Classic Albums... Journey-Escape.

[Spectral Morn]

http://www.overthinkingit.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/journey-escape.jpg

1981 was a great year for fans of the AOR genre and an amazing year for the American band Journey, for it saw the release of their most successful album to date...Escape.

Produced by Mike Stone and Kevin Elson (names well known among rock and AoR lovers), and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig at Masterdisc..this in my opinion is as close to a perfect album as you can get, and a pinnacle of melodic rock.

Early Journey during the prog period

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Journey-band-04.jpg

Mid period Journey

http://www.100xr.com/100_XR/Artists/J/Journey/Journey-band-1978.jpg

The classic line up for Escape

http://jeremiahgraves.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/journey-band-pic.jpg

Journey had gone through several line up changes and switches in musical style before arriving at this, their perfect classic album. Starting as a guitar based prog rock band, then moving towards more melodic and song driven music with the arrival of vocalist Steve Perry and keyboard player Jonathan Cain, who replaced Greg Rolie who was Journeys main vocalist during their early to mid period. The songs grew shorter and the harmonies became more prominent.

Several excellent studio albums preceded Escape, namely Infinity, Evolution, Departure (Rolie and Perry sharing vocals rather awkwardly in my opinion on these 3 albums), with the live album Captured coming just before Escape. That live album had one studio track The Partys Over(Hopelessly in Love) taken from the movie Tron, and it is this track, which points to the magic that Escape is.

http://musicsojourn.com/AR/Prog/img/j/Journey/Infinity_300.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_l8gpriAy1Do/R08Ni2ld5sI/AAAAAAAAAGE/A3dQDflDV5g/s320/AlbumCovers-Journey-Evolution(1979).jpghttp://www.getreadytorock.com/journey_departure.jpghttp://rgcred.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/journey-captured.jpg

With Rolie's departure and the arrival of Jonathan Cain, Journeys music took a massive leap in quality and as J Cain shares the writing duties with Perry and ex-Santana guitarist Neal Schon it is to him that this new sound can, I feel be credited.

The first year of the decade saw Journey scale the heights of popularity world wide and soar in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with songs such as Open Arms, Don't stop Believing, Stone in Love and Mother Father...in fact, if my memory doesn't let me down, I think almost, if not all the songs of Escape were available to buy as singles.

Is there a bad track, frankly no, they range from emotional ballads such as Open Arms, Still they Ride to the power of Stone in Love. Family break up is tackled in Mother Father..the plantif cry of a seventh son to his family. The album opens with Don't stop Believing a classic slice of melodic rock and recently, along with Open Arms getting a modern twist by recent X Factor winner Joe. It is this fact, and the rather poor treatment of this material which prompts this pointer to the original. Don't get me wrong I love the fact that Journeys classics are getting a 21st Century outing, but it is my hope that those who like the rather inferior versions Joe sings will check out Escape.

Albums like this, a perfect work of art only come up maybe once or twice if a band is really blessed, and in Journeys case while the follow up albums range from very good to the more recent mediocre (almost parody with their Steve Perry clone singer), this was their moment and it happened in 1981.

So go check Escape out and enjoy the magic that it is.

The Partys Over
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You Tube clips from Escape
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Regards D S D L

[mistygreenandblue]

Must come back to this one when I have my 'reasonable' head on....

But I must ask who the vocalist dig is at - Steve Augeri?, Jeff Scott Soto?, Arnel Pineda? I assume Mr Pineda?.

As for Escape...yes, it was when all the cards fell in time....although Frontiers is 90% there too...

Raised on Radio is excellent, although it's more a Steve Perry solo album with Cain and Schon playing on it...

Arrival is a strong album also, apart from a slight bias towards mid tempo tunes, and that awful production job....sounds like it was dunked in a bath of treacle...either that or pro-tooled to death...

Strong year for melodic rock releases, Escape, Foreigner's 4, REO with Hi-Infidelity, Survivor with Vital Sign's....or it seemed as though they all appeared around the same time...brain cell's ain't what they once were...

Reported lost, ones youth, if found please hand back, sadly missed...

