15 Years Ago: Journey’s ‘Arrival’ Unfairly Suffers from Stev

[jrny84]

15 Years Ago: Journey’s ‘Arrival’ Unfairly Suffers from Steve Perry Comparisons

By Nick DeRiso April 3, 2016 9:56 AM

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For some fans of this band at its radio-ready zenith, there simply can be no Journey without Steve Perry – and that sensibility did no favors for replacement singer Steve Augeri. Though he was similarly named, similarly voiced, even similarly maned, none of it could save his debut project with Journey.

Never mind that “We Will Meet Again,” released as part of Arrival on April 3, 2001, meets and maybe exceeds much of their classic-era output. Co-written by Journey stalwart Neal Schon, Augeri and Alabama-based songwriter Kim Tribble, the song builds toward a sweeping vista reminiscent of Journey’s Roy Thomas Baker-helmed sides like “Winds of March” and “Opened the Door,” a welcome development indeed.

An inventively layered rhythm by Deen Castronovo, Journey’s new replacement for Steve Smith at the drums, sets the stage for a moment of controlled fury from Augeri — who, as with every post-Perry Journey singer, is often asked to elevate more than enunciate. Along the way, he turns a lonesome lyric into one of impressive determination. And like those two earlier-mentioned 1978-era tracks, “We Will Meet Again” serves as an emotionally resonant side-closing moment.

Elsewhere, “Higher Place” finds Augeri offering a vocal that bridges the two eras. After an intriguingly episodic opening statement, Augeri sounds enough like Perry to carry Journey to the well-constructed verse — before this Schon/Jack Blades composition finds its own voice within a chorus that’s pleasantly free of imitative ticks. A finely attenuated return to the verse then gives “Higher Place” a taut sense of expectation, almost a proggy feel. In this way, Journey references previous successes, but ultimately uses them as a foundation for something new.

Still, bedrock Journey supporters clearly remained reticent – even though the band had actually started without Perry and he’d long since prematurely retired. In fact, Perry has now been gone far longer than he ever was actually in Journey. Of course, the two decades that followed Perry’s late-’70s arrival would see the group sell roughly one gazillion records, permanently lodging his presence in most music fans’ minds eye when they think of Journey.

This new-look edition of Journey copped to those expectations with “All the Way,” a ballad more in keeping with their earlier Perry-led platinum-era sound, but it only just scraped the Top 40 at No. 39. Arrival then failed to reach gold-selling status, the first time that had happened since the pre-Perry 1977 project Next.

Augeri simply couldn’t shake the ghost of his predecessor, and this was long before Perry began making stirrings about a return. Journey left Columbia, its label home since ’75, after the follow up to Arrival. By 2006, Steve Augeri was gone too, succeeded by Jeff Scott Soto and then current singer Arnel Pineda, a partnership that seems to have finally got the group back on track with fans — and, belatedly, with the Billboard charts.

[The_Noble_Cause]

...and then current singer Arnel Pineda, a partnership that seems to have finally got the group back on track with fans — and, belatedly, with the Billboard charts.

Sweeping generalization.

[FamilyMan]

Also completely unfair to dismiss the entire Augeri-era catalog in favor of only "We Will Meet Again," which to me isn't a particularly memorable tune. I for one though Augeri's gift was that he was able to allow the band to rock again, in a way that Perry - in his older ballad-obsessed days - no longer was willing to.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Also completely unfair to dismiss the entire Augeri-era catalog in favor of only "We Will Meet Again," which to me isn't a particularly memorable tune.

It's a nice track, but a little overrated. Similarly, this site (link below) heaps praise on "Loved By You" as the best song on Arrival. Which is just, frankly, ridiculous.

http://teamrock.com/feature/2015-11-04/ ... ever-heard

[Archetype]

Also completely unfair to dismiss the entire Augeri-era catalog in favor of only "We Will Meet Again," which to me isn't a particularly memorable tune. I for one though Augeri's gift was that he was able to allow the band to rock again, in a way that Perry - in his older ballad-obsessed days - no longer was willing to.

