Love the new album and my story of how I became a fan.

[Liquid_Drummer]

I have liked many of Journey's songs over the year as most of us here. In truth I have been a much bigger fan of Yes, Rush, King Crimson etc.. Those of you that know those bands can understand that those bands were big with me because of their drummers.

My appreciation of Journey came from seeing the Escape tribute band live of all things.. I thought, man I dig some of these songs a lot. I knew only of the dirty dozen at that time and only saw Perry as a "good" singer. I liked the tunes but they didnt light a fire or anything in other words. If you have not heard this tribute band (now defunct) go here http://members.core.com/~e5c4p3/LovinYou.mp3

So you can hear from that clip that I had a pretty good idea of that to expect when I bought Escape for the 1st time. Around this time I was heavy in to the old progessive stuff I mentions plusTool (still am), Metallica, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Primus ( you get it) and I saw the of ballads and "guitar wanking" as as "pussy music". I didnt get the emotion !!! Thats the whole point.. I was closed to it out of.... Ignorance maybe ?

Im 36 now and this was in 95 I would say.. Upon listing to Escape all the way through for the 1st time I was jaw on the floor.. Well chest maybe since I was lying down.

Its not the radio hits that make a band for me, it is the deep cuts and my god, hearing the song Mother Father for the 1st time ! It had progressive elements, incredible musicianship, AWESOME drumming and then... All of the sudden I got it !! Perry's voice sunk a knife in to me.. Headphones on, laying on the bed I remember feeling like I was being lifted off the bed.. Floating.. Lost in the song so far that reality was just forgotten about...

I always listen to a new album for the 1st time with headphones all the way through (well $1000.00 pro in ear monitors now from my floyd tribute gig) and I tell you that I felt that same feeling with this album... Not to the same extent because I am older and more analytical of what I am hearing but still... DAMN !!

I wish I could produce them.. Take a song or two on the next album and have some high vocal powerfull songs that feature Arnel and Deen singing harmony through most of the song... Right up front and loud in the mix.. Both of them... Shit, its like you have two Perry's in the band.. There is great potential for melodic orgasms there.

[ProgRocker53]

Enjoyed the read my man, I'm not a drummer but I can relate where you're coming from on everything else..

[Saint John]

Great insights, LD. Thanks for sharing.

[mikemarrs]

escape is my number one rock album of all time.i love every track equally and have bought it at least eight or nine times in various formats since '82 or so.i had it first on cassette and played it from beginning to end all the time bugging the hell out of my friends who in the mid to late 80's were more into bon jovi,def leppard,metallica.funny thing is a lot of them are just like liquid drummer and came back to it and ended up liking it.so whats your favorite track liquid drummer? mine are mother father,escape and still they ride.

[wednesday's child]

The way Deen's and Arnel's voices fit together is insane,
and the potential is just ridiculous.

[Michigan Girl]

The way Deen's and Arnel's voices fit together is insane,
and the potential is just ridiculous.

Is this GOOD?


Great story LD!!!

[NealIsGod]

I listened to E5C4P3 the night I got it for Christmas on headphones, and remember similar feelings, being lost in it. I was 14, and within a month I had all of Journey's previous albums (with Perry), except for Dream After Dream, which took longer because I had to special order it. At the time, I thought MF was the greatest song I had ever heard. It's still way up there.

[Duncan]

I got into Journey after hearing DSB on the Friday Rock Show. It was on past my bedtime so I always listened in bed with headphones. Went out and got the single the next day.... and here it is. Hard to believe that piece of plastic is 27 years old. I was 12 at the time.

[tammy]

Loved reading about your experience, LD. I'm not a musician and I wasn't really a music fan until SP changed that for me.
First time I heard his voice in '78 on Infinity (someone was playing it) I was captivated...something clicked. Sadly, I forgot about it all sometime after Escape was released. When four years ago, THE VOICE came back into my consciousness through the radio it was like being hit with a huge wave..."how could I forget?, how could I forget this voice, this amazing sound?" Honest to god I am still baffled that I never heard any Journey on radio or mention of Journey all those years (just very brief passing thoughts)...had no clue that Journey & SP parted ways - didn't even know if they were still alive.

About headphones...as weird as this sounds - headphones used to scare me. Every time I saw my mailman walking up the drive wearing them I would think, "he is really gonna go postal listening to music that close, getting messages or something" lol. So, when I rediscovered Journey/SP and got the CDs (and, this was a real struggle for me - should I or shouldn't I? should I just leave what was in the past in the past?)...it was my husband that finally said, "just get it & here are my headphones" Which I looked at like I was told to swallow cod liver oil. Seriously.
And, I'll tell you when I finally did lie down at night & put them on and turned on the music - I burst into tears & threw them off. ( I sound psycho, huh?) The thing is that it was such an overwhelmingly powerful experience for me...it was painful. It felt as if my brain suddenly went slamming back in time, it felt so much like an accordian effect, and all the feelings, emotions that were back then came flooding back...and, all the emotions that I had buried for years...it was really hard to handle and I was going to throw the music in the trash because of it...even 'tho I was falling in love with it at the same time.

SP was and is the key for me.

I would attempt to listen and cry harder every time his voice came on...it wasn't just in my ears, it was now IN me & in my head constantly...and, it hurt the most because I realized how much I had loved him and the Journey music and now it was all lost - I lost out on all those years of not listening to the music. Not listening deeply & letting it carry me.
That is when it dawned on me that it was okay to feel this way...that maybe I wasn't alone (lol. this was before I found out there were other fans out there on the Internet) and, if SP was so passionate about the music he was creating/singing then my feelings were good and I wasn't going wacky. Yes, Journey/SP was definitely a spiritual awakening for me.

I guess memories are swirling around again hearing the new music...

[Liquid_Drummer]

I cant say music has ever caused emotions that strong for me.. Well maybe the way I go in to a frenzy to hit the off button if something like Midnight Oil or We built this city comes on by suprise ! I would knock down a dozen nuns to get to the off button to switch off the power button when the above mentioned items are heard. Its automatic...

[Maui Tom]

dude your pimping your own threads...