I Can't Get 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' Out Of My Head!

Wouldn't you think that after listening to symphonic music for the last two months (as an inspirational background while writing on my Chupacabra Series), I would be writing a post about how I can't get something composed by Hans Zimmer or Trevor Jones out of my head?  That's what I think too!  But no, I have Journey's song "Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart)" stuck in my head and it won't leave, which does not inspire western/thriller writing.  Now if I were writing an early 1980's period piece, then I say, "Bring it!"

Where did the song come from? - No idea!  How did it get stuck in my head? - Just as mysterious!  Maybe its my brain telling me that it is starving for some rock n' roll or anything that ISN'T a movie score?

However, do I love this song? - I do!  Ever since DSB played a concert in front of my home last year and then being invited to a Journey concert two months later, I've become quite the Journey groupie.  In fact, each time 'Separate Ways' was played at both concerts, it made me feel all warm and tingly inside.  The funny thing is though, I never knew the title of this song until after those concerts; I just recognized the song from the radio of my youth.

So, if you're anything like me and are not sure of which song I am talking about, you can watch 'Tron: Legacy' on Blu-Ray/DVD as it is featured in the movie or watch the video below, BUT if you are familiar with this song, WATCH THE VIDEO ANYWAY because (although of poor quality) this video is an introduction of 'Separate Ways' during their live Day On The Green concert in 1982, which is exciting:

Fun Fact:  To accompany the song on MTV in 1982/3, the band shot its first-ever concept video. It was a difficult experience for a variety of reasons, and the music video has been widely ridiculed and described as among the worst videos ever, so OF COURSE, I have to include it here as well:

I hope you enjoyed this post.

I Can't Get 'Sister Christian' Out Of My Head!



So on Friday the 7th, I was invited to see a concert down in San Diego.  It was a throwback to the 80's concert with bands:  Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger.  Night Ranger opened with Journey being the headlining act, and we all know I how feel about Journey.  Yay!

As most know, Night Ranger was pretty much a one-hit wonder with their most popular song being 'Sister Christian' and out of 4 hours of continuous music from that night, it is the song that has stuck inside my head ALL WEEKEND LONG without a break!  Ugh!  Now, I do like the song but there were much better songs that night (and performances).  In fact, I not only thought Night Ranger was the least enjoyable act of the night, I was really disappointed in their performance of 'Sister Christian', their only song I recognized.  The singer kept trailing off half way through a verse and it was kind of annoying, not to mention he just sounded off.  Maybe he was having a bad night or he was coming down with a cold or whatever.  Anyway, in my analysis of why 'Sister Christian', above all other songs, is the one that is stuck inside my head, I figure it may be because it was the most disappointing of the night and I'm replaying the radio version in my head over and over to compensate.

So, if you're feeling a little retro, for your listening pleasure, here is the beloved version of 'Sister Christian':



On a side note, since I've recently posted how awesome I thought a Journey tribute band (Don't Stop Believin') was when they performed outside my home, I must compare them to the real Journey band.  Arnel Pineda is now the lead vocalist and is featured on their most recent album "Eclipse",which was released just this last May.  He's good, nice range and sounds little bit like Steve Perry when singing the hits, but I still have to give props to Juan Del Castillo and the rest of the Don't Stop Believin' band.  Let's face it, without Steve Perry, even the real Journey band feels like a Journey tribute band and I enjoyed Don't Stop Believin's performance more.  And as for Foreigner, the best band of the night... by far.

Never Stop Believing

So, welcome to my first "unplanned" post.  All summer long, the city of Garden Grove, California has been putting on free concerts every Thursday, mostly by tribute bands.  A few Thursday's back, Abbey Road (just guess who they tribute, and if you can't figure it out, click here) performed at a Garden Grove park about six miles away from my house.  I really wanted to go, but they were SIX MILES away.  Ugh!  Too far.

Then, last night, the Journey tribute band Don't Stop Believing (DSB), played in the park JUST OUTSIDE MY FRONT DOOR, which also happened to coincide with a special volunteer appreciation event I was attending for my volunteer work with Meals on Wheels.  In fact, all volunteers received VIP seating for the concert after the appreciation dinner.  WELL... now that's more my style.  Walking distance (check), Dinner and Show (check), treated like a VIP (double check), Journey music (triple check).

I love Journey's music.  And who can possibly NOT love their classic song, "Don't Stop Believing", recently made even more popular by being the finale song of the last episode of The Sopranos and sung by the talented cast members of Glee (another obsession)?  And that's the song we just immediately think of when we think of Journey.  I forget that Journey is also responsible for such hits as "Open Arms", "Who's Crying Now", "Wheels in the Sky", "Faithfully", "Separate Ways" and my other personal favorite just behind "Don't Stop Believing"... "Any Way You Want It".

But this post isn't really about Journey, it's about their tribute band.  I have to say, I haven't seen many tribute bands, but from the moment I heard the first lyrics being sung out of Juan Del Castillo's mouth, I was FA-LOORED!  I couldn't believe (I know, but Michael, 'don't stop believing') how much he sounded like the unique Steve Perry.  And the other band members were fantastic, as well; drummer Scotty Kromos even had a drum solo that literally took my breath away.  So, for two hours, they played all of Journey's greatest hits flawlessly, but the strawberry on top was literally on my free funnel cake, which I could do another whole post about, alone.

So, that's it.  Last night was a real eye opening experience for me on many levels; regarding good cover bands, the fantastic music of Journey and maybe six miles is worth it.  Of course, the majority of my fascination with DSB could have just been from:  a) I had low expectations going in and,  b) they'll be the closest thing I'll ever get to seeing Journey live in concert, but I feel they are definitely worth checking out.  If you should be interested in learning more about them, their tour schedule or watching a video of their performance, you can check out their website here:  http://www.dsbband.com/

BTW, I did not know that Journey never had a #1 hit.  Preposterous!