The Weakest Link: Journey’s Greatest Hits- Round 9

Another song goes its separate ways, so only three are left.

DQ: What are your thoughts on the three post-Perry singers?

R1: Be Good To Yourself
R1: When You Love A Woman
R2: Send Her My Love
R2: Girl Can’t Help It
R3: I’ll Be Alright Without You
R3: Ask the Lonely
R4: Only the Young
R4: Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin
R5: Faithfully
R5: Open Arms
R6: Who’s Crying Now?
R7: Lights
R8: Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart)

 

Don't Stop Believin'. It is so over-played and the other two are absolute classics.

DQ: Augeri was solid and I liked the edge his voice brought. I thought the Journey material was solid in the Augeri period and (I think he had some throat issues) but for his illness it could have become quite credible.
I assume the second was Jeff Scott Soto - didn't hear him and do not know him (other than his very short involvement in Journey).
Arnel is too much a Perry clone in voice but not in the song-writing sense at all. Although there has been some good material (and he might be good live) I am getting the cover band vibe from the current line up. Eclipse was not strong at all. TBH I think they should have sought someone to contribute musically and provide vocals in a similar but not identical style. I know Kevin Chalfant is often mentioned but I don't know him outside The Storm and whether he would fit the bill.

 

Wheel in the Sky.

I am unfamiliar with post-Perry Journey.

 

I voted 'Wheel in the Sky' this time, still a great song of course.

Seems like 'Don't Stop Believing' might not win this poll, perhaps due to overplay? I'd never thought that 'Any Way You Want It' was so popular, great song though, Steve's singing is absolutely sensational on the outro, it's almost a shame that it fades out the way it does!

BTW, I really wonder what would've happened if songs beyond this greatest hits album were considered for a poll. I just love deeper cuts like Winds of March, Sweet and Simple, I'm Cryin', Mother Father, Liberty, Happy to Give, and Easy to Fall...

Of the post-Perry singers, I like Steve Augeri on the ballads (such a shame he blew out his voice with Journey), and Arnel Pineda on the full-on rock songs (he has that real edge to his voice that allows him to sing above the other members when they play).

 

My favorite is Jeff Scott Soto, but in my opinion his limitate involvement with Journey was due to the fact his vocal range is not sufficient to chase Steve Perry's modulations every night on stage.

 

Any Way You Want It to go.

I like Steve Augeri's voice but thought Arrival was Journey by numbers, songwriting-wise. Enjoyed Generations a lot more.

Arnel sings well & Revelation, especially, is a great album. Eclipse metalled it up (relatively!) too much for me although that's not Arnel's fault.

Again, Kevin Chalfant & Jeff Scott Soto are more than decent vocalists. Kevin's work with with Two Fires, 707 & Shooting Star has been highly enjoyable. Haven't heard The Storm. I really dislike Jeff's band W.E.T.. Blander than Magnolia, I reckon. Haven't heard Talisman but he was brilliant on stage with TSO.

 

Anyway You Want It still sounds great and never fails to start a spark.

I was bummed Soto didnt get the chance to make an impact. He would have pushed them to a bit more of making more memorable new recordings. I like the WET tracks. You should also Check out The Storm and Bad English.

 

My choice this time, and my answer to the DQ.

JcS

 

(Sigh) Wheel in the Sky again for me.....although I'm not passionate about any of the remaining tracks, none of which would make my Journey top 50.

DQ: Can't muster much interest in the post-Perry material. Not that it's terrible, and Augeri through Pineda are serviceable, but I just find it/them a bit pedestrian in comparison. Augeri always seemed to be straining at the upper end of his range, and Pineda may have (had?) the vocal chops, but his interpretation or rather imitation is lacking the ability to convey and evoke the emotional connection to the material at which Perry excelled. Perry always brought something extra, whether live or in the studio. I'm not sure I can put my finger on it, but I know it when I hear it, and I think it has a lot to do with his R&B/soul influences, so I'll just resort to that nebulous term "soul". I would put Perry in that small group of vocalists who are unique, unmistakable, almost embarrassingly gifted especially in their interpretive and expressive abilities, and who I can't help but put on repeat whenever I hear them.

IMO Journey should have stayed true to their name and moved forward with Soto, who has his own vocal identity and would have brought something to the songwriting table. I'd say they've been firmly in nostalgia-act territory for a few years now: no new material in almost a decade, hiring a clone to sing the greatest hits, playing double or triple bills with other nostalgia acts. A sad end to the Journey.

 

Another vote for Wheel. It sure seems like DSB will end up winning. I like the song a lot, but it's not the best on this album. I was hoping for a Separate Ways or Only the Young final victory.

DQ: I own all of the post-Perry albums and I caught them live with Augeri and Pineda. I don't care of any of those 4 albums tbh. A few songs here and there, but they lost the magic. Perry wasn't just a great singer, he was a great songwriter and his name is on nearly every song from Infinity through Trial. I didn't get used to seeing Augeri live with the band. He sounded like SP with a cold. He was ok, but certainly not amazing. Soto I only have a live show and I didn't think he fit at all. I do agree that his songwriting ability would've helped the band. Pineda, enjoyable...but he's a clone. He brings nothing new to the band.

