Open Letter to Neal Schon

[STORY_TELLER]

And I'm sorry, but Perry is the only reason for Journey's success. Neal said so himself in the VH1 behind the music documentary: "What Perry brought to Journey was the success which is why they let him steer the ship and they all just let the reigns go". I'm paraphrasing of course, but that is the gist of what Neal himself said (and this is after he hired Augeri).

So by your logic kiddo, Neal's wrong and you're right?

...ahem... sorry, couldn't resist throwing that in.

Ah, yes, of course. "Paraphrasing" and "the gist" of what Neal Schon said in a documentary obviously constitute themselves as fact? Why don't you do us all a favor and post the actual statement. By the way, if Steve Perry "is the only reason" for Journey's success, explain to me why Journey's best selling albums didn't come until after he was in the band for, what? Four years? With an insane touring schedule? Explain to me how, only when Jonathan Cain entered the picture, did the world want to listen to Journey's music.

Sorry, dude. Facts don't lie. Facts say that Perry, Schon, and Cain were all three responsible for Journey's success. When you've got "facts" to support your argument, you just let me know.

LOL... The facts are there brother. Splitting hairs doesn't make you right. Paraphrasing doesn't make the content of my statement inaccurate. Go watch the VH1 documentary yourself and you'll see it. I'm sure you can find it on the web as a download.

Fact:
Journey's song writing and (possibly musicianship) improved with the addition of Jon Cain.

Fact:
Bad English had Jon Cain, Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo as the core of their lineup. Neal and Jon were responsible for the majority of the song writing.

Fact:
Bad English's second album barely sold and didn't have a single hit (although I like the album, I rarely play it and radio certainly doesn't play their "hit" very often if ever). Nobody cared.

Fact:
Years later, Journey sold close to a million copies of Trial By Fire without a tour and had a couple of hit singles play on the radio.

Fact:
Arrival barely sold 300,000 copies and barely got any airplay, turning Journey into a touring nostalgia band living off the Perry fronted Greatest Hits every since.

MOST IMPORTANT FACT:
Journey was on the verge of being DROPPED by their record label when Perry was brought into the band. This FACT supports my "paraphrasing", wouldn't you say?

How are those facts for you?

[Journey69]

Long live Neal Schon!

Steve Perry was great in Journey, but Journey was around long before Perry joined. Some say he made the band. Commercially, yes. Musically- no. The band is called Journey, NOT the Steve Perry Band featuring Schon, Cain, etc.....

Besides, I doubt Perry's voice could survive the touring schedule. It is already evident that his voice is not fairing well.

I would have liked to have seen Journey take a new direction with JSS. I think it could have been great. But, being and outsider, not living in the band like the other guys, I can't start to speculate why they made that decision. Until you have all the facts, your just spitting into the wind.

It is sad to see all this venom aimed at arguably one of the greatest guitarist of all times. I would not want to have to make these decisions.

Journey was formed around Neal, and he is trying to keep it going. Unfortunately, Perry has said he will NOT rejoin the band. Get over it. It ain't gonna happen. Slamming Neal all the time won't make things any better.

Long live Neal Schon. Long live Journey in whatever form it takes.

Correct.. or It just got to Jeff before it was supposed to .. It was leaked remember..I doubt they did it intentionally.. And maybe the guys didn't know how to confront Jeff.. There are 1,000 different variables..Its easy for us to be upset or whatnot..But we have no idea what really went down..Jeff doesn't know how they were really going to handle it.. Having said that..If Neal hasn't called him..He should..Just out of respect for the guy..

Interesting. You say this as though you would have even heard of Journey had Perry never joined the band or created the music which he had such a huge part in originating. Journey was on the verge of being dropped by their record label when Perry came along. Without Perry there wouldn't be a Journey to debate about. Neal himself said all their songs are based around a singer, not the guitarist (like Van Halen). Cain said "they want to sound like the 65 million units they have out there". This is why they feel they need a vocalist in the tenor range who can sing their song catalogue in a way that reminds them of Perry's delivery. It's a business decision. Speculation? Where? The band members have publicly stated what they want from a lead singer. They just didn't say it to Jeff.

[Wally_Hatchet]

Sorry, but Arnel is NOT a SP impersonator.

...and Elvis was a solo act. Journey is and always was a band. Steve Perry was not Journey, he was Journey's singer.

[Journey69]

And I'm sorry, but Perry is the only reason for Journey's success. Neal said so himself in the VH1 behind the music documentary: "What Perry brought to Journey was the success which is why they let him steer the ship and they all just let the reigns go". I'm paraphrasing of course, but that is the gist of what Neal himself said (and this is after he hired Augeri).

