Another Journey article

[sadie65]

It may seem redundant to some of you, but I found some of the comments here interesting in terms of frustration:

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2 ... 011609.txt

Journey plays to 'Generations' at Assembly Hall
By ALAN SCULLEY For the Herald & Review



Journey's latest CD, "Generations," only reached stores in October, but it was already a familiar item to thousands of the band's fans.

That's because Journey, borrowing a page from Prince, gave away a copy of "Generations" to everyone who bought a ticket at most of the shows on the band's recently completed summer concert tour.

No free CDs this time around, but the band headlines a show at Champaign's Assembly Hall on Sunday.

Journey keyboardist/guitarist/ singer Jonathan Cain acknowledged the idea was partly inspired by Prince, who offered a free copy of his latest CD, "Musicology," with each ticket to his most recent tour.

"We thought it was cool," Cain said. "We enjoy the idea that the fans get the CD first. They're the ones who've been keeping us alive all of these years, and they should be the first ones to get it. And they shouldn't have to go driving to Best Buy to look for it. We kind of just created it for them."

While giving away a copy of "Generations" was an unusual way of thanking fans, it made sense in light of the difficulties the band has faced selling new records. In fact, the band recently parted ways with its longtime label, the Sony-owned Columbia Records, after the 2001 studio CD, "Arrival," flopped commercially.

Label frustrations

Cain was open in voicing his frustration over how the label promoted that record.


"Our old record company certainly didnâ€'t have a clue how to market us. That's why we left Sony," Cain said. "They put all their energy into these young bands thinking the kids buy their records. Well, mom's got more money than the kids, but they don't get that. So they haven't really gotten the message out to the moms very well. It's easier to market greatest hits for them."

According to Cain, "The Essential Journey" was released just two months after "Arrival." And while the new studio CD languished on the charts, the greatest hits CD, backed by the label's promotional efforts, sold briskly.

"They bought ads (for 'Arrival') that no one cares about," he said. "Where it really showed up is when they did 'The Essential Journey' and bought an ad on CNN, a little 10-second spot or 30-second spot. That's where our audience is. But they didn't spend the money on 'Arrival' doing that.

"We were like 'Oh fine, we make a new record. We bust our humps. We spent almost a million dollars on this album,' " Cain said." " 'OK, fine. We get the message.'

"They don't send a very encouraging message to bands. So whatever, you guys want to sell old music, fine. We'll put it (new music) out ourselves and we'll find somebody who wants to get into it.

"But it's a dilemma with all bands from our era. We put more bodies in the seats than any of these young bands, and yet these guys that run the companies can't see how to do this."

Cain then sounded a more hopeful note.

"Now it's changing, because there are labels like Sanctuary and Universal that are starting to see, 'Duh, hello, they (the fans) are still there,' " he said. "You've just got to market it a little differently. You've got to think a little differently, you know."

Journey's beginnings

Formed in 1973 around Neal Schon and singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie, former members of the band Santana, Journey favored a progressive rock sound that left plenty of room for instrumental interplay and Schon's fleet-fingered guitar solos.

But it wasn't until singer Steve Perry joined prior to the 1978 album "Infinity" that Journey made an impact on the charts. As other albums followed, Journey moved further away from its progressive rock roots and more toward compact pop songs built around Perry's soaring and swooning vocals.

In 1986, the group's members went their separate ways for a decade. A mid-1990s reunion produced the 1996 CD "Trial By Fire" before Perry opted out of Journey. He was replaced by singer Steve Augeri.

Making changes

In moving ahead with Augeri, Journey shifted slightly away from the pop sound of the '80s and added more of a rock edge, a stylistic mix similar to the one the band fashioned on "Infinity."

"Generations" continues to take Journey in this direction, Cain said.

"There's a little bit of 'Infinity' on it," Cain said. "I think there's a little bit of 'Escape' on it. We have elements of 'Frontiers' there. Then there are some other places we go that you haven't heard yet."

One of the new wrinkles involves the vocals on "Generations." While Augeri handles most of the singing, each of the other band members (Cain, Schon, original member Ross Valory on bass and drummer Deen Castronovo) sings lead on at least one song. It's an option Cain said wouldn't have been available to Journey in the Perry era.

"We found out Deen could sing two years ago," Cain said. "He was singing at sound check, and we were like 'Geez, let's use this.' These are blessings that you're given, and you're utilizing all of these things.

"I've been a lead singer all of my life. I made solo albums, and I would go to radio stations with my solo album and they would say, 'Why weren't you singing in Journey?' That would be the big question. I'd say, 'Well Steve (Perry) wouldn't allow it.' That would just be that. So this is pretty cool."

[Red13JoePa]

[quote="sadie65"]
In moving ahead with Augeri, Journey shifted slightly away from the pop sound of the '80s and added more of a rock edge, a stylistic mix similar to the one the band fashioned on "Infinity."

"Generations" continues to take Journey in this direction, Cain said."





Nice point by author.
Also, at this point Jon seems satisfied w/ what Sanctuary's done. Disagree with writer's blanket classification of Arrival as a commercial flop, though. It's at about 200k now with ZERO promotion. They got HP, ATW and WYL on the radio with their own merit. That's not a flop given the circumstances.
Thanks, Sadie.

[fred_journeyman]

"Generations" continues to take Journey in this direction, Cain said."

Yep, I agree with that. Generations seems to be the CD where everyone has settled into their respective roles as the new team.

It's at about 200k now with ZERO promotion. They got HP, ATW and WYL on the radio with their own merit. That's not a flop given the circumstances.

Man, if that isn't the truth! Can you imagine where it would be by now had it received its proper level of promotion.

Sony screwed over numerous artists over the past few years - not just Journey - and it's too bad.

- Fred

[Abitaman]

That is what happens when you sit in your glass tower high above everyone else, you don't know what is going on around you. You think you know what is hot........but we can see all they know how to do, is to screw things up-ERIC

[jrnyjetster]

I think FRUSTRATION is a good word...because there are at least 4 or 5 tracks on GENERATIONS that not only deserve to be, but ARE definitely HIT song material....Certainly better than ColdPlay's X&Y or Bon Jovi's Have A Nice Day and it certainly stands up to U2's latest offering and even then some! I just don't get it...or should I say, THEY (the music execs) don't GET it!