Neal Schon – The Calling CD

[tater1977]

Neal Schon – The Calling CD


David Farrell

http://planetmosh.com/neal-schon-the-calling-cd/

Neal Schon, the guitarist and ringleader in Journey, is set to release his second solo album, Neal has at some time or another worked with everybody from John Waite and Jeff Scott Soto, Paul Rodgers and Carlos Santana, and Sammy Hagar.

It has been seven years since his last solo release ‘ I On U’ , and once again Neal has teamed up with two other names from his past, ex Journey drummer Steve Smith, and keyboard player Jan Hammer.

Before we go any further, I must point out that this album is a fully instrumental affair, with Neal playing all guitars and Bass, Steve Smith on drums, Jan Hammer on Keyboards, and Igor Len who is a jazz piano player. I am not really a fan of instrumental records, the odd one or two I can live with, but a whole album, that’s takes some doing on my part. However, this is really good, it is really an excuse for Neil to shine, as he wrings the neck out of his guitar, time and time again, backed up by some serious Moog playing from Jan.

This is a record of different styles and textures, from the jazz of ‘Carnival Jazz’ the self-explanatory ‘Six String Waltz’ , the solo spot of ’Irish Field’ which showcases Neal’s touch and finesse at song writing, through to the hard hitting ‘Black Smash’, Neil never stays in the same camp for long, flitting from genre to genre with consummate ease. The full on jazz of “Fifty Six”, is testament to how content he is as a musician to let Igor Len bring something new to the table, and at the same time pushing Neal into the background. ‘Blue Rainbow Sky’ could be on any Journey record if he just added some lyrics, such is his playing on this track, full of emotion and stirring melodies.

This is deserving of another spin in the cd player, think of it as a Calling. 8/10
Track Listing

1. The Calling
2. Carnival Jazz
3. Six String Waltz
4. Irish Field
5. Black Smash
6. Fifty Six
7. True Emotion
8. Tumbleweeds
9. Primal Surge
10. Blue Rainbow Sky
11. Transonic Junk
12. Song Of The Wind II
www.schonmusic.com

[SF-Dano]

Neal Schon – The Calling CD


David Farrell

http://planetmosh.com/neal-schon-the-calling-cd/

Neal Schon, the guitarist and ringleader in Journey, is set to release his second solo album, Neal has at some time or another worked with everybody from John Waite and Jeff Scott Soto, Paul Rodgers and Carlos Santana, and Sammy Hagar.

Second solo album??????? Just a little research please.

[steveo777]

Neal Schon – The Calling CD


David Farrell

http://planetmosh.com/neal-schon-the-calling-cd/

Neal Schon, the guitarist and ringleader in Journey, is set to release his second solo album, Neal has at some time or another worked with everybody from John Waite and Jeff Scott Soto, Paul Rodgers and Carlos Santana, and Sammy Hagar.

Second solo album??????? Just a little research please.

I wonder if he meant second solo album this year? The second one will have Deen on it.

[tater1977]

Been listening to Back Smash & True Emotion...they need some vocals & let Deen sing them...

[Journey/Survivor]

Is the album out already?

If not, then when?

[tater1977]

Is the album out already?

If not, then when?

Just listening to them on his website...

Comes out Oct 22nd....

[scarab]

Is it just me, or does Blue Rainbow Sky
sound a little like the Faithfully intro at the Billy Graham tribute?
Would love to hear Perry's vocals on this one... sounds like classic Journey

[steveo777]

Is it just me, or does Blue Rainbow Sky
sound a little like the Faithfully intro at the Billy Graham tribute?
Would love to hear Perry's vocals on this one... sounds like classic Journey

I'd love to hear ANY vocals on it, even Deen, who we all know is great.

[tater1977]

Is it just me, or does Blue Rainbow Sky
sound a little like the Faithfully intro at the Billy Graham tribute?
Would love to hear Perry's vocals on this one... sounds like classic Journey

Yea the intro up to around :06 on that clip does sound like it....

