The longtime guitarist for arena rockers Journey, Neal Schon was born February 27, 1954 in San Mateo, CA; a child prodigy, he joined Santana at age 17, making his debut on 1971's III LP. In 1973 Schon co-founded Journey with fellow Santana alum Gregg Rolie; although the group's early records favored a largely instrumental, progressive rock-influenced approach, with the 1978 addition of frontman Steve Perry their commercial fortunes ascended as slick hard rock hits like "Wheel in the Sky," "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," and "Anyway You Want It" became FM radio staples. In 1981, Schon teamed with keyboardist Jan Hammer for the fusion-inspired Untold Passion; that same year, Journey achieved mega-stardom with the release of the chart-topping Escape, which yielded the Top Ten hits "Who's Crying Now," "Open Arms," and "Don't Stop Believin'." A second collaboration with Hammer, Here to Stay, followed in 1983, with Schon soon rejoining Journey for the smash Frontiers; however, despite the success of 1986's Raised on Radio, he left the band in 1989, recording the solo effort Late Nite before forming the supergroup Bad English with singer John Waite. After two LPs, Bad English imploded, and in late 1993, he joined the reformed Journey, issuing the acoustic solo outing Beyond the Thunder two years later. The two-disc Electric World followed in 1997, and in 1999 Schon returned with Piranha Blues.

Late Nite - 1989

At age 15, Neal Schon landed job offers from both Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton - in the same week! Schon would eventually join Santana where he would meet keyboardist Greg Rolie. After a short stint with Santana, Schon and Rolie would leave to form the super successful Journey. Despite Journey's ascension to the pinnacle of the rock world, Schon was often criticized for failing to live up to his advanced billing. The adulation of rock luminaries such as Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton left no room for anything but the Second Coming. Million's of fans saw it different. Journey would eventually become the largest selling act in Columbia Records history; and, a 1983 Gallup Poll named Journey America's favorite band. Even in Journey, though, Schon's contributions were often eclipsed by the unique voice of Steve Perry. It would take him the better part of two decades and the 1989 release of Late Nite before he would finally take center stage. Late Nite represents a fully articulated vision of the Schon signature. From the opening of the title track to "Inner Circles," Schon, and keyboardist/composer Bob Marlette (Al Stewart, John Wetton, Tracy Chapman, et al.), create a soundscape of passion that is at once melodic, epic, and moving. In fact, there are few, if any, recordings that deliver as potent an emotional experience. In essence, Late Nite is a study in anthemic expression that can implant itself in the imagination of the listener. The majestic "Steps" is a perfect example of how the duo has capsulized melodic electricity into a four-minute archetype of breathtaking beauty. Most of Late Nite lingers in the psyche long after you've turned it off. What could easily have been an exercise in excess, Schon and Marlette serve up with good taste. Moreover, all of the tracks grab the listener with sharp, engaging, melodies. The arrangements provide the perfect launching pad for Schon's soaring guitar solos. A mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, Schon show's he is equally adept in both area's. No, he was not blessed with a Steve Perry voice. Schon's voice, though, has pleasing qualities and he is more than up to the challenge. Strong backups throughout Late Nite, which are at times soulful as on the charged "When The Rain Come's Down," also help to enhance the angelic quality of the tracks. Schon would later re-invent his guitar signature on the beautiful Beyond the Thunder. He would then shift gears again for Electric World, evolving yet another hybrid. Not a commercial success when it was released, Late Nite remains a thoroughly engrossing and at times, beautiful work. - Jeri Montesano

01 - (1:08) Le Dome
02 - (6:39) Late Nite
03 - (5:21) Softly
04 - (9:44) The Theme
05 - (5:06) I'll Be Waiting
06 - (5:58) I'll Cover You
07 - (7:08) Rain's Comin' Down
08 - (4:46) Smoke Of The Revolution
09 - (4:40) Inner Circles
10 - (5:34) Steps
11 - (2:29) Blackened Bacon

