Why not toss REO Speedwagon into the pot as well?



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Overall i think I like Foreigner better, but i like Neil Schon better than Mick Jones as far as guitar playing and sound. I also like the keyboard sound in Journey. Tough call i guess. As far as REO speedwagon... the guitar solo for 'Take it on the Run' alone makes for an even more difficult decision.

Makes me wish i still had my REO Speedwagon Baseball Jersey tshirt from the Wheels Are Turning Show... my Foreigner and Loverboy ones too LOL

Incidentally, the new Foreigner album 'Can't Slow Down' has some good tunes on it.

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YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

To the best of my knowledge, Mick Jones is a "plug the LP straight into the Marshall" kind of guy. I love his sound and style. I think Neil Schon had a similar setup but added some color with the old chorus and delay units, but i could be Way off. I do like his soloing better.

Another cat i REALLY like is the feller that plays with Bryan Adams. Keith Scott i think?

Oh and the two tunes i was digging most off the new foreigner are "in Pieces" and "can't slow down" You can probably find them on Youtube to have a play. I was pleasantly surprised. Its not Lou Graham on vox but the guy does a nice job.

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YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

Journey in it's first form (Aynsley, Neal, Greg and Ross) was (saw them in 1975 and 1976) arguably the best hard rock band on the planet. IMHO. The albums 1975: Journey, 1976: Look into the Future, and, 1977: Next, is the material they played live back then. Foreigner (saw them in 1977) were one of the very best rock bands of that time. I just liked Journey because I was a Santana fan for their first 3 albums, so when Santana morphed in the jazz direction Journey seemed like what Santana would have been had they gone in a rock direction. Survivor, R.E.O., Styx, Kansas,and other bands were more pop rock or radio friendly. Journey couldn't get radio play back then. The geezers of that time thought they were too loud too fast, the songs had a hard edge and Greg's delivery accented the lyrics perfectly Aynsleys drumming was thundering and Neals playing brought audiences to their feet shouting "Neal, Neal, Neal". They just out rocked everyone, it had to change I guess, not the first time that has happened.
Journey - Karma (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpCxEKUuVwk

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

I have always liked Foreigner better, for three reasons:

(1) I know Neal Schon is a more technically proficient guitarist and he played with Santana at the age of three and he's God's Gift to the Bay Area and he had a really cool 'fro in the 70s and he could be a jazz player if he wanted to and...
But I get turned off by his personality when I read interviews, etc. He seems to be angry (and perhaps rightfully so) that people are still asking him about Steve Perry twenty years on. He plays solos that are right out of the "early shred" primer (and I really don't like shred that much). He also destroyed a classic Les Paul, installing a Floyd Rose into it (idiot). Yes, he's a good guitarist...but so are ten thousand other guys.

(2) I like Mick Jones' guitar playing, period. That is all.

(3) There have been no less than nine-seven lead singers of Journey, and all of them sound quite a bit like Steve Perry...so why do people think Steve Perry is all that?
Proof of my "Ninety-Seven People Sound Like Steve Perry" Theory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_PueFpGjcE

Okay, maybe not 97 singers...but I'm just sayin'...

Having said that, I like several Journey songs...I just prefer Foreigner.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Overall, I'd say that Foreigner are just a little bit more Rock n Roll than Journey. But Journey certainly have the edge in song writing sophistication and overall class.

I saw both bands recently at the NEC in Birmingham. They were on a triple header with Styx playing as well. Award of the night probably went to Foreigner with Styx second. Musically the best show was Journey - even though their vocalist looked to be about 12 - but for the first time in my life I was becoming bored with the guitar solos Neil Schon's playing was fantastic - but it just went on and on forever. He endlessly wailed through 2 solos per song and the set seemed to last a lifetime. Thank God for "Don't Stop Believing" - it meant the show was nearly over

As for REO Speed-thingie and Survivor, well I personally rate them as formulaic 'me too' artists. Entirely competent but with nothing original to say. Just my view of course - no wish to offend.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

I saw Journey in early '77 (the pre-Perry "Topaz" tour) and I thought they were outstanding......and very very loud. Neal played a great set (they all did, in fact) but opening for them was Nils Lofgren and frankly, he blew Neal away in terms of performance energy and stage presence.

JMO

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

What a coincidence that this question comes up - - we just watched Foreigner on
some concert TV show (HDNet?) and I was impressed with how they sounded these days, especially on tunes like "Cold As Ice" and "Double Vision" and just a couple of weeks ago we saw Journey in the same setting and didn't sound good at all to our ears.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I think Foreigner could beat up Journey.

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Jim Bordner
Gravity Music - www.gravitymusic.com
Composer, producer, Egnater Artist

Of course it is -- they've all created some great music over the years.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I found a lot of the music of Foreigner,Journey and REO Speedwagon pretty well interchangeable but I'd have to say that overall Foreigner had a finer edge to its music,much better played and written.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

My picks:
1) Foreigner
2) REO (prior to Hi-Infidelity)
3) Journey

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.