So by your logic kiddo, Neal's wrong and you're right?

...ahem... sorry, couldn't resist throwing that in.

Ah, yes, of course. "Paraphrasing" and "the gist" of what Neal Schon said in a documentary obviously constitute themselves as fact? Why don't you do us all a favor and post the actual statement. By the way, if Steve Perry "is the only reason" for Journey's success, explain to me why Journey's best selling albums didn't come until after he was in the band for, what? Four years? With an insane touring schedule? Explain to me how, only when Jonathan Cain entered the picture, did the world want to listen to Journey's music.

Sorry, dude. Facts don't lie. Facts say that Perry, Schon, and Cain were all three responsible for Journey's success. When you've got "facts" to support your argument, you just let me know.

LOL... The facts are there brother. Splitting hairs doesn't make you right. Paraphrasing doesn't make the content of my statement inaccurate. Go watch the VH1 documentary yourself and you'll see it. I'm sure you can find it on the web as a download.

Fact:
Journey's song writing and (possibly musicianship) improved with the addition of Jon Cain.

Fact:
Bad English had Jon Cain (and Neal) as a songwriter too.

Fact:
Bad English's second album barely sold and didn't have a single hit (although I like the album, I rarely play it). Nobody cared.

Fact:
Years later, Journey sold close to a million copies of Trial By Fire without a tour and had a couple of hit singles play on the radio.

Fact:
Arrival barely sold 300,000 copies and barely got any airplay, turning Journey into a touring nostalgia band living off the Perry fronted Greatest Hits every since.

How are those facts for you?

Fact: Was there any Marketing for Arrival? Did they make a special addition Journey ipod..(I know they weren't out yet) But you get the point.. I absolutely love Journey..I didn't even know the album was out..Where was the merchandising or the marketing strategy..Eveyone know's or most do..that marketing either kills or makes the product.. Look at Star Wars..whenever there was a new movie out..They marketed the hell out of it.. U2 does it also.. Otherwise,your just hoping for your old fans to come back and hope for some new ones to come with the old ones.. Next time Journey come out with an album,they should just market it with a new flavor of pop at taco bell..Keep the cool cup.. Journey would totally be back in the picture,because then people would be curious..But your album better be pretty damn good.

[Rick]

And I'm sorry, but Perry is the only reason for Journey's success. Neal said so himself in the VH1 behind the music documentary: "What Perry brought to Journey was the success which is why they let him steer the ship and they all just let the reigns go". I'm paraphrasing of course, but that is the gist of what Neal himself said (and this is after he hired Augeri).

So by your logic kiddo, Neal's wrong and you're right?

...ahem... sorry, couldn't resist throwing that in.

Ah, yes, of course. "Paraphrasing" and "the gist" of what Neal Schon said in a documentary obviously constitute themselves as fact? Why don't you do us all a favor and post the actual statement. By the way, if Steve Perry "is the only reason" for Journey's success, explain to me why Journey's best selling albums didn't come until after he was in the band for, what? Four years? With an insane touring schedule? Explain to me how, only when Jonathan Cain entered the picture, did the world want to listen to Journey's music.

Sorry, dude. Facts don't lie. Facts say that Perry, Schon, and Cain were all three responsible for Journey's success. When you've got "facts" to support your argument, you just let me know.

LOL... The facts are there brother. Splitting hairs doesn't make you right. Paraphrasing doesn't make the content of my statement inaccurate. Go watch the VH1 documentary yourself and you'll see it. I'm sure you can find it on the web as a download.

Fact:
Journey's song writing and (possibly musicianship) improved with the addition of Jon Cain.

Fact:
Bad English had Jon Cain (and Neal) as a songwriter too.

Fact:
Bad English's second album barely sold and didn't have a single hit (although I like the album, I rarely play it). Nobody cared.

Fact:
Years later, Journey sold close to a million copies of Trial By Fire without a tour and had a couple of hit singles play on the radio.

Fact:
Arrival barely sold 300,000 copies and barely got any airplay, turning Journey into a touring nostalgia band living off the Perry fronted Greatest Hits every since.

How are those facts for you?

Fact: Was there any Marketing for Arrival? Did they make a special addition Journey ipod..(I know they weren't out yet) But you get the point.. I absolutely love Journey..I didn't even know the album was out..Where was the merchandising or the marketing strategy..Eveyone know's or most do..that marketing either kills or makes the product.. Look at Star Wars..whenever there was a new movie out..They marketed the hell out of it.. U2 does it also.. Otherwise,your just hoping for your old fans to come back and hope for some new ones to come with the old ones.. Next time Journey come out with an album,they should just market it with a new flavor of pop at taco bell..Keep the cool cup.. Journey would totally be back in the picture,because then people would be curious..But your album better be pretty damn good.

