SF-Dano wrote:A few thoughts here. Let me preface this by saying none of these band members are saints. And as for as the allusions to drug use among some members, I think it is pretty safe to say that all the members at one time or another have partaken of an illegal substance or two, or three, or ........
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Perry and Herbie began butting heads shortly after Perry joined the band. I think that much has been established. This directly leads to HH dismissal for TBF, IMO.
Cain may not have been "whole-heartedly" behind the decisicion to fire HH during TBF, but then again it has been established the HH and the Frig's relationship was not the best. In fact HH seems to have quite the disdain for Friga.
As for HH comments about Schon not being the sharpest knife in the drawer (being stupid), I think he refers to Schon's business and carreer decisions. Schon always seems to follow what he assumes is going to bring him the most money. And after HH had proved himself to Neal early on, Neal still chose to go in directions opposite of HH. Example 1 -going along with having Perry as producer of ROR and going along with the dismissal of two long time band mates. Not sure if Neal had a whole lot of control over the situation, but again just went along with the "money making" machine (did not take a stand). This after Perry had already expressed reservations about returning to the Journey. Example 2- cans the early Journey reunion lineup featuring Chalfant and Rolie in favor of TBF with Perry (after Perry dissappearing act no1). Made some money off the record, disappearing act no.2, no tour, and that was it. Not the right business move in my opinion or Herbie's. So is Neal "stupid"? It is not hard to see why HH would characterize him that way IMO.
As for the Perry's "I'm toast. I need to take a break" comments during the ROR tour, that is understandable. They work hard for a long, long time. What is not understandable or acceptable, was a lack of communication or timetable for a return, if there was to be any return at all. And how convenient that Mr P decided to return shortly after he caught word of the Chalfant/Rolie reunion in the works.
Do I have proof/quotes to back up everything that I have stated here. For some yes, but, not for everything. What I do have is a timeline of events and a bit of business and life wisdom to draw upon. These are my opinions based on what I have observed from the outside.
Good post...HOWEVER, Neal didn't go "along" with Perry, and against Herbie, because he
wanted to...he did so because he
had to. Perry parlayed being the band's "voice" and most recognizable member into a Trillion dollars of prick capital
after the Frontiers tour. He basically used the aforementioned power to start hiring, firing, and taking any sort of creative control he wanted. Had he chosen to do a fucking "Big Band" album it couldn't have been vetoed. Notice this, too...Frontiers was the height of the band's popularity. They sold (I'm almost certain) their most WORLDWIDE albums and made the most money off of that tour. Right after that, under Perry's control moreso than Herbie Hamburger's, the band took a header like George Michael into a bag of dicks. ROR, while a decent album, was a huge step down from their prior heights. After that, the "new" guy in control stayed shelved until he decided to tour with some other, half-assed artists. He then decided to come back to Journey, record an album, fire Herbie, and retire to full-time cat petting...leaving the band completely FUCKED after they waited 12 years for him (1986-1998). And again, they
had to bring Perry back in 1996 and he
knew it. Fans would have burned down venues if that "other" lineup would have toured while Perry belly-ached how he "wished he were still part of the band." He had them cornered. The results were going to be in his favor either way. Dude is smart. So was Hitler.