You're saying that Message of Love, One More and Castles Burning don't rock?

[scarab]

not too mention cat tame the lion and I can see it in your smile.
TBF had some great rockers, but just like Arrival way too many ballads.
Escape Frontiers and Eclipse got it right. 7/8 rockers 2/3 ballads.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Also completely unfair to dismiss the entire Augeri-era catalog in favor of only "We Will Meet Again," which to me isn't a particularly memorable tune. I for one though Augeri's gift was that he was able to allow the band to rock again, in a way that Perry - in his older ballad-obsessed days - no longer was willing to.

You're saying that Message of Love, One More and Castles Burning don't rock?

Don't forget the Jap bonus track, "I Can See It In Your Eyes." The rockers on TBF are pure class. But both TBF and Arrival are weighed down with ballads.

[JourneyHard]

The problem with Arrival was too many songs. So, how did they solve this problem? They added two more songs!

[STORY_TELLER]

The problem with Arrival was Augeri. Good songs but mostly in the vein of Bad English. I could see John Waite sounding great on a lot of the rockers.

Augeri never could sing a ballad. He's not that guy, but the fact is, his vocal peak was with Tall Stories. He did not have the chops to hang with Neal and Jon.

They should have spent more time auditioning other singers. They needed a pitch perfect singer in the Michael Bolton or Eric Martin power range. Sorry, but Augeri was never that class of singer.

[The_Noble_Cause]

The problem with Arrival was too many songs. So, how did they solve this problem? They added two more songs!

They also removed "I'm not that way."

[The_Noble_Cause]

The problem with Arrival was Augeri. Good songs but mostly in the vein of Bad English. I could see John Waite sounding great on a lot of the rockers.

Augeri never could sing a ballad. He's not that guy, but the fact is, his vocal peak was with Tall Stories. He did not have the chops to hang with Neal and Jon.

They should have spent more time auditioning other singers. They needed a pitch perfect singer in the Michael Bolton or Eric Martin power range. Sorry, but Augeri was never that class of singer.

This is harsh. Say what you will, but I think Augeri sounds great on the Arrival album. I think Bolton would have been a way to carry the band forward in a different direction like Hagar with Van Halen. People forget that Bolton's The Hunger was produced by Neal/Jon and some of the material is Journeyish. If they wanted to continue without breaking the mold, than either Kevin Chalfant or Mickey Thomas was the guy.

[Eric]

The problem with Arrival was Augeri. Good songs but mostly in the vein of Bad English. I could see John Waite sounding great on a lot of the rockers.

Augeri never could sing a ballad. He's not that guy, but the fact is, his vocal peak was with Tall Stories. He did not have the chops to hang with Neal and Jon.

They should have spent more time auditioning other singers. They needed a pitch perfect singer in the Michael Bolton or Eric Martin power range. Sorry, but Augeri was never that class of singer.

This is harsh. Say what you will, but I think Augeri sounds great on the Arrival album. I think Bolton would have been a way to carry the band forward in a different direction like Hagar with Van Halen. People forget that Bolton's The Hunger was produced by Neal/Jon and some of the material is Journeyish. If they wanted to continue without breaking the mold, than either Kevin Chalfant or Mickey Thomas was the guy.

Journey with Bolton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdkjbKKcqmQ

[Abitaman]

The problem with Arrival was Augeri. Good songs but mostly in the vein of Bad English. I could see John Waite sounding great on a lot of the rockers.

Augeri never could sing a ballad. He's not that guy, but the fact is, his vocal peak was with Tall Stories. He did not have the chops to hang with Neal and Jon.

They should have spent more time auditioning other singers. They needed a pitch perfect singer in the Michael Bolton or Eric Martin power range. Sorry, but Augeri was never that class of singer.

