Oh, I just GOTTA break this one down...
jrnyman28 wrote:Cubby and I were having a discussion about Herbie the other day. And as great as HH was for Journey, I think I saw a different POV and a possible reason why Jon and Neal were willing to let HH go when Perry suggested it.
Stop right there. Herbie wasn't just "great" for Journey. Literally, he WAS Journey. He invented them, constructed them piece by piece, and MANAGED them. Without Herbie, there is no discussion about something called "Journey."
Jon and Neal IMO, weren't really willing to let him go..Look at what Cain said on the BTM interview..He said he wasn't positive it was the best idea(or words of that sort).
Can't you see through the smokescreen and see why Herbert was jettisoned? It was either Perry or the "other controlling person." Perry had gotten a little too big for his britches, and Herbie was about ready to tell Jon and Neal to get rid of that son-of-a-bitch....he did say they should have replaced him in the late 80's..
HH certainly built the band and that includes adding Perry. With Perry came changes. "We" have often associated these changes with Perry and his "ego" but why would HH allow them to happen?
Look, HH knew that Perry was the voice of the band..There was no changing Perry's asshole mentality.. I really believe Herbie was waiting for the right time..maybe hoping Perry would quit...
then the 2nd (and longest at the time) drummer was let go and another founding member. All under HH's "direction. Why the Hell didn't Neal stand up against Gregg's, Smitty's or Ross' "departures"?
THAT is the biggest mistake of Neal's Journey career right there. He was probably afraid to upset the money truck. Look, ROR was a piece of shit, and yet they knew they could sellout all the arenas, and sell some records too, based on name recognition. However, sales for ROR sucked, especially in that time period.2 million is paltry for 80's Journey.. That is the question I would ask Neal sometime if I had the chance..Why did you let that prick ruin the band? Would you get rid of him earlier if you then what you know now?
Maybe becuase HH was ok with it. We all know how much Neal trusted HH to do what was right.
Maybe. Deep down, HH must have been feeling sick to his fat stomach. Then again, at the gate, they were rolling in dough....My conspiracy thought tells me he was waiting for the end of that shit ROR tour to fire Perry, but I believe he would need a majority..I am not sure how the bands democratic setup was worded then..Perhaps they had to buy Perry out if he was signed for a duration of time, or a number of albums? Maybe they wanted to get as much dough out of him as necessary?
So maybe all of that finally got to Neal...maybe he had a "realization" that HH allowed a lot of things to happen that Neal didn't like. Maybe THAT is why Neal and Jon were open to replacing HH.
In reading vaious interviews, it is pretty simple to see that Neal is a musical genius, but not exactly Bill Gates in economics and business. Perhaps Neal wanted some changes made, and didn't understand Herbies way of doing it, or the complexities that go with contracts and lawyers downtown. I gotta believe HH was working on a way to fire Perry..
HH may have built Journey up, but in some ways he also let it fall apart...
I disagree. Look, he had this Band envisioned from the start..from members to even Album titles...Notice who started screwing with his plan? Yep, Perry had to change the "Freedom" album to ROR, and with that, the entire musical direction to satisfy HIS needs and wants...Neal didn't like that crappy CD..Neither did Cain...I would like to ask Smitty and Valory if they "missed" that time period..My guess would be "Hell no."
I still think HH would be better for the band than Azoff because (if he had the passion for it) he would be far more aggressive. And I am certain HH would be pushing the guys instead of just holding their hands.
Ya think?
I am just starting to wonder 2 things:
1) Journey relies on a manager too much, and accepts the conclusions, or..
2) Just doesn't want it anymore. After just watching the SSB from Denver, I would think if they are still out there, and they are still this good, they want to do it with class and excellence..not like Styx is doing it now, half-assed, and a crap attempt at being a classic rock band..
)
