Archetype wrote:Since Eclipse's release, I have been listening to Journey's post-Perry catalog a lot. It's down to Arrival and Revelation for my favorite effort, and I think that Arrival took the first spot last night. I think to truly appreciate an album you need to take it out in the middle of the night and drive through the most scenic places available. So last night we were out and I had Arrival playing. Where Eclipse tries way too hard, Arrival sounds completely natural. Arrival feels like that Journey just went into the studio and played what felt right, rather than going in with the preconceived notion of "Journey with big combat boots on."
My favorite tracks are:
Loved By You: This is a 21st Century Journey ballad done right. The clean guitar work from Neal is just perfect and compliments the song so well. Jonathan's piano part had such a great feel to it (I'm a huge fan of his "Piano With a View" album and this is right up that alley with the feel and tone) The lyrics are excellent with a subliminal dark feel to them (If I should die before I wake...) Lots of great atmospheric orchestration as well.
Livin' To Do: The intro of this song makes it for me. Would love this song even more if the electric guitar never came in; Neal sounds fantastic on that acoustic. Steve's vocals are really impressive in this one- lots of feel and power. Like Loved By You, the orchestration is just perfect. Rather than feeling like an extra element as it does in some of the Eclipse work, it holds the song together as a crucial part of it. Did I say I wished Neal stuck with acoustic? Alright well maybe until that great solo. No shredding, just beautiful notes, and some great fills by Deen at the end of it too. This song couldn't get any better, right? Wrong. Jonathan's outro organ solo is sonic euphoria. Such great feel to it and Deen's finesse adds such a wonder element.
With Your Love: This is a contemporary charts dream song. Everything about it is such a natural departure from 80's Journey and it has its own identity. Once again Steve's voice sounds great. The guy has (had) a perfect voice for a new Journey. He has his own style, he isn't Steve Perry and doesn't try to be. I really like that.
Live And Breathe: Possibly my favorite track on the album. Such an atmospheric modern sounding song. Ross isn't a virtuoso bass player, but his lines in this song should show his critics and peers that he is definitely a respectable force to be reckoned with. Not really sure why Neal (allegedly) has such a problem with his playing. Speaking of Neal, his solo in this song is so unique to Journey and had such a great feel to it. This is what Neal wanted to play; not something he's purposely playing just to try to be different from the legacy sound.
Kiss Me Softly: Jonathan's piano playing really stands out. It's very reminiscent of his mid 90s solo work which is just excellent. Neal's acoustic/clean electric back and forth playing adds so much mood to this song. The acoustic solo is the answer to the acoustic tease that Livin' To Do is. Would love to hear Neal incorporate this into Journey a lot more often.
To Be Alive Again: The music is great, although the lyrics aren't really very significant to me. Just a happy feel good song for people in mid life crisis who want to feel young again. That said, it's dangerously catchy. Great chorus and the "Be Good To Yourself" esque piano is pretty good. Then Neal's great solo comes in and he's got some fierce competition with Jonathan during it. Makes for such a great feel to the song.
The rest of the songs in order for most favorite to least favorite:
Signs Of Life
World Gone Wild
Higher Place
Lifetime Of Dreams
We Will Meet Again
I Got A Reason
All The Things
Nothin' Comes Close
Arrival is Journey naturally being Journey. They weren't trying to be anything except for what they really were at that time. They had a great vocalist who brought his sound to the table. There was no clinging to the legacy sound, but there also wasn't a deliberate effort to get away from the legacy sound. Neal and Jonathan both had released excellent solo albums recently before Arrival and they definitely brought that great playing to this effort. Arrival is definitely the best $5.00 I've ever spent on a CD.
marco17 wrote:WykkedSensation wrote:A great Journey album. Definately the best post Perry release (imo)
Totally agree. The most consistent of them all. Could do without a ballad or two, but a great album nonetheless.
Schon Rules All wrote:Arrival is my favorite Journey album period, by a country mile.... It holds so many memories for me, so many amazing songs, I must have cranked this one up in the car at least a thousand times. I totally appreciate this post. No album by Journey or anyone else will even come close to this one for me. 10 years later, this is still my favorite, and I can't see anything dethroning it. I remember me and a two friends were going through break ups, and we blared the shit out of Signs Of Life... Got to a lot of girls with Kiss Me Softly... We Will Meet Again... renewed my passion for drumming... Living To Do helped me cope with a loss... and I still remember the first time I saw Higher Place in concert... I jumped up so high I landed on my fucking chair... I could go on and on and on... What many feel for Escape or Frontiers, I feel for this album...
Rick wrote:Schon Rules All wrote:Arrival is my favorite Journey album period, by a country mile.... It holds so many memories for me, so many amazing songs, I must have cranked this one up in the car at least a thousand times. I totally appreciate this post. No album by Journey or anyone else will even come close to this one for me. 10 years later, this is still my favorite, and I can't see anything dethroning it. I remember me and a two friends were going through break ups, and we blared the shit out of Signs Of Life... Got to a lot of girls with Kiss Me Softly... We Will Meet Again... renewed my passion for drumming... Living To Do helped me cope with a loss... and I still remember the first time I saw Higher Place in concert... I jumped up so high I landed on my fucking chair... I could go on and on and on... What many feel for Escape or Frontiers, I feel for this album...
Now THAT's a ringing endorsement. Signs Of Life is my favorite track on that album. Love that song.
