Generations sounds like a poor quality bootleg

[JrnyScarab]

Arrival is a much better album but Generations sounds a little better, at least to me anyway. Arrival was just a 'muddy' sounding recording. I don't know how else to describe it. The best recording of post-Perry Journey is the 2001 dvd - burn the audio onto a cd and it sounds great.

You described it perfectly. Arrival sounds muddy and Generations sounds thin, horribly compressed sounding and lacks punch. At least Arrival was punchy. It just wasn't as lively sounding as some like. Also, the version of Generations that they handed out sounds worse than the version released on Frontiers. The Frontiers version seems to be less compressed and has a bit more dynamics. Probably better mastering than the free handout.

By the way, I agree that the 2001 DVD sounds fantastic. If only their albums sounded this good!

Ed

[Rip Rokken]

Also, the version of Generations that they handed out sounds worse than the version released on Frontiers. The Frontiers version seems to be less compressed and has a bit more dynamics. Probably better mastering that the free handout.

That must explain it. I bought mine from Best Buy, and it doesn't sound nearly as bad as many seem to think.

[NealIsGod]

Mine sounds great, too. But then again, I am almost deaf.

[Rip Rokken]

I really liked Augeri's treatment of Kiss Me Softly tho. That suited his voice well & was a really good interesting & different song. I wish they'd done more songs like that w/Augeri.

It's a great song, and one of my favorites on the album.

[Eric]

Generations sounds fine on headphones from a PC.......not so good cranked up on a nice system

Arrival is mushy ona nice system...but sounds fine in a cheap car stereo

[AR]

I have both the Frontiers Records and the hand out copy and they both sound like they were recorded in a bathroom. How anyone that thinks Generations sounds good sonically, or better than Arrival is mindboggling. And you can debate the quality of the material all you want, that's not what I'm talking about.

This disc is almost unlistenable the sound quality is so awful. I really thought there was something wrong with it when I got my "free" copy, but the purchased one was just as bad. Really a bush league effort. It needed to be remastered the day it came out.

[Rip Rokken]

Generations sounds fine on headphones from a PC.......not so good cranked up on a nice system

Arrival is mushy ona nice system...but sounds fine in a cheap car stereo

I usually listen to them in the car.

[Jeremey]

Here was the review I wrote of Generations when it first came out. I was made public enemy #1 on BackTalk for such a scathing review

http://www.journeytributeband.com/generationsreview.htm

[AR]

Generations sounds fine on headphones from a PC.......not so good cranked up on a nice system

Arrival is mushy ona nice system...but sounds fine in a cheap car stereo

I usually listen to them in the car.

You all are right that headphones or a car stereo make a difference. By the way anyone have a good recommendation of a nice set of headphones? The ones that come with the iPod aren't cutting it.

[Jeremey]

You all are right that headphones or a car stereo make a difference. By the way anyone have a good recommendation of a nice set of headphones? The ones that come with the iPod aren't cutting it.

Ed, Bose is marketing some high end earbuds, and I would also recommend the consumer-level earbuds from Shure.

[NealIsGod]

Generations sounds fine on headphones from a PC.......not so good cranked up on a nice system

Arrival is mushy ona nice system...but sounds fine in a cheap car stereo

I usually listen to them in the car.

You all are right that headphones or a car stereo make a difference. By the way anyone have a good recommendation of a nice set of headphones? The ones that come with the iPod aren't cutting it.

I saw a commercial for Bose in-ear headphones. Pricey, but probably worth it.

http://www.thrillingaudio.com/bose-trip ... Ggod1mOnlg

[AR]

Here was the review I wrote of Generations when it first came out. I was made public enemy #1 on BackTalk for such a scathing review

http://www.journeytributeband.com/generationsreview.htm

but the overall quality of the mastering EQ and compression is similar to listening to the record through an AM clock radio.

LMAO!

[sniper16]

im constantly amazed at peoples opinions, generations(i have the free version)not only sounds like crap, the songs are not very good(faith and maybe 1 more were decent). but arrival if you were to take the import aand the us combine and throw out the 5 or so filler tracks would rank up there with infinity or evolution, ror for songs and production. i cnat remember a cd with more than 12 tracks that ive liked since queensryche mindcrime. just too many songs.

[Jeremey]

I agree, sniper. I've stopped trying to understand why bands these days can't put out a CD with a solid 10-12 tracks on them. The listening experience used to be from track one to the end of the CD, but I can't think of a single CD that's come out in the past 8 years or so that hasn't made me skip skip skip through at least 3 or 4 filler tracks that had no business being on a CD with 15-17 songs on it. I wish bands would get back to crafting a "listening experience" on their records instead of trying to cram as many songs as possible on the CD just so buyers feel they've got "value." What would you rather have, a case of Old Milwaukee or a six pack of Anchor Steam?