This is harsh. Say what you will, but I think Augeri sounds great on the Arrival album. I think Bolton would have been a way to carry the band forward in a different direction like Hagar with Van Halen. People forget that Bolton's The Hunger was produced by Neal/Jon and some of the material is Journeyish. If they wanted to continue without breaking the mold, than either Kevin Chalfant or Mickey Thomas was the guy.

I thought Augeri sounded best on Generations, more at home and at ease. But production and song writing was better on Arrival.
I was happy with Augeri in the band, more than I am now with AP. I always wanted Kevin Chalfant in the band, he would have been the best successor to Perry.

[STORY_TELLER]

The problem with Arrival was Augeri. Good songs but mostly in the vein of Bad English. I could see John Waite sounding great on a lot of the rockers.

Augeri never could sing a ballad. He's not that guy, but the fact is, his vocal peak was with Tall Stories. He did not have the chops to hang with Neal and Jon.

They should have spent more time auditioning other singers. They needed a pitch perfect singer in the Michael Bolton or Eric Martin power range. Sorry, but Augeri was never that class of singer.

This is harsh. Say what you will, but I think Augeri sounds great on the Arrival album. I think Bolton would have been a way to carry the band forward in a different direction like Hagar with Van Halen. People forget that Bolton's The Hunger was produced by Neal/Jon and some of the material is Journeyish. If they wanted to continue without breaking the mold, than either Kevin Chalfant or Mickey Thomas was the guy.

I know you're a fan of his and I'm not trying to be insulting, but look, he's a super nice guy. A real sweetheart of a person. Anyone would be fortunate to have him as a friend in their life. Sorry, but I was never a fan of him in Journey. Not looking to sugar coat it. I wanted to be. I saw them in their first tour at the Beacon in Manhattan. I bought Arrival and every other album since to support the band. I was simply NOT impressed at all by Augeri -- ever. I loved the tall stories album, but everything else I've heard from Augeri has been weak by comparison (to me). The songs on Arrival would have been much better sung by a vocalist with a stronger skill set. It was simply the wrong match. Look, when your drummer has a better voice than your choice of lead singer... Come on. You're looking to replace Steve Perry here.

Both Chalfant and Thomas were/are stronger vocalists than Augeri. I brought up Bolton and Martin not as examples of vocal character or style, but as examples of the skill level needed to hang with the song writing and musicianship of Neal and Jon. All of the singers mentioned in this paragraph have stronger, more sophisticated vocals than Augeri.

Van Halen succeeded in replacing Roth because they went with a singer who, (a) they had musical chemistry with, and (b) was a MUCH STRONGER vocalist than Roth. The Doobie Bros. succeeded in replacing their lead with McDonald for the same reason. If you're a band with an established fan base, the change up of band members has to be impressive. Rolie to Cain was a step in a very different direction, but look at what Cain brought to the table.

Your new singer has to be a step UP, not down to be successful. In Perry's case, that's near impossible, but the wiser move would have been to gamble on someone with a different but just as powerful sound. Someone who could sing the back catalogue in their own way. Bolton would have been tremendous. I think Eric Martin would have been an interesting choice as well. Both are perfect pitch singers. (as are Perry and Freddy Mercury)

Sorry, but Augeri was just the wrong choice.

[tj]

The problem with Arrival was Augeri. Good songs but mostly in the vein of Bad English. I could see John Waite sounding great on a lot of the rockers.

Augeri never could sing a ballad. He's not that guy, but the fact is, his vocal peak was with Tall Stories. He did not have the chops to hang with Neal and Jon.

They should have spent more time auditioning other singers. They needed a pitch perfect singer in the Michael Bolton or Eric Martin power range. Sorry, but Augeri was never that class of singer.

This is harsh. Say what you will, but I think Augeri sounds great on the Arrival album. I think Bolton would have been a way to carry the band forward in a different direction like Hagar with Van Halen. People forget that Bolton's The Hunger was produced by Neal/Jon and some of the material is Journeyish. If they wanted to continue without breaking the mold, than either Kevin Chalfant or Mickey Thomas was the guy.