I didn't even know it existed (Arrival). Journey was out of my line of sites for a good while, but you'd think I would have heard of it.

[Journey69]

It is sad to see all this venom aimed at arguably one of the greatest guitarist of all times.

I don't see any venom being spit at Neal here. He's just trying to get fans to separate Journey from Steve Perry, and he's not doing a very good job of it by hiring another Steve Perry impersonator. Therefore, his fans are just telling him to get real and level with them and himself. Go out and do Steve proud Neal... tell people you are trying to preserve his legacy... be honest about it. Don't say, "Forget about Steve Perry" and then hire another Perry impersonator.

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

[Journey69]

And I'm sorry, but Perry is the only reason for Journey's success. Neal said so himself in the VH1 behind the music documentary: "What Perry brought to Journey was the success which is why they let him steer the ship and they all just let the reigns go". I'm paraphrasing of course, but that is the gist of what Neal himself said (and this is after he hired Augeri).

So by your logic kiddo, Neal's wrong and you're right?

...ahem... sorry, couldn't resist throwing that in.

Ah, yes, of course. "Paraphrasing" and "the gist" of what Neal Schon said in a documentary obviously constitute themselves as fact? Why don't you do us all a favor and post the actual statement. By the way, if Steve Perry "is the only reason" for Journey's success, explain to me why Journey's best selling albums didn't come until after he was in the band for, what? Four years? With an insane touring schedule? Explain to me how, only when Jonathan Cain entered the picture, did the world want to listen to Journey's music.

Sorry, dude. Facts don't lie. Facts say that Perry, Schon, and Cain were all three responsible for Journey's success. When you've got "facts" to support your argument, you just let me know.

LOL... The facts are there brother. Splitting hairs doesn't make you right. Paraphrasing doesn't make the content of my statement inaccurate. Go watch the VH1 documentary yourself and you'll see it. I'm sure you can find it on the web as a download.

Fact:
Journey's song writing and (possibly musicianship) improved with the addition of Jon Cain.

Fact:
Bad English had Jon Cain (and Neal) as a songwriter too.

Fact:
Bad English's second album barely sold and didn't have a single hit (although I like the album, I rarely play it). Nobody cared.

Fact:
Years later, Journey sold close to a million copies of Trial By Fire without a tour and had a couple of hit singles play on the radio.

Fact:
Arrival barely sold 300,000 copies and barely got any airplay, turning Journey into a touring nostalgia band living off the Perry fronted Greatest Hits every since.

How are those facts for you?

Fact: Was there any Marketing for Arrival? Did they make a special addition Journey ipod..(I know they weren't out yet) But you get the point.. I absolutely love Journey..I didn't even know the album was out..Where was the merchandising or the marketing strategy..Eveyone know's or most do..that marketing either kills or makes the product.. Look at Star Wars..whenever there was a new movie out..They marketed the hell out of it.. U2 does it also.. Otherwise,your just hoping for your old fans to come back and hope for some new ones to come with the old ones.. Next time Journey come out with an album,they should just market it with a new flavor of pop at taco bell..Keep the cool cup.. Journey would totally be back in the picture,because then people would be curious..But your album better be pretty damn good.

I didn't even know it existed (Arrival). Journey was out of my line of sites for a good while, but you'd think I would have heard of it.

Same goes for me..I just happen to hear about it randomly..where was the marketing on that one?

[Voyager]

The Elvis comparison is ridiculous!...

The reason why Bon Jovi is successful at this point is because they do things out of the box thinking wise...

What if Jon Bon Jovi left the band, and Richie Sambora hired a Bon Jovi impersonator? If this actually happened and someone compared it to Elvis' band hiring an Elvis impersonator, would that be a ridiculous comparison?

[Rip Rokken]

I didn't even know it existed (Arrival). Journey was out of my line of sites for a good while, but you'd think I would have heard of it.

I watched for it for a while, and remember the news about it getting leaked on Napster or something like that. I had heard the entire album months before it came out, though the sound quality sounded muffled. Imagine my disappointment when I bought the CD and it sounded the same!

But to what you were saying... I was the same way with Asia... didn't realize they'd put albums out after "Aqua", so I had a nice little surprise when I went to Best Buy and bought 3 new albums (actually, 2 new studio albums + "Archiva") at the same time!

