JOURNEY Keyboardist Feels Classic Sound Still The Key To

[tater1977]

JOURNEY Keyboardist Feels Classic Sound Still The Key To Radio Play

August 23, 2013

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/journe ... GtidZYY.99

According to The Pulse Of Radio, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain feels that the band needs to stay true to their '80s sound to stay alive on modern rock radio. JOURNEY's last studio album, "Eclipse", was released in May 2011. The Walmart exclusive debuted on The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 13 — eight spots lower than the band's previous album, 2008's "Revelation" — which also went on to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Although Cain co-wrote all but one song on the album, guitarist Neal Schon had pressed the band into trying a heavier sound than casual fans might've expected.

Cain told The Pulse Of Radio that for JOURNEY to continue to make in-roads in radio, they need to have one foot in the past and one in the now. "It's hard when you bring a new guy in to, y'know, get that commitment in radio," he said. "Y'know, 'cause it's not Steve Perry, it's the new guy, 'Well, why should we play this?' 'Cause it sounds like JOURNEY, that's why! Y'know? So there's signs of it, y'know? It's gotta be undeniably soundin' like the new JOURNEY. It can't be soundin' like some heavy version of JOURNEY. They're just not gonna go for it. And it has to be so recognizable, that they're like 'Oh, wow, we gotta do this. We gotta play this!'"

The Independent Lens documentary "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" chronicles the rags-to-riches story JOURNEY's current Steve Perry-sound-alike lead singer, Arnel Pineda, from his poverty stricken days in the Philippines to fronting the band today.

"Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" will receive its TV premiere on September 30.

[slucero]

Wow is Cain lost..

Kids don't listen to radio... radio is DEAD.. if they do another album then get radio to play it.. it will do nothing..

YouTube, Spotify, iTunes... that is the new radio to kids these days..

[Eric]

I keep saying it....but he has to go.

Outdated vision and not being a good team player with all these public digs.

[Memorex]

I feel like I need a shower after reading that. First off, it's delusional that Journey will ever be on the radio again by trying to contrive anything, classic or modern. If they ever get on the radio again, it will just be one of those happenstance things. The biggest problem I have with the post-Perry albums is they all feel like some form of manipulation. A good album may manipulate the heart and soul, but Journey keeps trying to manipulate my brain and I'm smarter than that, so I'm insulted by the attempt.

All I can say is yuck!

[FamilyMan]

JOURNEY Keyboardist Feels Classic Sound Still The Key To Radio Play

August 23, 2013

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/journe ... GtidZYY.99

According to The Pulse Of Radio, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain feels that the band needs to stay true to their '80s sound to stay alive on modern rock radio. JOURNEY's last studio album, "Eclipse", was released in May 2011. The Walmart exclusive debuted on The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 13 — eight spots lower than the band's previous album, 2008's "Revelation" — which also went on to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Although Cain co-wrote all but one song on the album, guitarist Neal Schon had pressed the band into trying a heavier sound than casual fans might've expected.

Cain told The Pulse Of Radio that for JOURNEY to continue to make in-roads in radio, they need to have one foot in the past and one in the now. "It's hard when you bring a new guy in to, y'know, get that commitment in radio," he said. "Y'know, 'cause it's not Steve Perry, it's the new guy, 'Well, why should we play this?' 'Cause it sounds like JOURNEY, that's why! Y'know? So there's signs of it, y'know? It's gotta be undeniably soundin' like the new JOURNEY. It can't be soundin' like some heavy version of JOURNEY. They're just not gonna go for it. And it has to be so recognizable, that they're like 'Oh, wow, we gotta do this. We gotta play this!'"

Like it or not folks, for better or worse, this confirms -- there will be no more Eclipse-like records that allow Neal to wail.

[slucero]

JOURNEY Keyboardist Feels Classic Sound Still The Key To Radio Play

August 23, 2013

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/journe ... GtidZYY.99

According to The Pulse Of Radio, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain feels that the band needs to stay true to their '80s sound to stay alive on modern rock radio. JOURNEY's last studio album, "Eclipse", was released in May 2011. The Walmart exclusive debuted on The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 13 — eight spots lower than the band's previous album, 2008's "Revelation" — which also went on to hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Although Cain co-wrote all but one song on the album, guitarist Neal Schon had pressed the band into trying a heavier sound than casual fans might've expected.

