JSS's Time in Journey

[eshepherd2000]

This would have been the direction I expected writing sessions with JSS, NS and JC to have taken.... It rocks, is melodic and Neal gets to shred on it... it sounds very "familiar"... yet is a departure from the more polished recent Journey sound. I think this is what Neal should have been pursuing.. and has always been pursuing... a less keyboard heavy Journey.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOAW6Q75FNw

I really liked this song....there are a lot of vocals in this tune.

[Ehwmatt]

Neal knows where his bread is buttered. Journey hasn't gotten a lot of opportunities to reinvent themselves, and what few they had they squandered, either by their own incompetence or management's. I firmly believe that had they put 'Resonate' front and center, minus the minute of Gregorian chants, it might have done something. It's a driving, pulsating song. Has more balls than a pool table.

It's a good tune (one of the few from Eclipse), but I don't think it's got killer single written all over it by any means. It's more in the vein of some lighter prog rock (think some of Rush or even Dream Theater's poppier numbers). I don't really see them dropping the ball there. Now, "Anything Is Possible" (minus the outro solo wanking) might have been a missed opportunity.

[Gideon]

Neal knows where his bread is buttered. Journey hasn't gotten a lot of opportunities to reinvent themselves, and what few they had they squandered, either by their own incompetence or management's. I firmly believe that had they put 'Resonate' front and center, minus the minute of Gregorian chants, it might have done something. It's a driving, pulsating song. Has more balls than a pool table.

It's a good tune (one of the few from Eclipse), but I don't think it's got killer single written all over it by any means. It's more in the vein of some lighter prog rock (think some of Rush or even Dream Theater's poppier numbers). I don't really see them dropping the ball there. Now, "Anything Is Possible" (minus the outro solo wanking) might have been a missed opportunity.

Maybe it's my personal preference creeping in, but 'Resonate' has a modern, driving beat to it that I think would have lent itself well to modern audiences. Killer single? Not really, but it has the Journey staples (killer vocals, great chorus, etc.) and it genuinely rocks. It's by far the most popular track of Eclipse for my friends, but they might be atypical.

[Deb]

This would have been the direction I expected writing sessions with JSS, NS and JC to have taken.... It rocks, is melodic and Neal gets to shred on it... it sounds very "familiar"... yet is a departure from the more polished recent Journey sound. I think this is what Neal should have been pursuing.. and has always been pursuing... a less keyboard heavy Journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOAW6Q75FNw

EXACTLY the direction I was hoping for too. Would have loved to have heard at least one album out of a JSS fronted Journey. But the princess of pop was not about to have that.

[slucero]

This would have been the direction I expected writing sessions with JSS, NS and JC to have taken.... It rocks, is melodic and Neal gets to shred on it... it sounds very "familiar"... yet is a departure from the more polished recent Journey sound. I think this is what Neal should have been pursuing.. and has always been pursuing... a less keyboard heavy Journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOAW6Q75FNw

EXACTLY the direction I was hoping for too. Would have loved to have heard at least one album out of a JSS fronted Journey. But the princess of pop was not about to have that.

I think its important to note how synths were used in the 80's to "soften" a bands sound, and make them more commercial... Hammond organ, especially to older musicians was viewed as traditional.. whilst synths were not. When JC joined the Hammond went away, and NS guitar sound was softened in the recording mixes, changing the overall sound of the band.

[Gideon]

This would have been the direction I expected writing sessions with JSS, NS and JC to have taken.... It rocks, is melodic and Neal gets to shred on it... it sounds very "familiar"... yet is a departure from the more polished recent Journey sound. I think this is what Neal should have been pursuing.. and has always been pursuing... a less keyboard heavy Journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOAW6Q75FNw

EXACTLY the direction I was hoping for too. Would have loved to have heard at least one album out of a JSS fronted Journey. But the princess of pop was not about to have that.

What's Madonna have to do with this?

[wednesday's child]

Maybe it's my personal preference creeping in, but 'Resonate' has a modern, driving beat to it that I think would have lent itself well to modern audiences. Killer single? Not really, but it has the Journey staples (killer vocals, great chorus, etc.) and it genuinely rocks. It's by far the most popular track of Eclipse for my friends, but they might be atypical.