[Jeremey]

im constantly amazed at peoples opinions, generations(i have the free version)not only sounds like crap, the songs are not very good(faith and maybe 1 more were decent). but arrival if you were to take the import aand the us combine and throw out the 5 or so filler tracks would rank up there with infinity or evolution, ror for songs and production. i cnat remember a cd with more than 12 tracks that ive liked since queensryche mindcrime. just too many songs.

RE Faith In The Heartland, I don't know why but JC and Schon were hell bent on putting that song into a set. It' nearly an 8 minute song that 90% of the audience has NEVER heard, yet these guys wanted to cram it into an 80 minute set...I didn't get it.

[ScarabGator]

I agree, sniper. I've stopped trying to understand why bands these days can't put out a CD with a solid 10-12 tracks on them. The listening experience used to be from track one to the end of the CD, but I can't think of a single CD that's come out in the past 8 years or so that hasn't made me skip skip skip through at least 3 or 4 filler tracks that had no business being on a CD with 15-17 songs on it. I wish bands would get back to crafting a "listening experience" on their records instead of trying to cram as many songs as possible on the CD just so buyers feel they've got "value." What would you rather have, a case of Old Milwaukee or a six pack of Anchor Steam?

Jeremey, In my case Ive been known to take either the Old Milwaukee or the Anchor Steam, whatever was free or offered!!! Are you going to include any material from the Augeri era CD's in the Frontiers show this year? I would love to hear Higher Place!!! BY the way, I have a group of Journey fans coming to Atlanta to see you guys on Dec.8th, in fact we booked our hotel last weekend. Looking forward to it. Back to the topic-I agree about the Generations CD, a couple of good tunes but a lot of junk. I still hate the idea of everyone in the band singing lead on a song. As much as I love Arrival I do skip a few songs there also. Its not like Escape or Frontiers where you slap it in the player and let it go.

[JrnyScarab]

Generations sounds fine on headphones from a PC.......not so good cranked up on a nice system

Arrival is mushy ona nice system...but sounds fine in a cheap car stereo

I usually listen to them in the car.

You all are right that headphones or a car stereo make a difference. By the way anyone have a good recommendation of a nice set of headphones? The ones that come with the iPod aren't cutting it.

Try Sennheiser PX-100's. Very nice sound for the money. About $49.00

[Jeremey]

Jeremey, In my case Ive been known to take either the Old Milwaukee or the Anchor Steam, whatever was free or offered!!! Are you going to include any material from the Augeri era CD's in the Frontiers show this year? I would love to hear Higher Place!!! BY the way, I have a group of Journey fans coming to Atlanta to see you guys on Dec.8th, in fact we booked our hotel last weekend. Looking forward to it. Back to the topic-I agree about the Generations CD, a couple of good tunes but a lot of junk. I still hate the idea of everyone in the band singing lead on a song. As much as I love Arrival I do skip a few songs there also. Its not like Escape or Frontiers where you slap it in the player and let it go.

We're looking forward to it!! We are trying to work up 4 new songs for the show right now, but I'm not sure how many will make it in time for the December show. We may be adding an Augeri-era song, but I still want to keep some surprises... That being said, the best thing about Generations was the cover art.

[ScarabGator]

Jeremey, In my case Ive been known to take either the Old Milwaukee or the Anchor Steam, whatever was free or offered!!! Are you going to include any material from the Augeri era CD's in the Frontiers show this year? I would love to hear Higher Place!!! BY the way, I have a group of Journey fans coming to Atlanta to see you guys on Dec.8th, in fact we booked our hotel last weekend. Looking forward to it. Back to the topic-I agree about the Generations CD, a couple of good tunes but a lot of junk. I still hate the idea of everyone in the band singing lead on a song. As much as I love Arrival I do skip a few songs there also. Its not like Escape or Frontiers where you slap it in the player and let it go.

We're looking forward to it!! We are trying to work up 4 new songs for the show right now, but I'm not sure how many will make it in time for the December show. We may be adding an Augeri-era song, but I still want to keep some surprises... That being said, the best thing about Generations was the cover art.

Awesome Jeremey, we cannot wait!!!! Higher Place would make a wonderful addition, keep that in mind !!

[NealIsGod]

What would you rather have, a case of Old Milwaukee or a six pack of Anchor Steam?

I don't think you'll get the answer you expect from this crowd.

Steely Dan had it right. 8-10 songs per album, always leave 'em wanting more.

[Red13JoePa]

Generations is sonically better than Arrival.

Good Lord Sir! It was a long long way from Arrival

Arrival sounds muddy and fuzzy to me compared to the clearer-sounding Gens.

Hell, I remember our own Jeremey saying Gens sounded like it was always playing through a clock radio so I realize I have one of the minority opinions.

[JrnyScarab]

What would you rather have, a case of Old Milwaukee or a six pack of Anchor Steam?

I don't think you'll get the answer you expect from this crowd.

Steely Dan had it right. 8-10 songs per album, always leave 'em wanting more.

