Journey Singer Steve Perry Undergoes Cancer Surgery

[Callalily]

I love Steve Perry! That dude does sound eerily like him

[VeraGemini]

A surprising number of rock guys around his age have already had hip replacements. Running around and jumping off of stage risers 200 nights a year tears them up. (Alcohol and coke don't help either, but I have never heard any stories of Steve Perry being over the top with either one.)

[witchcurlgirl]

Very, very few voices have the raw power and right tone to mix with the electric sound of rock. Most singers find some weird way to manipulate their voice (AC/DC or Kurt Cobain) to fit in well with rock. Perry is one of the few whose natural, trained, voice (his dad was an opera singer) perfectly fit the music.

Only one voice was strong enough to put the band in the shade - Freddy Mercury's.

I think there are loads of voices that have the right power and tone for rock. Without even racking my brain I'd add: Ian Gillan, Brad Delp, Robert Plant, Joe Cocker, Roger Daltrey, Gregg Allman, Bon Scott, Joe Lynn Turner, Van Morrison (especially with Them), Paul Rodgers, Lou Gramm, Bruce Dickinson...........

[Rachel]

I'm pretty sure that Eddie Van Halen had a hip replacement.

[VeraGemini]

I think there are loads of voices that have the right power and tone for rock. Without even racking my brain I'd add: Ian Gillan, Brad Delp, Robert Plant, Joe Cocker, Roger Daltrey, Gregg Allman, Bon Scott, Joe Lynn Turner, Van Morrison (especially with Them), Paul Rodgers, Lou Gramm, Bruce Dickinson...........

I can think of hundreds. Steve Perry does have an unusual voice. He's a very high tenor with a lot of depth and power, even at the top of his range, and an unusually powerful falsetto... although he doesn't use his falsetto as often as you'd think. He's not the only high tenor in rock, and not the only high tenor who retains that much power and depth of tone, but there aren't too many.

Freddie Mercury had an unquestionably spectacular voice, but his natural range was a bit lower than Steve Perry's, so it's hard to really compare them. Most of the really high notes on Queen songs weren't Freddie, they were Roger Taylor.

[sparkles]

The rest of Journey never appreciated Perry as they should have. I watched a VH1 show about them, not long ago. The band members were STILL bitching about Perry, how his voice corrupted their hard core, rock band dreams and turned them into a ballad band. Tough shit, I say. Journey is one of the few 80's bands that people still listen to, that kids pick up on their own and love, and it's Perry's phenomenal voice that keeps the royalties coming in.

I can't believe their new singer sounds anything like Perry. Perry had something so special there.

Regardless of Journey having a "sound-alike" fronting the band now, there just isn't anyone with a natural voice like Perry's. His voice is just so relaxed and yet it is strong and pure when he is singing. He's always completely on key, effortless and amazing. He doesn't overuse his vibrato like so many other less talented singers-a little does a long way. His voice is truly amazing.

[Novice]

Aw! I didn't know all of that about Steve Perry - stadium bands weren't my thing - I hope that he works through his grief and gets a break on his health. I'll have to check out if he released that studio album now.

Perry rekindled a childhood love for cattle and dairy farming, including an interest in a small bovine insemination business in California's Central Valley.

this was before he & Kellie relocated to NY for her treatment.

[barbiedoll25]

I agree he had an exceptional voice

[llamamama]

So to my untrained ear, this new guy sounds exactly like him. Are you saying that he doesn't have the same range or he can't hit the same notes? Please give us a review of the new singer's voice. I heard he was in a band singing cover songe and Journey hired him after seeing him on Youtube, amazing. Granted he's a carbon copy of Steve Perry's voice, but it seems to me that he's a talented singer anyway. Or he has his own natural Filipino voice and the Steve Perry thing is just an act.

[olivia]

After listening to this Arnel Pineda now, he doesn't have Perry's depth of tone or strength. Yes, he sounds sort of like Perry but he has to "push" a lot of notes. You can feel Arnel's breathing technique, his big inhales before long notes. Watch him sing. You can see his whole body preparing for a difficult passage. Pineda is also a little note-for-note with rhythmic imitation. He has a great voice. He needs to do other things besides imitations (he has a whole Axel Rose schtick as well.)

Now, go watch old Perry videos. His body is relaxed. His breathing is almost completely hidden or it's used to meter phrasing in unique ways. Watch the first couple minutes of this -



Perry doesn't have to "think" of notes before he sings them or prepare his phrasing. His breath control is astounding.

I don't really know shit about this, except for years of listening to a lot of voices. One aspect of Perry's singing I adore is difficult to describe. When I sing, I have to wobble into notes, make a little tone before using relative pitch to find the right one. A lot of blues singers use this technique as a part of their vocal styling. Perry does both. He can come straight out with a high note, no hesitation, and he can used an off-note to glide into perfect note. He does this because he CAN, not because he has to (like me.)

Given that 80's bands aren't my thing...at all...I've spent a lot of years justifying Journey's place on my playlist.

[sparkles]

Even though I watch the videos because I adore his voice, I can't tear my eyes away from the pants they all wore. Reflective of the 70's, I know, but I cannot believe I wasn't aware of how God-awful they looked at the time.

[witchcurlgirl]

I'm completely amazed that so many people will openly admit to being Journey fans. Pretty soon were going to find some Air Supply fanatics in here

[gas_chick]

I like Air Supply and Journey. Kiss Ma Ass!!!!!

[MohandasKGanja]

Goddamnit, I love Air Supply. Russell Hitchcock may be the most manly singer since Isaac Hayes. And Witchcurlgirl is every woman in the world to me.

[witchcurlgirl]

Yeah, I like Journey too.

And while Perry has a great voice, it's the music that kept them from being a saccharine ballad group. His voice and the music worked together. Alone either would be a completely different animal.

And thanks Mo. I'm lost in love over you too.