Resonate?
Overprocessing of the vocals stands out in what's for me a sad case of overproduction.
Give that fucker a proper intro, a catchy break, bring the bass forward, and it's commerically viable.
Nothing a pseudo-viral "re-mix" couldn't have acomplished.
It's the biggest could-have-been on that frustrating album.

Human Feel also had potential in its rawest state, but needed more-fundamental improvements. A
sparser first verse (and softer vocals to match) would have provided listeners with welcome audial
relief and contrast. Some lyrics try to be too clever and wind up making me cringe.

[jestor92]

Journey's rebirth was because of DSB. It doesn't matter who the vocalist at the time was, the band would've road the wave of success behind DSB.

As for JSS, I was at a concert with Augeri about 2 weeks before they gave him the boot and the band was basically dead on stage with him. There was no life what so ever. When JSS came aboard the band started moving and showing some energy on stage which translated to some very good shows. When Arnel came aboard the band had a bit of energy still in them, but up to the current point in time they're back to the area they were with Augeri which is just standing in place nodding heads and being a boring ass show.

It's also worth mentioning that there was talk of the band doing an album with JSS in which there would've been half covers and half new matierial or something like that. The Revelations album to this day I believe only sold as much as it did because it was released at the right time at the height of DSB's rebirth. The GH re-recorded was what pushed that album's sales. I mean shit the fucking GH record still pops up in the top 200 every now and then. At what was it $12 for an album of new songs, a live DVD, and the classics it was a steal for the general public.

As a fan of JSS's music I'm glad he got out when he did because in the boots his voice is being strained hitting the notes that the Journey catelog has. Had he stayed long term I believe the music would've killed his voice. I'm interested if they could've had a bigger rebirth then they had with Revelation if JSS stayed in the band because Revelation would've been recorded with his voice. The songs would've been better due to an extra song writer. The re-recordings would've been similar, but with a deeper voice. I'm curious as to whether or not they could've had a Sammy Hagar/VH like rebirth in which the singer isn't a dead ringer for the original vocalist, but the band still makes classic sounding music. We'll never know though which is a shame. At least on the bright side we've got the W.E.T. release and Damage Control along with the upcoming W.E.T. release out of the deal. I personally feel both Damage Control and W.E.T. are better then anything Journey has put out with Arnel singing, but that's just my taste.

[jestor92]

Neal knows where his bread is buttered. Journey hasn't gotten a lot of opportunities to reinvent themselves, and what few they had they squandered, either by their own incompetence or management's. I firmly believe that had they put 'Resonate' front and center, minus the minute of Gregorian chants, it might have done something. It's a driving, pulsating song. Has more balls than a pool table.

It's a good tune (one of the few from Eclipse), but I don't think it's got killer single written all over it by any means. It's more in the vein of some lighter prog rock (think some of Rush or even Dream Theater's poppier numbers). I don't really see them dropping the ball there. Now, "Anything Is Possible" (minus the outro solo wanking) might have been a missed opportunity.

Anything is Possible was the most "Journey" sounding song on Eclipse, but it like everything they've had with Arnel and even going back to some of the Augeri releases was plagued by poor lyrics. There is only so many times they can release a song that has something to do with "state of grace" or something along those lines before they need to take the lyric out back and put it out of its misery. Eclipse musically I thought was great. Lyrically there weren't any hooks on the album and that is one of the things that killed it for me. The other thing I didn't like about Eclipse was just like Revelation Arnel seemed to over sing a lot of the songs. The dude has a great voice when he's singing in a mid range key, but when he tries to get in the classic SP soaring kind of voice it just sounds weak. The over singing was the main reason why I enjoyed Augeri's era more then Arnel's era. Augeri understood his limitations and wasn't a complete SP copy cat. He knew his limitations vocally and how to work around them. Arnel IMO hasn't found his limitations and when he over sings the music it kills the song for me.

