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Love for Ross Valory (Journey) underrated

#23
80'sRocker said:
Jim Dep, I don't know how to give you a link direct to my JOURNEY FAN CLUB POSTER picture, but you can go to my myspace @ Link Removed and click My Photos (on left); scroll down; go to page 2, bottom; click on Journey Poster to enlarge.
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I can't seem to find it, but this "my space" you sent me is neat and I'll have fun hunting around for it. :)
 
#24
iridiumrocks said:
"Anyway" is a great song. My band used to do a cover of "You're On Your Own" way back when :D
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That's not an easy song to pull off :D

When Journey played it live it was one of the most powerful and dynamic tunes I've ever heard.

I remember a little rumor that the lyrics were a jab towards Carlos Santana based on the friction from the original Santana band splitting up.
 
#25
Jim Dep said:
Very very Cool!! I don't have myspace, but do you have a link?

I agree, Journey was a big part of my earlier days. I was just thinking to of how to find a link for the bass playing Ross did for " In my Loney Feeling / Conversations" . You earlier Journey fan bass players know what this is!
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Ah, me too. I can't seem to find old footage of Journey, looked all over, although on the VH1 Behind The Music there was a little old footage. I have a 1978 Soundstage show that kicks, the Midnight Special DVD was awesome w/ Journey, plus others. There was/is? also some very very cool youtube footage in '77 with singer Robert Fleishman from Hawaii!
 
#26
80'sRocker said:
Ah, me too. I can't seem to find old footage of Journey, looked all over, although on the VH1 Behind The Music there was a little old footage. I have a 1978 Soundstage show that kicks, the Midnight Special DVD was awesome w/ Journey, plus others. There was/is? also some very very cool youtube footage in '77 with singer Robert Fleishman from Hawaii!
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Ya, I went through those too. It just makes me craving to find some footage, somewhere from a couple years earlier. You know that somebody has some!

I remember one show when Journey opened for Robin Trower at Winterland. On this night, I heard Journey play " Midnight Lover" for the first time. I about peed my pants during Neal's solo. It was so melodic over such a cool groove.

About half way through Trower, I was ready to leave. I liked Trower too back then, but it was so anti climatic in comparison.
 
#28
Here's a link to SIR studios where we met Journey rehearsing in San Francisco.

From the pictures I'm seeing now, they've done some serious remodeling over the last 35 years! It was a lot darker and drab looking when we were there.

Invalid Link Removed
 
#29
SteveC said:
I was/am very influenced by Journey/Valory bass lines. You can hear me use them in church all the time. Contemporary Christian is full of people influenced by 80's pop.
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Weird bit of trivia.......you mention Contempory Christian Music.....Lincoln Brewster- a MONSTER guitar player and BIG Contempory Christian artist (singer/song writer) played/co-wrote and help produce a lot of the first Steve Perry solo record (which had the "Oh Sherry" crap).

Sorry for the derail, now back to the Ross Valory love!
Of which I also hold him in VERY high regard. Wasn't he playing some weird "violin" bodied bass like tuned to BEAD as of late?
 
#30
It was 1982 when I switched from drums to bass. Journey, riding high on the success of the Escape album at the time, were one of my favorite bands. My concept of what the bass does in the context of a song would have been largely influenced by Ross' playing. Not just the Perry-era stuff either. I had every Journey album up to and including Escape at that point.

I was also a fan of Rush, The Who, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden and numerous early '80s 'metal' bands at the time, and when I spoke of my influences, I tended to mention the more out-front players like Geddy, Squire, Harris and Entwistle.

After about 3 years of playing bass, a guitar player friend who had played in several bands with me, pointed out that, even though I liked to name Geddy and Squire as my bass idols, my playing style and tone reflected the influence of John Paul Jones and Ross Valory far more than any of the guys I tended to think of as my primary influences.

He was right, of course.

I've heard Valory referred to as 'the bassist's bassist.' Maybe a bit of an overstatement, but I think the idea is sound.
 
#32
MikeBass said:
Sorry for the derail, now back to the Ross Valory love!
Of which I also hold him in VERY high regard. Wasn't he playing some weird "violin" bodied bass like tuned to BEAD as of late?
Click to expand...

Last I knew, he was playing a red Curbow Petite 4 tuned BEAD. However, the photos from the Ross Valory fan site ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]) show him with a Stingray HH on recent tours.
 
#34
Jim Dep said:
I was at that show too. May of 1974. Ross was playing a natural finish P bass. That was one of Anysley's first gigs with them after Prairie Prince joined the Tubes. Carlos Santana came out for Mahavishu's encore and they played " A Love Supreme". I took a few pictures that night, and managed to get a close shot of Carlos from the back balcony, right above the stage.

That was a great concert.


Here's a pic from 1977. This looks like the same bass.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
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cool ;)
i was so into mahavishnu at that time, i couldn't wait til everybody else rapped it up so i could hear ralphe and narada walden
 
#35
Reading through this thread seems like alot of you were Ross fans from the start but I came to know his playing on the earliest Journey records long after becoming a huge fan of the Perry era music. Truly an underrated talent in. Check out his work with Todd Rundgren too from the early 90's on '2nd Wind'. The bass lines are pure Ross.
 
#36
80'sRocker said:
Remember when Ross played an Ovation Bass in the early 80's? Then a Steinberger? and of course the Fenders and T-40's
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I lost interest in Journey's direction during the 80's and I didn't understand why he got away from his P bass. It had the clarity, the punch, the bottom and the look that I associated with Ross.

It was all a sign of musical Armageddon. :eek:

Maybe it was the endorsements, but by the time they got that rich I wouldn't think that would be a factor. Haven't been there so I don't know. He probably went through all those basses just because he could :)
 
#37
m.oreilly said:
cool ;)
i was so into mahavishnu at that time, i couldn't wait til everybody else rapped it up so i could hear ralphe and narada walden
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You and me both. I even named my 63' bug after Ralphe. Remember how intense it was when Narada used his mallets on the gong for the beginning of "Vision is Naked Sword"?

When Walden played he took technique and finesse to another level. Then you throw in Ralphe's great playing and tone on his fretless P bass.

1973 and 74 were the concert peaks for me to see great bands.
 

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