I know that Separate Ways often is declared the worst video of the 80s, but that’s only because most people haven’t seen the video for Chain Reaction.
All I gotta say is, Neal Schon got involved with one bitch of a mannequin.
I remember seeing footage of Bob Dylan sidling up to Steve Perry when they were rehersing We Are The World.
The Poet From Hibbing said “You got a set o’ pipes on you, boy!”
Perry was almost speechless, it was kind of funny: “Uhh, B-b-b-bobbbb…!”
Oh god damn it. I actually had blocked separate ways from my mind. But I had to go and click that link didn’t it.
You know who liked Journey. Chicks. Chicks loved Journey. Add to the fact that Styx lost their mojo when Journey was coming up. But for my money Rush is a far better band with an ugly ass singer.
Before my baby was born I decided I would only sing stuff I actually enjoy so my daughter hears a lot of Journey. Plenty of the Beatles, ABBA, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Simon and Garfunkel, etc. too, but Journey is definitely on the list. She seems to love it so apparently Journey appeals to newborns as well as adults in karaoke bars!
Really? Neil Peart’s drumming can by summed up thusly: he had a lot of drums, and he hit them often.
Because women in their 40s never heard what guys in their 50s liked about Journey when they first started.
Other than that, I have nothing, except women in their 40s really like Journey.
I thought Journey was crap before David Chase used them for the ending of “The Sopranos” and I still do. And that ending was pretty shitty too. Other AOR bands of the era like Styx or REO Speedwagon could write the occasionally catchy song but not Journey.
Sorry to hijack, but since we’re talking about overwrought music videos…
Does anyone remember a 1980s video – produced for a popular song, but one I can’t remember – that was about making an overwrought music video – no, not “Oh Sherrie” – this was a female singer. The director was trying to turn her simple love song into a huge costume extravaganza, and things kept going wrong. Two things stand out in my memory: the “Love Dancers” were four women wearing big red satin hearts that covered their heads and bodies, bearing the letters L, O, V, and E, and since they couldn’t see where they were going, they danced into each other, into the set, knocked down the set, and the singer did a face palm; the other thing is the director running around everywhere with his smoke machine, trying to create “atmosphere.”
Anyone recognize this?
That would be Christine McVie (of Fleetwood Mac) doing “Got a Hold On Me” from her solo album.
Nope, but I’d love to see it. I hope someone figures it out and posts a link.
I have an unapologetic love for Journey. It was one of the first concerts I went to, back in 1984, and I’m still immensely impressed that Steve Perry sounded as good, or even better, live than he did in the studio. That is something a lot of bands can’t do. He knew how to interpret a song in a way that reminded me of Elvis Presley. You’ve got to connect to your audience, and he did that in spades. He’d have made one hell of a 50’s crooner. (In fact, Schon resisted Perry’s entry into the band because Schon wanted to rock out. He thought Perry would sissify the band. (Of course, in retrospect, Schon would probably give his eye teeth to have the “crooner” back in the band.))
I also like a lot of Perry’s solo stuff as well, especially “Foolish Heart” and “Strung Out.”
However. The mannequin video does make one wonder why no one just stood up and said, “Um, no. I am going to leave while I have a smidgeon of self respect left.” I imagine Perry’s “Oh, Sherrie” video was a direct response to those horrible videos. Though, IMO, the most cringeworthy part of the video is not Schon and Perry duking it out over their plastic girlfriend, but Jonathan Cain playing air keyboard.
I mean, for the love of all that is holy, why?
Post #49, but I can’t find that version on YouTube.
Concerning the video for Christine McVie’s “Love’s got a hold on me”, that I remember more as a parody on over the top productions that go haywire (almost like Spinal Tap, which came out at the same time). I remember it being on a VHS concert tape that she released in the mid 1980s when her solo album came out. Looking at Amazon, it was re released in the early 1990s under a "Classic Videos’ title. Not on DVD but used copies run about $50. Which is about $49.95 too much. I remember the tape when it came out. The band was under rehearsed, she admits so at the end and the guest appearance by Mick Fleetwood on a drum solo was about as tedious as these thing spot.
I was 15/16 when Journey was in their prime. Those songs were a perfect soundtrack to a young girls life. I still have memories of me and my friends piled in a car, cruising around, belting out Feeling That Way/ Anytime. Still my favorite Journey song/songs and I still can’t help singing it at the top of my lungs if I catch it on the car radio.
HAH! It’s called Romulus.
Don’t know about arcade games, but Kiss and Iron Maiden both had their own video games (First Person Shooters, natch). And of course, Michael Jackson had a few waaay back in the day based on Moonwalker.
I am surprised how each of those songs began playing in my brain as soon as I read the titles. I’m no Journey fan and would never go out of my way to listen to anything from them, but I know all those songs (Freaky), and most of them word for word (How the heck did that happen?!), so I’d have to give the OP zero points for this thread.
Neil Schon is a helluva guitarist, and 20 years later I can still hear Beavis & Butthead’s reaction to the Separate Ways video: “Is this a joke?”
I didn’t listen to Journey all that much when they were on the charts. I wouldn’t turn their songs off, but it wasn’t any biggie. But about three years ago, I “rediscovered” them and thought, “Damn, I was missing some good stuff!”.
I must thank you both for these AWESOME videos, but I’ll counter with my own submission for worst video of the 80’s - Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider. It has special effects, man!
Kids these days don’t know how spoiled they are with videos that aren’t physically painful to watch. Although back in the day, I’d watch any video I could find because before MTV and MuchMusic, there weren’t any videos. (Except “Friday Night Videos” with Terry David Mulligan.)
I love Journey, too, and most of it for me is Steve Perry’s voice, too. I’d go see them tomorrow if they came to town.