[kgdjpubs]

I'm interested if they could've had a bigger rebirth then they had with Revelation if JSS stayed in the band because Revelation would've been recorded with his voice. The songs would've been better due to an extra song writer. The re-recordings would've been similar, but with a deeper voice. I'm curious as to whether or not they could've had a Sammy Hagar/VH like rebirth in which the singer isn't a dead ringer for the original vocalist, but the band still makes classic sounding music. We'll never know though which is a shame.

The answer is no because the question is "will radio push anything Journey without Perry on vocals". How good the album could have been is basically useless.

Could JSS/Journey have worked? Maybe...in 1989-90. That was the time for a clean break from the Perry sound if you wanted to go that way, and JSS would be a very good option. There was an extremely slim chance that the Chalfant/Schon/Cain/Rolie lineup could have worked in 1994-95.

By the time you went through a 10-year break, had the musical climate change, then had Perry come back to record an album, you were stuck with him from a new music standpoint.

The only way around it at that point is if you hired someone who was a name themselves that could cover the Journey catalog like Marc Anthony. That would be the only way at that time that you had a chance of breaking away from the old material and being able to mix in a fair amount of new stuff over time.

As far a touring lineup goes, basically anyone who comes close to the Perry sound (which JSS generally managed to achieve), but JSS is an unknown in the US, and therein lies the problem. Good singer, nice guy....but no name recognition, so you end up in the media as "Journey has hired an 80s heavy metal singer named Jeff Scott Soto to replace **insert last singer**".

[Gideon]

Anything is Possible was the most "Journey" sounding song on Eclipse, but it like everything they've had with Arnel and even going back to some of the Augeri releases was plagued by poor lyrics. There is only so many times they can release a song that has something to do with "state of grace" or something along those lines before they need to take the lyric out back and put it out of its misery.

Interesting. Personally, this band has ascended to new heights since Perry's departure in the lyric department (not saying that his absence is the reason for this, though). Human Feel is an excellent example of a diverse song with cogent lyrics about a relevant worldwide phenomenon: marginalization of human interaction through the digital age.

Now in terms of hooks and other aspects of songwriting, there's no doubt that the band is missing something since Perry, a void that's only ever been filled by Jack Blades. But lyrically, they're way ahead of what they used to be.

[Gideon]

Maybe it's my personal preference creeping in, but 'Resonate' has a modern, driving beat to it that I think would have lent itself well to modern audiences. Killer single? Not really, but it has the Journey staples (killer vocals, great chorus, etc.) and it genuinely rocks. It's by far the most popular track of Eclipse for my friends, but they might be atypical.

Resonate?
Overprocessing of the vocals stands out in what's for me a sad case of overproduction.
Give that fucker a proper intro, a catchy break, bring the bass forward, and it's commerically viable.
Nothing a pseudo-viral "re-mix" couldn't have acomplished.
It's the biggest could-have-been on that frustrating album.

Human Feel also had potential in its rawest state, but needed more-fundamental improvements. A
sparser first verse (and softer vocals to match) would have provided listeners with welcome audial
relief and contrast. Some lyrics try to be too clever and wind up making me cringe.

Definitely with you about bringing the bass (and rhythm guitar, for that matter) up on 'Resonate'. Great tune.

[slucero]

Maybe it's my personal preference creeping in, but 'Resonate' has a modern, driving beat to it that I think would have lent itself well to modern audiences. Killer single? Not really, but it has the Journey staples (killer vocals, great chorus, etc.) and it genuinely rocks. It's by far the most popular track of Eclipse for my friends, but they might be atypical.

Resonate?
Overprocessing of the vocals stands out in what's for me a sad case of overproduction.
Give that fucker a proper intro, a catchy break, bring the bass forward, and it's commerically viable.
Nothing a pseudo-viral "re-mix" couldn't have acomplished.
It's the biggest could-have-been on that frustrating album.

Human Feel also had potential in its rawest state, but needed more-fundamental improvements. A
sparser first verse (and softer vocals to match) would have provided listeners with welcome audial
relief and contrast. Some lyrics try to be too clever and wind up making me cringe.

Definitely with you about bringing the bass (and rhythm guitar, for that matter) up on 'Resonate'. Great tune.