WykkedSensation wrote:Rick wrote:Schon Rules All wrote:Arrival is my favorite Journey album period, by a country mile.... It holds so many memories for me, so many amazing songs, I must have cranked this one up in the car at least a thousand times. I totally appreciate this post. No album by Journey or anyone else will even come close to this one for me. 10 years later, this is still my favorite, and I can't see anything dethroning it. I remember me and a two friends were going through break ups, and we blared the shit out of Signs Of Life... Got to a lot of girls with Kiss Me Softly... We Will Meet Again... renewed my passion for drumming... Living To Do helped me cope with a loss... and I still remember the first time I saw Higher Place in concert... I jumped up so high I landed on my fucking chair... I could go on and on and on... What many feel for Escape or Frontiers, I feel for this album...
Now THAT's a ringing endorsement. Signs Of Life is my favorite track on that album. Love that song.
Seen and met the band twice on the Arrival tour of 2001. First night we seen them in Tampa and when we met them after the show we told them we were seeing them the following night at West Palm Beach. Augeri turned to us and asked if we wanted to make a request for West Palm (seeing as we had flown over from the UK to see em), and we instantly said 'Signs of life' which they hadn't played at Tampa. Steve turned to Neal and asked him about playing the song and i remember Neal saying instantly and i quote, ''sure thing guys we will play that song for you'' Following night they played it, it was our request godammit, YES. Memorable trip.
Fantastic 2 shows and 'Signs of life' remains my fave song off of Arrival.
WykkedSensation wrote:Rick wrote:Schon Rules All wrote:Arrival is my favorite Journey album period, by a country mile.... It holds so many memories for me, so many amazing songs, I must have cranked this one up in the car at least a thousand times. I totally appreciate this post. No album by Journey or anyone else will even come close to this one for me. 10 years later, this is still my favorite, and I can't see anything dethroning it. I remember me and a two friends were going through break ups, and we blared the shit out of Signs Of Life... Got to a lot of girls with Kiss Me Softly... We Will Meet Again... renewed my passion for drumming... Living To Do helped me cope with a loss... and I still remember the first time I saw Higher Place in concert... I jumped up so high I landed on my fucking chair... I could go on and on and on... What many feel for Escape or Frontiers, I feel for this album...
Now THAT's a ringing endorsement. Signs Of Life is my favorite track on that album. Love that song.
Seen and met the band twice on the Arrival tour of 2001. First night we seen them in Tampa and when we met them after the show we told them we were seeing them the following night at West Palm Beach. Augeri turned to us and asked if we wanted to make a request for West Palm (seeing as we had flown over from the UK to see em), and we instantly said 'Signs of life' which they hadn't played at Tampa. Steve turned to Neal and asked him about playing the song and i remember Neal saying instantly and i quote, ''sure thing guys we will play that song for you'' Following night they played it, it was our request godammit, YES. Memorable trip.
Fantastic 2 shows and 'Signs of life' remains my fave song off of Arrival.
Archetype wrote:Livin' To Do: The intro of this song makes it for me. Would love this song even more if the electric guitar never came in; Neal sounds fantastic on that acoustic. Steve's vocals are really impressive in this one- lots of feel and power. Like Loved By You, the orchestration is just perfect. Rather than feeling like an extra element as it does in some of the Eclipse work, it holds the song together as a crucial part of it. Did I say I wished Neal stuck with acoustic? Alright well maybe until that great solo. No shredding, just beautiful notes, and some great fills by Deen at the end of it too. This song couldn't get any better, right? Wrong. Jonathan's outro organ solo is sonic euphoria. Such great feel to it and Deen's finesse adds such a wonder element.
Rick wrote:I was a late comer to Arrival. Just last year I started giving it it's due, and it really is a great album. It's too bad Augeri's voice didn't hold up, because he is who I would pick to lead Journey other than SP, if I had my choice. Just a terrific showman on stage from the DVD and clips I've seen, never got to see him live.
Eric wrote:They've really put together a nice Post-Perry catalog now with 4.5 albums. Counting soundtracks and bonuses they've created about 65 songs off the top of my head since they moved on. I say Kudos.
Here would be my post-Perry GH:
1. Arrival instrumental
2. Remember Me
3. Higher Place
4. Livin' To Do
5. I Can Breathe
6. Faith in the Heartland
7. Out of Harms Way
8. Never Too Late
9. Change for the Better
10. Wildest Dreams
11. What I Needed
12. Edge of the Moment
13. Chain of Love
14. Resonate
15. She's a Mystery
Jana wrote:Well, most know on here I adore Arrival. I have to admit it ranks as my most listened to Journey album any era as time has gone on. I love every single ballad on there save one maybe. I should just cut and paste my thoughts on it. The melancholic vibe moves me. I hear a very evolved Journey on here. not Journey just being Journey. And I just don't hear Perry in Augeri's singing. At times I hear a Rod Stewart vibe. Augeri's vocals are rough on a few songs for sure. But I fell in love with his understated soulful delivery. I love Neal's playing on it in a huge way. Love all the piano melody, on and on.
But I can't compare Arrival to Eclipse. Arrival is a moody, melancholic album and many songs about love. I listen to that album a lot in the winter, rainy days.
Eclipse is high energy. I love the power and high tenor clarity of Arnel's vocals and just love this album. This album puts me in a great mood by the time I hit AIP. And, yes, I love the whole ending to it. Resonate is amazing. One of their best ever. I think the guitar playing is never overdone for the music. The album just flies by for me. I thought I wanted Arrival .02. I was so wrong. Love the direction they took. I love it that both albums aren't similar. Both are special for different reasons.
Red13JoePa wrote:Don you were right about that rerecording of Arrival thing, I thought for sure they meant singing Arrival tunes live.
Having now read the Neal interview, and I'll have to skim the part again, he seemed to be going down the road of saying they might pull a Revelation and have a disc 2 with some post-perry tracks including some Arrival.
I don't know, that's the only thing I could see making some sense. Precedent is there for what posit in the second sense given they've already re-done FITH and TPIYH.
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