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 Journey's Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon on Innerview

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COMING THURSDAY AUGUST 22, 2024

The New WHEEL IN THE SKY YouTube Channel

 Wheel In The Sky YouTube Channel now Streaming

The new 'Wheel In The Sky" YouTube Channel has started. Since all my Journey Videos were stored on YouTube. I've posted the first introduction video here for convenience.

Come check out the channel! Everything I've posted here is in one place on YouTube, plus I'll be posting more videos as Time3 goes by. There will be a lot more different kinds of video's besides the ones I mention in the video.

The good news is, I'm Back!

Back for more

"WHEEL IN THE SKY"

Welcome to Wheel In The Sky

Wheel In The Sky

Journey with Robert Fleischman sing "Anytime" live in 1977

During Robert Fleischman's short run as lead singer of Journey is a very interesting period in Journey's history.

Columbia Records never did release any Journey songs sung by Robert Fleischman until the Box Set, "Time3", released in 1992. This Box Set only released "All For You" (listed as "For You" on the Set) which leaves much more left out there from Robert.

I've recut and added some additions to a great performance of Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Aynsley Dunbar, Ross Valory, and Robert Fleischman on vocals. This performance is from the Diamond Head Crater Music Festival in Hawaii on July 4, 1977.

Journey with Robert Fleischman WHEEL IN THE SKY (demo) UPGRADED SOUND

I've updated my video for the Wheel In The Sky (demo) with Robert Fleischman as lead vocalist with significantly better audio quality. This one does not sound muddy. 

If you've never heard Robert Fleischman singing "Wheel In The Sky" with Journey, you are in for a treat! As Journey was recording songs with their new singer/songwriter there are a few demo's floating around from 1977. Of course, Herbie Herbert pushed Robert out to make a place for Steve Perry, but Robert's pop songwriting and singing style helped prepare the band for making rock and pop hits. Robert co-wrote this song as well as others on the "Infinity" album. Without Robert's contribution, "Infinity" might not have been "Infinite".

Sit back and taste a piece of Robert's magic...

I found Robert Fleischmann's side of the story. There's a great in-depth interview by Dave Golland with Jrnydv.com. For any Journey fan of the Gregg Rolie days, this is a must read!

Robert Fleischman Interview 1-08-2003

Robert Fleischman, Journey's Lead Singer before Steve Perry shines

Gregg Rolie was Journey's original Lead Singer before they actually went looking for a Lead Singer.

Journey started out as a jam band, the songs were very long instrumental songs and if vocals were needed they were done by Gregg. The other 3 or 4 members contributed to the background vocals.

After the release of the release of their first three albums, Columbia Records wanted Journey to have a lead singer. The only way Herbie could keep the recording contract was to add a lead singer. The band decided to add someone who could scream like a rock and roll singer. Herbie knew better, he knew to get a voice that would not only complement Gregg's voice but also be able to take the reigns as lead singer and energize a crowd.

They ended up finding it twice in 1977. The 4 remaining members of the band wanted Robert Fleischman who had a great voice and he fit the bill perfectly. At the same time Herbie Herbert received a tape from Columbia Records of a singer named Steve Perry. The story goes that after Robert was hired, Herbie insisted on Steve Perry being the lead singer and there was some back-stabbing and who knows what that went on behind the scenes.

WHEEL IN THE SKY (Demo) 1977 JOURNEY with Robert Fleischman vocals
In interviews, Steve Perry, has said many times proudly how they would have Robert not be at a gig or Steve would be working backstage and then come on stage during the show while Robert was away. What? What a shitty thing to do, really, they had to be sneaky like that? It doesn't make sense anyway. If Robert is the lead singer of the band where could they send him during a show? Who's going to sing his part? That's ludicrous, I mean did they send Robert to the hardware store to pick up some cables? It's during a show, Robert's the lead singer, he's not going anywhere.

Steve Perry has also said in interviews how he would join the band onstage during "Feeling That Way" and that's how they would introduce him. I have heard almost every recorded live show out there. There is no live show that supports this, always has "La Do Da" come sometime before "Feeling That Way" which means the whole introduction of Steve Perry could not have happened during "Feeling That Way".