Interesting, especially considering it wasn't mixed by Kevin Shirley... but David Kalmusky, who's most notable work is with Emerson Drive. The guys a great mixer for the genre he's primarily mixed in.

I would have liked to hear Neal riff a bit on the second verses of Human Feel... sort of a "call and response" to the lead vocal.... even still the song meanders...

Honestly.. Anything Is Possible.. is as close to "classic" Journey as anything on Eclipse. I love the Intro.. very retro Neal. Then the step up to the bridge, and back to the root for the chorus. Something has changed in how they write choruses.. they appear to finish the chorus going down.. which is not the seam as they used to do in their heydey... and while it concludes the chorus.. it also brings it "down"..

E - B - D# - D - A
E - B - G - D - A


Eclipse is well recorded. The mixes just sound very "sterile"... definitely not live. Now they very well could have recorded the songs at the same time in the studio together.. but the mixes don't sound that way, and it may just be a mix thing.

The other thing that sticks out to me on Eclipse is the vocal melody. No blaming Arnel here.. he's simply doing the best he can. But great Journey songs have great vocal melodies... besides the song melody. Think of AYWI.. at 1:45 is what I'm talking about. The DD is strewn with great vocal melodies.


That is what is still missing. I wish AP could stay with SP for a month.. AP is so humble and I'm sure SP would take to him like a dad to a son.


AP would come back a different singer.

[Tito]

Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin.

You're 5 years late. This debate, discussion, etc. was had over 5 years ago. Let it go already, folks.

[jestor92]

Anything is Possible was the most "Journey" sounding song on Eclipse, but it like everything they've had with Arnel and even going back to some of the Augeri releases was plagued by poor lyrics. There is only so many times they can release a song that has something to do with "state of grace" or something along those lines before they need to take the lyric out back and put it out of its misery.

Interesting. Personally, this band has ascended to new heights since Perry's departure in the lyric department (not saying that his absence is the reason for this, though). Human Feel is an excellent example of a diverse song with cogent lyrics about a relevant worldwide phenomenon: marginalization of human interaction through the digital age.

Now in terms of hooks and other aspects of songwriting, there's no doubt that the band is missing something since Perry, a void that's only ever been filled by Jack Blades. But lyrically, they're way ahead of what they used to be.

Content wise they might be better. Hook wise they've been weak for years.

[Jeremey]

Anything is Possible was the most "Journey" sounding song on Eclipse, but it like everything they've had with Arnel and even going back to some of the Augeri releases was plagued by poor lyrics. There is only so many times they can release a song that has something to do with "state of grace" or something along those lines before they need to take the lyric out back and put it out of its misery.

Interesting. Personally, this band has ascended to new heights since Perry's departure in the lyric department (not saying that his absence is the reason for this, though). Human Feel is an excellent example of a diverse song with cogent lyrics about a relevant worldwide phenomenon: marginalization of human interaction through the digital age.

Now in terms of hooks and other aspects of songwriting, there's no doubt that the band is missing something since Perry, a void that's only ever been filled by Jack Blades. But lyrically, they're way ahead of what they used to be.

Perry's biggest songwriting contributions were never in lyrics, but in framing the melodies and hooks that he, Cain, and Schon came up with. The lyrical depth you're hearing is just a result of Cain's maturity as a writer. And the thing that's been "missing" since Perry has been that magical finesse that he had to take any bits and scraps of whatever he had to work with and spin it into melodic gold. I've mentioned before, the vocals on Eclipse and Revelation sound very much like Cain is plunking out a melody line on his piano and teaching it note by note to Pineda. There's a giant, gaping hole in the songs where that magic used to be. Call it whatever you want, but anyone other than Perry in that band – Augeri, JSS, me when writing "NWA" with the guys, or Pineda – has strictly been to take what Cain delivers, set the Melody Interpretation Processor to "Perry" and run it wet as you can.

[YoungJRNY]

I've been on this board since 2006, so lets keep talking about the same old TIRING argument about this over and over and over again. I swear there can't be anymore original retellings of a thread like this if we tried.

EDIT: Nice work Tito. Beat me to it.