Cain told The Pulse Of Radio that for JOURNEY to continue to make in-roads in radio, they need to have one foot in the past and one in the now. "It's hard when you bring a new guy in to, y'know, get that commitment in radio," he said. "Y'know, 'cause it's not Steve Perry, it's the new guy, 'Well, why should we play this?' 'Cause it sounds like JOURNEY, that's why! Y'know? So there's signs of it, y'know? It's gotta be undeniably soundin' like the new JOURNEY. It can't be soundin' like some heavy version of JOURNEY. They're just not gonna go for it. And it has to be so recognizable, that they're like 'Oh, wow, we gotta do this. We gotta play this!'"

Like it or not folks, for better or worse, this confirms -- there will be no more Eclipse-like records that allow Neal to wail.

[Gideon]

Eclipse is about as far as Neal needs to get with wailing anyway. Great album, but it could have benefited from putting Neal on a leash at times. I hope they don't completely abandon the direction, but Jon needs to have some authority this time around.

I keep saying it....but he has to go.

Outdated vision and not being a good team player with all these public digs.

No, dear God no. I can acclimate to the absence of one of the Big 3. But if Jon or Neal goes, this thing will be Journey in name only. Besides, he's pretty much been the crux of their songwriting since '81.

[Eric]

Eclipse is about as far as Neal needs to get with wailing anyway. Great album, but it could have benefited from putting Neal on a leash at times. I hope they don't completely abandon the direction, but Jon needs to have some authority this time around.

I keep saying it....but he has to go.

Outdated vision and not being a good team player with all these public digs.

No, dear God no. I can acclimate to the absence of one of the Big 3. But if Jon or Neal goes, this thing will be Journey in name only. Besides, he's pretty much been the crux of their songwriting since '81.

What if it were Rolie who replaced him?

[steveo777]

Eclipse is about as far as Neal needs to get with wailing anyway. Great album, but it could have benefited from putting Neal on a leash at times. I hope they don't completely abandon the direction, but Jon needs to have some authority this time around.

I keep saying it....but he has to go.

Outdated vision and not being a good team player with all these public digs.

No, dear God no. I can acclimate to the absence of one of the Big 3. But if Jon or Neal goes, this thing will be Journey in name only. Besides, he's pretty much been the crux of their songwriting since '81.

What if it were Rolie who replaced him?

You'd have 1976's Journey.

[Eric]

You'd have 1976's Journey.

Or...1980 Journey. Which would be nice.

[scarygirl]

Steve please " STAND UP " Before It's Too LATE!

Seriously, it sounds like they are a house divided. While I think he is a little out of touch, I agree the loss of Cain would equate no more Journey. I would love to see Rolie sit in on a date or two.

[Journey/Survivor]

The fact that Eclipse was a heavier album had nothing to do with it not selling as many copies as Revelation did.
For the release of Revelation the band appeared on Oprah and Ellen, and they had the DVD and the remakes included with the new album. That's why it sold a lot better than Eclipse did.

I'm sick of Cain always pushing for more ballads all of the time. We've had enough ballads to last us a lifetime.

[The_Noble_Cause]

For a band at this stage in their career, both Revelation and Eclipse are strong albums. Revelation aims for the Frontiers/Escape sound with keyboards and synths upfront (with only 'Sunshower' and 'What I Needed' sounding like Rolie-era 70s throwbacks). Eclipse is more guitar driven, but still very Journey. What I like about both albums, is there is very very little filler. Unlike Arrival, which is a fine release, but weighed down with too much sentimental wedding crap.

[brywool]

Too bad... Eclipse DID have some of that classic sound AND some newer stuff. I hope that the next album, if there is one, isn't an album full of power ballads. To me, this is a knee jerk reaction 'Oh, the last album didn't do that great, so we'd better go back and do exactly what we've done before'. WRONG.

Might wanna look at your marketing department first. They CLEARLY dropped the ball. To not mention that Itunes had the album, etc. was just ludicrous. To not play more stuff live was a bad move.

