Page 1 of 1

Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Radio

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2015 6:51 am
by tater1977
Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Radio (1986): One Track Mind

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2015/05 ... eal-schon/

May 27, 2015
by Nick DeRiso

A No. 14 pop charter, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” is one of the more forgotten hits from the Journey catalog. Strange, because this atmospheric track — released as part of Journey’s Raised on Radio on May 27, 1986 — remains the group’s penultimate Top 20 hit, followed only by their No. 12 comeback song “When You Love a Woman” from a decade later.

Journey - I'll Be Alright Without You

https://youtu.be/hjOEgDppd6k


“I’ll Be Alright Without You,” written by Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry and Neal Schon, also finds Schon trying out a particularly distinctive sound.

“That guitar that I played on ‘I’ll Be Alright,’ you would not believe what it is,” the Journey guitarist tells us, in an exclusive Something Else! Sitdown. “It was one of those really ugly Roland 707 guitars that kind of looked like a weird synthesizer guitar. I believe it was all graphite. It was a really ugly guitar, but when I went to play that song, my first choice was a Strat — because it sounds like Strat on a bass pickup. It [the Roland] sounded like a Strat, but it was kind of like even, from top to bottom, with the body and neck being graphite. It didn’t vibrate, and that gave it a very even tone. So, I felt like it translated no matter where I was playing, up and down the neck on that one song.”

Times have changed, and not just with the departure of Steve Perry from Journey’s ranks. While that guitar choice worked in the moment, Neal Schon says there are other options nowadays.

“If I were to play it again,” Schon tells us, “I would definitely play it on a Strat or some of my new Paul Reeds, the NS-15s, or the bigger semi-hollow bodies. Those sounds good, with really warm, like Strat-y tones — but with a little bit bigger body.”

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2015 7:18 am
by scarab
JSS owned this song live. Was nice to hear it on Perry's solo tour.
Neal does not seem to like ROR, and for the most I don't blame him. He got to rock on Frontiers.

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2015 9:22 am
by Ehwmatt
Interesting. One of my favorite Neal songs, and I always thought he was playing a Strat on it.

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 3:48 am
by SF-Dano
Wonder if this is the Roland he is referring to. Seemed a favorite of his around the time of HSAS.
Image

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:04 am
by jrny84
Interesting read. Always really liked that tune as well as GCHI.

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 7:15 am
by Arkansas
Image

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 8:18 am
by Hollywood
SF-Dano wrote:Wonder if this is the Roland he is referring to. Seemed a favorite of his around the time of HSAS.
Image


No. That is a Fender Mustang, probably custom.

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 1:41 pm
by inaweofschon
Hollywood wrote:
SF-Dano wrote:Wonder if this is the Roland he is referring to. Seemed a favorite of his around the time of HSAS.
Image


No. That is a Fender Mustang, probably custom.


No. That is the Roland G-505 that was one of the first synth guitars Neal used heavily during the Escape and Frontiers era. Definitely not a Fender.

Re: Journey, “I’ll Be Alright Without You” from Raised on Ra

PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2015 1:37 pm
by Abitaman
My favorite song off of ROR.