finalfight wrote:Rhiannon wrote:bluejeangirl76 wrote:TBF might be a little dark and somewhat depressing in a lot of places, but
it almost makes you enjoy being depressed. "Wow, I kind of want to step on puppies right now, but fuck, that guitar solo was killer!"

FTLOSM just makes me go "jesus... does anything happy ever happen to this character?"

First off,

.
Second, TBF is pensive and moody... FTLOSM is wanting to stick your hand in a blender.
Another one for the list!

Trial By Fire has a handful of good songs but a handful is all. There is some real sh!t on there - One More, Colors of the Spirit - get outta here!
For the Love of Strange Medicine is a masterpiece of musical cinema and also a vocal tour de force for Mr Perry, arguably amongst his best work. By the time Trial By Fire came around he sounded tired. In many ways the two albums are similar in tone but Trial lacks the energy of it's predecessor.
The songs from FTLOSM also sounded great live - very energetic. In stark counterpoint there is a reason that much of Trial By Fire is now ignored by Journey.
Arrival was a return to form for the band.
Jesus H. C. F. Reginald Christ.
Are you kidding me?
Trial By Fire is the best album Journey has ever produced. Their songwriting is at its peak, the musicianship is at its peak, and the vocals -- while technically inferior -- still have the patented Perry emotive quality and supportive harmonies that make it phenomenal.
For the Love of Strange Medicine is a decent album with superior vocals, but the musicianship is sub-par, the writing is sub-par, the overall construction is sub-par.
And nothing on that album compares to the energy of songs like "Message of Love," "One More," "Can't Tame The Lion," "I Can See It In Your Eyes," and so forth.
Shame, FF. Shame...
'Nothing was bigger for Journey than 1981’s “Escape” album. “I have to attribute that to Jonathan coming in and joining the writing team,” Steve Perry (Feb 2012).'