Arnel on Open Arms from Chile

[danielb]

I was listening to Open Arms, the studio version, with Perry and then after that I played Open Arms from Chile. It's no little feat, but I can honestly say I think Arnel does it just as good as Steve Perry did on the original. Live. 2008.

Since Perry is not coming back, and most likely wouldn't be able to duplicate the studio version live, I think we should be pretty pleased with the current situation...

[Rockindeano]

Dude, check yourself.

As good as AP is, and I think dude is nails, fucking stellar, NO ONE will ever compare to Steve Perry. It's mathematically impossible.

Stop saying AP is as good as Perry. It will NEVER be the case.

[wednesday's child]

I can honestly say I think Arnel does it just as good as Steve Perry did on the original

Arnel would be among the first in line to tell you that you're very, very wrong,
and not just because he's one of Steve Perry's biggest fans.

-wech

[texafana]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

[Rick]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

I agree. I was skeptical at first, but not anymore. This dude has some serious pipes. The strides he's made so far have shown a lot. In a year, he'll be phenomenal. I just hope the Journey catalog doesn't fry his voice too.

[wednesday's child]

Happy Easter, but no one here is arguing Arnel isn't the best choice right now.

It's however something quite different to say 'nel equals or tops Perry
on the original recording of Open Arms, which is what the danelb was offering up.

I respect danielb's right to his belief, and indeed anyone's right to offer an opinion,
or I wouldn't have offered Arnel's own, as has been documented several times.

wech

[Since 78]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

I agree. I was skeptical at first, but not anymore. This dude has some serious pipes. The strides he's made so far have shown a lot. In a year, he'll be phenomenal. I just hope the Journey catalog doesn't fry his voice too.

Second that! Everyone Ive shown the Arnel videos to have been amazed. Hes not SP, but hes in the ballpark.

[brywool]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

yup

[Vladan]

Dude, check yourself.

As good as AP is, and I think dude is nails, fucking stellar, NO ONE will ever compare to Steve Perry. It's mathematically impossible.

Stop saying AP is as good as Perry. It will NEVER be the case.

Hey man, I've noticed this trend of new members joining up here saying things like "Arnel is better than or as good as Perry" these morons are simply not even fans, or just become fans, or are being payed to come here and spew shit. Everyone knows Perry will always be unmatched, it's down right dumb to think otherwise.

[Monstrock]

I'm just so glad that 10 yrs after SP left, we'll be able to experience the Journey magic again.

[RPM]

Heres something to keep in mind. there maybe another voice , Arnel's or another who can sing as high,
hold a note as long, twirl around or move as well, but NO other singer other than S.P. helped CREATE
the songs and music we love from these guys. that alone will always seperate him from all others, no matter
how good any other singer sounds, and Arnel sounds wondereful.

Ray

[Saint John]

Steve Perry is the greatest singer ever. Arnel is very good, but to mention these two in the same breath after 4 fucking shows is insane. Pull your head out of your ass before you suffocate. On second thought, after that post post, keep it there.

[youkeepmewaiting]

I was listening to Open Arms, the studio version, with Perry and then after that I played Open Arms from Chile. It's no little feat, but I can honestly say I think Arnel does it just as good as Steve Perry did on the original. Live. 2008.

Since Perry is not coming back, and most likely wouldn't be able to duplicate the studio version live, I think we should be pretty pleased with the current situation...

As youn well know, we at melodicrock respect everybodies opinion, and we all agree that everyone can have there own say, and all opinions are equal.

However

You are a fucking crazily insane.

I'm liking AP alot. But.. we need to draw a line somewhere.

[venomnation]

I'm sorry....At the urging of this thread...I went back and compared apples for apples....Houston 81....when SP was arguably at his best...and Arnel from Chile, basically the only decent recording we've gotten so far. The guy's good....he's not SP...and I've come to accept that there will never be another Journey song performed by SP....I can deal with that...it's a fact of life that a lot of people (a lot of people here, but not JUST here) can't come to grips with... I realized it when Augeri and Castronovo stepped in. I accepted it and I continue to enjoy it for the musical history that it presents...and I have said (and may in the future) say "wow, Arnel sounds good" but there'll always be that part of me that says "somethin's missing, but close enough for government work, or Journey".

Just my .02¢

[larryfromnextdoor]

Just my .02¢

how did you make that little cent sign?...i cant find that button anywhere...

[Rick]

Just my .02¢

how did you make that little cent sign?...i cant find that button anywhere...

Windows has a 'Character Map' that has those sort of symbols.

Look in your System Tools under Accessories in All Programs.

[piecesofeight]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

I agree. I was skeptical at first, but not anymore. This dude has some serious pipes. The strides he's made so far have shown a lot. In a year, he'll be phenomenal. I just hope the Journey catalog doesn't fry his voice too.

Good points that made me thing of two things..maybe not so bad about JSS because at least he still has his voice..and just imagine how bad Steve's voice would really be if he had stayed in the band all these years.
There's just no way when trying to sing at that level.

[Rick]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

I agree. I was skeptical at first, but not anymore. This dude has some serious pipes. The strides he's made so far have shown a lot. In a year, he'll be phenomenal. I just hope the Journey catalog doesn't fry his voice too.