[STORY_TELLER]

And I'm sorry, but Perry is the only reason for Journey's success. Neal said so himself in the VH1 behind the music documentary: "What Perry brought to Journey was the success which is why they let him steer the ship and they all just let the reigns go". I'm paraphrasing of course, but that is the gist of what Neal himself said (and this is after he hired Augeri).

So by your logic kiddo, Neal's wrong and you're right?

...ahem... sorry, couldn't resist throwing that in.

Ah, yes, of course. "Paraphrasing" and "the gist" of what Neal Schon said in a documentary obviously constitute themselves as fact? Why don't you do us all a favor and post the actual statement. By the way, if Steve Perry "is the only reason" for Journey's success, explain to me why Journey's best selling albums didn't come until after he was in the band for, what? Four years? With an insane touring schedule? Explain to me how, only when Jonathan Cain entered the picture, did the world want to listen to Journey's music.

Sorry, dude. Facts don't lie. Facts say that Perry, Schon, and Cain were all three responsible for Journey's success. When you've got "facts" to support your argument, you just let me know.

LOL... The facts are there brother. Splitting hairs doesn't make you right. Paraphrasing doesn't make the content of my statement inaccurate. Go watch the VH1 documentary yourself and you'll see it. I'm sure you can find it on the web as a download.

Fact:
Journey's song writing and (possibly musicianship) improved with the addition of Jon Cain.

Fact:
Bad English had Jon Cain (and Neal) as a songwriter too.

Fact:
Bad English's second album barely sold and didn't have a single hit (although I like the album, I rarely play it). Nobody cared.

Fact:
Years later, Journey sold close to a million copies of Trial By Fire without a tour and had a couple of hit singles play on the radio.

Fact:
Arrival barely sold 300,000 copies and barely got any airplay, turning Journey into a touring nostalgia band living off the Perry fronted Greatest Hits every since.

How are those facts for you?

Fact: Was there any Marketing for Arrival? Did they make a special addition Journey ipod..(I know they weren't out yet) But you get the point.. I absolutely love Journey..I didn't even know the album was out..Where was the merchandising or the marketing strategy..Eveyone know's or most do..that marketing either kills or makes the product.. Look at Star Wars..whenever there was a new movie out..They marketed the hell out of it.. U2 does it also.. Otherwise,your just hoping for your old fans to come back and hope for some new ones to come with the old ones.. Next time Journey come out with an album,they should just market it with a new flavor of pop at taco bell..Keep the cool cup.. Journey would totally be back in the picture,because then people would be curious..But your album better be pretty damn good.

I didn't even know it existed (Arrival). Journey was out of my line of sites for a good while, but you'd think I would have heard of it.

Very good points, however, let's not forget that touring has historically been the life's blood marketing strategy to increase album sales, which is why Sony was pressing for a tour when TBF was being recorded. Arrival has been available since 2001(?). The live DVD sold well in stores (you'll notice the DVD doesn't mention who's on vocals on the cover, it just says "Journey 2001").

The band has played songs from Arrival (and eventually Generations) on all their tours. The casual fans who went to the concerts all through the Augeri years STILL didn't purchase Arrival. THEY DON'T CARE about NEW MUSIC from a Perryless lineup. In this day and age, when melodic rock isn't the mainstream, odds are they wouldn't care too much about new music even if Perry were singing. The future is likely over for them and I really believe they only have touring to look forward to. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

[Voyager]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

[Journey69]

The Elvis comparison is ridiculous!...

The reason why Bon Jovi is successful at this point is because they do things out of the box thinking wise...

What if Jon Bon Jovi left the band, and Richie Sambora hired a Bon Jovi impersonator? If this actually happened and someone compared it to Elvis' band hiring an Elvis impersonator, would that be a ridiculous comparison?

Dude.. what's wrong with you.. Jon Bon Jovi... What's the name of the group? Bon Jovi.. for the love of god...Stop! already.. It wasn't named Perry's Journey...

[Saint John]

It seems as though Neal Schon is quite the Web surfer, having spent hours on YouTube trying to find a new Steve Perry impersonator. I doubt that Neal gets on this forum, but just in case he does, I wanted to write something to him to let him know how I feel. Here goes:

Neal,

I'm sorry Neal, but Steve Perry was Journey. You are as much Journey as Elvis' lead guitarist was Elvis. You are not an Eddie Van Halen, Neal. If you were, you would have found a Sammy Hagar by now and changed the course of Journey to a different sound. However, Journey was never popular before Steve Perry joined the band. We will never know if Journey could be popular without Steve Perry until you find someone to sing who is not trying to emulate Steve Perry. You had your chance to do that last year with JSS, but you blew it.