[Stratmangler]

I saw Journey performing on their first UK tour, which would have been 1979.
They were promoting the "Infinity" album.
I actually went to see the support act, which was the Pat Travers Band - at the time Pat had quite a UK following, and Journey were unheard of.

I walked into the Manchester Apollo, and, looking at the stage I was confronted with what must be the biggest PA rig I have ever seen in my life. I've been to outdoor festivals with smaller PA rigs.
Journey had had their US touring rig shipped over for the tour, and somehow the crew had managed to shoe-horn it into the Apollo.
There was maybe 15 feet of the front centre stage visible.

Pat Travers came onstage and performed his set - the sound was deafeningly loud and the band played and performed superbly.

Now it used to be common practise that supporting acts were played more quietly through the PA than the headline act.

Journey hit the stage, the faders on the mixing board all headed North, and there was just a horrendous wall of noise.
The only thing that game you a clue that music was being played was that there seemed to be some kind of rhythmical throbbing being made - the rest was just a wall of noise.
You knew a guitar solo was taking place 'cos Neil Schon moved to centre stage, waved his head around, and there seemed to be an added squall added to the already ongoing racket.
I didn't make it to the end of the first song - I left and headed home shaking my head in disbelief.

[Spectral Morn]

I saw Journey performing on their first UK tour, which would have been 1979.
They were promoting the "Infinity" album.
I actually went to see the support act, which was the Pat Travers Band - at the time Pat had quite a UK following, and Journey were unheard of.

I walked into the Manchester Apollo, and, looking at the stage I was confronted with what must be the biggest PA rig I have ever seen in my life. I've been to outdoor festivals with smaller PA rigs.
Journey had had their US touring rig shipped over for the tour, and somehow the crew had managed to shoe-horn it into the Apollo.
There was maybe 15 feet of the front centre stage visible.

Pat Travers came onstage and performed his set - the sound was deafeningly loud and the band played and performed superbly.

Now it used to be common practise that supporting acts were played more quietly through the PA than the headline act.

Journey hit the stage, the faders on the mixing board all headed North, and there was just a horrendous wall of noise.
The only thing that game you a clue that music was being played was that there seemed to be some kind of rhythmical throbbing being made - the rest was just a wall of noise.
You knew a guitar solo was taking place 'cos Neil Schon moved to centre stage, waved his head around, and there seemed to be an added squall added to the already ongoing racket.
I didn't make it to the end of the first song - I left and headed home shaking my head in disbelief.

I have never seen Journey live or Pat Travers (liked him a lot years ago but not listened to any of his album in at least 16 years....still have them on vinyl). That's a shame about the sound. I always use ear plugs (kind Gun enthusiasts use) to gigs it helps a lot to compensate for too much volume + protecting your ears.


Regards D S D L

[Spectral Morn]

Must come back to this one when I have my 'reasonable' head on....

But I must ask who the vocalist dig is at - Steve Augeri?, Jeff Scott Soto?, Arnel Pineda? I assume Mr Pineda?.

As for Escape...yes, it was when all the cards fell in time....although Frontiers is 90% there too...

Raised on Radio is excellent, although it's more a Steve Perry solo album with Cain and Schon playing on it...

Arrival is a strong album also, apart from a slight bias towards mid tempo tunes, and that awful production job....sounds like it was dunked in a bath of treacle...either that or pro-tooled to death...

Strong year for melodic rock releases, Escape, Foreigner's 4, REO with Hi-Infidelity, Survivor with Vital Sign's....or it seemed as though they all appeared around the same time...brain cell's ain't what they once were...

Reported lost, ones youth, if found please hand back, sadly missed...

I was thinking about this post the other day and how disappointed I had been that no one had commented on it.

I agree 1981 was very much the year for AOR.

The new Chinese singer, is who I mean. He sounds so much like Perry its a joke imho. Just get Perry back or move on to a new style.

The last three albums have for me been a real disappointment. I agree about Frontiers good album as is Raised on Radio , but Escape is Journey's classic.


