If I ever come face to face with Neal Schon, I’m sure I will pay for this, but.. here it goes: Man, I hated Journey when I was in High School. There, I said it. Breathe out…. sorry Neal, it only gets better from here on, I promise.
DEFINITEY Stop Believin’
I went to High School in the late ’70s / early ’80’s and what music you admitted to liking was tantamount to your very survival, as I’m sure it still is to this day. Back in my working class town, liking Journey was not a good thing to admit in public. Sure, there were a few guys who did, and they were beaten regularly behind the handball courts after detention. Girls didn’t count, they could like whatever the hell they wanted; we were lucky if they even spoke to us. I was not the brightest little grasshopper back then, but I knew to keep my mouth shut. Fortunately, I was not really into Journey’s brand of candy-ass feel-good pop (I’m so sorry Neal). I just didn’t buy it. I liked music that ended badly, inspired disgust and pissed off my parents. Had I owned any Journey records, I’m sure my parents would have been just fine with it. Deal breaker. So, I was busy getting strait “C” grades and rockin’ out to Van Halen, Foghat, AC/DC, The Who, Stones… y’know, real intellectual stuff. But I wasn’t getting beaten up after detention… well actually I was, but certainly not for liking Journey… which suited me fine.
(Neal, if you are still reading, here is the part where I start to say really nice stuff about you)
Open Arms – I am getting old and don’t care what anyone thinks any more
Jump out of the time machine, here it is 2010, and I am lookin’ my 45th birthday in the eye. I finally feel pretty comfortable that I am free from the bullies and will not be anywhere near the handball courts, so I can finally express my inner… whatever and speak about music without fear of being publicly beaten.
As I look back I have to say, Neal Schon was a great guitarist.
I don’t walk around wearing a Journey concert shirt or anything. I may be old, but I’m not stupid. But I do listen to many things now that I would not have in 1980. I can’t say I’m anything close to a Journey fan, but they did write some very catchy songs that have done well over time. A big ingredient is Neal Schon’s playing. The guy really wrote some very memorable riffs and got great tones. More than anything, he played for the song. This might have been a bit more common in the ’70s, but in the ’80s, it was all about the guitar solo, and Monsieur Schon continued to display a keen ability to do what was most important; play for the song.
As far as his solos, he could definitely solo and was no slouch. As an aspiring guitarist, I certainly would have benefited from a tad less AC/DC and maybe a bit more of Neil’s playing. He really nailed some classic clean tones. For example, “Lights” has some incredibly pretty playing that is just dripping with Motown double-stops and has a friggin’ great solo.
Early Days with Santana
I can’t really say much about the whole “…he played in Santana when he was only 15… isn’t that amazing ??!!…” thing, that was a little before my time. Let’s just say that at 15 my career consisted of playing birthday parties in smelly basements. So, yeah, I’m impressed. Not much more to say about that.
Memories of Mr. Schon
I actually remember seeing Journey on “Midnight Special” around 1978. I was so hungry for live music on TV then, I’d watch anything. I used to beg my parents to let me stay up and watch “Saturday Night Live”. They would always be asleep by the time it was over, so I’d defy their authority and stay up for Midnight Special at 1AM, which was hosted by Wolfman Jack, or maybe it was “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert “?? . Anyhoo…. I remember Neil Schon playing a white strat when they played “Lovin’ Touchin’ Sqeezin’..” I always thought that song was kinda for girls, but man what a great tone he got, and s really smokin’ solo. I also remember that he used Peavey amps at that time, which was so odd because to me, Peavy was an amp that you used because you could not afford a Fender. They did make some good amps back then, but I just did not know it. I only knew of the “Backstage 30.”
Summary
I have to admit that if I could do it all again… I’d still hate Journey (gotcha). I’m no punk, but that kinda stuff could never have been my thing at 16. I would however have listened to more of Neal’s playing. He was an excellent guitarist who probably deserved more credibility than he got. Granted, he didn’t stand a chance being in that silly band, but he was still a monster player who contributed to a lot of good songs. I could only wish for a smidgen of the career he has had and if we ever do meet face to face, I’m sure that after he socks me one for everything that I have said, he will gleefully remind me that he played with Santana when he was 15. Yeah, I can’t touch that one, he wins, I lose. Great guitar player.
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