Good points that made me thing of two things..maybe not so bad about JSS because at least he still has his voice..and just imagine how bad Steve's voice would really be if he had stayed in the band all these years.
There's just no way when trying to sing at that level.

Cain said that SP bled a little bit with every performance. And obviously he did, his voice deteriorated over time. Evidently Augeri didn't listen. Soto would have as he's a smart motherfucker, and hopefully Arnel will too.

[wednesday's child]

Bleeding??

The trick over here is preventive care:
regularly drinking warm, mild ginger ale (salabat) in the days leading up to a gig, or on tour,
as a prophylactic. Right before hitting the stage, some even use a spritz-spray of or hibiscus (gumamela) sap
or even diluted dishwashing liquid, right into the throat, for keeping things lubed.

'course, there's no substitute for spacing out gigs intelligently.
Arnel's taken good care of his voicebox the past decade-plus, but can anyone give an idea of
how severe a Journey tour can be (songs per night, gigs per month over how many months)?
Might be more intense than the nightly grind in the bars over here, and maybe the often-lower
humidity in the U.S. isn't going to help.

-wech

[Saint John]

Fact - Arnel is the closest thing we have TODAY to the Steve Perry of YESTERDAY.

I agree. I was skeptical at first, but not anymore. This dude has some serious pipes. The strides he's made so far have shown a lot. In a year, he'll be phenomenal. I just hope the Journey catalog doesn't fry his voice too.

Good points that made me thing of two things..maybe not so bad about JSS because at least he still has his voice..and just imagine how bad Steve's voice would really be if he had stayed in the band all these years.
There's just no way when trying to sing at that level.

Cain said that SP bled a little bit with every performance. And obviously he did, his voice deteriorated over time. Evidently Augeri didn't listen. Soto would have as he's a smart motherfucker, and hopefully Arnel will too.

Perry "bled" at his own peril. No one put a gun to his head. He gave everything he had...no one argues about that. It's what he did when he couldn't give anymore that is in dispute. He thought Journey should cease to exist because he couldn't go on. He's been proven wrong. The music is bigger than any one member.

[texafana]

Bleeding??
The trick over here is preventive care:
regularly drinking warm, mild ginger ale (salabat) in the days leading up to a gig, or on tour,
as a prophylactic. Right before hitting the stage, some even use a spritz-spray of or hibiscus (gumamela) sap
or even diluted dishwashing liquid, right into the throat, for keeping things lubed.
-wech

Any vocalist worth half a brain knows vocal chords are lubricated internally by your system not external. Drinking plenty of water every day is the only way to properly keep the vocal chords lubricated. A vocalst who takes proper care of their pipes can talk or sing all day long.

[Saint John]

My suspicion is that Perry could still sing Arnel under the table. He won't, though. He could never face Schon, Cain and Valory. 30 years and I can't think of one time they've wronged him. The opposite, however, is quite a different story.

[wednesday's child]

texafana,
I'm only relating what some of the regular-grind vocalists make use of, over here,
and in the context of SP's bleeding...

Singing all day, you say?
If you're a young vocalist, and daily tackling something closer to, say, James Taylor than Chris Cornell, then sure.
If your confidence stems from a context of experience with the latter vocal load, then my hat's off to you for being a
better singer than most.

The typical body's ability to take internal moisture and pump it out as a glycoprotein goop is subject to
quite a number of factors, including genetics, age, and both psychological and mechanical stress.
The rate of evaporation from throat and mouth is particularly an issue in high-pitch numbers.
the foregoing, I learned from the doc I used to see.

Non-medical, first-hand POV?
The largest crowd I ever had to perform for, back when our band was still together, indeed was just out of college,
was only some 800-odd warm seats, but the people weren't exactly "my crowd", and the upscale venue was alien
in every way. The old expression about your throat going dry under stress isn't just idle wordsmithing.
I struggled. After the iffy gig, my voice was hoarse for days, and I couldn't quite undestand what had been
so different to cause that, until this singer from another band, on the same date/bill, began my education.

Call 'em unnecessary, or cheating, or unworthy of some vocalists' ideal, but I gladly used any crutch
that gave me an edge in staying competitive for as long as the band struggled on.

I'm almost CERTAIN there are high-octane vocalists in the U.S, those getting on in years or carrying a heavy
work schedule, who also rely on spray-lubes. Wouldn't be surprised if some used dishwashing fluid. Maybe you
can check to find out BEFORE you toss out generalizations that seem to label some vocalists less than half-brained.

On the chance I am misreading condescencion in your comments, then blame it on the week.
Three days of fasting (just water), followed by a binge on roast pig, noodles and lumpia can make anyone iffy.


----


St. John,
I don't know about the past politics, and don't really care.
Who knows, maybe Arnel, as an uber-fan, can buid a bridge where you see a divide.
He'd perhaps kill/die for a chance to have his idol come back as part of a touring Journey,
even in a most limited limited capacity... but anyway, that's political stuff.
Seriously and with affection, fuck all of that.

It's just the music for me, and if it's good, I'll buy. If not, then I won't.

I think SP would slaughter AP on (and for) a certain number of songs, on sheer finesse, and
if he sang them a certain way, because I'd suspect SP's range, power and endurance are no longer
completely up to the demands he wrote into many of the same songs concerned.

Cheers.
wech