Buy Eclipse (and Grab TBF while you're at it)

[Don]

After having a limited listening experience of Journey's upcoming release, think of this as a lite review of the album.
If you like the airiness of the early Journey records (Pre-Captured) but want the brashness of a Frontiers era vocal, this might be your cup of tea. The sound is fantastic. The musicianship superb (for the most part). Arnel is the little engine that could and then some. And maybe a bit too much also. If you are a fan of Schon's solo work, like Beyond The Thunder, this is going to be your type of album, just ratcheted up a notch (or three). Neal plays with passion and fire but doesn't fall into the bad habit he does live of making this a total shredfest. The notes are clear and concise and will take you back to those early days when Neal could captivate an audience all by himself.

The songs should not be edited and if I had to, I would cut out some of the vocals actually to keep the axe work intact. Really, there are times where all you want to hear is the music a la Dream After Dream, it's that good. Arnel can belt it and a lot of the issues he had before seem to have been clamped down on though there are a few hiccups but only noticeable because I may be intentionally looking for them.

The problem here is the lyrics. Ballad Bombers aren't philosophers and this theme of universal love and acceptance demands it, as the concept has been hashed over many times already. As a kid, if you broke out the dictionary to write a report to make it sound more worldly than it actually was, you may get my drift. I would say Generations was stronger in that regard, even though Augeri may not have been the right vocalist to convey it. Some people may think this album is 'Deep' but I would disagree. More like trying to shoehorn a concept into great music with out having the proper fitting template.

Is this album better than Arrival? I think so but it will be up for debate as many enjoyed that record because of it staying within the Journey formula to a point.

Better than ROR? Now, I was never fond of that record because I regarded as nothing more than a pop album but judging it only on it's merits as a pop/soft rock release, Raised On Radio was great. Eclipse is a very good rock album but great? Not in my opinion.

This brings me to my last comparison. Trial By Fire. I actually felt the need to listen to both albums back to back (a ripped TBF to be fair). The two albums could easily be companion pieces, an older brother bringing his skill as a great artist to the table to compensate for his faltering vocals. The younger sibling, crashing along and sounding fantastic but falling down on occasion. People have described TBF as a mature version of the Journey sound and that exactly what I get when I compare it to Eclipse. Both albums are off the hook sonically but with TBF, you know these guys are pros at the top of their game.

With Eclipse, Neal and Jon (surprising, but in a different way) are the masters but their disciples do struggle to keep up on occasion.
The lyrics cripple it sometimes and Arnel still does have a few issues not completely selling you to the point where he sounds like he is bleeding out every note but those moments aren't that numerous, a bit of nitpicking on my end perhaps.

My suggestion is to buy the album and if you haven't already, grab TBF and listen to them back to back or even mix them (something I can't do at the moment until I get my own permanent copy of the new album). I think both camps will find something to enjoy when embracing Eclpise/TBF as as a two part concept piece (personally, I've found an all new respect to what I thought a dry, dire record in TBF).

For Journey Fans, a must buy.

[Saint John]

Don, thanks for the review, but exactly what are you basing your Eclipse review off of?

[Don]

Don, thanks for the review, but exactly what are you basing your Eclipse review off of?

The same thing all reviewers base their reviews off of. Unfortunately, it's not my property and I only had limited listens. I was using my portable hard drive to have the other albums on hand for comparison.

For the record 'Tantra' is not the best song on the album. I think you will be impressed by another song but I don't want to cause a ruckus by saying which one (though that hint should reduce the field quite a bit).

[S2M]

Don, thanks for the review, but exactly what are you basing your Eclipse review off of?

The same thing all reviewers base their reviews off of. Unfortunately, it's not my property and I only had limited listens. I was using my portable hard drive to have the other albums on hand for comparison.

For the record 'Tantra' is not the best song on the album. I think you will be impressed by another song but I don't want to cause a ruckus by saying which one (though that hint should reduce the field quite a bit).

From what I've heard so far....She's A Mystery takes that award.....

[Saint John]

Don, thanks for the review, but exactly what are you basing your Eclipse review off of?

The same thing all reviewers base their reviews off of. Unfortunately, it's not my property and I only had limited listens. I was using my portable hard drive to have the other albums on hand for comparison.

