MR

With just a few of them, he manages to - in a way - "sum things up".

(And please ~ I'm NOT TALKING about how he is as a guy...all I'm saying is, what he had to say here struck me funny.)

Cribbed from: http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-02-09/news ... hey-ride/1

"...From 1978 to 1986, Journey -- the Steve Perry Journey -- released six top-10 singles and seven platinum albums replete with futuristic cover art that managed, in less than a decade, to turn the ordinary scarab beetle into a mystical symbol of raised lighters and back-seat make-out sessions. And yet, even coming as the band did in the malodorous wake of disco, it never managed to amass so much as an ounce of cachet. Journey was huge, but it was never cool -- not by anyone's standards.

"They weren't held in high regard," says Berkeley-born Herbert with a trace of long-held frustration. "They sure the fuck weren't the Police."

"They were really unhip with the guys," Herbert elaborates, "because they weren't Ted Nugent, they weren't Aerosmith. They weren't hard enough. But if [guys] wanted to get laid, they'd better go to that show anyway, because all the girls were there. So what made us look a lot hipper than we were is that we had such a deep penetration -- no pun intended -- into the female target demographic."

Because?

"Because of the songs," he says. Then, falsetto, "'I come to you with open arms ....' You know, all that kind of sloshy stuff that the girls loved.""

tragchk wrote:With just a few of them, he manages to - in a way - "sum things up".

(And please ~ I'm NOT TALKING about how he is as a guy...all I'm saying is, what he had to say here struck me funny.)

Cribbed from: http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-02-09/news ... hey-ride/1

"...From 1978 to 1986, Journey -- the Steve Perry Journey -- released six top-10 singles and seven platinum albums replete with futuristic cover art that managed, in less than a decade, to turn the ordinary scarab beetle into a mystical symbol of raised lighters and back-seat make-out sessions. And yet, even coming as the band did in the malodorous wake of disco, it never managed to amass so much as an ounce of cachet. Journey was huge, but it was never cool -- not by anyone's standards.

"They weren't held in high regard," says Berkeley-born Herbert with a trace of long-held frustration. "They sure the fuck weren't the Police."

"They were really unhip with the guys," Herbert elaborates, "because they weren't Ted Nugent, they weren't Aerosmith. They weren't hard enough. But if [guys] wanted to get laid, they'd better go to that show anyway, because all the girls were there. So what made us look a lot hipper than we were is that we had such a deep penetration -- no pun intended -- into the female target demographic."

Because?

"Because of the songs," he says. Then, falsetto, "'I come to you with open arms ....' You know, all that kind of sloshy stuff that the girls loved.""

He is right up to a point. Personally though, Journey do have plenty enough heavy songs, but I get what he is saying.

Aerosmith has a ton of sloshy shit now though and are still critics darlings though. If you went through their catalog since Permanent Vacation they have a lot of songs that could be classified that way.

Speaking of Herbie's way with words...

I loved this one (taken from his CRR interview):

"I probably shouldn’t say this [laughing] but I’ve always had a theory of the four stages of Herbie Herbert’s superfying career. Stage one is “Who the fuck is Herbie Herbert?” Stage two is “Give me Herbie Herbert, no one else will do, I have to have that guy no substitutes.” Stage number three is “Find me a young Herbie Herbert” and then stage four is “Who the fuck is Herbie Herbert?” "

Oh YEA, Journey's music always knew HOW to sing right directly into the girls heart!!!

PROPERRY wrote:Oh YEA, Journey's music always knew HOW to sing right directly into the girls heart!!!

Steve Perry sings directly into a girl's heart and soul!

You know I have heard people talk about how Journey was never that big a deal. And I always tell them well maybe not where you are from but down here Journey was a very big deal. My husband and I were always excited when we heard they were coming to Houston. And they always packed the Summit. So it confuses me when I hear people say that. I guess that is why we listen to the music and not the critics. Oh and I never knew who Herbie Herbert was until just a few years ago. I don't think I have ever heard him say anything nice about anybody.

Sassie wrote:You know I have heard people talk about how Journey was never that big a deal. And I always tell them well maybe not where you are from but down here Journey was a very big deal. My husband and I were always excited when we heard they were coming to Houston. And they always packed the Summit. So it confuses me when I hear people say that. I guess that is why we listen to the music and not the critics. Oh and I never knew who Herbie Herbert was until just a few years ago. I don't think I have ever heard him say anything nice about anybody.

Same in Dallas. Huge.

And, they were very popular in Chicago...I'm baffled when they say Journey wasn't cool?! When I first heard of them in '78 they were cool - loved them from the first time I heard Infinity - loved them before "Open Arms" supposedly made them "sloshy" - don't understand that either. I remember hearing it on the radio back then & how incredible it was - a Rock Star singing something so sensitive & vulnerable! Wow! It wasn't sappy at all - it just deepened things (no pun intended).

Yup, when I used to live in Dallas years ago, Journey had sold out multiple concerts every time they came, so I don't think those critics really knew what they were talking about.

i remember a huge concentration of journey force members in the texas & illinois areas. also a lot in southern california, but not so much here in the sf bay area.

cyndy wrote:i remember a huge concentration of journey force members in the texas & illinois areas. also a lot in southern california, but not so much here in the sf bay area.

Cyndy, people STILL talk about the Stones and Journey playing Soldier Field in the late 70's. They STILL talk about how Journey sold out Poplar Creek 3 days in a row, and they STILL talk about the 1981 Alpine Valley show in East Troy Wisconsin...which is a hop, skip and a jump from Chicago. They were HUGE here with Perry.