For anyone interested to hear this

[*Laura]

Forrest McDonald has an new album out this year called "Before the Journey with Steve Perry". A couple of the tracks that McDonald recorded with SP are available for a short preview and they can be downloaded for 0.99 each.


http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mcdonaldperry


Here's the story:

The song, "Dreams Reality" was written and copyrighted in 1974 by me, Forrest McDonald. Two years later, in late February of 1976, I was looking for a vocalist to sing some of my songs that I was planning to record. A mutual friend introduced me to Steve Perry who was a drummer at the time living in Lemoore, CA. We met, talked over the project and then went to see a movie.
We saw "All The Presidents Men".
A few days later, Steve came to my apartment in West Hollywood and I played him a few songs. "Dreams Reality", "It's Over" and one called, "Anyway You Want It". We settled on "Dreams Reality" and "It's Over". I booked the time at Star Track Studio in West Hollywood and assembled my friends to play on the track.

This was the year before I played on Bob Seger's 'Old Time Rock and Roll' at Muscle Shoals Sound in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The recording went well. Since it was just a demo, I paid all of the guys $25.00 a side; We emphasized the "Stronger And Stronger" section of the first verse so I re-titled the song, Dreams Reality - Stronger and Stronger. We also recorded a nice ballad I had just written a few months earlier called, "It's Over" © 1975. I sat on these two songs for 33 years and at the urging of some fans, I finally decided to put them out for download.

Steve is one of the greatest singers of all time and it was a great honor to have him on my recordings. Little did I know what we were about to accomplish in the ensuing years! That is why I have called this compilation "Before The Journey". I hope you enjoy these recordings although the technology is old they are a must for any serious collector.

[CHELBEL]

Forrest McDonald has an new album out this year called "Before the Journey with Steve Perry". A couple of the tracks that McDonald recorded with SP are available for a short preview and they can be downloaded for 0.99 each.


http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mcdonaldperry


Here's the story:

The song, "Dreams Reality" was written and copyrighted in 1974 by me, Forrest McDonald. Two years later, in late February of 1976, I was looking for a vocalist to sing some of my songs that I was planning to record. A mutual friend introduced me to Steve Perry who was a drummer at the time living in Lemoore, CA. We met, talked over the project and then went to see a movie.
We saw "All The Presidents Men".
A few days later, Steve came to my apartment in West Hollywood and I played him a few songs. "Dreams Reality", "It's Over" and one called, "Anyway You Want It". We settled on "Dreams Reality" and "It's Over". I booked the time at Star Track Studio in West Hollywood and assembled my friends to play on the track.

This was the year before I played on Bob Seger's 'Old Time Rock and Roll' at Muscle Shoals Sound in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The recording went well. Since it was just a demo, I paid all of the guys $25.00 a side; We emphasized the "Stronger And Stronger" section of the first verse so I re-titled the song, Dreams Reality - Stronger and Stronger. We also recorded a nice ballad I had just written a few months earlier called, "It's Over" © 1975. I sat on these two songs for 33 years and at the urging of some fans, I finally decided to put them out for download.

Steve is one of the greatest singers of all time and it was a great honor to have him on my recordings. Little did I know what we were about to accomplish in the ensuing years! That is why I have called this compilation "Before The Journey". I hope you enjoy these recordings although the technology is old they are a must for any serious collector.

What a great bit of info, Laura!! I look for your posts all the time. You're always sharing the sweetest info about Steve!!!

Some of us are visiting the Journey star next week when we are in California ... we're plannin on Tuesday Aug 25th at about 2:00 so if you or any other Journey/Perry peeps are in the neighborhood, we'd love to meet you!!

Great post Laura!!

[*Laura]

Some of us are visiting the Journey star next week when we are in California ... we're plannin on Tuesday Aug 25th at about 2:00 so if you or any other Journey/Perry peeps are in the neighborhood, we'd love to meet you!!

Oh, I'm so sorry, Chel! It would have been so cool to meet with you guys, but I flew out to Romania last month and will be spending the Summer here.
I won't be in L.A. until the end of September.
Maybe next time? (You just CAN'T see the Star only once, trust me.lol)

Hopefully you can meet other MR peeps - there are quite a few of them in SoCal.

Have fun and take some pics!

[journeyrock]

WOW Laura, thank you sooooooo much. You always have the neatest stuff. I'll be downloading this tonight at home. Anything new from Steve is a treat......old IS new in this case.

