MR

Best Journey Album – Readers’ Poll

by: Matthew Wilkening

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-jou ... ders-poll/

To celebrate Journey guitarist Neal Schon‘s 58th birthday today (Feb. 27), we’re going to ask for your help to figure out which album from his famous and ultra-successful band stands above the rest.

Of course it’s logical to assume both of Journey’s early ’80s twin blockbusters ‘Escape’ and ‘Frontiers’ will rank high on this chart. After all, the former is home to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,’ ‘Who’s Crying Now’ and ‘Open Arms,’ while the latter features ‘Faithfully,’ ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)’ and many more.

However, the band has released a dozen other beloved albums filled with arena-ready anthems on either side of that impressive commercial peak. We’re sure there will be votes cast for records of both the pre- and post-Steve Perry era, from as far back as 1975′s self-titled debut right up to last year’s ‘Eclipse.’

So, which Journey album gets your vote?


Best Journey Album

'Next' (1977)'Frontiers' (1983)'Eclipse' (2011)'Departure' (1980)'Raised on Radio' (1986)'Revelation' (2008)'Evolution' (1979)'Infinity' (1978)'Journey' (1975)'Generations' (2005)'Escape' (1981)'Trial by Fire' (1996)'Arrival' (2001)'Look into the Future' (1976)

VOTE

I voted for Arrival

My top 5...

#1 Frontiers
#2 Escape
#3 Eclipse
#4 Departure
#5 Generations

Escape is just a hair behind Frontiers on my list.

Infinity is just a hair behind Generations on my list.

Ask me next week, and my listing could change, slightly?

Journey/Survivor wrote:My top 5...

#1 Frontiers
#2 Escape
#3 Eclipse
#4 Departure
#5 Generations

Escape is just a hair behind Frontiers on my list.

Infinity is just a hair behind Generations on my list.

Ask me next week, and my listing could change, slightly?

I'm sorry... can't stay quiet on this one.... Generations is on your top 5??

FamilyMan wrote:

Journey/Survivor wrote:My top 5...

#1 Frontiers
#2 Escape
#3 Eclipse
#4 Departure
#5 Generations

Escape is just a hair behind Frontiers on my list.

Infinity is just a hair behind Generations on my list.

Ask me next week, and my listing could change, slightly?

I'm sorry... can't stay quiet on this one.... Generations is on your top 5??

I almost made mention of how I knew that would shock some people.

But, yes, I like the harder Rocking direction that they took with that album.

Lots of heavy guitar from Neal, and great drumming from Deen.

Infinity...hands down. There were still hints of the progressive past, Perry's voice was pristine, the band was tight after hundreds of gigs, and the songs were incredible. Also, in the history of Journey, Ansley Dunbar doesn't get the respect he deserves. I love his more restrained but inventive playing on Infinity. After Infinity, it's almost a three-way tie for me between Journey, Evolution, and Departure. Evolution would get the nod because there isn't any filler on that album. I could listen to it on repeat all day long. As for the Cain and Perry years, I guess Frontiers is my favorite. It's a lot more progressive and interesting than Escape, ROR, or Trial By Fire. Journey has yet to produce an album I like from top to bottom post Perry, but Arrival is very close. The sweet spot, for me, has always been Infinity to Departure (and including Captured which documented the end of an era).

Greg

It's a tie between Trial By Fire/Eclipse for me.

yandtguy wrote:Infinity...hands down. There were still hints of the progressive past, Perry's voice was pristine, the band was tight after hundreds of gigs, and the songs were incredible. Also, in the history of Journey, Ansley Dunbar doesn't get the respect he deserves. I love his more restrained but inventive playing on Infinity. After Infinity, it's almost a three-way tie for me between Journey, Evolution, and Departure. Evolution would get the nod because there isn't any filler on that album. I could listen to it on repeat all day long. As for the Cain and Perry years, I guess Frontiers is my favorite. It's a lot more progressive and interesting than Escape, ROR, or Trial By Fire. Journey has yet to produce an album I like from top to bottom post Perry, but Arrival is very close. The sweet spot, for me, has always been Infinity to Departure (and including Captured which documented the end of an era).