[tater1977]

Is it just me, or does Blue Rainbow Sky
sound a little like the Faithfully intro at the Billy Graham tribute?
Would love to hear Perry's vocals on this one... sounds like classic Journey

I'd love to hear ANY vocals on it, even Deen, who we all know is great.

+1

[maverick218]

I'd still like to hear Neal do another blues cd or do a Voice 2. All of this digitizing, processing stuff that he has done to his tone gets on my nerves at times. I miss his tone from the first cd up through Departure.

[Journey/Survivor]

Is the album out already?

If not, then when?

Just listening to them on his website...

Comes out Oct 22nd....

Thanks!

Will it be released domestically, or import only?

[Journey/Survivor]

Is the album out already?

If not, then when?

Just listening to them on his website...

Comes out Oct 22nd....

Thanks!

Will it be released domestically, or import only?

I still don't know the answer to that question. Does anyone know the answer?

[Majestic]

Is the album out already?

If not, then when?

Just listening to them on his website...

Comes out Oct 22nd....

Thanks!

Will it be released domestically, or import only?

I still don't know the answer to that question. Does anyone know the answer?

It's will be available on Amazon and itunes. I didn't notice if Amazon offers a physical disc for sale or not.

[Journey/Survivor]

Is the album out already?

If not, then when?

Just listening to them on his website...

Comes out Oct 22nd....

Thanks!

Will it be released domestically, or import only?

I still don't know the answer to that question. Does anyone know the answer?

It's will be available on Amazon and itunes. I didn't notice if Amazon offers a physical disc for sale or not.

Thanks!

[Journey/Survivor]

Does anyone know if the album will be sold on CD in stores?

[Just Saying]

Neal Schon – The Calling CD


David Farrell

http://planetmosh.com/neal-schon-the-calling-cd/

Neal Schon, the guitarist and ringleader in Journey, is set to release his second solo album, Neal has at some time or another worked with everybody from John Waite and Jeff Scott Soto, Paul Rodgers and Carlos Santana, and Sammy Hagar.

It has been seven years since his last solo release ‘ I On U’ , and once again Neal has teamed up with two other names from his past, ex Journey drummer Steve Smith, and keyboard player Jan Hammer.

Before we go any further, I must point out that this album is a fully instrumental affair, with Neal playing all guitars and Bass, Steve Smith on drums, Jan Hammer on Keyboards, and Igor Len who is a jazz piano player. I am not really a fan of instrumental records, the odd one or two I can live with, but a whole album, that’s takes some doing on my part. However, this is really good, it is really an excuse for Neil to shine, as he wrings the neck out of his guitar, time and time again, backed up by some serious Moog playing from Jan.

This is a record of different styles and textures, from the jazz of ‘Carnival Jazz’ the self-explanatory ‘Six String Waltz’ , the solo spot of ’Irish Field’ which showcases Neal’s touch and finesse at song writing, through to the hard hitting ‘Black Smash’, Neil never stays in the same camp for long, flitting from genre to genre with consummate ease. The full on jazz of “Fifty Six”, is testament to how content he is as a musician to let Igor Len bring something new to the table, and at the same time pushing Neal into the background. ‘Blue Rainbow Sky’ could be on any Journey record if he just added some lyrics, such is his playing on this track, full of emotion and stirring melodies.

This is deserving of another spin in the cd player, think of it as a Calling. 8/10
Track Listing

1. The Calling
2. Carnival Jazz
3. Six String Waltz
4. Irish Field
5. Black Smash
6. Fifty Six
7. True Emotion
8. Tumbleweeds
9. Primal Surge
10. Blue Rainbow Sky
11. Transonic Junk
12. Song Of The Wind II
www.schonmusic.com

Is this another walmart promotion?.......I think I seen this album in the dollar store when I went to buy cat litter....Gotta love them dollar stores for things you will never need...The cats love it however !!!

