adams was a monstrous upgrade from The Greg fucking Kihn Band. And they filmed that cool DVD.

No. Escape moved more than Frontiers and gave them their highest ranking hit (open arms at #2). While I have grown to prefer Frontiers, most (casual) fans tout Escape as their best album. Either way, your history revisionist theory doesn't hold water.

Look up the word "worldwide" and then you'll better understand my post. I pulled some figures and posted them here a long time ago, and assuming they're true and I'm recalling correctly, Frontiers moved 22 million worldwide. The numbers coincidentally added up to approximately 70 million albums, which by all accounts is what they've moved WORLDWIDE. Comprende?

Oh sure, over 20 freakin' years dude! lol... And that was a result of the GH's album pushing back album sales while the band was MIA. The figures you're quoting are not representative of when the albums came out. Escape outsold Frontiers during the band's heyday.

[mistiejourney]

.......With touring being their life's blood, I think Neal just wants to be with as many guys he can get along with as possible. I mean he didn't pick Deen because he's the best possible drummer out there, he chose him because they're buds.

Deen is way too underrated among most Journey fans....
The stuff he did for Shrapnel like Joey Tafolla's record, Marty Friedman's stuff (Cacophony), the incredible record he did with Tony Macalpine....just amazing!
I also think the entire Hardline record is great, just listen to the drum intro on "Lifes a bitch".

While Steve Smith is, without a doubt, more versatile, Deen is imho the better choice when it comes to rock/metal drumming.
You guys have no idea what the guy is capable of......
If you wanna hear Deen at his best, check "Kill the guy with ball" from Steve Vai.

If you add the insane singing abilities, I dont see a much better choice out there.

I'm not exactly a connoisseur of rock drumming, but I always thought Deen was great. He's a blast to watch (as was Smitty) and damn, that voice is amazing.

Worked for me!

[DracIsBack]

That would've been a very foolish business move. Touring is where the money's at.

Interesting. I've heard in a few interviews that touring isn't where the big $$$ are ... it's songwriting. You can eake out a living with touring but I've heard that many older acts don't actually make huge incomes from touring, by the time everyone gets paid in support of the tour.

Ditto for "performance" royalties by the time the record label is done with all their expenses.

Songwriting/publishing brings in all the radio-play royalties etc.

[STORY_TELLER]

I'm not exactly a connoisseur of rock drumming, but I always thought Deen was great. He's a blast to watch (as was Smitty) and damn, that voice is amazing.

Worked for me!

He does a great job when he's aping Smitty's chops on the catalogue, but when it comes to originating his own chops on new material, he shows his limitations.

I was at the HWOF after concert when Deen, Ansly Dunbar and Steve Smith all took turns on Deen's drum kit. Smitty literally wiped the floor with Deen. It was a night and day comparison. He was even more thunderous than Deen. When Deen got back on his kit following Smitty's two songs, his chops came off as simple drum machine beats.

[The_Noble_Cause]

.......With touring being their life's blood, I think Neal just wants to be with as many guys he can get along with as possible. I mean he didn't pick Deen because he's the best possible drummer out there, he chose him because they're buds.

Deen is way too underrated among most Journey fans....
The stuff he did for Shrapnel like Joey Tafolla's record, Marty Friedman's stuff (Cacophony), the incredible record he did with Tony Macalpine....just amazing!
I also think the entire Hardline record is great, just listen to the drum intro on "Lifes a bitch".

While Steve Smith is, without a doubt, more versatile, Deen is imho the better choice when it comes to rock/metal drumming.
You guys have no idea what the guy is capable of......
If you wanna hear Deen at his best, check "Kill the guy with ball" from Steve Vai.

If you add the insane singing abilities, I dont see a much better choice out there.

You used the quote function improperly. I never said that. I think Deen is great.

[Saint John]

.......With touring being their life's blood, I think Neal just wants to be with as many guys he can get along with as possible. I mean he didn't pick Deen because he's the best possible drummer out there, he chose him because they're buds.

Deen is way too underrated among most Journey fans....
The stuff he did for Shrapnel like Joey Tafolla's record, Marty Friedman's stuff (Cacophony), the incredible record he did with Tony Macalpine....just amazing!
I also think the entire Hardline record is great, just listen to the drum intro on "Lifes a bitch".

While Steve Smith is, without a doubt, more versatile, Deen is imho the better choice when it comes to rock/metal drumming.
You guys have no idea what the guy is capable of......
If you wanna hear Deen at his best, check "Kill the guy with ball" from Steve Vai.

If you add the insane singing abilities, I dont see a much better choice out there.

I'm not exactly a connoisseur of rock drumming, but I always thought Deen was great. He's a blast to watch (as was Smitty) and damn, that voice is amazing.

Worked for me!

He does a great job when he's aping Smitty's chops on the catalogue, but when it comes to originating his own chops on new material, he shows his limitations.

I was at the HWOF after concert when Deen, Ansly Dunbar and Steve Smith all took turns on Deen's drum kit. Smitty literally wiped the floor with Deen. It was a night and day comparison. He was even more thunderous than Deen. When Deen got back on his kit following Smitty's two songs, his chops came off as simple drum machine beats.[/quote]

I know it would have been a humbling experience, but Journey should have hired Smith to do the drumming on Revelation and let Deen perform during the tour. Smith is arguably the best drummer in the world and I think he would have done this. Shit, if I read the interview correctly, Neal did the bass lines for Revelation. Asking Deen to step aside for Smith to do the album shouldn't have been a big deal if an original member was asked the same.