There are a ton of artists out there that continually GROW and do different things and are rewarded for it. To do the same thing over and over again is to be in a rut. Eclipse had great stuff on it. I think if they were to edit things a bit, it woulda helped. As an example, some of the beginnings of the tunes had the riffs going on for a very long time (Human Feel, Edge of the Moment) before the verses kicked in. She's a Mystery, as another example, had one too many acoustic verses before getting to the heavy part of the tune. Small edits could've made the record much more radio friendly. The songs themselves were great, they just needed a bit of trimming down. Keep the longer jams for the live shows.... where the new stuff shoulda been played.

Songs like "Someone", "Ritual", and an edited version of "Tantra" could've been decent singles.
Also, without a major label backing them, it won't be easy.

[FamilyMan]

Too bad... Eclipse DID have some of that classic sound AND some newer stuff. I hope that the next album, if there is one, isn't an album full of power ballads. To me, this is a knee jerk reaction 'Oh, the last album didn't do that great, so we'd better go back and do exactly what we've done before'. WRONG.

Might wanna look at your marketing department first. They CLEARLY dropped the ball. To not mention that Itunes had the album, etc. was just ludicrous. To not play more stuff live was a bad move.

There are a ton of artists out there that continually GROW and do different things and are rewarded for it. To do the same thing over and over again is to be in a rut. Eclipse had great stuff on it. I think if they were to edit things a bit, it woulda helped. As an example, some of the beginnings of the tunes had the riffs going on for a very long time (Human Feel, Edge of the Moment) before the verses kicked in. She's a Mystery, as another example, had one too many acoustic verses before getting to the heavy part of the tune. Small edits could've made the record much more radio friendly. The songs themselves were great, they just needed a bit of trimming down. Keep the longer jams for the live shows.... where the new stuff shoulda been played.

Songs like "Someone", "Ritual", and an edited version of "Tantra" could've been decent singles.
Also, without a major label backing them, it won't be easy.

I always thought "She's a Mystery" was a lost opportunity on Eclipse. A original song that sounded the least like Journey, but beautifully arranged and sung powerfully by Arnel -- with an unexpected, kick-ass guitar-driven epilogue.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I always thought "She's a Mystery" was a lost opportunity on Eclipse. A original song that sounded the least like Journey, but beautifully arranged and sung powerfully by Arnel -- with an unexpected, kick-ass guitar-driven epilogue.

I thought "She's a Mystery" had a great 70's Journey vibe, reminiscent of "Sweet and Simple" or "Good Morning Girl", with a tricked out ending where Neal smokes. But very Journeyish.

[annie89509]

You'd have 1976's Journey.

Or...1980 Journey. Which would be nice.

No, 1980 Journey is SP/NS. Don't get me wrong, I like GR...but, I agree with Stvo, it'd be 1976 Journey (unless they bring in more songwriting help).

[Andrew]

For a band at this stage in their career, both Revelation and Eclipse are strong albums. Revelation aims for the Frontiers/Escape sound with keyboards and synths upfront (with only 'Sunshower' and 'What I Needed' sounding like Rolie-era 70s throwbacks). Eclipse is more guitar driven, but still very Journey. What I like about both albums, is there is very very little filler. Unlike Arrival, which is a fine release, but weighed down with too much sentimental wedding crap.

Amen.

[koberry]

Like it or not folks, for better or worse, this confirms -- there will be no more Eclipse-like records that allow Neal to wail.

That's okay, I guess. But I'm glad they released something in the vein of Eclipse. I know I'm in the minority, but I loved Red13, as well.

[jestor92]

Eclipse could've been a lot better if their lyric writer would've explored some different theme's instead of sticking with the same romance theme's he's been writing about since he joined Journey prior to Escape. I mean Eclipse has some killer music throughout the album, but you've got the vocalist trying to sound like the vintage vocalist and the lyric writer pumping out tired lyrical themes while mixing in a guitarist who wants to be creative it's no wonder the album looks like and sounds like the complete bomb that it was.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Eclipse could've been a lot better if their lyric writer would've explored some different theme's instead of sticking with the same romance theme's he's been writing about since he joined Journey prior to Escape...and the lyric writer pumping out tired lyrical themes....

You might want to re-listen to the album. Most Eclipse songs are a continuation of the New Age-y turf Cain previously explored on "Colors of the Spirit" on TBF. In interviews, he even admitted that the concept of the album was lifted from books by self-help guru Wayne Dyer, specifically "The Power of Intention." The idea states that all human beings belong to the same universal force field and wavelength. Some songs, like "Ritual" and "She's a Mystery", touch upon romance, but in a much less straight forward way. Listen carefully, even a hard rocker like "Chain of Love" has a cosmic bent to it. I don't think the band was completely successful in attempting a concept album, but I give Cain points for trying.

