Was DDY more important to Styx than Perry was to Journey ?

[classicstyxfan]

Journey seems to be enjoying much success ( measured in sales )with their new CD, the type of Success that eluded Styx upon the release of Cyclorama...

Since Cyclorama was the only new release of original material, it is the most relevant basis to compare.....

Discuss amongst yourselves......

[Blue Falcon]

I would have to say Perry was more important to Journey, mostly due to his truly distinctive voice. He also wrote most of Journey's lyrics, I believe...Perry, Schon, and Cain certainly made a good songwriting trio.

DDY's voice is not as distinctive as Perry's, but his songwriting was probably the main reason for Styx's success in the late 70s...they too had three songwriters, but the fact that Journey is selling an album of re-recorded songs (and it seems to be doing well) while Cyclorama languishes, seems to say a lot.

Despite Perry's absence, Journey is doing well on tour while Styx gets to play 6-7 songs (half of which DDY helped to write) opening for Def Leppard, while continuing to downplay all of the previous contributions of DDY.

[froy]

Journey seems to be enjoying much success ( measured in sales )with their new CD, the type of Success that eluded Styx upon the release of Cyclorama...

Since Cyclorama was the only new release of original material, it is the most relevant basis to compare.....

Discuss amongst yourselves......

DDY was STYX as you can see.
Without Dennis STYX is a cover band opening shows for anyone who will pay them.

Perry was Journey until it went to his head and he lost his voice.

Journey is doing well because of Neal Schon, the guy is a great guitar player and Jon Cain is a great songwriter.

I don't think Styx will ever recover from the damage that was done by Shaw and Goofy
Who would come and see them now as a headliner
Answer nobody

People would be afraid to have to pay to see Gowan.

Unless they promoted the hell out of Dennis returning.,

[MCM]

I think they were equally important in different ways:

Perry was THE voice, Dennis was/is a voice, a good one that he has preserved, but not as identifiable as Perry.

Perry was part of a great songwriting team/Dennis was part of a great songwriting team

I don't think Perry was with Journey from the very beginning/Dennis was part of Styx from day one.

Perry didn't get involved with the production on the level that Dennis did, this is what I think their greatest loss is with Dennis gone, his ability to translate to tape the Styx sound, which in retrospect may be the Dennis sound. That's the greatest loss for Styx.

Journey no longer has THE voice/Styx no longer has the signature sound. That being said, I still love the current Styx lineup and this new Journey lineup is really growing on me.

Bash away folks!

[kipthekid]

Steve Perry had a phenomenal voice, but it's not as "unique," IMHO, as some here have surmised - which, again IMHO, is born out by Journey's ability to find "sound-a-likes" to keep them reasonably relevant. Perry himself took his cues from the great Sam Cook and other soulful baladeers.

Dennis, in the early years and Styx' prime, didn't feel as compelled as Journey/Perry to belt out every note on every song, instead using his voice as yet another instrument in an ensemble. Notable exceptions like "Queen of Spades" and (even) the joyfully bombastic "I'm OK" easily match the biggest belts of Steve Perry's career. As it has turned out, Styx has missed Dennis' voice more than Journey has missed Perry's.

[bugsymalone]

Steve Perry had a phenomenal voice, but it's not as "unique," IMHO, as some here have surmised - which, again IMHO, is born out by Journey's ability to find "sound-a-likes" to keep them reasonably relevant. Perry himself took his cues from the great Sam Cook and other soulful baladeers.

Dennis, in the early years and Styx' prime, didn't feel as compelled as Journey/Perry to belt out every note on every song, instead using his voice as yet another instrument in an ensemble. Notable exceptions like "Queen of Spades" and (even) the joyfully bombastic "I'm OK" easily match the biggest belts of Steve Perry's career. As it has turned out, Styx has missed Dennis' voice more than Journey has missed Perry's.

Bravo! Well stated, kip!

I would add that the voices of both DeYoung and Perry are instantly recognizable putting them in a unique category of singers, in my view.


Bugsy

[sniper16]

[quote="Blue Falcon"]

Journey is selling an album of re-recorded songs

they are not selling a cd of re recorded songs
they have a new cd with a bonus disc of rerecorded songs
they are not pushing this as a greatest hits.
find me one person who bought this instead of journeys greatest hits....

[classicstyxfan]

Perhaps the voices are the wrong point of emphasis.......it seems to me that non-Perry members of Journey are more prolific songwriters vs non-DeYoung members of Styx....this is indisputable when measured by output/quantity during the last decade.

Quality is obviously more subjective.

we'll have a better measure in several weeks when the sales numbers for Revelation shake out.

[kansas666]

they are not selling a cd of re recorded songs
they have a new cd with a bonus disc of rerecorded songs
they are not pushing this as a greatest hits.
find me one person who bought this instead of journeys greatest hits....