Now you have hired another Steve Perry impersonator. All the while you expect Journey fans to put Steve Perry out of their minds and allow the new singer to have his own identity. You have even stated publicly that Steve Perry is re-releasing old Journey material just so that people will remember him. WTF? Don't you think you are doing the same by hiring another Perry impersonator? Did you hire Arnel to emulate the Steve Perry material so that people can forget about Steve Perry?

What you are doing Neal is no different than if the lead guitarist for Elvis' band would have hired an Elvis impersonator and asked fans to forget about Elvis. No new albums are going to make people forget about Steve Perry, Neal. As long as you guys are touring as Journey with a Steve Perry impersonator, you are leading a Journey cover band at best. Until you do what Eddie Van Halen did and find a singer to give Journey a completely different sound, you guys are basically just a glorified mobile karaoke service.

Good luck Neal.

I would've agreed with this post in 1988, but can't do so now. Times have changed. Journey, through the years, has become more and more Steve Perry's Journey because they didn't change their singer and musical direction. It's simply too late now. 90% of their audience wants to hear ONLY the back catalog...and they know this. I'll end with this. Neal Schon has recieved more "open letters" than fucking Santa Claus in the last few years. Perry stopped in 83...not Neal's fault. He stopped in 86...not Neal's fault. Management and the band waited for Perry, fearing a HUGE backlash and potential rejection from their fans...probably a bad decision. Perry made them wait til 96...not Neal's fault. Perry made them wait til 98...not Neal's fault. Perry gave them no answer or time table for his "hip" problem...not Neal's fault. Neal gets ripped for waiting too long in 87 and for waiting to little in 98. It can't be both ways. It's right in front of your eyes, folks. Steve Perry systematically destroyed this band starting in 1986. QUIT FUCKING BLAMING NEAL!!!

[Journey69]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

If you tell him his head is up his ass..yes,that is a problem! Gail is a JSS supporter..She is anti Journey now..its well known..

[NealIsGod]

All Neal is trying to do is keep Journey going. All Perry wants to do is put it away in a scrapbook.

[Journey69]

It seems as though Neal Schon is quite the Web surfer, having spent hours on YouTube trying to find a new Steve Perry impersonator. I doubt that Neal gets on this forum, but just in case he does, I wanted to write something to him to let him know how I feel. Here goes:

Neal,

I'm sorry Neal, but Steve Perry was Journey. You are as much Journey as Elvis' lead guitarist was Elvis. You are not an Eddie Van Halen, Neal. If you were, you would have found a Sammy Hagar by now and changed the course of Journey to a different sound. However, Journey was never popular before Steve Perry joined the band. We will never know if Journey could be popular without Steve Perry until you find someone to sing who is not trying to emulate Steve Perry. You had your chance to do that last year with JSS, but you blew it.

Now you have hired another Steve Perry impersonator. All the while you expect Journey fans to put Steve Perry out of their minds and allow the new singer to have his own identity. You have even stated publicly that Steve Perry is re-releasing old Journey material just so that people will remember him. WTF? Don't you think you are doing the same by hiring another Perry impersonator? Did you hire Arnel to emulate the Steve Perry material so that people can forget about Steve Perry?

What you are doing Neal is no different than if the lead guitarist for Elvis' band would have hired an Elvis impersonator and asked fans to forget about Elvis. No new albums are going to make people forget about Steve Perry, Neal. As long as you guys are touring as Journey with a Steve Perry impersonator, you are leading a Journey cover band at best. Until you do what Eddie Van Halen did and find a singer to give Journey a completely different sound, you guys are basically just a glorified mobile karaoke service.

Good luck Neal.

I would've agreed with this post in 1988, but can't do so now. Times have changed. Journey, through the years, has become more and more Steve Perry's Journey because they didn't change their singer and musical direction. It's simply too late now. 90% of their audience wants to hear ONLY the back catalog...and they know this. I'll end with this. Neal Schon has recieved more "open letters" than fucking Santa Claus in the last few years. Perry stopped in 83...not Neal's fault. He stopped in 86...not Neal's fault. Management and the band waited for Perry, fearing a HUGE backlash and potential rejection from their fans...probably a bad decision. Perry made them wait til 96...not Neal's fault. Perry made them wait til 98...not Neal's fault. Perry gave them no answer or time table for his "hip" problem...not Neal's fault. Neal gets ripped for waiting too long in 87 and for waiting to little in 98. It can't be both ways. It's right in front of your eyes, folks. Steve Perry systematically destroyed this band starting in 1986. QUIT FUCKING BLAMING NEAL!!!

Spot on SJ..I totally agree again! and well said!