Thanks again!

[*Laura]

Anything new from Steve is a treat......old IS new in this case.

Yes, you're right. You know, I thought of naming the thread "New Steve Perry songs" but I was really afraid that this forum would have turned into a 2012 scene.

[Jeremey]

Maybe I'm not reading things correctly, but in this interview Forrest says he had written a song called "Anyway You Want It" in 1976? Is this the same one credited to Perry/Schon 4 years later? Also, someone here mentioned there was a version of "Missing You" on a Tim Miner record that did not have writing credit for Perry....I am confused!

[journeyrock]

Anything new from Steve is a treat......old IS new in this case.

Yes, you're right. You know, I thought of naming the thread "New Steve Perry songs" but I was really afraid that this forum would have turned into a 2012 scene.

Very intuitive of you Laura

[Johnny Mohawk]

Seems like Forrest McDonald is changing his story a bit.
Several years ago, he included "It's Over" (w/ Perry on vocals) on an album titled "I Need You".
Not only is Perry given writing credits on the song, but included with the CD liner notes was an extra piece of paper with the rough lyrics for "It's Over". It was supposedly a copy of the actual lyrics that Perry had scribbled as they were writing the tune.
Now, he seems to be saying that the song was already written before he met Perry. Plus, he adds that he had a tune called "Anyway You Want It" already as if to infer that he had something to do with the Journey song of the same name.

[Laydee]

I'll add this to the conversation....


Forrest McDonald - I Need You
Released 1995, World Talent Records

Tracklist

I NEED YOU
KEEP ON TRYING
LYING EYES
CAPETOWN RETREAT
TELL ME WHY
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER
I’M NOT THE WAITING KIND
HARD TO LOSE
POLICE WOMAN
GRAYBEARD
THE CRY
THAT’S HOW I WANT OUR LOVE TO BE
IT’S OVER - with Steve Perry

’’Meeting and working with Steve Perry who became the lead singer for Journey was certainly memorable’’,says Forrest. ’’Steve Perry and I met through our mutual attorney. I was looking for a vocalist and Steve was looking for a recording situation. We met at our attorney’s office and hit it off pretty well. Steve came over to my apartment and I showed him a lot of songs I had written. We also recorded "Dream’s Reality" and I amended the copyright to include him as a form of payment/appreciation. We renamed "Dream’s Reality" to "Stronger And Stronger". I had written the music for It’s Over a few weeks before Steve and I met and one afternoon we put the words together. We both agreed it was hot, so it was one of the two songs we decided to record. I arranged for the studio time, rehearsed the rhythm section, and we cut the tracks a week later. The session went very smooth and Steve did a great job.’’ The song,"It’s Over", on which Steve Perry sings lead vocals, , is available on Forrest’s debut CD.

[SP Fan in Oregon]

These two songs are available on Itunes too. Probably easier to purchase them that way, then to sign up for CD Baby
if you are not already a member of CD Baby..

[journeyrock]

These two songs are available on Itunes too. Probably easier to purchase them that way, then to sign up for CD Baby
if you are not already a member of CD Baby..

Thanks SPFIO, I'll download from itunes then.

[tammy]

Thanks, Laura...I do want to hear them so I did order them...wish I had seen they were on iTunes first, oh well.

[Art Vandelay]

Just got these off of ITunes. Very 70's pop sounding....fun to listen to! Of course his voice is much younger there, but it's all natural and no real stretch of range. Nice find!

[Peartree12249]

Anything new from Steve is a treat......old IS new in this case.

Yes, you're right. You know, I thought of naming the thread "New Steve Perry songs" but I was really afraid that this forum would have turned into a 2012 scene.

What's is Romania, business or pleasure?

[CHELBEL]

Some of us are visiting the Journey star next week when we are in California ... we're plannin on Tuesday Aug 25th at about 2:00 so if you or any other Journey/Perry peeps are in the neighborhood, we'd love to meet you!!

Oh, I'm so sorry, Chel! It would have been so cool to meet with you guys, but I flew out to Romania last month and will be spending the Summer here.
I won't be in L.A. until the end of September.
Maybe next time? (You just CAN'T see the Star only once, trust me.lol)

Hopefully you can meet other MR peeps - there are quite a few of them in SoCal.

Have fun and take some pics!

Will do! Enjoy Romania!!