Best Journey album

[monster]

What do most journey fans consider to be the best studio album and for what reason, without getting into having a poll.
This is just my opinion and all opinions differ.

Infinity-some classics but others sounding a bit dated.

Evolution- My personal favourite.Great guitar playing and Perry in fantastic voice.

Departure-Good album but no more than that.

Escape- Classic album which definitely sounded better live ie Houston.

Frontiers-First 6 songs with the exception of Chain Reaction are some of their best ever songs. Never heard Edge of the Blade played live,any comments to whether the guitar comes across as good?

Raised on Radio-Some good tracks but not one of the best.

Trial by Fire-Again not one of the best. Not too keen on the sound of modern day Steve Perry.

Arrival-Some good tracks,as with all classic bands,the great albums are now well in the past but the live performances keep the name going.

Generations-Have not purchased this yet.

[Clasicrockldy]

Monster,

I will have to ponder which is the best studio album..........

But I do want to tell you that I do have a copy of "Edge Of The Blade".......... Live.......... and the guitar does come across great !!

[Fernando Ramirez]

I would vote ESCAPE. The band was at it's artistic height, and i think that album, like PYROMANIA, helped "define" melodic rock in the early 80s. This is not to say the other albums don't have great songs!

[AOR rules]

I would vote ESCAPE. The band was at it's artistic height, and i think that album, like PYROMANIA, helped "define" melodic rock in the early 80s. This is not to say the other albums don't have great songs!

I fully agree with this comment. I have enjoyed "Generations" very much but maybe there´s bit too many hard rockers. I hope they will someday record again album along the lines of "Escape".

[jrnyman28]

I have enjoyed "Generations" very much but maybe there´s bit too many hard rockers.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I have enjoyed "Generations" very much but maybe there´s bit too many hard rockers.

What's wrong with what he said, Dave?

[yandtguy]

You left out 3 albums on your list. Its a three-way tie for me for best album:

Journey ("Of A Lifetime" is among the top 5 Journey songs from any album.)
Infinity (Combines the band's progressive roots with a commerical sound.)
Escape (No other rock album by any band has close to the same number of classic songs that still get radio airplay today across several different formats.)

If I had to choose only one to listen to for the rest of my life, it would be, by a very narrow margin, Infinity...though I did choose "In The Morning Day" from the Journey album to propose to my wife to.

Greg

[monster]

You are correct that I missed the first 3 albums off and I should of stated classic Journey line up best albums.

Not too keen myself on first 3 albums as the sound is not what I`ve become accustomed to.

Infinity is still played by myself and my friends to this day and Escape which by watching on British tv in 1982, the Summit theater Houston concert actually made me sit up and take note of a fabulous band,what a fantastic show,possibly the best live performance I`ve ever seen although I`ve never had the good fortune to see them in the flesh.

[OpeningAct]

That would be ESCAPE...And Side 2, save for that worn out Open Arms, is FANTASTIC!!!!

[jrnyman28]

I have enjoyed "Generations" very much but maybe there´s bit too many hard rockers.

What's wrong with what he said, Dave?

I just thought it was funny to hear that "Generations" is 'too hard rock'.
First, my personal preference is (obviously) for more rock.
Second, I have never been able to consider Journey 'hard rock'. But that is just me...

[The_Noble_Cause]

I have enjoyed "Generations" very much but maybe there´s bit too many hard rockers.

What's wrong with what he said, Dave?

I just thought it was funny to hear that "Generations" is 'too hard rock'.
First, my personal preference is (obviously) for more rock.
Second, I have never been able to consider Journey 'hard rock'. But that is just me...

Yes, but you must admit that some of the rock songs on Generations are a little less melodic than usual. I like it when Journey rocks a little harder (ex.-Homemade Love, All the Things I Love about You, Better Together). However, I like those songs to be countered with a good percentage of more melodic keyboard driven rock (see "Place in Your Heart" or the perfected archetype "Ask the Lonely"). I love Generations, however, for me it needed maybe just one or two more hook-ladden melodic pieces interspered in between the harder-edged rockers.
Judging from the provided sample, the euro bonus track, "It's never too late", probably would've done just the trick.

[thebook]

[quote="monster"]What do most journey fans consider to be the best studio album and for what reason, without getting into having a poll.

[quote]
Evolution. every song is killer, not one bad track on it and the album that proved Infinity wasn't a fluke.

[amaron]

IMO, it's a tie between Frontiers and Escape

They both had mega-hit openers.
They both had HUGE ballads.
And the reason they tie: They both have what I consider to be Journey's worst songs. (Dead or Alive and Back Talk)

If Ask the Lonely and Only the Young were kept on the Frontiers CD, it probably would have been as big as Escape saleswise.

[Clasicrockldy]

Monster..

I have thought about this........... and even though I like all the Perry Era albums........... ( I haven't heard anything yet from the current lineup....... )...... my personal favorites are Infinity and Evolution.

And if you still want to hear a live version of "Edge Of The Blade"...... I do have it .....

[jrnyman28]

If Ask the Lonely and Only the Young were kept on the Frontiers CD, it probably would have been as big as Escape saleswise.

Many people have said this, but I often wonder how true that could be. I don't think those two songs would have been released as further singles, and even if they had the album was winding down at that point. I think it is more likely that those two songs would have gone largely unnoticed in a commercial sense. Frontiers may have been more commercial sounding with those two songs on there, but I don't think the sales numbers would have been affected much. I think the songs were better served used the way they were. Both had minor success as soundtrack singles and both kept Journey in the American eye for that time between Frontiers and ROR.