[STORY_TELLER]

I would've agreed with this post in 1988, but can't do so now. Times have changed. Journey, through the years, has become more and more Steve Perry's Journey because they didn't change their singer and musical direction. It's simply too late now. 90% of their audience wants to hear ONLY the back catalog...and they know this. I'll end with this. Neal Schon has recieved more "open letters" than fucking Santa Claus in the last few years. Perry stopped in 83...not Neal's fault. He stopped in 86...not Neal's fault. Management and the band waited for Perry, fearing a HUGE backlash and potential rejection from their fans...probably a bad decision. Perry made them wait til 96...not Neal's fault. Perry made them wait til 98...not Neal's fault. Perry gave them no answer or time table for his "hip" problem...not Neal's fault. Neal gets ripped for waiting too long in 87 and for waiting to little in 98. It can't be both ways. It's right in front of your eyes, folks. Steve Perry systematically destroyed this band starting in 1986. QUIT FUCKING BLAMING NEAL!!!

I agree with this 100%

[Brigadier]

I would've agreed with this post in 1988, but can't do so now. Times have changed. Journey, through the years, has become more and more Steve Perry's Journey because they didn't change their singer and musical direction. It's simply too late now. 90% of their audience wants to hear ONLY the back catalog...and they know this. I'll end with this. Neal Schon has recieved more "open letters" than fucking Santa Claus in the last few years. Perry stopped in 83...not Neal's fault. He stopped in 86...not Neal's fault. Management and the band waited for Perry, fearing a HUGE backlash and potential rejection from their fans...probably a bad decision. Perry made them wait til 96...not Neal's fault. Perry made them wait til 98...not Neal's fault. Perry gave them no answer or time table for his "hip" problem...not Neal's fault. Neal gets ripped for waiting too long in 87 and for waiting to little in 98. It can't be both ways. It's right in front of your eyes, folks. Steve Perry systematically destroyed this band starting in 1986. QUIT FUCKING BLAMING NEAL!!!

+1. Great post!!!

[RocknRoll]

I would've agreed with this post in 1988, but can't do so now. Times have changed. Journey, through the years, has become more and more Steve Perry's Journey because they didn't change their singer and musical direction. It's simply too late now. 90% of their audience wants to hear ONLY the back catalog...and they know this. I'll end with this. Neal Schon has recieved more "open letters" than fucking Santa Claus in the last few years. Perry stopped in 83...not Neal's fault. He stopped in 86...not Neal's fault. Management and the band waited for Perry, fearing a HUGE backlash and potential rejection from their fans...probably a bad decision. Perry made them wait til 96...not Neal's fault. Perry made them wait til 98...not Neal's fault. Perry gave them no answer or time table for his "hip" problem...not Neal's fault. Neal gets ripped for waiting too long in 87 and for waiting to little in 98. It can't be both ways. It's right in front of your eyes, folks. Steve Perry systematically destroyed this band starting in 1986. QUIT FUCKING BLAMING NEAL!!!

I agree with this 100%

Me too!!

[WickedGail]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

If you tell him his head is up his ass..yes,that is a problem! Gail is a JSS supporter..She is anti Journey now..its well known..

When was this press release given out about me and when the hell did you become my spokesperson!?! I have staff don't remember hiring you! Mr. Schon is like alot of people in this world why unlike me refuse to admit the bad decisions he has made in his life. Career wise he has made a few of them and the last one is a doozy. What he wants to be surronded by is a bunch of yes that word again ASS licking lackies. not someone with a brain

[S.B.N]

It seems as though Neal Schon is quite the Web surfer, having spent hours on YouTube trying to find a new Steve Perry impersonator. I doubt that Neal gets on this forum, but just in case he does, I wanted to write something to him to let him know how I feel. Here goes:

Neal,

I'm sorry Neal, but Steve Perry was Journey. You are as much Journey as Elvis' lead guitarist was Elvis. You are not an Eddie Van Halen, Neal. If you were, you would have found a Sammy Hagar by now and changed the course of Journey to a different sound. However, Journey was never popular before Steve Perry joined the band. We will never know if Journey could be popular without Steve Perry until you find someone to sing who is not trying to emulate Steve Perry. You had your chance to do that last year with JSS, but you blew it.

Now you have hired another Steve Perry impersonator. All the while you expect Journey fans to put Steve Perry out of their minds and allow the new singer to have his own identity. You have even stated publicly that Steve Perry is re-releasing old Journey material just so that people will remember him. WTF? Don't you think you are doing the same by hiring another Perry impersonator? Did you hire Arnel to emulate the Steve Perry material so that people can forget about Steve Perry?