I know you're a fan of his and I'm not trying to be insulting, but look, he's a super nice guy. A real sweetheart of a person. Anyone would be fortunate to have him as a friend in their life. Sorry, but I was never a fan of him in Journey. Not looking to sugar coat it. I wanted to be. I saw them in their first tour at the Beacon in Manhattan. I bought Arrival and every other album since to support the band. I was simply NOT impressed at all by Augeri -- ever. I loved the tall stories album, but everything else I've heard from Augeri has been weak by comparison (to me). The songs on Arrival would have been much better sung by a vocalist with a stronger skill set. It was simply the wrong match. Look, when your drummer has a better voice than your choice of lead singer... Come on. You're looking to replace Steve Perry here.

Both Chalfant and Thomas were/are stronger vocalists than Augeri. I brought up Bolton and Martin not as examples of vocal character or style, but as examples of the skill level needed to hang with the song writing and musicianship of Neal and Jon. All of the singers mentioned in this paragraph have stronger, more sophisticated vocals than Augeri.

Van Halen succeeded in replacing Roth because they went with a singer who, (a) they had musical chemistry with, and (b) was a MUCH STRONGER vocalist than Roth. The Doobie Bros. succeeded in replacing their lead with McDonald for the same reason. If you're a band with an established fan base, the change up of band members has to be impressive. Rolie to Cain was a step in a very different direction, but look at what Cain brought to the table.

Your new singer has to be a step UP, not down to be successful. In Perry's case, that's near impossible, but the wiser move would have been to gamble on someone with a different but just as powerful sound. Someone who could sing the back catalogue in their own way. Bolton would have been tremendous. I think Eric Martin would have been an interesting choice as well. Both are perfect pitch singers. (as are Perry and Freddy Mercury)

Sorry, but Augeri was just the wrong choice.

Perry set the standard musically for Journey singers, no question, and no one else would ever have been able to match up. Bolton, Thomas, Chalfant, Augeri, JSS, Arnel, it doesn't matter. The comparisons are a no win situation.

Saying that Augeri was the wrong choice assumes that there was a better choice available at the time. Were there better singers? Undoubtedly. But were they available, a good fit with the personality chemistry of the reconstructed band, wanting to live in the Perry shadow, wanting to tour extensively to rebuild the brand, etc.? You have to choose from the best option available in front of you at the time. I think that Augeri was that guy.

[STORY_TELLER]

Perry set the standard musically for Journey singers, no question, and no one else would ever have been able to match up. Bolton, Thomas, Chalfant, Augeri, JSS, Arnel, it doesn't matter. The comparisons are a no win situation.

Saying that Augeri was the wrong choice assumes that there was a better choice available at the time. Were there better singers? Undoubtedly. But were they available, a good fit with the personality chemistry of the reconstructed band, wanting to live in the Perry shadow, wanting to tour extensively to rebuild the brand, etc.? You have to choose from the best option available in front of you at the time. I think that Augeri was that guy.

I agree with almost everything you said, and in fact was going to come back and edit in the understanding about how personality played a part in the decision. I have no doubt Neal wanted to make sure they had a drama free experience on the road. It was and always will be a no-win situation because of Perry's big shadow. But there were still better vocal choices out there.

I agree Augeri was absolutely the guy in terms of personality, but no, Augeri was not that guy in terms of his vocal prowess. His voice gave out on him DURING the audition. I think he was just the easiest and fastest choice available. I think they didn't look long and hard enough for a singer. I think they just wanted to get moving sooner rather than later. I don't think they were interested in a belabored lengthy audition process. I understand it, but look at the end result. History shows Augeri was not the guy. He could not handle the catalogue for more than a few tours at best.

