Who Is The Most Musically Talented Member Of Journey?

[timstar78]

To state the obvious, there has been quite a bit of musical talent on display in Journey over the years. For example...

Steve Perry -- golden voice like no other; co-writer of Journey classics
Neal Schon -- excellent guitarist with a knack for inventive parts and melodic solos; co-writer of Journey classics
Jonathan Cain -- gifted songwriter and excellent keyboard player
Steve Smith -- winner of numerous drum polls, voted one of the top 25 drummers of all time by "Modern Drummer"
Gregg Rolie -- talented vocalist and keyboardist
Etc.

If you had to pick one, who do you think is the most musically talented member to have been in the band, and why?

[Andrew]

Neal... There from Day 1.

[Saint John]

Schon, Perry, Smith and Cain all share incredible qualities.

[Jana]

Neal. He lives and breathes music.

[Don]

Cain. He can write better than the rest of them and play a wide variety of instruments also.

[Rockindeano]

Hands down Pineda. That guy can sure write a mean song can't he? Besides, isn't he the "king?"

[stevew2]

Cain. He can write better than the rest of them and play a wide variety of instruments also.

who is cain?? thats not his real name by the way

[scarab]

Pineda,

he kept the journey going, without him Journey would have faded away.

[timstar78]

With the "Escape" era lineup, I think Journey is arguably one of the more talented rock acts ever. An all-star at pretty much every position.

If music boils all the way down to a song, I think if you put Jonathan Cain in a room by himself he would be more apt to come out with a complete composition with lyrics, melody and chord changes.

As far as proficiency on an instrument, I think Steve Smith may have everyone beat (what a monster drummer), but Cain is certainly an amazing musician in his own right. His solos on the 2001 and Live In Manila DVDs are almost sonata-like, with clear themes that both mirror and contrast to "Open Arms." (I have a friend who was at a private industry event a few years back and Cain played a brief set on piano, including standards, originals and some classical pieces, and he said Cain was amazing.)

Can't really go wrong with Smith, Perry or Schon but if I had to pick one member, I'd have to go with Jonathan Cain.

[slucero]

Herbie Herbert

[Abitaman]

Neal-without him there would have been no Journey, thus no Steve Perry, which means no DSB, SW, or any other song sung by Perry, Augeri, or AP.

[Vladan]

Pineda,

he kept the journey going, without him Journey would have faded away.

Yeah I assume your kidding

The great thing about Journey today, is that once a singer either gets fired, or quits, there is a long line of others to take their place and carry on.

As for talent? hard to say, Schon? maybe, but what is talent? it's called "A LOT OF HARD WORK", as naturally talented people may think people are, they still have to go out and earn it like everybody else to get to that stage, and have that inner desire and belief!. People say, you either have it or you don't... well, here is a thought! some of the most respected/talented singers, and legends were all told they were no good at point in their careers, I know John Farnham was told he couldn't sing, this was before he was famous, look now.

Blood sweet and tears for everybody!.

[Art Vandelay]

Steve Smith - his skills and techniques have stretched further than any of the other members, past or present.

[Ligzig]

Steve Smith.

[Michigan Girl]

The SP vox have the edge because it was and still is my favorite voice, ever.
But from 1978 to 1996, minus ROR, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts ...

[stevew2]

I say Greg Rolie

[SF-Dano]

Schon and Smith as musicians. Followed by Rolie, Friga, Castronovo.

Perry obviously on vocals.

[annpea]

Steve Smith and Ross Valory, because they had to put up with all the crap the others laid down.

[journeyrock]

The SP vox have the edge because it was and still is my favorite voice, ever.
But from 1978 to 1996, minus ROR, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts ...

I absolutely agree. It is impossible, in my opinion, to separate Schon, Cain, Perry, Smith in looking at the quality of Journey in it's heyday. If you were to take any one of them out of the equation, the magic definitely would not have been there in creating the music that we so love today.

[Jana]

Steve Smith and Ross Valory, because they had to put up with all the crap the others laid down.

[Jana]

Gregg Rolie, because he had the best -- never mind.

[Jeremey]

I'd have to say the most musically talented would be J Cain, followed by S Smith. Schon is a prodigy, but he's kind of like a savant on guitar. Cain is easily the most well rounded musician, and Smith maybe even more so, but while Smitty as a technical edge, he is nowhere near as proficient as Cain when it comes to composition and melody.