What you are doing Neal is no different than if the lead guitarist for Elvis' band would have hired an Elvis impersonator and asked fans to forget about Elvis. No new albums are going to make people forget about Steve Perry, Neal. As long as you guys are touring as Journey with a Steve Perry impersonator, you are leading a Journey cover band at best. Until you do what Eddie Van Halen did and find a singer to give Journey a completely different sound, you guys are basically just a glorified mobile karaoke service.

Good luck Neal.

[Journey69]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

If you tell him his head is up his ass..yes,that is a problem! Gail is a JSS supporter..She is anti Journey now..its well known..

When was this press release given out about me and when the hell did you become my spokesperson!?! I have staff don't remember hiring you! Mr. Schon is like alot of people in this world why unlike me refuse to admit the bad decisions he has made in his life. Career wise he has made a few of them and the last one is a doozy. What he wants to be surronded by is a bunch of yes that word again ASS licking lackies. not someone with a brain

Someone just said they hadn't seen any venom towards Neal..I just simply steered them to where there was some.. You must know Neal personally and been involved in picking Arnel..I'm sure management and Cain had no say in it..

[WickedGail]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

If you tell him his head is up his ass..yes,that is a problem! Gail is a JSS supporter..She is anti Journey now..its well known..

When was this press release given out about me and when the hell did you become my spokesperson!?! I have staff don't remember hiring you! Mr. Schon is like alot of people in this world why unlike me refuse to admit the bad decisions he has made in his life. Career wise he has made a few of them and the last one is a doozy. What he wants to be surronded by is a bunch of yes that word again ASS licking lackies. not someone with a brain

Someone just said they hadn't seen any venom towards Neal..I just simply steered them to where there was some.. You must know Neal personally and been involved in picking Arnel..I'm sure management and Cain had no say in it..

You know what this looks like to ALOT of people? That Neal and Jon after JSS set out to find someone who will sit in the corner do what he's told and only speak when spoken to. They went with a singer that they could intimidate rather than an equal. If they no longer wish to try to grow musically beter that why still be a band?

[Lori Jo]

Long live Neal Schon!

Steve Perry was great in Journey, but Journey was around long before Perry joined. Some say he made the band. Commercially, yes. Musically- no. The band is called Journey, NOT the Steve Perry Band featuring Schon, Cain, etc.....

Besides, I doubt Perry's voice could survive the touring schedule. It is already evident that his voice is not fairing well.

I would have liked to have seen Journey take a new direction with JSS. I think it could have been great. But, being and outsider, not living in the band like the other guys, I can't start to speculate why they made that decision. Until you have all the facts, your just spitting into the wind.

It is sad to see all this venom aimed at arguably one of the greatest guitarist of all times. I would not want to have to make these decisions.

Journey was formed around Neal, and he is trying to keep it going. Unfortunately, Perry has said he will NOT rejoin the band. Get over it. It ain't gonna happen. Slamming Neal all the time won't make things any better.

Long live Neal Schon. Long live Journey in whatever form it takes.

Great post. I agree with you. I saw Journey with Steve Augeri twice, my son (a teenager) saw them three times. I would have loved to have seen Journey with JSS. And now I look forward to seeing Journey with Arnel Pineda - as does my son. My husband even said he would go with us! I will repeat it...Long live Journey in whatever form it takes.

[Saint John]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

If you tell him his head is up his ass..yes,that is a problem! Gail is a JSS supporter..She is anti Journey now..its well known..

When was this press release given out about me and when the hell did you become my spokesperson!?! I have staff don't remember hiring you! Mr. Schon is like alot of people in this world why unlike me refuse to admit the bad decisions he has made in his life. Career wise he has made a few of them and the last one is a doozy. What he wants to be surronded by is a bunch of yes that word again ASS licking lackies. not someone with a brain

Someone just said they hadn't seen any venom towards Neal..I just simply steered them to where there was some.. You must know Neal personally and been involved in picking Arnel..I'm sure management and Cain had no say in it..

You know what this looks like to ALOT of people? That Neal and Jon after JSS set out to find someone who will sit in the corner do what he's told and only speak when spoken to. They went with a singer that they could intimidate rather than an equal. If they no longer wish to try to grow musically beter that why still be a band?[/quote]


Let me break this down for you. Your boss walks in and tells he's hired someone that is going to listen to you, make you a shitload of dough and not cause any problems. What are you going to tell him? That you think it's a bad idea? Journey has made a decision to move on. Quit the belly aching. It's too late to change their sound. They tour on the strength of the back catalog and if recent articles are any barometer of the current state of muisc, that's ALL that matters...your back catalog.