[slucero]

I think the lyrics are fine... and sonically the album sounds good... its the arrangements that were lost on people..

People wants sing-a-long choruses..

[steveo777]

I think the lyrics are fine... and sonically the album sounds good... its the arrangements that were lost on people..

People wants sing-a-long choruses..

It wasn't designed to be that kind of album. I still love it.

[jestor92]

Eclipse could've been a lot better if their lyric writer would've explored some different theme's instead of sticking with the same romance theme's he's been writing about since he joined Journey prior to Escape...and the lyric writer pumping out tired lyrical themes....

You might want to re-listen to the album. Most Eclipse songs are a continuation of the New Age-y turf Cain previously explored on "Colors of the Spirit" on TBF. In interviews, he even admitted that the concept of the album was lifted from books by self-help guru Wayne Dyer, specifically "The Power of Intention." The idea states that all human beings belong to the same universal force field and wavelength. Some songs, like "Ritual" and "She's a Mystery", touch upon romance, but in a much less straight forward way. Listen carefully, even a hard rocker like "Chain of Love" has a cosmic bent to it. I don't think the band was completely successful in attempting a concept album, but I give Cain points for trying.

You mean songs like Edge of the Moment, She's a Mystery and Resonate with their love themes, Anything Is Possible is similar to what they've written for years, Human Feel has slight touches of love themes, Ritual love themes, Someone...love themes. The only songs on that album where the lyrics aren't embedded in love themes are City of Hope, Chain of Love, Tantrash, and To Whom it May Concern. 4 songs out of 11 with love themes as their basis. I'd say he's writing toward the love theme still. Sorry, but when you have one member of the band writing a more straight forward rock album and your lyricist is writing more for love or forgotten love it shows why they two style's didn't mesh.

No one really wants a new Journey album except the die hard fans. People purchased Revelations because it was a great buy at a great price that featured the hit songs. Then add in that the songs off Revelations weren't good with the exception of a few and you have momentum killed from the resurgence of Don't Stop Believin' and a failed album in terms of sales.

[jestor92]

I think the lyrics are fine... and sonically the album sounds good... its the arrangements that were lost on people..

People wants sing-a-long choruses..

I just want an album that's actually good or that has more then 2-3 songs that are good which is what we've received in each of the Arnie albums. The last two albums make Generations sound like a masterpiece to my ears.

[slucero]

I think the lyrics are fine... and sonically the album sounds good... its the arrangements that were lost on people..

People wants sing-a-long choruses..

It wasn't designed to be that kind of album.

That's the whole point.

[The_Noble_Cause]

You mean songs like Edge of the Moment, She's a Mystery and Resonate with their love themes, Anything Is Possible is similar to what they've written for years, Human Feel has slight touches of love themes, Ritual love themes, Someone...love themes. The only songs on that album where the lyrics aren't embedded in love themes are City of Hope, Chain of Love, Tantrash, and To Whom it May Concern. 4 songs out of 11 with love themes as their basis. I'd say he's writing toward the love theme still. Sorry, but when you have one member of the band writing a more straight forward rock album and your lyricist is writing more for love or forgotten love it shows why they two style's didn't mesh.

A song like "Resonate" may touch upon love, but it's not cookie-cutter wedding ballad Journey AT ALL. That's unfair and dishonest. I'd say that, out of the entire album, "Resonate", "Chain of Love", and "Tantra", more than any other songs on Eclipse, best represent the Deepak Chopra-ish vision Cain was going. Other songs, like "Someone", sound like traditional Journey thrown on the album. Either way, Cain stretched himself a little bit.

[The_Noble_Cause]

The last two albums make Generations sound like a masterpiece to my ears.

That's simply insane. Front to back, "Revelation" is fat hook city. "Generations" has maybe 4 good songs - tops. Good to know where you stand tho, and that your vision for Journey features Ross Valory singing lead.

[tater1977]

http://youtu.be/0OYSnI37Q64

[wednesday's child]

:lol:

http://youtu.be/0OYSnI37Q64

Good sweet Buddha...