For the record 'Tantra' is not the best song on the album. I think you will be impressed by another song but I don't want to cause a ruckus by saying which one (though that hint should reduce the field quite a bit).

Thanks for the clarification. Really looking forward to May 24th.

[brywool]

Don, thanks for the review, but exactly what are you basing your Eclipse review off of?

The same thing all reviewers base their reviews off of. Unfortunately, it's not my property and I only had limited listens. I was using my portable hard drive to have the other albums on hand for comparison.

For the record 'Tantra' is not the best song on the album. I think you will be impressed by another song but I don't want to cause a ruckus by saying which one (though that hint should reduce the field quite a bit).

From what I've heard so far....She's A Mystery takes that award.....

wow, you mean the one Arnel had a big hand in writing?
COULDN'T BE.... He's just a Karaoke singer....

[Don]

Don, thanks for the review, but exactly what are you basing your Eclipse review off of?

The same thing all reviewers base their reviews off of. Unfortunately, it's not my property and I only had limited listens. I was using my portable hard drive to have the other albums on hand for comparison.

For the record 'Tantra' is not the best song on the album. I think you will be impressed by another song but I don't want to cause a ruckus by saying which one (though that hint should reduce the field quite a bit).

From what I've heard so far....She's A Mystery takes that award.....

wow, you mean the one Arnel had a big hand in writing?
COULDN'T BE.... He's just a Karaoke singer....

And he still may be, but that is beside the point. The lyrical content on this album isn't going to be what it's known for, believe me. Having Cain go outside the box musically though brings a whole different aspect to the game that more than makes up for a lack of writing ingenuity.

[Ehwmatt]

Not to break your balls Don, and I really want to hear your thoughts because I respect your opinion more than I do most others here, but can you make a couple paragraphs please?

[Don]

Not to break your balls Don, and I really want to hear your thoughts because I respect your opinion more than I do most others here, but can you make a couple paragraphs please?

I'll try.

[S2M]

What Neal & Co. should have done was record an album with guest vocalists....ditch the one singer, and switch things up.

JLT
JSS
Glenn Hughes
EM
Coverdale
Harry Hess
Jack Blades
Tommy Shaw

[Don]

What Neal & Co. should have done was record an album with guest vocalists....ditch the one singer, and switch things up.

JLT
JSS
Glenn Hughes
EM
Coverdale
Harry Hess
Jack Blades
Tommy Shaw

Arnel sounds great for the most part. There's one song that is going to have you thinking that it's 1981 again.

[S2M]

What Neal & Co. should have done was record an album with guest vocalists....ditch the one singer, and switch things up.

JLT
JSS
Glenn Hughes
EM
Coverdale
Harry Hess
Jack Blades
Tommy Shaw

Arnel sounds great for the most part. There's one song that is going to have you thinking that it's 1981 again.

Like a Sunshower was that song for me....

[Jana]

I know it's hard from a lite review , not enough time with the album, but just from your repeated listening, can you rate the songs best to least favorite?

[Don]

I know it's hard from a lite review , not enough time with the album, but just from your repeated listening, can you rate the songs best to least favorite?

The best song has already been mentioned in this thread and the worse has already been released.

[steveo777]

What Neal & Co. should have done was record an album with guest vocalists....ditch the one singer, and switch things up.

JLT
JSS
Glenn Hughes
EM
Coverdale
Harry Hess
Jack Blades
Tommy Shaw

Arnel sounds great for the most part. There's one song that is going to have you thinking that it's 1981 again.

Someone?

[S2M]

I know it's hard from a lite review , not enough time with the album, but just from your repeated listening, can you rate the songs best to least favorite?

The best song has already been mentioned in this thread and the worse has already been released.

In other words:

She's a Mystery = Best

Human Feel = Worst

[Ehwmatt]

Good stuff Don. Thanks for breaking that up. I'm really excited to hear the album. I don't expect it to replace Arrival among my favorite modern Journey album, but I do expect it to outdo Generations, Red 13, and Revelation

[Don]

I know it's hard from a lite review , not enough time with the album, but just from your repeated listening, can you rate the songs best to least favorite?

The best song has already been mentioned in this thread and the worse has already been released.