[steveo777]

I've been on this board since 2006, so lets keep talking about the same old TIRING argument about this over and over and over again. I swear there can't be anymore original retellings of a thread like this if we tried.

EDIT: Nice work Tito. Beat me to it.

[kgdjpubs]

Perry's biggest songwriting contributions were never in lyrics, but in framing the melodies and hooks that he, Cain, and Schon came up with. The lyrical depth you're hearing is just a result of Cain's maturity as a writer. And the thing that's been "missing" since Perry has been that magical finesse that he had to take any bits and scraps of whatever he had to work with and spin it into melodic gold. I've mentioned before, the vocals on Eclipse and Revelation sound very much like Cain is plunking out a melody line on his piano and teaching it note by note to Pineda. There's a giant, gaping hole in the songs where that magic used to be. Call it whatever you want, but anyone other than Perry in that band – Augeri, JSS, me when writing "NWA" with the guys, or Pineda – has strictly been to take what Cain delivers, set the Melody Interpretation Processor to "Perry" and run it wet as you can.

and that doesn't surprise me one iota. Cain's a good pianist and a good songwriter, but he is NOT a singer. Yes, he can sing, but there is a major difference between being a singer and being able to sing. It's all in the nuances and melodies, and you have to have a singer who will twist it up into their own style....and be willing to let them do so.

I wonder how much of To Whom It May Concern was done by Pineda before bringing it to Journey. That's the one song on the Eclipse cd where Pineda is living the lyrics as opposed to just memorizing melody lines--and the difference is night and day.

[Gideon]

Eclipse is still in constant rotation for me, along with TBF and the greatest hits. But I find myself wishing now that a few nips and tucks (let the Neal jokes commence!) had been done to the album before its release. Some of them are way too long and I find myself getting bored. EOTM, for example, could be trimmed down to start around the :25 mark where Neal plays that guitar hook. TWIMC is a great song, but like EOTM, it has an overly long intro.

'Resonate' needs to be shaved as well. But good lord that song is awesome.

[STORY_TELLER]

Perry's biggest songwriting contributions were never in lyrics, but in framing the melodies and hooks that he, Cain, and Schon came up with. The lyrical depth you're hearing is just a result of Cain's maturity as a writer. And the thing that's been "missing" since Perry has been that magical finesse that he had to take any bits and scraps of whatever he had to work with and spin it into melodic gold. I've mentioned before, the vocals on Eclipse and Revelation sound very much like Cain is plunking out a melody line on his piano and teaching it note by note to Pineda. There's a giant, gaping hole in the songs where that magic used to be. Call it whatever you want, but anyone other than Perry in that band – Augeri, JSS, me when writing "NWA" with the guys, or Pineda – has strictly been to take what Cain delivers, set the Melody Interpretation Processor to "Perry" and run it wet as you can.

+1 and well said. Perry's contributions to the band went well beyond just singing. He had a big hand in molding and crafting the songs both in terms of melody and emotional depth and that element is what gave their catalog its longevity. It hasn't been there without him.

[FormerJrnyFan]

Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin.

Trace, are we twins separated at birth??? I agree 100%

[steveo777]

Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin.

Trace, are we twins separated at birth??? I agree 100%

People are all born with a bulb.....some are brighter than others. You musta gotten one of those Polish light bulbs.......not your fault, of course. Hehehehe!

Where is Don-bot, btw? He would have been a great addition to this discussion. I hope he didn't go off and die on us. I rather enjoy his take on things.

[FormerJrnyFan]

Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin.

Wrong. Nothing and nobody reinvigorated Journey post Perry like Augeri, but especially like Pineda has. No matter what, Journey made the best business decision and Journey IS a business. What is it that some of you people don't understand about this? Do I agree with the way it was handled? NO Do I think replacing JSS was the right decision? Absolutely. Nothing against Jeff, as most here will agree, he is a great singer but he just wasn't the right fit for the enduring Journey sound.

