Neal interview Fireworks mag

[Jeremey]

I think these days vocals are done like that quite a bit. Do a bunch of takes and take the bits from each take to assemble decent vocal.
It's a drag for the singer, but it does get a better performance on record- Doesn't it Michael Riesenbeck???

I think it was done that way in Perry's day as well, from what I've heard!

[Carlitto H@kk]

I don't know, I heard it. The timing of some things seemed weird, and sometimes it sounded to me
as if he was out of breath support. I mean Pro Tools, Auto Tune & lots of compression can do so
much.

I hear yah on the timing.
Many of the vocals sound like they were done in increments or in piecemeal.
That notwithstanding, I think he sounds good.

That's the point I was trying to make in my response to Brywool in regards
to extensive Pro-Tools use. i know tons of bands use the pitch correction and auto-tune stuff.
But how many takes do you think it took Augeri to sound that good?
I bet he spent a whole day in the studio just trying to get 1-2 takes
of the big "Haaaarms Waaaaaay" that sounded good enough to splice thru the whole track.
On FITH, you can tell that the final line in the chorus before the bridge (time = 3:04)
is 2 seperate sessions.
Session One: "Keeping the Faith..."
Session Two: "...In the heartland Tonight..."

Same goes for one of my favorite Arrival tracks, Live and Breathe.
I used to LOVE the last run Augeri did at the 4:30 mark (one of my fave Augeri vocals)
until I heard (by listening at a low setting) 2 distinct sessions.
Session One: "We found the sun..."
Session Two: "In You I Live and Breathe..."
This was actually a really bad splice or "Punch-In"
on Shirley's part.

Perry did a lot of takes too...
But he would then scrutinize over them all, splice together
the runs he thought sounded best, Re-LEARN the song that way
and then knock it out in one or 2 takes.
Augeri could never do that, especially on Generations.

[Rockindeano]

Perry did a lot of takes too...
But he would then scrutinize over them all, splice together
the runs he thought sounded best, Re-LEARN the song that way
and then knock it out in one or 2 takes.
Augeri could never do that, especially on Generations.

Perry was able to do a song ONCE, and call it good on many occasions. THAT is fucking impressive.

[squirt1]

1st off ,I like Jeff and hope to see him again.He does the Journey memories justice. He is a real musician/entertainer. I would like to see him contribute to some new material. Neal, I will not purchase any remakes with Jeff singing the old music, but I would buy a DVD of any current concerts. Neal PLEASE stop giving your interviews that are all over the board. Yes, we can go back and read and compare with all your other gems. This is total evidence that you still smart from Perry not performing on stage at the WOF. All of you grow the hell up. Maybe, if you shut up Perry will take stage with you once more for a city or two and then you can spend the rest of your days counting the cash that would generate.

[Rockindeano]

This is total evidence that you still smart from Perry not performing on stage at the WOF. All of you grow the hell up. Maybe, if you shut up Perry will take stage with you once more for a city or two and then you can spend the rest of your days counting the cash that would generate.

You need a brain.

Neal has something called pride. Guy is a badass and he knows it. He didn't ask for Perry to quit. Hell no will Neal allow Perry to hold him hostage.

"if you shut up Perry will take stage with you once more for a city or two"- THAT is idiotic.

There is nothing worse than a Perry only fan. He must cringe with all red faced embarrassment at some of the shit he sees on here.

[tammy]

Hmmm...well, I like the re-issues & appreciate that SP cares about these songs very much. What is that saying about history? "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it?" Personally, I don't like the idea of the band now "re-recording" the songs...I won't buy them. I don't mind them at all being played in concert, but for a new CD? No. Don't mess with perfection.
I think we just have to accept that Neal puts his foot in his mouth a lot...he doesn't seem to ever have any animosity, but things he says in print sound "off".

Thanks for posting this interview!

[Saint John]

Re-recording the old hits is just ANOTHER tell-tale sign that Azoff is not ready to move forward. Remember, he's in it to make money. He seems very conservative in his approach. He's very hesitant to take chances as it pertains to new music and promotion, and has shown that Journey is basically directionless, as has been the case for some years. I've been a staunch critic of Journey playing 16 gigs in 24 days in Europe with jetlag. And look what happened. There was a virus going around, Jeff got it, but thankfully everything seems to be OK. As with Augeri, Azoff seems very willing to risk the long-term to make the quick buck. It just doesn't make sense. Azoff needs to go. Give someone young and innovative a chance.

[mriesenb]

I think these days vocals are done like that quite a bit. Do a bunch of takes and take the bits from each take to assemble decent vocal.
It's a drag for the singer, but it does get a better performance on record- Doesn't it Michael Riesenbeck???

I think it was done that way in Perry's day as well, from what I've heard!

I just bumped into this thread

You're right. Being able to take the best bits makes the performance better, but you need to make sure not to kill the natural flow though.

How's life, man?

Cheers,

Michael

http://www.michaelriesenbeck.com

[larocque6689]

I have chemistry with him – and I think Jonathan now realises that he has chemistry with him as well.

This is revealing...

[ArnelRox]

I have chemistry with him – and I think Jonathan now realises that he has chemistry with him as well.

This is revealing...

Yeah reading this interview now is like being kicked in the teeth, hard. Fucking LIAR.

[squirt1]

If you take every interview Neal has ever done and then compare to what happens your jaw will drop. Remember during Augeri days when Neal would say were writing ,we got these songs in the can blah blah. They found out it is not so easy to write w/o Perry. If anyone ever thought Perry wrote syrupy, Cain showed him up when left to his own. No success since, Perry and now no success since they ran off Jeff. Fans of Journey all need to go get on the couch, ramble, and then take the meds the doctor will surely prescribe. Jeff will be in his glory at Andrew's South Bend Show. Where will Journey be ? Oh, resting.

[heardonthestreet]

Neal gives great interviews. His honesty is commendable. Holds nothing back. Can't wait for his next one.