There really isn't a way to find out what really happened as all Journey members past and present are under gag orders to not talk about these types of things. Journey always a democratic band that got along perfectly, so we were supposed to believe at the time.

I'm wondering if they ever considered a woman as lead singer. That would have been interesting, maybe Neal should be looking into that now.

It seems there is and only will be one true lead singer in the band Journey and everything else fails in comparison. Yes, Steve Perry made the band it into one go the biggest bands in history, he also tore it apart and discarded it leaving the fans in the dark.

Let's now take a moment and take a look at the man that almost had that spot, or had it for a very short time, Robert Fleischman...

Visit www.robertfleischman.com to keep up with Robert!

Visit www.robertfleischmanart.com to see Robert's art and the "Wheel In The Sky art print".

Visit www.theskyofficial.com  for information on Robert's current band "The Sky"

Visit Facebook - RobertFleischmanOfficial

More to come on Robert Fleischman

The Wheel In The Sky JOURNEY Store - Many great Journey items

The WHEEL IN THE SKY has a store. It's through Amazon.com so feel safe and secure ordering the many JOURNEY items I have for sale.

The store can be found in my user right menu, or the link below.

I have Towels, T-Shirts, Blankets, Pillow Cases, Phone Cases, Artwork, Posters, and many many more...

WHEEL IN THE SKY JOURNEY STORE

Here is a small sample of items;

Journey's Concert Ticket Evolution Through Time part 1, 1976-1978

Journey shows got bigger and bigger as the years went on until it was over. These are some Journey Concert Ticket Stubs from 1976-1978. The most expensive ticket on this post is for $8.50 to see Journey and Van Halen. We'll see the whole evolution of Journey ticket stubs through infinity including Steve Perry's escape, Steve Augeri's arrival and departure from the band, through Neal Schon's revelation with Arnel Pineda beyond the frontiers.

These following tickets represent 3 Tours. The Journey Tour (1975), The Look Into The Future Tour (1976), The Next Tour (1977) with the beginnings of the Band. The constant members were Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Ross Valory and Aynsley Dunbar.

May 29, 1976 – Paramount Theatre. Seattle, WA – Thin Lizzy

July 20, 1976 - Armadillo World Headquarters Nightclub. Austin, TX - Baby

February 20, 1977 – Tomorrow Club. Youngstown, OH - Coconut

October 02, 1977 - Old Waldorf - San Francisco, CA (Steve Perry's Debut as singer)

The Infinity Tour of 1978 featured new member Steve Perry as Lead vocalist. This angered some of the fans but also brought in many new fans including teenage girls. The next six ticket stubs represent the start of something big;

March 11, 1978 - Hara Arena. Dayton, OH - Montrose, Van Halen

March 25, 1978 – The Palladium. New York, NY - Montrose, Van Halen

April 4, 1978 - IMA Arena. Flint, MI - Montrose, Van Halen

April 29, 1978 - Freedom Hall. Johnson City, TN - Montrose, Leblanc & Carr

May 6, 1978 - Orpheum Theatre. Boston, MA - Montrose

October 21, 1978 - Centennial Colliseum. Reno, Nevada - Special Guest

Journey Through Time - 30th Anniversary Sticker and Tour

The Journey Through Time 30th Anniversary Tour A.K.A. The Generations Tour 2005.

Steve Augeri was the Lead singer at the time and they were no longer with Columbia Records when this album and Tour began in 2005. This also marked the beginning of the end for Steve Augeri as his voice was starting to give.

This Sticker commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Journey incorporates all of the Steve Perry Era album cover art including, Infinity, Evolution, Departure, Escape, Frontiers and Raised On Radio, into one great piece of art!

Journey 1983 Frontiers Tour Book - Making and Breaking Records

The last three pages of the Frontiers Tour Book starts with a double page thanking the road crew on one side and Journey's biggest albums artwork on the other.