[cammiecam]

I'm guessing this isn't an official video.. he keeps telling folks on his FB page that the "video" is available on iTunes but when I search I don't see anything. I don't need a video, anyway, I just need to hear the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxjMyPhY ... e=youtu.be

[SF-Dano]

The licks Schon plays from 1:21 to 1:47 and again at 2:57 to 3:10 on The Calling are very familiar. Similar to HSAS stuff on I think Valley of the Kings/Giza.

[RocknRoll]

Here's a link to an MSN interview that includes the video. I immediately thought of "I'll Cover You" when I say the Video. It must be the motorcycle, LOL since it certainly doesn't have that middle eastern vibe. The CD is getting a lot of great reviews!

I didn't have any trouble finding the video on Itunes.

http://social.entertainment.msn.com/mus ... 44c1189f93

Neal Schon's wild new music and life

By Mark C. Brown


“Interesting” can’t really capture the tone of the past few years for Journey guitarist/songwriter​ Neal Schon. Due to exposure on “Glee” and “The Sopranos” his band’s music has grown more popular than ever. His romance with “The Real Housewives of DC” star Michaele Salahi made him a prime target of the paparazzi for the first time in his career. And perhaps most unlikely of all: His new solo instrumental album “The Calling” is getting glowing reviews from the critics who used to love to hate Journey.

And that’s not all. Days after Schon and Salahi sat down for a long in-depth interview with MSN Music Schon stopped a Journey concert mid-song to propose to Salahi onstage. In footage you can see only on MSN, here’s the moment – with joy, laughter and passion.

Schon’s new album is out already in Europe and hits U.S. shores on Monday, Oct. 22 and reunites him with sometimes-collaborat​or Jan Hammer. “The Calling” was recorded at Berkeley’s legendary Fantasy Studios (AKA “The House That Creedence Built” and the place where Journey’s smash “Escape” album was recorded). You can hear song excerpts here.

It’s a crazy ride, but it always has been a crazy ride since Schon, 58, joined Santana at age 15, then branched off to found Journey. Schon and Salahi spent most of an hour on the phone from a tour stop in Oklahoma to talk about the twists and turns happening more than four decades since first Schoen took the stage.
Schon wasn’t generous with just his time. He has agreed to give away his personal, autographed, played-onstage guitar to one lucky MSN reader. Email your full contact information to MSNPrize@hotmail.com​. Make the subject line "Neal Schon guitar giveaway." We’ll pick a winner on Friday, Oct. 26.

Schon speaks quickly and forcefully; these are his words, sliced, diced and edited for length. As he says: “It was a really crazy last year but a really great year. Right now I’m really the best I’ve ever felt in my life about everything. In everything.”

But don’t worry, Journey fans. While he wants to get in some solo dates, Journey still has two years of touring on the books, and it won’t end after that. “The band is always gonna be there. I see no end to the band. There’s no reason to end the band.”

MSN: You could just tour constantly with Journey and let the money pour in. What makes you take a side trip like the new solo album?

Neal Schon: “When I’m in a very inspired mode, which comes from playing a lot. I’d just completed the last 'Eclipse' record with Journey in the studio and I felt like staying in there. So that’s exactly what I did. I completed two solo albums after the Journey record. I had a year off from touring so I decided to take advantage of my time off. I’ve never been one to sit around and not do anything. Especially if I’m inspired like I was. …if I get into the studio mode I get motivated to keep on creating. I can’t sleep at night. My fingers are going, my arms are going, my feet are going. I’m constantly writing….I have a lot of looping machines around the house….I get an idea and I lay it down. When it comes time to go in the studio I had all these riffs and licks laid down – hundreds of them. I plugged it in the board and started listening to all the ideas….one out of 20 is probably worth listening to. It always helps to play with really amazing musicians.”

How do you approach guitar solos for a project like this? Your biggest Journey songs are known for very economical, distinctive solos with a certain tone. Here you seem to jam out more.