Regards D S D L

[Stratmangler]

I use ear protection myself these days whenever I go to gigs.
Back then I was younger and still knew it all (ie teenage years) so I didn't bother.

With regard to the current Journey vocalist sounding like Steve Perry, I'm in complete agreement with you.
By that I mean look at Queen - they couldn't replace Freddy if they tried, so when Brian May and Roger Taylor resurrected Queen they brought in one of the best vocalists in the business - Paul Rodgers - and he doesn't make the slightest effort to sound like Freddy, it's always Paul Rodger's take on things.
And it's all the better for it.

[DanJennings]

By that I mean look at Queen - they couldn't replace Freddy if they tried, so when Brian May and Roger Taylor resurrected Queen they brought in one of the best vocalists in the business - Paul Rodgers - and he doesn't make the slightest effort to sound like Freddy, it's always Paul Rodger's take on things.
And it's all the better for it.

The album was pretty appalling though...

[Spectral Morn]

I use ear protection myself these days whenever I go to gigs.
Back then I was younger and still knew it all (ie teenage years) so I didn't bother.

With regard to the current Journey vocalist sounding like Steve Perry, I'm in complete agreement with you.
By that I mean look at Queen - they couldn't replace Freddy if they tried, so when Brian May and Roger Taylor resurrected Queen they brought in one of the best vocalists in the business - Paul Rodgers - and he doesn't make the slightest effort to sound like Freddy, it's always Paul Rodger's take on things.
And it's all the better for it.


Agreed in regard to Queen.

I feel the same about the current Journey vocalist...yes he sounds like Steve Perry, but he's not. All they have ended up with imho, is a tribute band.


Regards D S D L

[Stratmangler]

The album was pretty appalling though...

Cosmos Rocks ?
I agree, not the best of albums.
The live thing they put out on the other hand was rather good.

[goraman]

I would like to apologise on behalf of the U.S.A.
After giveing us the Stones,Beatles,Who,Kinks,Led Zepplin,Jeff Beck,Sex Pistols and so menny others,we gave you Journey.
Words can not discribe the shame.
And not musicly related but bigger than life Benny Hill & Montey Python.
Well at least we had something to do with Blues and Jazz we still owe you guys though.
Carrot Top vs. Mr. Bean? My moneys on Bean.( I tend to think out loud and type thoughts in progress.)

[Alex_UK]

Nice one Jeff, but you also gave us Britney so in my book we're even... ;)

[John]

I tend to perfer Journey in their early days but Escape is one of the few AOR albums I still have in my collection
Andre (perhaps Neil too) not going to like me for this but tend to see AOR as prog rock B'std grandchild
If you think of the early days of AOR bands like Kansas Styx Boston they all have prog influnces often called pomp rock that latter morphed into AOR I happen to actually like a lot more pomp

[Ali Tait]

[QUOTE=Alex_UK;112039]Nice one Jeff, but you also gave us Britney so in my book we're even... ;)[/QUOTE

Aye but we gave them the Spice Girls! :lolsign:

[Joe]

[QUOTE=Alex_UK;112039]Nice one Jeff, but you also gave us Britney so in my book we're even... ;)[/QUOTE

Aye but we gave them the Spice Girls! :lolsign:

And Simon Cowell!

[Marco]

Can you daftees not learn how to use quotes? ;)

Marco.

[Stratmangler]

QUOTE=Marco;112149]Can you daftees not learn to use quotes? ;)

Marco.[/QUOTE]

What are you on about ? :eyebrows:

[Stratmangler]

Can you daftees not learn to use quotes? ;)

Marco.

What are you on about ? :eyebrows:

I couldn't resist;)

[Marco]

Yes, it's best always to lead by example ;)

Marco.

[Joe]

Can you daftees not learn how to use quotes? ;)

Marco.

Awa' an bile yer heid.

[goraman]

Please feel free to take Simon back and well throw in pilled up
Paula for good measure.and Ellen.
I'm waiting for Simons first show (Simon LOVES Simon.)
What is Prog ? and AOR?
Not terms we use over here.At least not commenly.