Greg

+1

the vocal combo of Perry/Rolie was stellar...

Schons tone was original and sounded like a "guitar through an amp".... not a pedal fest...

Journey/Survivor wrote:

FamilyMan wrote:

Journey/Survivor wrote:My top 5...

#1 Frontiers
#2 Escape
#3 Eclipse
#4 Departure
#5 Generations

Escape is just a hair behind Frontiers on my list.

Infinity is just a hair behind Generations on my list.

Ask me next week, and my listing could change, slightly?

I'm sorry... can't stay quiet on this one.... Generations is on your top 5??

I almost made mention of how I knew that would shock some people.

But, yes, I like the harder Rocking direction that they took with that album.

Lots of heavy guitar from Neal, and great drumming from Deen.

You don't think Arrival rocks harder than Generations?? I mean.... "Butterfly"?? That rocks??

FamilyMan wrote:

Journey/Survivor wrote:

FamilyMan wrote:

Journey/Survivor wrote:My top 5...

#1 Frontiers
#2 Escape
#3 Eclipse
#4 Departure
#5 Generations

Escape is just a hair behind Frontiers on my list.

Infinity is just a hair behind Generations on my list.

Ask me next week, and my listing could change, slightly?

I'm sorry... can't stay quiet on this one.... Generations is on your top 5??

I almost made mention of how I knew that would shock some people.

But, yes, I like the harder Rocking direction that they took with that album.

Lots of heavy guitar from Neal, and great drumming from Deen.

You don't think Arrival rocks harder than Generations?? I mean.... "Butterfly"?? That rocks??

Yeah, well, Butterfly is my least favorite song on the album. But as an overall album, yes, I think that Generations Rocks more than Arrival. IMO, "World Gone Wild" and "All The Things" are Hard-Rocking songs, and there are a few others off of Arrival that somewhat Rock. But it's not a very Hard-Rocking album overall.

Departure. Followed by Escape.

I rarely listen to Rolie-era cuts, anymore.
There are some gems to be found, but doesn't rock nearly enough.

Gideon wrote:It's a tie between Trial By Fire/Eclipse for me.

I get it. You like the cock, huh?

Trial By Fire. A mature, up-to date sound where all the musicians excelled. A dream would be for them to reunite and semi-tour for that album, to get the songs out of mothballs. Most people would simply think that it was a new album by Journey as it never really saw the light of day at the time.

parfait wrote:

Gideon wrote:It's a tie between Trial By Fire/Eclipse for me.

I get it. You like the cock, huh?

I'm rather fond of mine, yes.
You can keep the 70s schlock and pop vomit like "Do You Recall" with its singing so effeminate that it makes Mariah Carey seem like James Hetfield and I'll keep Eclipse, which has more balls than even Perry's chin can handle.

slucero wrote:

yandtguy wrote:Infinity...hands down. There were still hints of the progressive past, Perry's voice was pristine, the band was tight after hundreds of gigs, and the songs were incredible. Also, in the history of Journey, Ansley Dunbar doesn't get the respect he deserves. I love his more restrained but inventive playing on Infinity. After Infinity, it's almost a three-way tie for me between Journey, Evolution, and Departure. Evolution would get the nod because there isn't any filler on that album. I could listen to it on repeat all day long. As for the Cain and Perry years, I guess Frontiers is my favorite. It's a lot more progressive and interesting than Escape, ROR, or Trial By Fire. Journey has yet to produce an album I like from top to bottom post Perry, but Arrival is very close. The sweet spot, for me, has always been Infinity to Departure (and including Captured which documented the end of an era).

Greg

+1

the vocal combo of Perry/Rolie was stellar...

Schons tone was original and sounded like a "guitar through an amp".... not a pedal fest...