JOURNEY Making and Breaking Records;

The Frontiers Tour was a huge success. Until this point Journey had been working hard touring and making albums that they decided to take a break after the tour.

This is the first time that the band had ever stopped after a tour, they usually would go right back into Studio to record another album.

We take a moment to reflect on where we've been and where we came from. What started as a little jazz fusion band in 1973 had become the biggest Rock and Roll Band in America!


...and then there was the back cover;

Journey's Escape Tour 1981-1982 Tour Book Program part 11; The End

This week is the last pages and back cover of Journey's Escape Tour Program.

In 1982 this tour was the biggest tour Journey ever had. Neal Schon bought a new Ferrari.

Journey hit the mainstream. The awkwardness that always happens when Rock & Roll meets mainstream America. Journey was now on National TV talk shows, local entertainment shows, they were everywhere!

Once the tour was over, the presuure was on for another album. The pressure was intense I'm sure, how do you top "Escape"?  Rarely does a rock & roll band such as Journey reach number 1 on the mainstream album charts.

The tour book shows us all six platinum albums up to 1981!

We end with the back cover which uses artwork created in the late 1970's and was used primarily for the "In The Beginning" compilation.

Join us next week for a post on the Escape Tour Merchandise...

Journey's Escape Tour 1981-1982 Tour Book Program part 2

This week we begin with a repeat the last page from last week because it's a great lead into the History of Journey and our farewell to Gregg Rolie, Journey Keyboardist and Key Vocalist from 1973 to 1980.

Gregg Alan Rolie was born on June 17, 1947 in Seattle Washington. Gregg first gained success as the keyboardist for the band "Santana". In 1973 Gregg and Neal Schon started a new group that would end up becoming "Journey".

Gregg has been playing on the road for many years in both bands and by the end of Journey's 1980 Departure Tour he left the band. He picked his own replacement, Jonathan Cain and then went on to continue writing and playing the kind of music he wanted to play.

Journey went on to bigger and bigger success and this was just the beginning...

More next week...

Journey - They're the group taking everyone to "Infinity" at Sam Goody and the Palladium

A great ad from March 1978. The is the Journey "Infinity" ad which features cut-outs of the band on an airplane.

The added bonus is the "meeting in person" at Sam Goody Record Stores and the mention of the Live Show at the New York Palladium on March 25th 1978.

It's a great black and white ad but I'm not sure exactly what magazine this came out of.

This is the first timeI've seen print using the term "new Journey"...

BAM Magazine from March 16, 1979 features Journey

Bay Area Magazine, BAM featured Journey on the cover March 16, 1979.

The cover has been shown here before...

...but this time the entire article about Journey is included!

Original Journey Vinyl Album Shrink Wrap Stickers for Infinity and Evolution

I've still got the stickers that were attached to my "Infinity" and "Evolution" albums I bought in 1980.

Albums were great back then . They were 12 inch square pieces of art. Sometimes there would be a cool record liner with notes or pictures and sometimes there were posters in there.

These are the stickers that are slapped on the shrink wrap of the album and usually discarded along with the shrink wrap. These show a little age, especially the one for "Evolution."

Journey Rockbill Concert Program by Budweiser from 1978

As Journey's popularity was growing at a fast pace in 1978 they started selling programs at their concerts. Here's the Rockbill Tour Book from 1978 sponsored by Budweiser in it's entirety;

"Wheel In The Sky" promo single on WHEEL IN THE SKY

This is my only copy of the "Wheel In The Sky" single.

I entered the World of "Journey" in 1980 so I missed the 1978 release of the single.

By 1981 I owned every Journey album and bought every single as it was released but I never did pick up the older singles until much later.

This is the 7 inch stereo vinyl white label promo single and it came in the normal "Columbia" paper sleeve...

Drawing of Journey "Looking Forward from 1978"

I don't where I came across this, but there's a great drawing of Journey including Gregg Rolie and Aynsley Dunbar...

Journey Force 8X10 Photo 1978 - Infinity

Here's a great 8X10 publicity photo from 1978 for the album "Infinity"...