[WickedGail]

Here's a quote for ya.. read two posts up from your last.. (he problem with people like Neal is they think they are so right and are so far up their own ass they can't see daylight. So nothing will change. Please stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!!) "WickedGail"

No venom.. what's that?

Is it venomous to tell an alcoholic that he has a problem when he won't admit it?

If you tell him his head is up his ass..yes,that is a problem! Gail is a JSS supporter..She is anti Journey now..its well known..

When was this press release given out about me and when the hell did you become my spokesperson!?! I have staff don't remember hiring you! Mr. Schon is like alot of people in this world why unlike me refuse to admit the bad decisions he has made in his life. Career wise he has made a few of them and the last one is a doozy. What he wants to be surronded by is a bunch of yes that word again ASS licking lackies. not someone with a brain

Someone just said they hadn't seen any venom towards Neal..I just simply steered them to where there was some.. You must know Neal personally and been involved in picking Arnel..I'm sure management and Cain had no say in it..

You know what this looks like to ALOT of people? That Neal and Jon after JSS set out to find someone who will sit in the corner do what he's told and only speak when spoken to. They went with a singer that they could intimidate rather than an equal. If they no longer wish to try to grow musically beter that why still be a band?[/quote]


Let me break this down for you. Your boss walks in and tells he's hired someone that is going to listen to you, make you a shitload of dough and not cause any problems. What are you going to tell him? That you think it's a bad idea? Journey has made a decision to move on. Quit the belly aching. It's too late to change their sound. They tour on the strength of the back catalog and if recent articles are any barometer of the current state of muisc, that's ALL that matters...your back catalog.

One word buddy RUSH! Just completed a kickass first leg of a tour, PLAYING ALOT OF NEW MATERIAL from the new Snakes and Arrows CD which they for Instrumental of the Year are up for a Grammy. All past the 50 year mark and still creating new viable product. It can be done!

[finalfight]

The Elvis comparison is ridiculous!...

The reason why Bon Jovi is successful at this point is because they do things out of the box thinking wise...

What if Jon Bon Jovi left the band, and Richie Sambora hired a Bon Jovi impersonator? If this actually happened and someone compared it to Elvis' band hiring an Elvis impersonator, would that be a ridiculous comparison?

Bon Jovi is a band (and one that carry's the lead singer's name) and Elvis was a solo artist. A better example might have been The Doors reforming with Ian Astbury literally mimicking Jim Morrison down to the very last detail - vocally, performance wise and physically. That was freaky and somewaht uncomfortable to watch.

Whilst Arnel is certainly able to impersonate Steve Perry closer than most vocally he looks to bring his own identity and to me at least seems to have a great likability factor. The addition of Arnel as a vocalist makes sound practical and business sense as his inclusion once again makes inroads into a huge target audience in the East. This maybe even more profitable to Journey than the domestic market at this time and certainly will help bring the name to prominence on a worldwide scale once again.

Personally I feel the band should be congratulated for hiring Arnel as lead singer. They appear to be breaking new ground and in some small sense are helping to open the gates of acceptance by following their heads and simply choosing the person most qualified for the job given the criteria required and the legacy they wish to maintain.

[Strange Medicine]

Explain to me how, only when Jonathan Cain entered the picture, did the world want to listen to Journey's music.

Errr.. it was because of Steve Perry's vocals - period. If it weren't, then show me the platinum-selling albums that Journey produced without Steve Perry's vocals on them.

Err... it clearly wasn't because of Steve Perry's vocals (only) - period. Aside from Street Talk, which was produced during Journey's greatest commercial peak, show me a massively successful solo album from Mr. Perry. You seem to define "success" with "sales". Numbers don't lie. Compare the sales from Steve Perry's Greatest Hits to Journey's Greatest Hits and note the enormous disparity -- ergo, we can conclude beyond a shadow of a doubt that if Perry is the end all be end all to Journey's success, the man clearly would have rivaled them in terms of sales and success in his solo efforts.

But he didn't.

Ergo, I win. You lose.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

That Neal and Jon after JSS set out to find someone who will sit in the corner do what he's told and only speak when spoken to. They went with a singer that they could intimidate rather than an equal.

Do you seriously think that is going to be the case? Arnel has a brain. You described someone who does not have a brain.

[NealIsGod]

That Neal and Jon after JSS set out to find someone who will sit in the corner do what he's told and only speak when spoken to. They went with a singer that they could intimidate rather than an equal.

Do you seriously think that is going to be the case? Arnel has a brain. You described someone who does not have a brain.

Nah, she described someone who doesn't have balls.