Monker wrote:NO he didn't. He siad Perry brought ALL of the success to the band. If you read my posts above - I said he was wrong and offered some evidence to back myself up. He brought SOME success - but not ALL of it.
Schon was definitely underestimating the value of his own contribution to Journey's success - he is after all the other 'voice' of Journey - but equally I think he was right to acknowledge the extraordinary talent and drive which Perry brought to the band. Also - he had been touring and recording without success for four years or so and was making the point that he was happy to follow Perry's lead when the band's fortunes started to radically improve.
If that were true, Perry wouldn't whine on national TV about cracking stones. He didn't drop Journey...he still hasn't.
Well, if it's true that Perry was still committed to being in the band then it was a terrible mistake to let him go.
And I'm pleased he "still hasn't" lost interest in Journey and has produced the DVDS and reissues. There's no doubt that Perry is the only guy we can trust to respect and take care of the Legacy.
And, the fact is also that they were not known as a vocal group at that time - which Herbie knew they had to become in order to break out into that larger audience. Again, Infinity was being written before Perry joined, including WitS. So, to say that Perry alone was the key to the success of Infinity/Evolution/Departure is not giving enough credit to the other members of the band, Herbie, and even Robert Fleischman.
Yes - Herbie Herbert deserves a huge amount of credit - but Fleicshman played a minor role at best.
And, that is an exaggeration on your part.
Just curious, Monker - in your opinion which singers of that generation were more extraordinary than Perry?
I don't think it was 'luck' that Herbie 'found' Perry. I think Herbie was looking for the right person to fill that spot in the band, and he found Perry. That's not 'luck', that's a quest. If Perry hadn't been 'found', somebody else may have been.
Perhaps - but I still think it was unbelievably fortunate convergence of events which lead to Perry, Schon and Herbert coming together. In 1977, what were the odds on Journey becoming one of the biggest bands in America? No matter how determined and obsessed Herbert was in his mission he needed luck. The discovery of Perry was something way out of the ordinary....and so too was the resulting chemistry between Perry and Schon...everything fell in to place in a way that is very rarely does for bands struggling to make it, even the wildly ambitious ones.
There's an old story that Chalfant told once from when he first started in the biz. A friend of his told him somebody on the west coast was copying his style...and gave him a tape of Infinity. He still alludes to this in interviews, saying people around his hometown feel he was the original and people are Chalfant clones!
Well, people in Chalfant's home town might believe this - but no-one else does.
To say that there was not somebody else working on some turkey farm, or at the 70's version of the Gap, is very naive of you.
No, it isn't. It's naive of you to think that it's easy to find wildly talented singers and make them successful.
I'm going to ignore your implication that the discovery of Augeri shows how 'unremarkable' or 'straightforward' it was to discover Perry - that's just too absurd - because I'd like to ask you this instead:
How many high school drop-outs out there can play like Neal Schon?
Had Schon left the band in 1978 how easy would it have been to find someone was special as Schon? I'd say it would have been incredibly difficult. Schon - like Perry - is a true original - the kind of musician who would be a once in a lifeime discovery.
Herbie didn't have to compromise at that time. NObody in the band was questioning his decisions.
Really? Didn't Rolie say "no way" when the Perry demo was first played to him? Was't Schon utterly unconvinced by Perry until that day they wrote "Patiently"? Sure, Herbert ruled the band with an iron fist - but it isn't true to say that that nobody was questioning his decisions.
I would say his best decision was to not take Journey back after TBF. He second best was to not dump any money into SS. His third best was hiring of Jonathan Cain. His fourth best was hiring Steve Perry.
It seems you're letting your resentments cloud your judgement here, Monker. Or perhaps you're just bored and are trying to rile up the Perry fans for kicks? Or maybe you're just a cranky old eccentric?
And, that has everything to do with Sony's lack of committment to Journey...not Perry's magical touch.
I'd say the failure of Arrival was due to the loss of record company support and Perry's magical touch. In fact, it could be argued that the record company didn't bother to promote the record because Perry was no longer in the band.
Because in 1978, Herbie would not allow Journey to fail. Period. He did whatever it took. He would have found a way.
As you keep telling us, Monker...it's moronic to construct alternative timelines. Yes, Herbert would have done everyhing he could - but there's no way of knowing whether or not he would have been successful.