I only quoted names of known singers as examples of the required skill set. Bolton was never an option in that regard. I seem to recall he and Neal didn't get along very well when they worked together before. Chalfant was always available and willing both before and after the Augeri era. An open audition would have seen tons of candidates flooding in DYING for the chance to front that band. But again, that would require patience and desire for a lengthy process. I'm sure it would be droning, but again, you're talking about replacing Steve Fucking Perry here. You gotta go big, not easy. I'm just sayin'...!!

[The_Noble_Cause]

His voice gave out on him DURING the audition. I think he was just the easiest and fastest choice available.

I respect your opinion and agree with much of what you're saying, but I don't think this is accurate. Augeri requested time to get his voice in shape prior to auditioning. It was also reported that Shirley pushed him to the limits during the recording of Arrival and that maybe he injured something. But I never heard that he blew out his pipes during the audition. When Neal and Jon auditioned Steve A, he had a great voice. But he was not conditioned to the rigors of touring. Pretty soon he was in the raw.

[STORY_TELLER]

His voice gave out on him DURING the audition. I think he was just the easiest and fastest choice available.

I respect your opinion and agree with much of what you're saying, but I don't think this is accurate. Augeri requested time to get his voice in shape prior to auditioning. It was also reported that Shirley pushed him to the limits during the recording of Arrival and that maybe he injured something. But I never heard that he blew out his pipes during the audition. When Neal and Jon auditioned Steve A, he had a great voice. But he was not conditioned to the rigors of touring. Pretty soon he was in the raw.

John West (Royal Hunt) also auditioned around the same time and he made mention in an interview that Augeri's voice went down during the audition, but they still went with him. I'm paraphrasing of course, but that's what I'm basically quoting when I say that. I didn't make it up, I swear.

I'm not sure where I read it, but I also remember something about the 2001 DVD pro-tooled or vocals replaced after the fact or something? That's pretty early on to have problems. I also remember one of their early promotional performances being broadcast live on some morning news channel live from rockefeller center in NYC. Augeri was pitchy and off key left right and center throughout.

It's a tough thing to deal with once the guy is in the band. I mean you like the guy personally and you're stuck with this rock and a hard place. My contention is that he was the wrong voice from the get go. I think the band were so taken with the fact that here's this great guy with an eerily similar timbre to Perry, and in comparison to the other auditions, he must have sounded like the obvious choice. The problem with that is, when you choose someone who sounds similar to your original lead singer, you're inviting comparisons, and Augeri was never Perry's vocal equal in any respect other than he's a tenor with a similar timbre, so you're setting yourself up to fail by comparison.

Hind sight is of course 20/20, but if I was in that room, my choice would have been to keep auditioning. As labored and tiring as that may be, it would have been worth it.

[The_Noble_Cause]

John West (Royal Hunt) also auditioned around the same time and he made mention in an interview that Augeri's voice went down during the audition, but they still went with him. I'm paraphrasing of course, but that's what I'm basically quoting when I say that. I didn't make it up, I swear.

The West quote you are referring to is this one posted by Andrew…

"I asked singer John West about his audition for Journey in 1998, when the guys were looking for a replacement for Steve Perry.

He replied and gave me the ok to print this here. I think it is a very interesting insight with some parallels to today:

"I did try out for Journey in 1998.
I made some recordings in NY of me doing Journey covers and sent it to the guys.
They invited me to Jonathan Cain's home studio in California to meet and do some more recordings. Neal and Jonathan were there and we got along good and the recordings came out excellent.

Neal really dug it, but Jonathan thought it didn't sound enough like Steve Perry. Neal said This is the new sound of Journey....with John West singing it's more powerful, and soulful!

I was one of the top candidates for the gig, but eventually they went with Steve Augeri. He was a dead ringer for Perry in voice, looks, and even name!
Although at the time, he was having problems with losing his voice, they decided to go with him and hope his voice would get stronger with time. Apparently he had been working a day job and not doing much singing at that point."