Neal Schon: “I did jam, that’s exactly what I did. A lot of the stuff that I wrote the melody is really embedded in the actual recording. It’s in the chords I wrote. The more melodic stuff like ‘Six String Waltz’ and ‘True Emotion,’ they were already sitting there. The song for Ronnie James Dio, "Blue Rainbow Sky," it was sitting there. Maybe on the melodic stuff I took a little more time to think about ‘Where do I want that note to go right now?’ I laid down the rhythm guitar, Steve Smith laid down the wailing drums, and right away before I was even thinking I did two or three solos on it…. That’s the beauty of making a record like this… that’s the magic of a project like this. It’s not thought-out, it is creating on the spot.”

How did that work?

Neal Schon: “I recorded just the drums. Right after Steve Smith laid down his final drum tracks to a rhythm guitar I started taking some passes at what I was going to play. You tend to play a little more openly and freely without the bass laid down because you don’t know where the root note is. Then I started moving the bass around… to embellish the guitar solo rather than the guitar playing to the drums and the bass. It’s a different approach altogether. But I will do it again. It freed up the guitar completely.”

It’s interesting this late in your career that you’re still trying new techniques when you don’t really need to.

Neal Schon: “I do need to. I just never stop learning, I feel. I really respect guys like Jeff Beck and B.B. King, guys who have been doing it all their lives. They just aspire to get better throughout their career and not settle for what they’ve accomplished. Have I accomplished a lot and have lots of platinum records? Yeah, I do. Are any of them on the walls of my house? No. They’re in boxes in my attic.”

How did the events of your personal life affect the music?

Neal Schon: “I’m just at a very productive state of my life, period. It was a really crazy last year but a really great year. Right now I’m really the best I ever felt in my life about everything. In everything. When I looked at the sky the night Ronnie died – I live in this gorgeous area in Marin County with 10 acres – and it was an electric blue rainbow sky. It was just so vivid… I just thought ‘That’s Ronnie.’ That’s where the song really came from.”

Michaele Salahi: “My favorite song on ‘The Calling’ is ‘Irish Field’ because Neal did it for me. I’m Irish. It’s a beautiful album. (Each song) just touches your soul, then you’re on to the next.”

Your new video for "The Calling" was filmed at your home in Marin. Does Michaele’s television experience make you more of a natural in front of the camera?

Neal Schon: “I think so. I’ve never been a poser. I hate taking pictures. I love photographers such as Robert Knight who just click very quickly. We did a shoot with Robert down in L.A. and we were done in 10 minutes. I just love that. It’s the same in the recording studio. If you’re gonna get something, you’ve got to get it early. The longer that it goes on you’re just trying too hard. … this record doesn’t come from that… it’s got to have some substance, some real melody and some soul. Otherwise it’s just gymnastics.”

How do you name instrumental songs? The best I’d ever come up with would be “Song 1,” “Song 2,” “Song 3.”

Neal Schon: “(Laughs). It was a long process for me. I didn’t have titles. My titles were ‘Song Number 1, 2 and 3’ when I put them down. It’s a tough thing, actually, to come up with good titles. In the 11th hour I pushed myself to come up with titles. They came very late. ‘Six String Waltz’ is a waltz – it sounded like an older Journey song to me or a power ballad. … Some were simple like that.”

What’s it like to get great reviews now when back in the day critics took great glee in slamming your work?

Neal Schon: “I don’t know! I’m certainly digging it (laughs). Maybe it’s the fact that I’m older and more mature as a player. Possibly I’m getting to the better artistic side of myself, learning how to express myself and use all the tools around me. It’s always who you’re playing with, I have to say that.”

Journey was always business-savvy. You were the first to license your songs to video games back in the early ‘80s.

Neal Schon: “I would really take no credit for that at all. Herbie Herbert, our old manager, this was all a vision of Herbie’s. At the time when he told me about a video game I said ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ I was just not into it. I didn’t get it and I still don’t quite to this day. But give credit where credit’s due. He had the vision to do things for us. We got highly criticized by critics and Rolling Stone and everybody that we were commercially a cop-out band because … we were the first band to be sponsored by anybody. Now they look at it and if you don’t have a sponsor you’re nobody. Budweiser actually sponsored us. They put literature on every seat of every show we played about who the band was, our history, to make people familiar with us when we were first starting to tour.”

