Liz22562 wrote:"Live and Breathe" ..... I cringe at the very end of the song when they are singing their "yeah, yeah, yeahs...." Sounds like he hit a bad note and wouldn't let go of it.
Exactly. That pretty much encapsulates my feelings on the song, as well. Very nicely put.
If you'll note; Augeri has top writing credits on that particular track. On all the other songs his name is relegated to the tail-end (like so;- "Schon/Cain/Augeri"). This one he is listed at the forefront; ("Augeri/Cain/Schon"). I think this one song (and this purely conjecture on my part) was his personal pet project for the album. I think it was his way of communicating his feelings to the Journey fans and introducing himself to them. Take a look at the lyrics, "there in the sky spins a wheel giving me the feeling that my dream came true today". Note how he seemingly is expressing gratitude & humility for something ("feeling that my dream came true today"). Call me crazy, but more than likely he is referring to landing the once in a lifetime gig of singing w/ one of the greatest bands in history.
Also, in the lyrics, note his intentional citing of previous Journey works by saying, "there in the sky spins a wheel.." clearly he is citing a popular, well-liked Journey song from the past ("wheel in the sky") as a means of paying the utmost respect to the band's catalog and to ensure the fans that he will always respect the illustrious history, and will try to always uphold the same musical quality of what has come before.
Clearly, this song was written with the most pure & heartfelt of intentions. I don't know how much time he spent composing it and polishing it, but unfortunately this "love letter" to the fans still is is one of my least favs.
However, let's not relentlessly trash Augeri.
I think he is an AMAZING showman in concert and is alot of fun to behold.
Oh, and he's not all that bad of a singer, either (he has his good days and his bad).
I am a big fan of "Tall Stories", as well. I think there isn't a single bad track on there. Maybe I am giving the man too much credit, but I like to believe Augeri had a big hand in those songs' conception. If we're to believe Augeri was the key songwriter for "Tall Stories" than it is also safe to assume that yes, he CAN write and YES, without doubt, he CAN and WILL bring a great, influential writing talent to this band that will forever distinguish his sound from that of the "other guy" & leave a distinctive mark on his time within the group.
In fact, I think we can already see burgeoning signs of it on Red 13.
Only the next album will tell for sure.