(1) Steve Perry is an amazing singer. Anyone who listens to "the hits" and comes away with anything less is being dishonest. Really, he was amazing.
(2) That was then. Listen to Trial By Fire and Raised On Radio. ROR was the album that made me drift away from Journey. Arrival is what brought me back. And I didn't realize it wasn't Steve Perry until I had listened to it for a month. D'oh!
(3) I think the fact that Steve A. can go out night after night and belt out someone else's music and do such a damn good job with it speaks volumes for *his* musical talents. Is he Steve Perry? No. Is he as good or better than Perry? Debatable. IMHO, I think so. What I believe more than anything is that the absence of the ego Perry brings is worth any percieved loss in lead vocal quality.
Then they played a song from Arrival cd ( Augeri of course) & then they played ''Wheel In The Sky'' with Augeri singing. After hearing Steve Perry sing, so many songs back to back, & then Augeri singing, it really SHOWS "the difference" in these two singers talents & what makes Perry the GREATER talent between them!
(4) It really bothers me when you compare apples to oranges. Saying that Perry in studio sounds better than Steve A. live is nothing but a bad argument. Hell, I can't sing worth a crap, but I KNOW that in the studio, a producer could make me sound great. I own "Greatest Hits Live" which was recorded in 1998, and sorry - but Perry is not that wonderful. I feel like his freakin ego bleeds through on every track, and I CANNOT listen to it. Some of you make it sound like he should look like Jesus in an old oil painting, complete with golden aura or something.
Having this conversation with "Steve 'I Hate Augieri' Perry" Fans is like woody telling buzz that he's a toy... PERRY... IS... A... SINGER! Not some kind of god. Or space ranger, for that matter.
Huh? Sorry, that was random.
Steve A. is an excellent live singer, and I enjoyed the Las Vegas Journey show as much or more than any concert I have ever seen.
One reason I am getting on a plane this weekend and flying to Phoenix and seeing them again.
No. The problem is you want Steve Perry.
The thousands of concertgoers I was with, were all there to see the band, Journey.
HAHAHAHA So true. If Perry fans want to see him so badly, pressure him to make a new album and go on tour. I don't see it happening.
TWO FINAL POINTS before I get off my soapbox.
I am always amused by the folks who keep asking when Journey's last hit record was. My answer would be - back when melodic rock had a place on commercal radio. Melodic rock is NOT a popular form of music at the moment, it has been overtaken by alternative rock and all the rap bullshit. You can't really put a new record on a classic rock station, so that's an oxymoron. Then, sony didn't support arrival promotionally, and I am sure their new label won't either.
The next time someone asks me when Journey's last hit record was in a sarcastic manner, I would probably answer "the last time melodic rock was considered part of popular music!" It's all relative.
OK, last one.
Steve Perry has put out some pretty good solo efforts in his time. Well, 2 albums and at best 3 singles. His latest, "Greatest Hits & Five Unreleased" is a damn embarassment. It is highlighted by "writing demos" and the few songs people remember - how can you have a greatest hits solo record with three popular singles? At least Journey is out there making music - good NEW music.
However, I personally like some of his CD "For the love of strange medicine," and specifically "You Better Wait." I think the album version of this cut so totally exemplifies everything I love and hate about Steve Perry.
Nearly The first full minute of this song is Perry showing off his (diminishing, aging) vocal talent, which is good - but not something I want to listen to as a song. It doesn't make me want to rock out, dance, tap my foot, go pee - anything. It's just... there. Then after that, the song kicks in and although inconsistent from a tempo standpoint, is pretty darn good. Personally, I think it's good because he did everything possible to copy the style of Journey. Oh wait, might as well be Journey from Raised on Radio... his complete control over that work is striking and obvious when compared to For the love of strange medicine. It's nearly the same damn record.
People say that Steve A. is a poor imitation of Perry, but I think Perry alone is a poor imitation of THE BAND Journey.
Now, I wasn't a fly on the wall when it all went down, but my guess is Perry had one of his trademark fits regarding creative control and told the guys they couldn't do it, and if they didn't accede to his wishes, he would quit and they woud be screwed because (after all) *he* was journey. If that was the case, hopefully the boys from the bay have a toast in Perry's honor every night before they go out on stage.
I love it all, but I sure am glad the current band it out there. Best of luck to all of them.