And Andrew later confirmed in the very same thread that Augeri did not lose his voice in the audition. What West was saying was that Augeri had fallen off the face of the planet working for the GAP and had to get his voice back into shape. By all accounts, SA's audition landed him the job.

I'm not sure where I read it, but I also remember something about the 2001 DVD pro-tooled or vocals replaced after the fact or something? That's pretty early on to have problems.

Herbie Herbert said this in an interview with Andrew. Kevin Shirley has also stated this off-the-record. The DVD was filmed in 2000. Augeri joined in 1998. Like I said, he found himself in the raw pretty quickly.

My contention is that he was the wrong voice from the get go.

Augeri burned out fast. Nobody disputes that. But your contention is that he was not a contender from the start, which is inaccurate. Great voice, great frontman.

[STORY_TELLER]

And Andrew later confirmed in the very same thread that Augeri did not lose his voice in the audition. What West was saying was that Augeri had fallen off the face of the planet working for the GAP and had to get his voice back into shape. By all accounts, SA's audition landed him the job.

Ok, I stand corrected on that point. I didn't see Andrew's post about how he didn't lose his voice during the audition, but you can see how West's comment implies that enough that Andrew had to clarify later. Either way, obviously his audition landed him the job. I don't understand why you said that? lol... Having said that, they still ended up going with a vocalist who wasn't any place near as strong a singer as their own drummer! Come on, that should be an obvious clue. Granted Deen never wanted to be a front man -- he still doesn't. BUT -- you've got a perfect skill set example of what you're looking for, live, right in front of you. You should hold out for someone comparable, not settle for less. Not when you're replacing Steve Perry.

Herbie Herbert said this in an interview with Andrew. Kevin Shirley has also stated this off-the-record. The DVD was filmed in 2000. Augeri joined in 1998. Like I said, he found himself in the raw pretty quickly.

Well, like I said, I saw him on the first tour when he was in his best form, and I found his best form VERY lacking. I walked out disappointed and to this day I hear Arrival as a missed opportunity. Lots of songs on there that deserve a better singer IMO.

Augeri burned out fast. Nobody disputes that. But your contention is that he was not a contender from the start, which is inaccurate. Great voice, great frontman.

Ummm.... You can't have an inaccurate opinion dude. You can disagree with it, that's why it's called a contention.

I stand by my assertion. Augeri was, in my opinion, the easiest but weakest of choices and I find it very odd that Jon Cain, of all people, championed a singer who couldn't pull off a ballad. His vocal chops are simplistic. He doesn't have the quality of Arnel or JSS let alone Perry. He does have an almost identical timbre and I'm sure that's what made his voice sound like Perry when compared to the likes of West, who was by far a more powerful singer. I did not feel any musical chemistry between them on their original material. It was like listening to a square peg dressed up in Perry's coattails and forced into Journey's round hole. (no sexual puns intended)

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. Think of it this way: You dig Augeri's recordings with the band. That means you have more music to enjoy than I do. Take it as a win.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Either way, obviously his audition landed him the job. I don't understand why you said that? lol...

Because Neal, Jon, and Steve Augeri all say he killed at the audition. Give Neal & Jon a shred of a credit. The idea that SA blew the audition, like William Hung on American Idol or something, and the band went "Yup. He's our guy" is just dumb.

Having said that, they still ended up going with a vocalist who wasn't any place near as strong a singer as their own drummer! Come on, that should be an obvious clue.

This doesn't mean anything. Before they went with SP for Trial by Fire, the band was working with Chalfant. You could argue that Deen was a stronger option than Perry in 1996. Maybe better than KC too. Deen has a large range, but also has had issues with his voice on and off. If he sang the entire set nightly like SA did starting out, he too would probably be fried.

You should hold out for someone comparable, not settle for less. Not when you're replacing Steve Perry.

Neither Augeri, JSS, or Arnel reach this standard.

[tj]

I think that the catalog is a killer of voices over time. Though I thought Deen did a good job signing a couple of songs each night, I don't know that he would have lasted much longer than Augeri did had he been singing all of these songs night after night for years. Particularly if he had tried to drum and sing the whole show.