And years later “Don’t Stop Believin’” cemented your place in history with ‘The Sopranos.’

Neal Schon: “’The Sopranos’ was definitely a moment. I remember receiving an email maybe six months prior to when it actually came down that they were considering using this song. I didn’t pay any attention to it. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, no big deal. I wasn’t around the TV to watch the last episode and my phone blew up the next day (laughs).”

And iTunes blew up the next day too.

Neal Schon: “Yeah! Unbelievable! That song and the dimensions it has taken on isn’t anything any of us could have preconceived.”
You alluded to a possible reality TV project. Is that on the radar?

Neal Schon: “We’re both curious to all the offers we’ve received and are looking for the right one, a comfortable situation where we can do what we want to do, be ourselves and still have control. You don’t want it to turn into some monster. You need to be in control. I’m not about to sign away my life to anyone."

Michaele Salahi: “Neil is kind of guiding me. I’ve been through that whole journey, literally. So I’m trusting in him. He’s been such a big part of my life for 16 years. I know he has the wisdom and the talent to guide us to the right thing. We’re just excited and thankful that people are interested. We definitely have a Ricky and Lucy thing going, that kind of vibe.”

Neal Schon: “We’re always on the up side. It’s not about drama, even though all this drama followed us around for months and months and months. It’s over. I wouldn’t want to do the same scenario that you see a lot where people are in your house 24/7. I’m not comfortable with that.”

Michaele Salahi: “Right!”

Neal Schon: “I’m open to letting the landscape be behind us, not being pigeonholed into ‘OK, now we’re in this part of the house, hang out in the kitchen”… it just can’t be so stereotyped and generic.”

Michaele Salahi: “When I first came the media storm was so big. He was like ‘Oh my gosh, what’s this all about?’ Now we have such a good time, like we are with you right now – just candid and fun and ourselves. At first he was like ‘What is going on?’”

Neal Schon: “I have to tell you I learned a lot about the media in this past year that I had no clue about before. I figured it out. I really do believe I have a grip on it now and understand it. It was a different beast to take on in the very beginning – it was like ‘What the (expletive) is going on?’ For real.”

How do you feel now that the storm has subsided a bit?

Neal Schon: “I love having my peace. I love the seclusion and the peace. We’re not going to give that up for any (TV network) or any amount (of money).”

Michaele Salahi: “We’re having a great time. Whether we’re on the road or at home…there’s 16 years between Neal and I. People ask ‘How are you still on the road? How do you deal with it?’ A lot of my friends are really girlie, you know, from the ‘Real Housewives.’ You know what? When you’re in love with someone and you have that bond it doesn’t matter if you’re sitting on a deck at home in Marin or you’re out on a bus or a jet. Wherever. You’re with the person you love.”

[RocknRoll]

BTW. Here's another interesting interview:

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/ ... ing-565627

Interview: Neal Schon talks guitars, Hendrix, Santana and new album, The Calling
"The new tunes evolved in a nice, organic way. I didn't have to overthink things."
Joe BossoOctober 17, 2012, 15:08 GMT

You'd think that a guy who joined Santana at the age of 15 (this after turning down an offer from Eric Clapton to be one of Dominos, as in Derek And The Dominos), and who's sold upwards of 80 million albums with Journey, could get a little jaded. But Neal Schon admits that he's enjoying the positive buzz surrounding his new solo album, The Calling.

"I'm getting a lot of great feedback," Schon says with a laugh. "And it really pretty cool, especially when you consider how I made this record. It was all done very spontaneously. I sort of winged it and didn't pre-plan it. I think that's why it sounds so fresh."

The 12 instrumentals that make up The Calling are a lively, deeply soulful blend of furious rock, funk, jazz and blues, which Schon cut with a tight group of musicians: keyboardist Igor Len, along with two noted players from his past, former Journey drummer Steve Smith, and keyboard wiz Jan Hammer.

