Has Generations stood the test of time?

[Jeremey]

Does anyone remember correctly if the free CDs Journey was giving away at concerts sounded worse or better than the store bought ones?

My copy was the full retail copy with all the packaging etc. I do remember early on in the mixing process Neal was not happy with the drum sound of the CD and it was remixed but I don't believe that was after any copies were released to retail.

[Ehwmatt]

Does anyone remember correctly if the free CDs Journey was giving away at concerts sounded worse or better than the store bought ones?

At the time, I convinced myself that the later-released store copies of Generations sounded SLIGHTLY better than the concert copies. I rushed out to buy the store version (despite having a few copies of the concert one from having seen that tour 3 times) because word on the street was it would sound better.

But I'm not sure if I was just hearing what I wanted to hear. I don't believe i have a concert version of the CD laying around anymore. The only copy I have has Never Too Late on it, which (ridiculously) was not on the concert CD.

[Glenn]

I usually agree and respect Andrew's reviews, but his 91% for Gens was being very generous.
There is some good stuff on the album, but the Augeri solo tracks are horrid and the overall cd just seems directionless and slapdash - especially after the classy and triumphant Arrival. Even the artwork is amateur hour. In hindsight, Augeri and Deen should've been the only two singers.

If I was producing the album (yeh right) here is my track list:

Faith In The Heartland
The Place In Your Heart
A Better Life
Where did I Lose Your Love (Jeremey said an Augeri demo version of this existed)
Knowing That You Love Me
Out Of Harms Way
Better Together
Never Too Late
Have a Good Time (played live on the Arrival tour, never recorded)

Bonus track (Gone Crazy -Augeri version - this was written around the time of Arrival. I believe SA described it as being "Zepplinish")
Throw in a few more Arrival rejects (like the ones Mickey Thomas ended up recording) and u have a knockout nu-AOR classic.

To the band's credit, Revelation and Eclipse are both solid and well-sequenced. Same with SoulSirkus. When Neal actually gives a shit about a project, it shows.

I agree with ALL of this but I'd like to replace Have a Good time with Remember Me

[Glenn]

I usually agree and respect Andrew's reviews, but his 91% for Gens was being very generous.

Agree 100%

I got that one wrong. 80%

Where do you stand on Eclipse these days? ( Not being a smart ass here, as I still love the album )

Still stand by the 100. Love it. A misunderstood masterpiece.

I rarely consider rewriting history - especially my reviews - but the generations one is one I have always felt I got wrong after the album faded quickly after the review period.

I love Eclipse even more today than when it came out.

[Archetype]

I usually agree and respect Andrew's reviews, but his 91% for Gens was being very generous.

Agree 100%

I got that one wrong. 80%

Where do you stand on Eclipse these days? ( Not being a smart ass here, as I still love the album )

Still stand by the 100. Love it. A misunderstood masterpiece.

I rarely consider rewriting history - especially my reviews - but the generations one is one I have always felt I got wrong after the album faded quickly after the review period.

I love Eclipse even more today than when it came out.

I haven't listened to Eclipse since about 3 weeks after it came out. Way too forgettable.

[Gideon]

I usually agree and respect Andrew's reviews, but his 91% for Gens was being very generous.

Agree 100%

I got that one wrong. 80%

Where do you stand on Eclipse these days? ( Not being a smart ass here, as I still love the album )

Still stand by the 100. Love it. A misunderstood masterpiece.

I rarely consider rewriting history - especially my reviews - but the generations one is one I have always felt I got wrong after the album faded quickly after the review period.

I love Eclipse even more today than when it came out.

It suffered from the same problem every Journey album ever has: I wore it out.
Now I edit and filter the songs in my head and through forwarding through certain points. I'm convinced EOTM would have sounded even better if it emphasized that great hook by Neal beginning around the :25 mark. Maybe even by just starting the song there.

It's on par with TBF for me as my favorite Journey album, slightly head of Arrival and Frontiers.

[FamilyMan]

There's a rereleased version??

ya news to me too...

Nope. Here is now what I have remembered; There was a leak which was not final album quality. I think many people got these, myself included, the album was not the final release. I had to go back because I thought the initial release had been redone with a better sounding CD issued later. Sorry for misinformation.

Are you confusing this with Arrival? I remember downloading Arrival off Napster... remember that? And feeling guilty about it....

[steveo777]

There's a rereleased version??

ya news to me too...

Nope. Here is now what I have remembered; There was a leak which was not final album quality. I think many people got these, myself included, the album was not the final release. I had to go back because I thought the initial release had been redone with a better sounding CD issued later. Sorry for misinformation.

Are you confusing this with Arrival? I remember downloading Arrival off Napster... remember that? And feeling guilty about it....

Shit, I just can't remember, honestly. I really thought there was some talk around here about a revised release of Gens. I'm getting older.

[Abitaman]

Best Non-Perry releases in my order:

Eclipse
Arrival
Revelation
Generations
Red 13 EP

Eclipse
Arrival
Generations
Red 13
Revelation

[Pelata]

I prefer these songs, in this order...but even some of these are too long.

1. The Place in Your Heart
2. Faith in the Heartland
3. A Better Life
4. Out of Harms Way
5. Butterfly (She Flies Alone)
6. In Self-Defense
7. Believe
8. Never Too Late
9. Better Together
10. Beyond the Clouds

These should have been left off (IMO):

Every Generation
Knowing That You Love Me
Gone Crazy

I never heard this one:

Pride of the Family

[Eric]

I never heard this one:

Pride of the Family

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgfqE8ufqh8

[Eric]

Good chance to think about my Post-Perry Greatest Hits:

1. Remember Me
2. Higher Place
3. Signs of Life
4. Livin' To Do
5. I Got a Reason
6. I Can Breathe
7. Faith in the Heartland
8. Place in your Heart
9. Out of Harms Ways
10. Never Too Late
11. Change for the Better
12. Wildest Dreams
13. What I needed
14. Edge of the Moment
15. Anything is Possible
16. She's a Mystery

[Pelata]

Good chance to think about my Post-Perry Greatest Hits:

1. Remember Me
2. Higher Place
3. Signs of Life
4. Livin' To Do
5. I Got a Reason
6. I Can Breathe
7. Faith in the Heartland
8. Place in your Heart
9. Out of Harms Ways
10. Never Too Late
11. Change for the Better
12. Wildest Dreams
13. What I needed
14. Edge of the Moment
15. Anything is Possible
16. She's a Mystery

I would add "To Be Alive Again" to that list...

[Yoda]

I haven't listened to Eclipse in awhile, probably because I never made a true connection with it in the first place. I have always said the music is outstanding, but I don't have a connection to the songs themselves. And, for me, both is important for an album to stand the test of time in my book.

Coincidentally, I have been listening to Revelation again and THAT album seems to be holding up much better for me. I know it's the same old, tired Journey formula on that album, but I do find a much better connection with THAT album.

For me, none of the post Perry albums have completely stood the test of time with me, only individual songs. Here are the ones I can listen to over and over again:

1. Higher Place
2. Remember Me
3. To Be Alive Again
4. After All These Years
5. Place In Your Heart
6. Walking Away From The Edge
7. Never Walk Away
8. Turn Down The World Tonight
9. All The Way
10. Where Did I Lose Your Love
11. A Better Life
12. It's Never Too Late
13. Resonate
14. Anything Is Possible

The last two probably would be listened to the least from this list, but they are the best from Eclipse in my opinion.