Vocal Comparison: She Walks Like A Lady

[Final Frontiers]

Here's Steve Perry singing "She Walks Like A Lady" in 1981.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9vROjzy9uI


And Ross Valory singing "She Walks Like A Lady" in 1994.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYSnI37Q64

Here's what Ross had to say about singing it:




Right.

I can't entirely blame Napster for this. But what it did do is give people like you and the rest of our fans the chance to review the material before its release and tell us what they thought it needed and as a result we added two more rock n roll songs to make it less soft.
But regardless of all that I think it was a fine album and a fine representation of the current band and its ties to the past and nothing happened.
So on this round, with Generations, we said 'what the heck - let's do what we want to do' and let the dice fall which ever way they fall.
And this is what it is. This is a band without any restrictions. I really feel that way and as we have been doing the last year or so with our live performance, everyone has been singing lead songs.
This is not my debut record – well for the first time in 30 years it is – but I had already been singing Walks Like A Lady for the last tour and it's getting a very good response.
People are just about to get a beer or something and they look up and go 'wait and minute…what's this…this is different.'
I'm the blues guy!

The Blues Guy



I have worked out that my niche with this band is the blues guy, even though I really come from a classical/jazzy background. I spent many years being exposed to and being immersed in the blues – first with the Steve Miller Band and then having played with Neal for 30 years you can't help but be influenced by the blues. Then there's the Sy Klopps Blues Band. You are aware of them?

[The_Noble_Cause]

Just to fuck with people they should have Ross sing Don't Stop Believin. What are they going to do? Ask for refunds?

[Journey/Survivor]

Just to fuck with people they should have Ross sing Don't Stop Believin. What are they going to do? Ask for refunds?

That would be hilarious!

[jrnyman28]

2004- no restrictions. What happened?

[slucero]

2005...

[annie89509]

There’s several clips from this 2004 show in the YT page where Ross sings WLAL (terribly, imo). What is this song? Never heard it before … segue to L-T-S:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ3LpqwYVvQ

That year (2004) must be bummer for the guys … no energy whatsoever … audience looked like they were bored to tears. You could already see/hear the wear & tear in SA’s voice. No wonder they had to play musical-chair lead singer (these shows and on GEN, the album, although I thought SA was excellent on the record). In retrospect, not surprising to us now that this kind of performances set the motion for the destructive decision of the band in 2005.

Also, might be something there to the later speculation on this Board that it was Neal who laid the groundwork, tipping Deano to expose Tapegate, essentially blowing up his own band. Actually, I can see for sure Neal being thoroughly disgusted with the lipping direction and, for all we know, this was the only way to get rid of SA … since he (SA) was a full member of Nomota LLC and, for better or worse, they were stuck with him.

IIRC, Deano revealed that what started as a crutch for a song or 2 escalated to practically the entire setlist as the shows and year dragged on…no other way, SA wasn’t going to miraculously get better …and the band wasn’t about to cancel shows and lose out on their livelihood. Remember, in early 2006, they were embarking on a long and lucrative European gig. But, probably, for such a prideful bunch of guys, and mentally, must have been embarrassing to be up there, night after night, resorting to such deceit, really unbecoming for a world renown and prestigious band like Journey.

Something had to be done, so the decision was made by Neal or Irving Asoff (who knows), to throw SA under the bus, forcing him out by publicly humiliating him.

Another dark, sad chapter of the band’s history, for sure. But, who really cares, anyway. It’s just Rock n Roll. And Deano is gone. I miss the big guy!

[The_Noble_Cause]

There’s several clips from this 2004 show in the YT page where Ross sings WLAL (terribly, imo). What is this song? Never heard it before … segue to L-T-S:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ3LpqwYVvQ

That year (2004) must be bummer for the guys … no energy whatsoever … audience looked like they were bored to tears. You could already see/hear the wear & tear in SA’s voice.

I think SA sounds OK here. When I saw the 2004 Detour tour, there was very low energy EXCEPT for when Deen sang a few songs, including Suzanne. A concertgoer turned to me and pointed at SA and said, "His days may be numbered..." How prophetic.

Also, might be something there to the later speculation on this Board that it was Neal who laid the groundwork, tipping Deano to expose Tapegate, essentially blowing up his own band.

No, this is conspiratorial grassy knoll nonsense. Neal's escape plan from the malaise of 2004 Journey was Soul Sirkus. Not contacting some fan on an internet message forum. Deano did have interactions with Jeff and the guys later on.

Actually, I can see for sure Neal being thoroughly disgusted with the lipping direction and, for all we know, this was the only way to get rid of SA … since he (SA) was a full member of Nomota LLC and, for better or worse, they were stuck with him.

The band had three options in 2005. 1) Wait for SA to get better 2) Cancel the tour or 3) Get a pinch-hitter. They finally went with Option 3.

[Journey/Survivor]

Also, might be something there to the later speculation on this Board that it was Neal who laid the groundwork, tipping Deano to expose Tapegate, essentially blowing up his own band.

IMO someone did tip off Deano. But I do not think that it was Neal. There is so much more that I would like to say about my theory. But I'm not going to.

[The_Noble_Cause]

There is so much more that I would like to say about my theory. But I'm not going to.

Save it. Your theory is incorrect. Speaking as someone who was in daily contact with Deano during Tapegate, and going so far as to ghostwrite many of his posts, I can assure you, you are WRONG. Fans on this forum traded concert bootlegs. To any half deaf fan, the nightly lipping was painfully obvious. The fans figured it out and got verification from the inside. That is all. There was no Deep Throat in a parking garage somewhere leaking intel.

[Journey/Survivor]

There is so much more that I would like to say about my theory. But I'm not going to.

Save it. Your theory is incorrect. Speaking as someone who was in daily contact with Deano during Tapegate, and going so far as to ghostwrite many of his posts, I can assure you, you are WRONG. Fans on this forum traded concert bootlegs. To any half deaf fan, the nightly lipping was painfully obvious. The fans figured it out and got verification from the inside. That is all. There was no Deep Throat in a parking garage somewhere leaking intel.

I wasn't going to share my theory anyway.