Currently, Schon is in the midst of an extensive US tour with Journey, but he sat down recently to talk with MusicRadar about how the new album came together, what it was like working with drummer Smith after all these years and how the death of Ronnie James Dio influenced one of the new songs. Plus, he took the hot seat to answer a batch of your questions.

You didn't really have full demos when you started recording?

"I had a bunch of riffs on a looping machine. That's how I like to work – I get ideas and lay them down, but I don't really work out whole songs. I would go through the riffs and pick out the ones I really liked. Certain ones jumped out as being really strong."

How did you and Steve flesh out the riffs to turn them into full songs?

"We pretty much jammed on them. The two tracks that Steve co-wrote with me, he had little chord pads where he did the tablas and marimbas. After he played me that stuff, I jumped right in. He and I have always been like that – somebody will play something, and we just start creating.

"Then I had Igor in the other corner working on orchestrations. It worked out really well. Steve would loop his drums on a groove, and then I'd lay out the landscape with rhythm guitar. I took things from there. The new tunes evolved in a nice, organic way. I didn't have to overthink things."

"There's really nothing I don't like about guitars," says Schon, seen here on stage with Journey. © Marty Moffatt

You have such a history with Steve. What does he bring to your music that's different from other drummers?

"I've always really liked playing with jazz drummers, whether it's Steve Smith or Omar Hakim, and I like rock drummers, too. Deen Castronovo – he's a monster at what he does, and one of the best. Through the years, Steve has said that he keeps bettering himself as a drummer because he studies so many different styles. I remember years back he was studying Bonham. He would play for me, and he sounded exactly like John Bonham. He analyzed what John did and really broke it all down.

"So what I like is how musical Steve is when he plays – and thinks. He's a real 'outside-the-box' guy. He's not just all drum chops; he's musical, he's about feel. He's into making things groove. There's a slinkiness, and openness to his playing – and it's on the record, too. Between the guitar and the drums, there's a looseness, but it's tight. It's tight in that we didn't have songs when we walked in the studio, but when you hear the record, it's hard to believe that we didn't. It's complete."

Jan Hammer is another guy you've played with before.

"Well, I don't want to take anything away from Igor, who is on everything but two tracks. He's remarkable. I really dug the vibe of having acoustic piano or Rhoads piano – there's an earthiness that Igor brings to his playing. But after I listened to the song Tumbleweeds, there's a melody that I was playing on the guitar, and when I heard it I thought, That's Jan. That's his inspiration to me.

"So I sent him an MP3 and asked him if he'd play a couple of solos for me. It was funny – he didn't answer back right away. I was staring to wonder what was happening, but then he sent it back done a few days later with a note that said, 'I played some really cool, melodic stuff and some really ass-kickin' stuff here!' [Laughs] I love that. Jan is amazing. You know, you're only as good as the people you're playing with – always."

Speaking of playing with good people, you play bass on the album. How does Neal Schon the guitarist rate Neal Schon, bassist?

[Laughs] "I don't think I'm anything spectacular on the bass. I kind of went old school and did what I call 'tuba bass' on this, filling out the bottom, much like Noel Redding did when he played with Jimi Hendrix – or even when Jimi himself picked up the bass, like on Watchtower. I thought about using somebody really good, but I like the air that I got. It allowed the space to be there in a cool way.

"Listen to rap records and R&B records that are out there today – you hear a lot more foot than bass. Sometimes the bass comes and goes, but they tune the foot, the kick, to whatever note it is they want to hit. I liked that concept of Smith and I being able to create, and then I laid down the bass later."


You brought up Hendrix, which reminds me that you said you thought there was a Jimi vibe in the song True Emotion. Did that hit you later, or were you thinking Hendrix while recording?

"I'd be silly to say not. [Laughs] Even the chords in the background and the 6/8-type feel that Smith implied on the drums, it's all there from early Hendrix records. Jimi was a huge influence on my playing. There's no denying that. I think everybody would have to admit that, and if they didn't they'd be lying."