I think you're right on NIG. CD's have too many songs. You're tired of the CD before you get to the end. Especially with lots of filler tracks. Do it like the new Loverboy CD. 10 great songs. 38 minute CD. It's over before you know it and it makes you want to spin it again right away!

Van Halen had it right too. The CD's with Roth were all short. Short to the point songs. Dave was right about peoples attention spans being short. And that was in the 80's before all the distractions we have today.

Ed

[Matthew]

Arrival sounds muddy and fuzzy to me compared to the clearer-sounding Gens.

Red - that's how I hear those two albums as well. I much prefer the production on Generations. It has that Frontiers feeling to it...

[Rip Rokken]

I agree, sniper. I've stopped trying to understand why bands these days can't put out a CD with a solid 10-12 tracks on them. The listening experience used to be from track one to the end of the CD, but I can't think of a single CD that's come out in the past 8 years or so that hasn't made me skip skip skip through at least 3 or 4 filler tracks that had no business being on a CD with 15-17 songs on it. I wish bands would get back to crafting a "listening experience" on their records instead of trying to cram as many songs as possible on the CD just so buyers feel they've got "value." What would you rather have, a case of Old Milwaukee or a six pack of Anchor Steam?

I completely agree, or at least they could put the fillers on a bonus disc or something. Back in the day, those were called "B-sides". I'd much prefer to listen to a disc from start to finish.

If you want a great disc from start to finish (there are bonus tracks at the end, but they are also great), try Europe's "Start From The Dark". One of the best MR records I've heard in years, and I was never really a Europe fan until this album. I just got excited to find their new album "Secret Society" has already been released, and I ordered it this morning. Another awesome album song-for-song is TNT's "My Religion", closely followed by "All The Way To The Sun". You'd probably dig the cover of "What A Wonderful World" on that disc.

[Strange Medicine]

I enjoyed both Arrival and Generations, and I believe both of them had their pros and cons. I, for one, thought Deen's drums were very quiet and very subdued in Arrival -- unlike Steve Smith's work and Deen's later work with Journey. It's as if the production was trying to stifle it. Likewise, I loved the feel of Generations' works like "Faith in the Heartland", "The Place in Your Heart", and "Every Generation" (though I wish Cain wouldn't have been chosen to sing lead for that song). But some of the songs were complete shred masturbation on Neal's part and went way out there. "Gone Crazy" is terrible, as is "In Self Defense". "Better Together" is average at best. "Believe" is a bit better than BT, but still poor. "A Better Life" started out great, but went on for far too long. "Never Too Late" was a highlight and I enjoyed "Beyond the Clouds" for Augeri and Castronovo harmonies.

As for Arrival, I love Higher Place (my 2 year old nephew loves it and sings along). "Signs of Life" and "All the Way" are good ones. "To Be Alive Again", "Nothin' Comes Close", "All the Things", and "Kiss Me Softly" are great. And "World Gone Wild" is purely amazing (I wish I could have seen it live). But the rest? Nah. Puts me to sleep.

[Rip Rokken]

I've mentioned before that though a great album, my first impression of "Arrival" was that they were trying to prove they were still Journey, and some songs sounded a little too close to previously recorded ones. "All The Way" sounded to me like a reworked "When You Love A Woman", and I guess having it as the 2nd track gave me a bad early impression of the album. Aside from "Higher Place", I think "Kiss Me Softly" was the first one I paused my chores to jump back and listen to again. I put the CD away for a year before giving it another shot, and now appreciate it much more. It has many, many great songs on it.

[Red13JoePa]

I've mentioned before that though a great album, my first impression of "Arrival" was that they were trying to prove they were still Journey

Point well-taken.

I think label had something to do w/ that, too.

That approach was ditched for Generations, instead of trying to remind peope, "hey we're still Journey" they just WERE Journey and stretched out a little in the material.

[JrnyScarab]

I've mentioned before that though a great album, my first impression of "Arrival" was that they were trying to prove they were still Journey

Point well-taken.

I think label had something to do w/ that, too.

That approach was ditched for Generations, instead of trying to remind peope, "hey we're still Journey" they just WERE Journey and stretched out a little in the material.

Nothing wrong with stretching out once in a while and taking a risk. Sometimes this can lead to some great music instead of the corporate machine approach.

[cyndy!]

Try Sennheiser PX-100's. Very nice sound for the money. About $49.00

i'm pretty happy with the PX-100's. i chose them because they are on-ear, open-air headphones. i like the sound better than in-ear buds or around-ear cans. you may be able to get them as low as $25 with online discounts.

i agree with the folks that are saying how terrible generations sounds.

[JrnyScarab]

Try Sennheiser PX-100's. Very nice sound for the money. About $49.00

i'm pretty happy with the PX-100's. i chose them because they are on-ear, open-air headphones. i like the sound better than in-ear buds or around-ear cans. you may be able to get them as low as $25 with online discounts.

i agree with the folks that are saying how terrible generations sounds.

They are also very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.