In other words:

She's a Mystery = Best

Human Feel = Worst

Close, but swap out the the latter.

[Don]

What Neal & Co. should have done was record an album with guest vocalists....ditch the one singer, and switch things up.

JLT
JSS
Glenn Hughes
EM
Coverdale
Harry Hess
Jack Blades
Tommy Shaw

Arnel sounds great for the most part. There's one song that is going to have you thinking that it's 1981 again.

Someone?

No. Samples are evil, aren't they?

[steveo777]

What Neal & Co. should have done was record an album with guest vocalists....ditch the one singer, and switch things up.

JLT
JSS
Glenn Hughes
EM
Coverdale
Harry Hess
Jack Blades
Tommy Shaw

Arnel sounds great for the most part. There's one song that is going to have you thinking that it's 1981 again.

Someone?

No. Samples are evil, aren't they?

Yep. I'd have given it to Someone from the samples.

[Don]

If you're a ballad fan, change your way of thinking. If you are a Neal Solo fan, try to edit out some of the singing and you'll be in hog heaven. If you're a fan that jumped ship for grunge, this might be the pathway back.

Enough, just buy the album.

[george_g]

i don't get why Eclipse would be listened back to back and compared to TBF..i would expect a comparison to Revelation ? same band?

To me TBF stands on its own really , it sounds like a Journey best of, 8 years after their original

[S2M]

If you're a ballad fan, change your way of thinking. If you are a Neal Solo fan, try to edit out some of the singing and you'll be in hog heaven. If you're a fan that jumped ship for grunge, this might be the pathway back.

Enough, just buy the album.

I think we are all gonna buy it....I just wonder if it'll sit on the shelf, spend eternity in our CD player, or end up a coaster.....

[Jana]

If you're a ballad fan, change your way of thinking. If you are a Neal Solo fan, try to edit out some of the singing and you'll be in hog heaven. If you're a fan that jumped ship for grunge, this might be the pathway back.

Enough, just buy the album.

I think we are all gonna buy it....I just wonder if it'll sit on the shelf, spend eternity in our CD player, or end up a coaster.....

I don't wonder with you at all

[Jana]

I know it's hard from a lite review , not enough time with the album, but just from your repeated listening, can you rate the songs best to least favorite?

The best song has already been mentioned in this thread and the worse has already been released.

She's a Mystery best

City of Hope worst?

[fightingilliniJRNY]

Good stuff Don. Thanks for breaking that up. I'm really excited to hear the album. I don't expect it to replace Arrival among my favorite modern Journey album, but I do expect it to outdo Generations, Red 13, and Revelation

I'm feeling the exact same way. It will be hard to top Arrival in my modern Journey album tastes, but I'm excited for Eclipse to give it a shot. Can't wait to hear this one based on what people are saying. And I can't wait to read Andrew's full review, either. Speaking of which, Andrew, is this going to be out before or after the album is released?

[Jana]

It will be hard to top my love for Arrival, because I love the moody playing by Neal on all the songs, and love the haunting piano melody on it, and it has beautiful ballads on it, which I love.

[Don]

i don't get why Eclipse would be listened back to back and compared to TBF..i would expect a comparison to Revelation ? same band?

To me TBF stands on its own really , it sounds like a Journey best of, 8 years after their original

Revelation has nothing in common with this record. TBF is the last time the band had this type of musicianship and also is the last time they tried to make something halfway resembling a concept album.

[george_g]

Trial by fire a concept album? Haven't thought of it like that.. how so? what would be the concept?

Yes Eclipse (the samples) do not sound at all like Revelation , but most of the fans with compare Eclipse with that first and then with previous albums, i think it's normal..

It's nice to see that Arrival has a special place in everybody's hearts...me included for sure

[S2M]

Trial by fire a concept album? Haven't thought of it like that.. how so? what would be the concept?

Yes Eclipse (the samples) do not sound at all like Revelation , but most of the fans with compare Eclipse with that first and then with previous albums, i think it's normal..

It's nice to see that Arrival has a special place in everybody's hearts...me included for sure

Of course....every song except the ballads. Horrible effort on those things. Even the much lauded 'Kiss Me Softly'...women love the sentiment. The song sucks.