 

Yes! Fantastic songs. I listen to all of these much more often than most of the "Dirty Dozen". Just goes to show the depth of the Journey catalogue.

I would add Don't Be Down on Me Baby (actually most of Trial By Fire), Too Late and Good Morning Girl to the list of underappreciated Journey tracks.

 

Honestly, you could take all the songs that aren't on GH 1 or GH2 and they'd nearly all be great songs. Like you said - deep, deep catalog.

 

Don't Stop Believing

DQ: I think the post-Perry vocalists have played their role by allowing the band to remain a touring attraction, they afforded Schon and Cain the ability to keep making a living. I personally have no interest in seeing the Perry-less version of the band, and never will.

 

I made a list of album tracks in Round 7 but nobody seemed to be interested. I said:

I've come up with a preliminary list. The only thing that concerns me is we won't have enough participants who have heard all of these tracks. I, myself, have never heard Trial By Fire, hence its exclusion here, so I just stuck to their prime era.

Infinity:
La Do Da
Patiently
Somethin' To Hide
Winds of March
Can Do
Opened the Door

Evolution:
Too Late
City of Angels
When You're Alone (It Ain't Easy)
Sweet and Simple
Lovin' You Is Easy
Do You Recall
Daydream
Lady Luck

Departure:
Someday Soon
People and Places
Precious Time
Where Were You
I'm Cryin'
Line of Fire
Good Morning Girl/Stay Awhile
Homemade Love

Escape:
Keep On Runnin'
Escape
Lay It Down
Dead Or Alive
Mother, Father

Frontiers:
Edge of the Blade
Troubled Child
Back Talk
Frontiers
Rubicon

Raised On Radio:
Positive Touch
Once You Love Someone
Happy To Give
Raised On Radio
It Could Have Been You
The Eyes of a Woman

 

I voted for the Wheel to keep on rolling...It's just not one of my favorites.

DG: I wouldn't know one post-Perry singer from the other if I bumped into them at Walmart.

 

Don't Stop Believing

My experience with the post Perry line up is really only one album which is Generations which I liked pretty well. I own all the other stuff, but have never really been motivated to listen to it. Pineda seems like he has a good voice, but he doesn't interest me. Soto's tenure was so brief it's difficult to comment on with any real striking observations. It seemed like an odd fit at best.

I like your DQ's by the way.

 

Oh thanks

 

We could approach it as all songs not on Greatest Hits or maybe also exclude those on Greatest Hits 2 since it has popular songs like Stone in Love and Feeling That Way/Anytime. After that, yeah, you're dealing with the pretty obscure stuff. Since I've got all their albums I would love it to include the pre-Perry albums, Dream After Dream & Trial By Fire. Or it could be just the classic era, 78-86. There are so many excellent songs in this list, though.

 

Don't Stop Believin'- Too overplayed. I never want to hear this song again and it used to be in my top 5 Journey songs. Thanks a lot, Sopranos.

 

I'd be more than happy to be involved in a thread like this. I haven't checked the second GH collection to see if any of the songs on my list overlap. I'm pretty certain nothing from outside of the classic Perry era would win anyway, but you never know.

I would run the poll myself but due to work there will be days I won't be able to create the new ones as we move along, especially on weekends, and I know that would be frustrating for people and for optimal participation I feel that is something that needs to be done on a daily basis, hence boredom may begin to creep in.

Edit: I've tried eliminating any songs released as singles and those that have received significant airplay. I'll have to check the second GH collection.

Edit #2: UGH, I see a few of the songs on my list do overlap on GH 2

 

1. "Stone in Love"
2. "After the Fall"
3. "Chain Reaction"
4. "The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)"
5. "Escape"
6. "Still They Ride"
7. "Good Morning Girl"
8. "Stay Awhile"
9. "Suzanne"
10. "Feeling That Way"
11. "Anytime"
12. "Walks Like a Lady"
13. "Little Girl"
14. "Just the Same Way"
15. "Patiently"
16. "When I Think of You"
17. "Mother, Father"

These are some of my favorites, so I'd be happy to see them included to be honest.

 

Augeri had a great voice and fit as the front man/lead singer for Journey perfectly. It's a shame what happened with the whole lip synch scandal and the way Schon, Cain and the rest of the band threw Steve under the bus and backed over him a few times. They could have had a great run.

 

To be honest I would love to include many of those songs as well but I have a feeling that most of us here, without very much thought, could easily predict from this list which songs will be the finalists if we included them, Stone In Love, Feelin' That Way, Anytime, Just the Same Way and possibly Chain Reaction.

If that's the case we may as well do the second GH collection. I feel pure album tracks, those not included on either GH, would make for a more interesting and unpredictable game.

My .02

 

What happened here exactly?

 

They pulled a Milli Vanilli as Augeri's voice wasn't holding up to their touring. Then people figured it out and justifiably freaked.