Journey's lead vocalist Steve Perry has debuted his first solo album, Street Talk, which is somewhat of a departure from the work he's done with his regular band.
While he emphasised that he's not leaving Journey, it seems apparent after just a few minutes of discussion that Perry has found a new kind of enthusiasm.
"It seems like I've been waiting all of my life for this," said Perry. "The solo album is real pressure - especially if you produce it, as I did with mine - but it was a challenge I wanted."
But Perry added that he's not sick of Journey. "I think that Journey has been together a long time and I think like anything else, the guys need a little break from each other. Everybody's doing their own solo projects - let's face it, we don't want to see each other continually every day and meet for breakfast while we're off the road.
"I am sure that I had a lot to do with Journey taking off," he says honestly. "There was an identity there. Before, the band had an identity, but there wasn't a strong vocal identity."
Does he think he's a great singer?
"No . . . sometimes I don't think I'm very good at all; it's funny, sometimes I enjoy listening to some of the things that I've done, and sometimes I can't even listen to them. Just now, I like the work I've done on the solo album the most, because it's more of a testimony of expression for me."
© Circus, July 31 1984, Circus Enterprises Corporation.