I bought the new Journey package for the re-recorded songs. Granted it is just another way to repackage and market their hits, But I am going to see them this summer and I am interested in seeing if the new guy really does sound like Perry. I didn't buy their greatest hits CD.

On the other topic, I think Perry was more important to Journey than Denny was to STYX. Perry was the front man and main focus of the band. STYX has multiple personalities and lead singers. They can still pull off a great show without one of their front men.

[Classicrockr]

they are not selling a cd of re recorded songs
they have a new cd with a bonus disc of rerecorded songs
they are not pushing this as a greatest hits.
find me one person who bought this instead of journeys greatest hits....

I bought the new Journey package for the re-recorded songs. Granted it is just another way to repackage and market their hits, But I am going to see them this summer and I am interested in seeing if the new guy really does sound like Perry. I didn't buy their greatest hits CD.

On the other topic, I think Perry was more important to Journey than Denny was to STYX. Perry was the front man and main focus of the band. STYX has multiple personalities and lead singers. They can still pull off a great show without one of their front men.

They may be able to, but why haven't they done so yet? I saw them last fall with Def Leppard & Foreigner - let me tell you I enjoyed Foreigner with their new lead singer FAR more than I enjoyed Styx with that fruity leprechaun Gowan dancin' around & spinning his keyboard all night long. IMO, Dennis is more of the creative force that drives the STYX machine, so I feel that STYX needs Dennis more than JOURNEY needs Perry.

[Blue Falcon]

They may be able to, but why haven't they done so yet? I saw them last fall with Def Leppard & Foreigner - let me tell you I enjoyed Foreigner with their new lead singer FAR more than I enjoyed Styx with that fruity leprechaun Gowan dancin' around & spinning his keyboard all night long. IMO, Dennis is more of the creative force that drives the STYX machine, so I feel that STYX needs Dennis more than JOURNEY needs Perry.

DDY was the driving force (some would say "control freak") for Styx when they became popular during the late 70s, and it had a lot to do with the fact that no one else in the band had the ability or desire to take control of the band. JY and TS had drug problems, while the Panozzos were just happy to have a paying job...besides, they grew up with DDY and were probably more accepting of his personality at that point. (That's not a dig on John or Chuck...both are/were apparently pretty nice guys who got along with other folks pretty well.)

Apparently JY chafed under DDY's "dictatorship" during those years. Folks on this board come down on both sides of that argument, but there isn't much doubt that without DDY taking the reins in the late 70s they may not have become as big as they did.

[sniper16]

dennis was more important than steve for this reason
he was an original member
was the creative force for the live shows
and lps

[stmonkeys]

where has it ever been written that "jy had a drug problem?" the only band members with documented substance abuse problems were John P and Tommy (and yes, thanks to sterling, we know john c liked to smoke a lot of grass LOL). You don't like JY. We GET IT, but enough with the false accusations and delusions. please TRY and keep your posts rooted in SOME semblance of reality, if possible.

[MCM]

where has it ever been written that "jy had a drug problem?" the only band members with documented substance abuse problems were John P and Tommy (and yes, thanks to sterling, we know john c liked to smoke a lot of grass LOL). You don't like JY. We GET IT, but enough with the false accusations and delusions. please TRY and keep your posts rooted in SOME semblance of reality, if possible.

Thanks for that, I didn't think that JY had had problems with drugs either, but don't always want to pop off uninformed...

[kansas666]

They may be able to, but why haven't they done so yet?

To each his own. I have seen the reconstituted STYX about a dozen times since 1999. And I enjoyed those performances much more than the one time I saw the classic lineup during the Grand Illusion tour.

The few times I have seen Denny in concert live, solo or on video, he has come across as an egotistical fop.

[froy]

I have seen the reconstituted STYX about a dozen times since 1999. And I enjoyed those performances much more than the one time I saw the classic lineup during the Grand Illusion tour.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahah
Man thats funny
Thanks for the laugh first thing in the morning

[Zan]

where has it ever been written that "jy had a drug problem?"

It hasn't. This is something Rajah and his band of idiots have created and tried make "truth" by repeating it as often as possible.

[pinkfloyd1973]

They may be able to, but why haven't they done so yet?

To each his own. I have seen the reconstituted STYX about a dozen times since 1999. And I enjoyed those performances much more than the one time I saw the classic lineup during the Grand Illusion tour.

The few times I have seen Denny in concert live, solo or on video, he has come across as an egotistical fop.

In your opinion of course lol, I enjoyed the one time I saw Dennis in concert more than the two times I saw the post 1999 Styx. Gowan has a good voice and I absolutely love "A Criminal Mind", but he's an inadequate replacement for Dennis


Robin