[NealIsGod]

I don't think ATL fits in with the Frontiers vibe. OTY would. Remove BackTalk, add ATL and OTY and you have the greatest Journey album of all time IMO.

[Red13JoePa]

I'm going with the copout vote and opting for Time3.

if anybody kiboshes that for unfairness, I hafta go with ROR right now. Check back on 10/4 after I walk out of KMart at 7:03 ripping the plastic off Gens with NTL.

but right now I stick with ROR for the underated reason (given the way it's CRUCIFIED for being such a Perry-dominated record) of having what I think is Schon's best work (especially in light of the atmosphere surrounding the recordings). I think he channeled all his angst into producing his masterwork. It's got the whole Neal gammut: melodicrock, blues, jazz, guitar heroism, subtlety, hard rock.....Maybe he should NEVER have talked to Perry.

[Eric]

Infinity.....but if you did add Ask the Lonely and Only the Young to Frontiers it would be that.

Escape is very popular, but to be honest it is very short, and I don't really like Dead or Alive or Lay it Down. And while it was cool to hear Deen-O do Still They Ride, I usually skip that and Open Arms too. Plus, I really only like Whose Cryin Now for Neal's solo at the end...This doesn't mean I don't love it, but it is why it is not numero uno with me.

My current rankings
1) Infinity
2) Frontiers
3) Evolution
4) Arrival
5) Escape
6) Generations
7) Red13
TBF
9) Depature
10) Journey
11) Look into the Future
12) ROR
13) Next
14) Dream After Dream

[Red13JoePa]

Don't be cutting on Lay It Down, baby.
With a nasty little lyric like "A little vertical persuasion.... "

And I see a lot of people around the net have Arrival still ahead of Generations (Andrew included I guess) and I'm not feeling that.

One guy up there even said Gens has too many rockers ( ).

[NealIsGod]

One guy up there even said Gens has too many rockers ( ).

Yeah, must be an ROR fan.

[The_Noble_Cause]

One guy up there even said Gens has too many rockers ( ).

Yeah, must be an ROR fan.

The guy said there were too many "hard rockers". Doesn't necessarily mean the guy is against the band rocking out-Period. It could mean that he just prefers them to rock in a more traditional 80's melodic Journey sense.

[Red13JoePa]

Guilty. Ya caught me trying to butcher the guy's context a little to spin my agenda that THESE GUYS CAN'T WIN!!!!! TBF and Arrival: Too slow in too many spots Gens: Too rocky
I can't hang with that.
I WOULD like more TPIYH and less Better Together though since you differentiate. One's a melodic borderline hard rocker, the other a borderline acid rocker.

[monster]

Clasicrockldy.
Yes I would like to hear this live, how would this be possible?

[Clasicrockldy]

Monster,

I can burn you a CD of the concert in which "Edge Of The Blade" is on......... and send it by snail mail.......... if you are game to this........ PM me with your address and I will get right on it.........

[cubby69]

Easy one...Departure was the best all around album this band ever did, much like Generations, which is one of the main reasons I've grown to love it so much.

1. Departure
2. Evolution
3. Look Into The Future
4. Generations
5. Infinity
6. Next
7. TBF
8. Journey
9. Red 13
10. Frontiers
11. Escape
12. Dream After Dream
13. ROR

[thebook]

Easy one...Departure was the best all around album this band ever did, much like Generations, which is one of the main reasons I've grown to love it so much.

1. Departure
2. Evolution
3. Look Into The Future
4. Generations
5. Infinity
6. Next
7. TBF
8. Journey
9. Red 13
10. Frontiers
11. Escape
12. Dream After Dream
13. ROR

Next in front of Escape (by 5)? Wow. You must like the early stuff alot.

[cubby69]

Easy one...Departure was the best all around album this band ever did, much like Generations, which is one of the main reasons I've grown to love it so much.

1. Departure
2. Evolution
3. Look Into The Future
4. Generations
5. Infinity
6. Next
7. TBF
8. Journey
9. Red 13
10. Frontiers
11. Escape
12. Dream After Dream
13. ROR

Next in front of Escape (by 5)? Wow. You must like the early stuff alot.

I do, much more than the so called 'classic' 80's Journey sound....

[AOR rules]

The guy said there were too many "hard rockers". Doesn't necessarily mean the guy is against the band rocking out-Period. It could mean that he just prefers them to rock in a more traditional 80's melodic Journey sense.

Yeah, The Noble One really got the point. When I have thought this thing again I must admit there isnt that many “pure hard rockers” in Generations. I have come to conclusion that its mainly production that makes me feel it more hard rock and not that the music itself would have changed so much from eighties. None of you can deny that Neil´s guitar sound is nowadays much heavier than it was on for example “Escape”. So I´m happy with the songs I just would love them to have more wimpier production (I´m a wimp and I cant help it )

[amaron]

The guy said there were too many "hard rockers". Doesn't necessarily mean the guy is against the band rocking out-Period. It could mean that he just prefers them to rock in a more traditional 80's melodic Journey sense.

Yeah, The Noble One really got the point. When I have thought this thing again I must admit there isnt that many “pure hard rockers” in Generations. I have come to conclusion that its mainly production that makes me feel it more hard rock and not that the music itself would have changed so much from eighties. None of you can deny that Neil´s guitar sound is nowadays much heavier than it was on for example “Escape”. So I´m happy with the songs I just would love them to have more wimpier production (I´m a wimp and I cant help it )

They are also much heavier live than on CD.