Beyond The Thunder - 1995

With the release of former Journey guitarist Neal Schon's simmering instrumental debut Beyond the Thunder, Higher Octave must be hoping that former rock god lightning will strike twice. Ex-Starship stringman Craig Chaquico's two acoustic projects have been phenomenons, and there's no reason the thoughtful, inventive Schon can't achieve a similar splash. After years of bouncy, straightforward and usually loud pop-rocking, Schon seems committed to calmly reflecting on the many places he's been over the years, and so keeps his melodies generally simple, the production highly atmospheric, with special accents on the dazzling electric and acoustic soloing which became his trademark in the Journey days. Unlike Chaqico, he never goes out of his way to blow our minds rhythmically, but the jazzy Spanish flavors of the rolling "Espanique" prove a fascinating counterpoint to the potent but less inventive fare. Helping Schon with the complementary textures is fellow Journeyman, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who surrounds Schon's tight riffs with some magnificently haunting acoustics. It's always a treat to see the sensitive side of a rocker, and Schon's promising debut points to a rich new phase and some friendly competition for his already flying labelmate. - Jonathan Widran

01 - (4:58) Big Moon
02 - (4:51) Bandalero
03 - (4:59) Cool Breeze
04 - (5:14) Zanzibar
05 - (5:11) Send Me An Angel
06 - (4:19) Boulevard Of Dreams
07 - (4:32) Espanique
08 - (4:40) Caribbean Blue
09 - (5:14) Someone's Watching Over Me - Iguassa Falls
10 - (2:56) Deep Forest
11 - (5:29) Call Of The Wild

Neal Schon & Jan Hammer Collection: No More Lies - 1998

01 - (2:31) Miami Vice Theme
02 - (3:50) Wasting Time
03 - (4:58) I'm Talking To You
04 - (4:13) I'm Down
05 - (4:01) Arc
06 - (4:47) It's Alright
07 - (3:09) Hooked On Love
08 - (5:32) On The Beach
09 - (7:06) Untold Passion
10 - (3:34) No More Lies
11 - (3:39) Don't Stay Away
12 - (3:57) So Hot
13 - (4:53) Turnaround
14 - (2:39) Self Defense
15 - (3:54) Long Time
16 - (4:59) Time Again
17 - (3:17) Sticks And Stones
18 - (2:15) Peace Of Mind
19 - (5:29) Covered By Midnight

Piranha Blues - 1999

01 - (3:35) Whiskey, Women & Blues
02 - (6:34) Gotta Get Back To You
03 - (3:59) Lonesome Road
04 - (5:23) Hole In My Pocket
05 - (5:24) Walkin' Out The Door
06 - (5:08) I'm In Love
07 - (6:55) Love Trance
08 - (5:07) Slow Down
09 - (2:56) Play The Blues
10 - (5:09) A Girl Like You
11 - (3:55) Hey, Hey, Babe
12 - (4:56) Blues For Miles

Voice - 2001

Perhaps when Neal Schon was playing with Journey and Bad English, he heard a lot of great pop songs that he couldn't play as part of those bands' repertoires. He established himself as a topnotch rock guitar instrumentalist with Beyond the Thunder, then went a little avant-garde with Electric World, and now goes about as commercial as possible doing blistering distorted electric versions of favorite hits like Mariah Carey's "Hero," Annie Lennox' "Why" (interestingly, pairing the guitar with synth vocals that approximate those of Lennox), "Killing Me Softly," "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)," "I Can't Make You Love Me," and the good old reliable "My Heart Will Go On." The few non-hits might best attract skeptics to the brilliantly performed project. "Caruso" is a crying ballad that finds Schon wailing almost mournfully over a lush cushion of ambience, while "Con Te Partiro" is a sweeping classical-flavored anthem replete with soaring synth washes and poignant melodic echoing guitar passages. Leon Russell's "A Song for You" is given a blues treatment with simple piano accompaniment behind the wild and wacky distortion. If you're a Schon fan or if you just want to hear instrumental versions of songs you love that are definitely not Muzak, this is a great CD. But since breaking through with the all-original Behind the Thunder, he hasn't quite recaptured the magic. - Jonathan Widran

01 - (5:45) Caruso
02 - (4:24) Hero
03 - (5:56) Everything I Do I Do It For You
04 - (5:08) Killing Me Softly
05 - (5:12) From This Moment On
06 - (4:58) Why
07 - (4:48) I Can't Make You Love Me
08 - (4:16) Con Te Partiro
09 - (4:45) My Heart Will Go On
10 - (4:14) A Song For You