Absolutely agree w/both of you ...EVOLUTION is my #1!!
But, but, I love TBF and ROR too, ...Frontiers, Escape ... Evolution is my #1

Gideon wrote:

parfait wrote:

Gideon wrote:It's a tie between Trial By Fire/Eclipse for me.

I get it. You like the cock, huh?

I'm rather fond of mine, yes.
You can keep the 70s schlock and pop vomit like "Do You Recall" with its singing so effeminate that it makes Mariah Carey seem like James Hetfield and I'll keep Eclipse, which has more balls than even Perry's chin can handle.

Proper musicianship beats mail order singers and Neal's 2012 shitty tone any day of the week.

1. Escape
2. Frontiers
3. Arrival
4. Generations
5. Eclipse
6. ROR
7. Infinity
8. Departure
9. Red 13
10. Trial By Fire
11. Revelation
12. Evolution
13. Journey
12. Look Into The Future
13. Next

no hits cd, live or sountrack included.

Journey on FB..

Video Flashback: Journey's single "When You Love A Woman" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart and remained at that spot for four weeks. The single was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. Watch the music video here: http://vevo.ly/dGyb7M

yandtguy wrote:Infinity...hands down. There were still hints of the progressive past, Perry's voice was pristine, the band was tight after hundreds of gigs, and the songs were incredible. Also, in the history of Journey, Ansley Dunbar doesn't get the respect he deserves. I love his more restrained but inventive playing on Infinity. After Infinity, it's almost a three-way tie for me between Journey, Evolution, and Departure. Evolution would get the nod because there isn't any filler on that album. I could listen to it on repeat all day long. As for the Cain and Perry years, I guess Frontiers is my favorite. It's a lot more progressive and interesting than Escape, ROR, or Trial By Fire. Journey has yet to produce an album I like from top to bottom post Perry, but Arrival is very close. The sweet spot, for me, has always been Infinity to Departure (and including Captured which documented the end of an era).

Greg

Heck yeah. Feeling That Way/Anytime and Something To Hide / Winds Of March ......doesn't get any better.

Brigadier wrote:Heck yeah. Feeling That Way/Anytime and Something To Hide / Winds Of March ......doesn't get any better.

ditto

Escape...hands down!

1.Escape
2.Infinity
3.Evolution
4.Departure
5.Frontiers

1. Trial by fire.
2. Arrival.

1.Evolution
2.Escape
3.Infinity
4.Arrival
5.Captured Live (one of the best live albums...EVER)
6.Frontiers
7.Revelation

I'll also add...someone above mentioned how they can listen to Evolution on repeat.... no filler songs... and that coupled with the fact that the band had added Steve Smith gave me some of my favorite Journey music to this day. Guitar wise Neal was at or very near his best on this entire album. It will always be my fav...

Ya know, to me it all depends on the actual recording. I mean, I probably love all the Rolie-era stuff the best, but the recording/production seemed a little foggy...and I hate that non-crisp sonic. I need well-defined parts, yet mixed and blended at precise levels to make it sound live, yet soulful.

Wheel In The Sky is my all time fave, but on the original studio version, it does sound a little muddy & cloudy at times...and the drums often sound like wet cardboard. Departure does sound better than Evolution or Infinity, but still those three albums don't sound as good as Captured (live magic is always better, no matter studio how fixed).

Moving on, Escape's success wasn't just JC's writing, or better overall songs, it was better production. That album sounds very crisp & solid. Five very clean instruments, but mixed to a greater solid sonic that jumps right out to you. Frontiers was similar, but perhaps more hollow...flavour of the month-ish. It was quite off-the-wall in many ways, but with some great writing and Schon's guitar kept it grounded to an extent.

I think that ROR was the very definition of super-group. So upper level, so polished, almost arrogant...it's argue-ably their best effort. But in some ways, as Schon once said, a snooze. This was purely the Perry record that he couldn't make on his own. (And btw, if Perry would turn over his latest drafts to Schon & Cain, we'd have ROR2 or 3. That would be a very good thing, IMO.)