Most successful drummers/singers that I can think of spent time either alternating with another singer or had someone else drumming while singing on a lot of songs. Don Henley and Phil Collins are two who quickly come to mind.

[Abitaman]

His voice gave out on him DURING the audition. I think he was just the easiest and fastest choice available.

I respect your opinion and agree with much of what you're saying, but I don't think this is accurate. Augeri requested time to get his voice in shape prior to auditioning. It was also reported that Shirley pushed him to the limits during the recording of Arrival and that maybe he injured something. But I never heard that he blew out his pipes during the audition. When Neal and Jon auditioned Steve A, he had a great voice. But he was not conditioned to the rigors of touring. Pretty soon he was in the raw.

John West (Royal Hunt) also auditioned around the same time and he made mention in an interview that Augeri's voice went down during the audition, but they still went with him. I'm paraphrasing of course, but that's what I'm basically quoting when I say that. I didn't make it up, I swear.

I'm not sure where I read it, but I also remember something about the 2001 DVD pro-tooled or vocals replaced after the fact or something? That's pretty early on to have problems. I also remember one of their early promotional performances being broadcast live on some morning news channel live from rockefeller center in NYC. Augeri was pitchy and off key left right and center throughout.

It's a tough thing to deal with once the guy is in the band. I mean you like the guy personally and you're stuck with this rock and a hard place. My contention is that he was the wrong voice from the get go. I think the band were so taken with the fact that here's this great guy with an eerily similar timbre to Perry, and in comparison to the other auditions, he must have sounded like the obvious choice. The problem with that is, when you choose someone who sounds similar to your original lead singer, you're inviting comparisons, and Augeri was never Perry's vocal equal in any respect other than he's a tenor with a similar timbre, so you're setting yourself up to fail by comparison.

Hind sight is of course 20/20, but if I was in that room, my choice would have been to keep auditioning. As labored and tiring as that may be, it would have been worth it.

I had heard the part of Augeri's voice going out, from what I remember he had not sang in a while and the calked it up to that and gave him some time.

[STORY_TELLER]

Either way, obviously his audition landed him the job. I don't understand why you said that? lol...

Because Neal, Jon, and Steve Augeri all say he killed at the audition. Give Neal & Jon a shred of a credit. The idea that SA blew the audition, like William Hung on American Idol or something, and the band went "Yup. He's our guy" is just dumb.

Having said that, they still ended up going with a vocalist who wasn't any place near as strong a singer as their own drummer! Come on, that should be an obvious clue.

This doesn't mean anything. Before they went with SP for Trial by Fire, the band was working with Chalfant. You could argue that Deen was a stronger option than Perry in 1996. Maybe better than KC too. Deen has a large range, but also has had issues with his voice on and off. If he sang the entire set nightly like SA did starting out, he too would probably be fried.

You should hold out for someone comparable, not settle for less. Not when you're replacing Steve Perry.

Neither Augeri, JSS, or Arnel reach this standard.

Ok, now you're just throwing exaggerations out there -- or -- you're misunderstanding my meaning, but we're definitely talking about apples and oranges at this point. I'm honestly scratching my head at most of the responses you just made.

It sounds like you're talking only about voice issues, whereas I'm talking about overall vocal quality. That's why I brought up Bolton, Martin and the others. Not because I thought they could handle years of touring. It's about vocal character, vocal qualities -- EAR CANDY (as Herbie so perfectly said of Perry).

Yes, it's subjective, and maybe that's where we're butting heads -- but -- An example would be Sammy Hagar and David Coverdale sharing the same stage, singing the same song. Both great singers, but I think it's pretty obvious who has the more engaging sound. You can find a video of them singing a Zeppelin tune together. The difference is striking and I say that as a Hagar fan.