True, since Journey wanted to keep doing what Steve Perry (and SA) started... God forbid we try a new sound with Jeff. What an outrageous idea! It's no longer the 80s. Jeff rolls with the changes, and isn't afraid to try different avenues. Yeah, don't stop believing

[Trace123321]

[quote="Tito"][quote="Trace123321"]Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin. [/quote]


You're 5 years late. This debate, discussion, etc. was had over 5 years ago. Let it go already, folks.[/quote]

I reserve the right to discuss/revisit at any point.

[Trace123321]

[quote][quote="FormerJrnyFan"][quote="Trace123321"]Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin. [/quote]
Trace, are we twins separated at birth??? I agree 100% [/quote][/quote]

One never knows.

I have liked Journey for over 30 years, however, my own personal preference is for the SP/GR-era journey. Something about the mix of their voices, plus GR's Hammond B-3.

[Trace123321]

[quote="steveo777"][quote="FormerJrnyFan"][quote="Trace123321"]Although I am a SP purist, and admittedly, did like the contrast of SA in Journey, I have to say that I really like JSS and am sorry that his tenure in Journey was so short. I know that there are a lot of SP nutswingers who refused to give him a chance, including the tools in the band themselves. I have to say that Cain and Schon irked me beyond measure. It is their band and they can do with it what they will, however, I think that JSS reinvigorated Journey and would have a been a great long-term lead singer.

Let the flaming begin. [/quote]
Trace, are we twins separated at birth??? I agree 100% [/quote]

People are all born with a bulb.....some are brighter than others. You musta gotten one of those Polish light bulbs.......not your fault, of course. Hehehehe!

Where is Don-bot, btw? He would have been a great addition to this discussion. I hope he didn't go off and die on us. I rather enjoy his take on things.[/quote]

Insulting the Polish...what did they ever do to you? Wink, lol does not make the insult any better. I'd much rather be Polish (although I am not) then a douche bag.

[annie89509]

I agree with Tracee that it was a shame JSS' tenure w/Journey was so short. An album w/JSS would have been kick-ass, instead of getting the mediocre tunes on Revelation (with the exception of the Turn Down Night song). However, she's wrong in saying perryloons were against JSS. It was SA that most of them didn't like. By the time JSS came along, it was refreshing to think of Journey as finally going to a "new direction." Neal was practically gushing over the prospect. Sammy Hagar...Brian May.... endorsed the hiring of JSS, said the Journey guys needed to get away from SP's shadow. After years of acrimony, most Perryfaithfuls were all ready to jump back on the Journey (w/JSS) bandwagon. Then, poof, it's back to the "legacy" (Perry) sound.

Not diminishing the success w/Arnel, great business decision to keep their "legacy" sound...just setting the record straight .

[The_Noble_Cause]

New JSS interview on his time with the band.

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news ... d-journey/

[Deb]

New JSS interview on his time with the band.

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news ... d-journey/

Cool, thanks for posting the link, hadn't read that.

Glad to see J and Deen have had a long chat about it and he has some closure. Still urks the fuck out of me that Neal or Jon couldn't actually grab a pair and talk to him, especially Neal. Jeff and Neal were friends. Cain, meh he's a pus.....I can just see Cain and Soto's personalities not jiving. I just have this feeling that J was too much frontman for Cain's liking. JMHO but I think Soto isn't a yes man type (a la Perry) and the conflicting personalities would have made for some great songwriting. Nothing against Arnel, but Neal and Cain took the easy way out and just going to coast into retirement on the dirty dozen. And that's fine, if you don't mind playing the same thing night after night.

I was pissed back when it went down, but it all worked out in the end. Happy for both, Journey can coast along on the dirty dozen and Soto now has the freedom and options to work on whatever projects he wants, W.E.T, TSO, Queen, solo, etc...........which keeps his creative juices flowing and keeps his vocal chops up. Win/Win I loooooooove that JSS and EM are forever popping up on different projects and putting out solo albums. Keeps their vocal chops up and there is always something musically to look forward to from both.

Ya ya I know Journey has put out new music too, but they actually have to play it live. They should take a page out of the Mr Big playbook and mix in 6 or 7 off the new album with their dirty dozen instead of the 1 or 2. They might be surprised at which new ones stick as fan favorites after hearing it live.