And speaking of overal sonic, TBF had it all. Like the songs or not, that album just sounds really, really good. Shirley's weeks of band practice & Perry's 'love juice' (as they called it)...that made for their greatest sonic. Period.

Arrival has its moments too, but the bass line in Higher Place just wonks in & out and becomes punchy at times. Red13 is kinda the same way, but Walking Away From the Edge, maybe because it's such a different song, sounds really good. It's got that Perry-powdery feel that just emotes. You get into the song, and so you hear & feel every bit of it. Journey's best Augeri. Hands down. Well, add Kiss Me Softly also.

Now then - AP. He's such a great singer that it all sounds good. But I think it's over-produced...and I think he over-sings. He's such a strong powerful voice, that he often supercedes emotion. And what I think is interesting, is that NS stepped-up the guitar work, maybe to compete with AP's vocals, and what we got was in-your-face emotional rock, but nothing really defining Journey. Especially with DC just pounding the s#it out of everything - no clear melodic drums or powdery crisp succint cymbals - Journey may have created their own new genre of 'out-there mystical progressive power'.

But 'best Journey' album? There's no such thing. It's all subjective to the individual listener, and their state of mind at the time.

Personally, I still go back to what sonic appeals to me. Some of Journey's songs, which are my faves, I can't stand to hear the original studio recordings...analog or digital.

Maybe Journey's 'best album' is one I've compiled myself.


later~

While I agree with almost everything you said "Ark".... we'll part ways on your mentioning ROR among the best Journey anythings. Sigh... That was Steve Perry's second solo album with a better guitar player.

We're all entitled to our opinions, mine is ROR is a TURD as far as being a Journey album. LOL I'm not arguing the production level/quality of ROR, just that it's the most watered down, barely qualifies as a Journey effort album.

musicfan17 wrote:I'll also add...someone above mentioned how they can listen to Evolution on repeat.... no filler songs... and that coupled with the fact that the band had added Steve Smith gave me some of my favorite Journey music to this day. Guitar wise Neal was at or very near his best on this entire album. It will always be my fav...

I agree with ya on Captured to me its one of the best live rock albums ever and many of the songs sound better on that album than they do on the original studio recordings.Evolution is also a very good album and in fact Evolution and Departure are the only two albums to have the Perry/Schon/Valory/Rollie/Smith lineup but to me that is one of their best eras.Evolution is very underrated and has some of my favorite ballads on there such as Sweet And Simple and Too Late.Of course Just The Same Way also a very underrated tune thats hardly played.

tater1977 wrote:Best Journey Album – Readers’ Poll

by: Matthew Wilkening

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-jou ... ders-poll/

To celebrate Journey guitarist Neal Schon‘s 58th birthday today (Feb. 27), we’re going to ask for your help to figure out which album from his famous and ultra-successful band stands above the rest.

Of course it’s logical to assume both of Journey’s early ’80s twin blockbusters ‘Escape’ and ‘Frontiers’ will rank high on this chart. After all, the former is home to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,’ ‘Who’s Crying Now’ and ‘Open Arms,’ while the latter features ‘Faithfully,’ ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)’ and many more.

However, the band has released a dozen other beloved albums filled with arena-ready anthems on either side of that impressive commercial peak. We’re sure there will be votes cast for records of both the pre- and post-Steve Perry era, from as far back as 1975′s self-titled debut right up to last year’s ‘Eclipse.’

So, which Journey album gets your vote?


Best Journey Album

'Next' (1977)'Frontiers' (1983)'Eclipse' (2011)'Departure' (1980)'Raised on Radio' (1986)'Revelation' (2008)'Evolution' (1979)'Infinity' (1978)'Journey' (1975)'Generations' (2005)'Escape' (1981)'Trial by Fire' (1996)'Arrival' (2001)'Look into the Future' (1976)

VOTE

Red 13 or Generations. Lol! No just kidding!

1. Escape
2. Frontiers
3. Evolution