MR

Awesome, just awesome. I know not everyone will agree - though you darn well should

I wasn't sure what to expect, starting with Kevin Shirley's tepid response to Andrew's questions way back when. Was worried we'd get strong-armed Schon wankery. Am a huge fan, own two Schon guitars, early-Journey/Santana fan, so it's not like I don't love the guitar up front and center. But when seeing the NS Band last year, after awhile I just went and sat down. To much repetitive shred-noodling in one sitting.

But ECL1P53 delivers the goods. There's a ton of guitar, but it's in layers, creating a much more rich and interesting palette. I might go so far as to describe all the guitar, taken together, as tasteful? Lots of surprises, interesting harmonies, Arnel is his own man. The whole album seems like an updated, more mature Journey. A great follow up to Frontiers (though I also loved Arrival, US).

What really makes this disc is the way that it's tracked. I can see letting this spin in the player for hours, maybe days, without skipping a track. I don't know if many of the songs really stand alone as classics when taken individually. But taken together as a stream, ECL1P53 is just amazing.

I can tell this one is definitely a grower and I already love it. Maybe my favorite Journey album, we'll see how it stands up to my ears over time.

Thanks for the review. Sounds like a winner. I was re-listenining to Arrival last week and was struck by how many songs aren't classic Journey. "Loved by You" and "Livin to Do" almost sound like Cain and Schon solo numbers, while "Nothing Comes Close" is pure Bad English cheese with Augeri on vox. This time out, I think they may have perfected the Journey formula.

I agree with this... Neal's playing is much more restrained than I would have expected. Much more melodic and with less shreddery for the sake of shreddery. And the layers are awesome -- you'll discover something cool with each new listen. I'm really impressed.

I am a huge fan of the CD. Chain of Love, Edge Of The Moment, Tantra, and Resonate are early Favorites.

Resonate... WOW! Just WOW!

Same for Edge Of The Moment.... I see the trial by fire resemblance brought up earlier.... not a bad thing.

This will be joining my top Journey CDs... still not sure what spot it will take. I do know that it will not dethrone the king of albums Arrival in my book though.

Human Feel is my favorite so far. Deen's drumming, Schon's menacing guitar and Cain's old Hammond sound just hit the right combination for me. Love this track. I think this is one of the best records they've put out in a long time.

Rick wrote:Human Feel is my favorite so far. Deen's drumming, Schon's menacing guitar and Cain's old Hammond sound just hit the right combination for me. Love this track. I think this is one of the best records they've put out in a long time.

I was giving it a huge break because I love the drums but after time, I have to admit it, Human Feel is one of the weaker numbers on the album.

Might have been a cool addition to the Tron Legacy Soundtrack though.

I'm falling in love with Tantra.

Screw all of you guys. I stopped in at Walfart three time and finally got a person to find the boxes in back. I had two in my hand after opening a box and the chick wouldn't let my buy them. You guys suck! I'm waiting until it's out, I can't afford to waste a couple more hours trying to squeeze it out days early. I'll wait until next week to give Mac the bollocks.

Aaron wrote:I had two in my hand after opening a box and the chick wouldn't let my buy them.

You should have slapped her with your free one.

Gideon wrote:

Aaron wrote:I had two in my hand after opening a box and the chick wouldn't let my buy them.

You should have slapped her with your free one.

I was in a good mood and wasn't at work where that would a normal reaction. SFB I'm still torqued.

I'll wait until next week to be disappointed.

I'm really afraid the new Night Ranger is going to kick Journey's ass. We'll have to see come next month.

Gideon wrote:

Aaron wrote:I had two in my hand after opening a box and the chick wouldn't let my buy them.

You should have slapped her with your free one.