[Don]

I'd have to say the most musically talented would be J Cain, followed by S Smith. Schon is a prodigy, but he's kind of like a savant on guitar. Cain is easily the most well rounded musician, and Smith maybe even more so, but while Smitty as a technical edge, he is nowhere near as proficient as Cain when it comes to composition and melody.

What he said.

[Rockindeano]

Well I think it's funny that no one here picked that geriatric fuck, Valory. Poor fucker, gets no love at all.

[Jeremey]

Well I think it's funny that no one here picked that geriatric fuck, Valory. Poor fucker, gets no love at all.

Ross is a fantastic bass player....More musically talented than Cain, Schon, or Smith? Uhh....I don't think so, LOL.

[Rockindeano]

Well I think it's funny that no one here picked that geriatric fuck, Valory. Poor fucker, gets no love at all.

Ross is a fantastic bass player....More musically talented than Cain, Schon, or Smith? Uhh....I don't think so, LOL.

J, I respectfully disagree regarding Skeletor. Dude can play Journey hit songs yes, but he is a very average player. One of his own bandmates(who I will not name), has even said so. 3 years ago, the band wanted to throw Something to Hide out there and Winds of March, but he couldn't remember it, or couldn't relearn the songs. He can't hold a candle to Marco Mendozza or Randy Jackson.

[Jeremey]

Well I think it's funny that no one here picked that geriatric fuck, Valory. Poor fucker, gets no love at all.

Ross is a fantastic bass player....More musically talented than Cain, Schon, or Smith? Uhh....I don't think so, LOL.

J, I respectfully disagree regarding Skeletor. Dude can play Journey hit songs yes, but he is a very average player. One of his own bandmates(who I will not name), has even said so. 3 years ago, the band wanted to throw Something to Hide out there and Winds of March, but he couldn't remember it, or couldn't relearn the songs. He can't hold a candle to Marco Mendozza or Randy Jackson.

Ross' bass parts are quite challenging for the typical bass player. For virtuosos like Mendoza or Jackson, they can be pretty easy. But they aren't very simple that's for sure, even if he didn't come up with them on his own. I think Ross gets short shrift, and many bass players respect the shit out of him. There were quite a few songs I threw out a Neal that he couldn't remember either, so don't forget some of that stuff hasn't been touched in 25-30 years....I did think it was pretty shitty though that Neal kept muttering about replacing Ross with Marco every time Ross showed up a few minutes late or flubbed a take or generally "rossed out."

[Deb]

Well I think it's funny that no one here picked that geriatric fuck, Valory. Poor fucker, gets no love at all.

Ross is a fantastic bass player....More musically talented than Cain, Schon, or Smith? Uhh....I don't think so, LOL.

J, I respectfully disagree regarding Skeletor. Dude can play Journey hit songs yes, but he is a very average player. One of his own bandmates(who I will not name), has even said so. 3 years ago, the band wanted to throw Something to Hide out there and Winds of March, but he couldn't remember it, or couldn't relearn the songs. He can't hold a candle to Marco Mendozza or Randy Jackson.

Or Billy Sheehan.

[Don]

Can't they just fake the bass, run it from tape?

[Rockindeano]

Well I think it's funny that no one here picked that geriatric fuck, Valory. Poor fucker, gets no love at all.

Ross is a fantastic bass player....More musically talented than Cain, Schon, or Smith? Uhh....I don't think so, LOL.

J, I respectfully disagree regarding Skeletor. Dude can play Journey hit songs yes, but he is a very average player. One of his own bandmates(who I will not name), has even said so. 3 years ago, the band wanted to throw Something to Hide out there and Winds of March, but he couldn't remember it, or couldn't relearn the songs. He can't hold a candle to Marco Mendozza or Randy Jackson.

Ross' bass parts are quite challenging for the typical bass player. For virtuosos like Mendoza or Jackson, they can be pretty easy. But they aren't very simple that's for sure, even if he didn't come up with them on his own. I think Ross gets short shrift, and many bass players respect the shit out of him. There were quite a few songs I threw out a Neal that he couldn't remember either, so don't forget some of that stuff hasn't been touched in 25-30 years....I did think it was pretty shitty though that Neal kept muttering about replacing Ross with Marco every time Ross showed up a few minutes late or flubbed a take or generally "rossed out."

Oh I hear ya, but didn't Neal write a lot of the new music on the bass? I remember reading that here somewhere. As for forgetting shit, yes I also understand that, but that Fucking Neal can hear a song once and play it back perfectly. I saw him do it a couple times. He is just a music freak of sorts.