Now can you honestly tell me that between Augeri and Deen, that Deen doesn't have a more attractive sound to his voice than Augeri? That his chords aren't simply the more sophisticated instrument of the two?

That's what I'm referring to when it came time to auditioning. That was the "live example" I was talking about. It's not just about whether or not Augeri's voice went down -- that's about longevity and no one can predict that. It was and should have always been about finding the BEST vocalist -- the HIGHEST CALIBER voice for the band -- especially because he was following Perry. I'm sorry, but IMO, that sure wasn't Augeri. You're entitled to your opinion, but I think the guy was a decent singer at his best. I think he was the wrong guy because he wasn't a great singer to begin with. To follow Perry you need to be something special in your own right. There was never anything special about Augeri. Sorry, but that's my opinion. No reason for you to take it personally dude.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Ok, now you're just throwing exaggerations out there --

Such as? You're the guy relying on debunked stories ("Augeri lost his voice during the audition!") here. In your blind hatred for Steve Augeri, you are pretty much just flinging anything at the wall that sticks.

It's about vocal character, vocal qualities -- EAR CANDY (as Herbie so perfectly said of Perry).

Ok, and to use another Herbie quote, "...you're comparing the current reality of Steve Augeri to the memory of Steve Perry. And trust me, that memory is jaded, and dead-ass wrong."

An example would be Sammy Hagar and David Coverdale sharing the same stage, singing the same song. Both great singers, but I think it's pretty obvious who has the more engaging sound.

How did we go from debating Journey to Whitesnake vs Montrose?! Talk about apples and oranges.

Now can you honestly tell me that between Augeri and Deen, that Deen doesn't have a more attractive sound to his voice than Augeri? That his chords aren't simply the more sophisticated instrument of the two?

Deen is higher pitched. Between Augeri in his prime and Deen (for example, let's say Tall Stories vs Revolution Saints), I would take Augeri. Neither singers are vocal perfectionists in the way that Perry was.

I'm sorry, but IMO, that sure wasn't Augeri. You're entitled to your opinion, but I think the guy was a decent singer at his best. I think he was the wrong guy because he wasn't a great singer to begin with. To follow Perry you need to be something special in your own right. There was never anything special about Augeri. Sorry, but that's my opinion. No reason for you to take it personally dude.

I know when I first heard "Remember Me", I thought it was pretty special. Still do. Jon and Neal must've seen something in Augeri too.

[JourneyHard]

I think that the catalog is a killer of voices over time.

This is why Neal needs to jam during concerts and give the singer a break. They need to work the dirty dozen around some rocking instrumentals. Why does Vortex have to be a separate concert? Neal should be doing stuff off of Vortex at Journey concerts to let Arnel save his voice.

[tater1977]

I think that the catalog is a killer of voices over time.

This is why Neal needs to jam during concerts and give the singer a break. They need to work the dirty dozen around some rocking instrumentals. Why does Vortex have to be a separate concert? Neal should be doing stuff off of Vortex at Journey concerts to let Arnel save his voice.

Thought that's why they hired a new keyboard/singer for this tour

[The_Noble_Cause]

Thought that's why they hired a new keyboard/singer for this tour

Well, look at that....
According to the guy's website, he IS going on tour with the band. Journey gets a new member and it goes completely under the radar. WTF. Maybe Jon is grooming him to be his replacement when his televangelist career takes off. Either way, it's cool that the band is using real BG vocals after years of canned vox.

"It was a random call after years of distance with an old Nashville writing partner, Jonathan Cain from the iconic rock band Journey ("Don't Stop Believin," "Open Arms," "Faithfully") that leads us to the present.

Travis recently announced he will be touring with Journey for their 2016 summer tour as a background vocalist and looking forward to this experience and getting to meet new bandmates and fans."

[scarab]

Travis?

[JourneyHard]

First, Steve Smith is back! Now, Travis on background vocals!

This Summer tour is going to be very interesting. They have to do Feeling That Way/Anytime if they are bringing in more vocals.