Lights (Journey) (LP 2903 - 2911 )

Journey  Look Into The Future (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1976) *** 

Journey  Next (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1977) ***  

Journey  Infinity (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1978) ***  

Journey  Departure (CD, Columbia Records, 1980) ****  

Journey  Escape (CD, Columbia Records, 1981) ****  

Journey  Frontiers (CD, Columbia Records, 1983) ****  

Journey  Generations (CD, Sanctuary Records, 2005) **** 

 Journey  Greatest Hits Live (CD, Columbia Records, 2014) **** 

 Journey  Greatest Hits (CD, Columbia Records, 1988) **** 

Genre: Prog rock, rock.

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Amoeba Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:  Lights   (Infinity)

Gear costume: Anyway You Want It (Departure) 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: Look Into The Future is pretty standard American prog rock/ jazz rock. Journey does have plenty of positive features: Greg Rollie's lead vocals which are a consistent strength; journey-man drummer Aynsley Dunbar (see what I did there?) and Neal Schon on guitars. While they never really take flight on this album, their second, there are enough chops on display to keep me coming back.

Next continued in the same prog rock vein. I like this early iteration of the band. Mainly because I like Greg's vocals and keyboard work, having been a fan since his days in Santana. 

Having said that, Steve Perry's more commercial sound is what the band needed at this point. This was also the last album that Aynsley Dunbar appeared on.

The vocals are strong on Infinity thanks to Greg Rollie and Steve Perry's singing, plus the layered harmonies that Roy Thomas Baker coerced out of the band.

The material underwent change on this album. Neal Schon's shredding is there still, but so too is a more commercial approach best exemplified by Lights - a terrific love song for San Francisco - the city by the bay!

My next Journey album is their sixth studio album - Departure (I don't have their fifth one - Evolution). It's in a three CD pack with Escape and Frontiers. 

Departure saw the last full-time studio album appearance of founding member Gregg Rolie (his final contributions would appear on Dream, After Dream, a soundtrack album to a Japanese film - also released in 1980).

The big hit off the album was Anyway You Want It. It sets a kind of template for the mega success that was just around the corner. In many ways, Steve Perry is the star of this one.

Next up is Escape - their seventh studio album and a monster seller in 1981.

It's another slick, slightly bombastic eighties product from Journey. In some ways I liken these eighties albums to the Transformers films by Michael Bay - full on noise and bright shiny lights with rapid edits.

Substance and humanity can be forgotten elements at times, and yet - these are all excellent albums for what they are - radio friendly mega-hits.

Frontiers had four big singles, so the guys were definitely on a productive roll in the early eighties.

For that reason, I think Generations may be one of my favourite Journey albums. On this one they dial back the histrionics and take a more measured approach. 

It came out in 2005, and by this time Steve Perry had been replaced by vocalist Steve Augeri. He's close to Perry's style, with a deeper delivery, so he's a natural fit for the band. Having said that, this would be his last album with Journey.

Neal Schon is the real star of this version of Journey. He contributes his usual blistering axe attack to these songs. He means it maan!

The other Journey albums I have are compilations. One I've included here is Greatest Hits Live.

It has the classic Steve Perry line-up taking a trip through all the hits during tours in 1981 and 1983.

As the liner notes state - Journey defined arena rock. This album shows you how and why.

Where do they all belong? Greatest Hits (a 1988 compilation) is a great place to find all of the big moments.