Stop Believin'

Though few artists were bigger in the eighties than Steve Perry & Journey, both were very much in limbo by the dawn of the nineties.  Journey had quietly disbanded after 1986’s “Raised on Radio” with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain forming Bad English with John Waite & Ricky Phillips, Cain’s former Babys bandmates.

The band would release two albums, 1989’s self-titled debut & 1991’s “Backlash”, and score 3 Top 40 singles before disbanding in 1991.

Meanwhile, Steve Perry delivered his second solo album to Sony in 1988 only to have it rejected by the label.  It would be 6 years before he would finally release new material.  1994’s “For the Love of Strange Medicine” was met with mixed reviews and would only generate one Top 40 hit.

The following year, Steve would finally agree to a Journey reunion with the “Frontiers” lineup of Schon, Cain, Ross Valory and Steve Smith.  The resulting album, “Trial by Fire”, would be released in 1996 and would contain the top 20 “When You Love a Woman”, as well as three other singles that would hit the Mainstream Rock or Adult Contemporary charts.

Though the album had a few too many slow songs, it also had its share of rockers and haunting mid-tempo numbers.  Steve’s voice was flawless and the band was able to effortlessly recreate the “Frontiers” sound over a decade after that classic album was released.

Unfortunately, just as “Trial by Fire” was building momentum and the band was preparing to embark on a world tour, Perry was injured during a hiking accident & would be unable to perform without hip replacement surgery, which he was reluctant to undergo.  Finally, the band decided to move forward without him, hiring former Tall Stories vocalist Steve Augeri as his replacement.  Their first album with Augeri, 2001’s “Arrival”, would give the band their final Top 40 hit.

In 2005, Journey was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Steve Perry made a surprising appearance.  Later that year, the band celebrated their 30^th anniversary with a new album entitled “Generations”.  The album failed to generate a hit single and Steve Augeri was let go in the midst of a tour in 2006 due to a “chronic throat infection”.  Jeff Scott Soto would fill in for the remainder of the tour.

In 2007, the band would begin a search for a new lead singer, ultimately settling on Filipino singer Arnel Pineda, whom they found on YouTube singing Journey covers.  Their first album with Pineda was 2008’s “Revelation”.  Two of its singles would become hits on Billboard’s AC chart.

The follow-up, 2011’s “Eclipse”, would give the band another AC hit.

They continue to tour extensively with Pineda blowing audiences away with his vocal chops that rival Perry’s at his peak.

But what of Journey’s former lead singer, the man who made famous all of those hits that Arnel is now singing to sold-out crowds all over the world?  Well, after almost 2 decades out of the limelight amid rumors of throat problems that had rendered him unable to sing, Steve Perry resurfaced at an Eels performance, of all places.  He had been a fan of the band for years, eventually meeting them through a mutual friend, resulting in him becoming a regular at their rehearsals and weekly croquet games.  Over time, they convinced him to sit in with the band at rehearsals, never dreaming that he would eventually take them up on their invitation to join them on stage…but that’s just what he did one night in 2014 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Perry joined The Eels for an encore during which he sang “It’s a Motherfucker”, “Open Arms” and “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”.

Clearly, he wasn’t attacking the high notes like he used to*.  Was that because he CAN’T...or was it because he hadn’t sung in almost 20 years and was just out of practice?  Who knows?  He has said in recent interviews that he’s working on a new album.  He’s also expressed interest in reuniting with Journey at some point.  That seems highly unlikely, though.  Given their current worldwide success with Pineda, it’s doubtful that they would want to risk alienating him (even though he’s stated that he would welcome a reunion of Steve and the band) for an aging Perry who may not even be able to sing their songs anymore and probably wouldn’t be in it for the long haul anyway.  No, as romantic an idea as a reunion of the classic Journey lineup might be, it’s NOT going to happen.

*Here's an excellent article about Steve Perry’s voice:

Steve Perry - A Bit Confusing, Frankly