Blue Rainbow Sky is dedicated to Ronnie James Dio. What's the story there?

"It goes back to the '80s when I did the Hear'n Aid thing with him. Ronnie really wanted me to come down and play with all of these metal guitar players. I know I can play that style, but I was a little hesitant – I'd been out late partying, and I hadn't slept, and so I tried to back out of it. Ronnie was like, 'No. Neal, you need to come down here.'

"I did it. I grabbed my guitar and jumped on the next flight down to LA from San Francisco. Ronnie promised me he'd get me in and out so I could get back home and get some sleep. So I went down, and there was this line of guitar players all waiting their turns. Ronnie put me at the top of the line, right in front of Yngwie – he was turning up the heat a little [laughs]. I had a great conversation with Yngwie. It was my first time really talking to him; he was very cool. But it was taking hours – people were doing punches. Every four bars they'd punch a guitar solo. So I told Yngwie, 'I'm going to go in there, get a good sound, I'll play two solos and I'm out of here.' And that's what I did. I didn't think – I just played.

"I knew Ronnie ever since then, and I'd run into him every now and then. When I heard that he'd passed, I went outside – I live in Marin, and I get these beautiful sunsets – and on this particular night the sky was so blue, like there was an electric blue rainbow. From one side of my land to the other side, it was turquoise, electric blue, royal blue, light blue – it was a rainbow of blue. And I just said, 'That's Ronnie.'"

The Coral sitar in the song Fifty Six is a nice touch.

"Yeah, it sounds good. I'm not a really good sitar player, but the Coral sitar is like a guitar, and it's got the sympathetic strings. That's one of the songs where Steve Smith came up with a tabla part, and so I pulled out Coral. I tuned the sympathetic strings to the melody – it sounds more like a sitar than an electric sitar, which has a bit of a different sound."

If given the chance to go back in time and jam with Hendrix, Schon admits that he'd play "anything." © Travis Shinn

Let's segue to our reader questions. Sonny Mendez asks, What guitars and pickups are you using in the studio?

"On this album, I used three different Paul Reed Smiths that he made for me. One was a 22 fret singlecut, and it had an older-style PAF in the treble position. They were all set up with Fernandes Sustainers and DiMarzio Fast Track in the neck position. The other ones were 24 fret singlecuts, and they had Seymour Duncan Custom Customs in the bridge position. A couple of them had Roland GR synth pickups on them."

RT Guitar Man wants to know, If you could go back in time and jam with Hendrix, what song would you want to play?

[Laughs] "That's a good one. Man, you know, I'd love to play any song with him. When I joined Santana, we were three months away from cutting a record at Electric Lady, and there was talk that he was going to come in and jam with us. Then he passed, unfortunately. We went to that studio and cut a record with Eddie Kramer. It was eerie. I don't think we could get past the fact that Jimi wasn't there, so we packed up and went back to San Francisco to work at Columbia Studios.

"But to answer that question – I'd want to play anything with Jimi Hendrix, but if I had the chance, I'd love to actually work on something new with him. Creating a song with Jimi would be amazing."

Lenny H asks, Who is the last guitarist who made a strong impression on you?

"There's so many good guitarists. All the old guys who are from my era – Jimi, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Clapton – and then the blues guys like Albert King, BB King, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray… I love so many of them. Somebody new… I've always loved Lukather's work. And Mike Landau, he's an amazing player. It's mind-boggling how much feel and creativity he has."

Getting on the good foot with Journey. © A. Patel/Corbis

Cal Griffin wants to know, What's the one thing you don't like about guitars? That they go out of tune? That you have to change strings? What annoys you about them?

[Laughs] "There's really nothing I don't like about guitars. I've played crappy ones and great ones, and to me, they're all great. I have the best tech in the world, Adam Day, but before I had a tech, I'd change all my strings myself – I never had a problem doing that. And even today, when I'm in the studio and if Adam isn't around, I'll still do that. It's fine. I love guitars, everything about them."

Scott Dehnman asks, What kind of practice routine do you have at home, and is there any special set of warm-ups you do on the guitar before a show?

"I just doodle a lot. I try to get my fingers agile and moving. I play a lot of fast stuff up and down the neck. Sometimes I play longer than others – I practice a lot on the bus. I don't do scales or anything like that; I'm not a real scale guy. But I will practice to a looping machine. I'll get a drum groove going, and then I'll just blow over it."

Rick Whalen asks, When was the last time you played on stage or in private with Carlos Santana? Do you think you two might ever work together again?

"Carlos and I talk all the time now. I've always loved his playing, and I've been listening to his new record a lot – it's fantastic. It's up to him, but I'd love to play with him any time. It'd be an honor.

"The last time I did play with him was in the '80s, maybe around '81 or '82. There was a Santana reunion in the Bay Area, and I got to play with him a lot that night. It was so great. I've always enjoyed playing with that band. The percussion is always something else to work with. The original guys in the band had a magical thing going on. So yeah, I'd play with Carlos any time."

[RocknRoll]

WTH! MSN changed the video, it was originally the entire video for "The Calling" Oh well, Itunes it is!

[brandonx76]

Is anyone able to download this from LiveNation?

I keep getting an error, was supposedly released at 10/19 12:00 AM ET...says no downloads available. Sent them an email which seems to be the only way to get in touch with them and no response.

[Majestic]

Is anyone able to download this from LiveNation?

I keep getting an error, was supposedly released at 10/19 12:00 AM ET...says no downloads available. Sent them an email which seems to be the only way to get in touch with them and no response.

Before is was supposed to be released 10/19 it supposed to be released in September. I emailed livenation several times at that time and go no replies, then had to call them and still not no resolution. I demanded a refund or the album and got neither. Good luck dealing with them, and anyone else, I wouldn't recommend buying anything from them. Customer service is deplorable.

[Majestic]

The Calling is available at Amazon now! Just got it, and giving it first listen.


Recommend you all avoid the live nation offering, what a mess! Amazon purchase was easy and flawless, and I'm sure itunes is good too.

[steveo777]

The Calling is available at Amazon now! Just got it, and giving it first listen.


Recommend you all avoid the live nation offering, what a mess! Amazon purchase was easy and flawless, and I'm sure itunes is good too.

Thanks....I just ordered it from Amazon. Says I should have it by the 25th. I'll have to call them about their free shipping bait that was not there when I checked out, but it's all good. I have another album for my collection from one of my favorites.

[Majestic]

The Calling is available at Amazon now! Just got it, and giving it first listen.


Recommend you all avoid the live nation offering, what a mess! Amazon purchase was easy and flawless, and I'm sure itunes is good too.

Thanks....I just ordered it from Amazon. Says I should have it by the 25th. I'll have to call them about their free shipping bait that was not there when I checked out, but it's all good. I have another album for my collection from one of my favorites.

You can always order the digital album for while you wait. I'm listening to the digital album and won't be buying a disk. So far, so good!

[steveo777]

The Calling is available at Amazon now! Just got it, and giving it first listen.


Recommend you all avoid the live nation offering, what a mess! Amazon purchase was easy and flawless, and I'm sure itunes is good too.

Thanks....I just ordered it from Amazon. Says I should have it by the 25th. I'll have to call them about their free shipping bait that was not there when I checked out, but it's all good. I have another album for my collection from one of my favorites.

You can always order the digital album for while you wait. I'm listening to the digital album and won't be buying a disk. So far, so good!

I cancelled the order, then bought the download. That was probably the better idea. If I get too obsessed with it I'll order the hard copy later.

[brandonx76]

Live nation - what a joke...4 days and counting, no response from their email, and their customer service says they aren't the same as "Music Today" - this is purely principle at this point and over $10. Bad stuff..stay away

[STORY_TELLER]

I just ordered the CD from Amazon. I always buy everything Neal oriented on CD in the hopes of one day getting him to sign my collection. I buy all other music digital.

Can't wait for the release!