milestone (Escape - Journey)

Member Name: kevrus

Product:	Escape - Journey
Date:	04/11/00 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: SUPERB MELODIC ROCK ALBUM

Disadvantages: BET YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD ANY ON THE RADIO

Its 1982 and I am lost. My musical tastes are wavering. I left school in 1981 a fan of hard rock but something always niggled me. While my friends delighted in five minute guitar solos and loud for the sake of it bands, I felt something was missing. What was it i wanted that I was only getting from bands few and far between? Then in a bargain basement rack I found a 12" pic disc of the Journey single 'Don't stop believin' from the album Escape. I bought it and took it home. Played it and there it was. Melody. Songwriting of the finest order but still with an edge that could safely be called rock (although certainly not hard rock) Just a fluke? I flipped it over and on the other side was a track called the Journey Audiophile. Sort of an audi CV of the band withan American voice giving a breif history of the band interspersed with highlights from their albums to date. There was enough to make me want to buy the album and when I did..............

Make no mistake this album is one of the finest examples of what I discovered was called AOR (adult orientated rock) Some call it melodic rock. Basically it means there are albums packed with potential hits that in this country would rarely get a second look because there is no dance beat.

This album topped the American charts and spawned several top 10 singles. Open Arms by Mariah Carey? Here is the original version by the original writers. Soppy Ballad? yes. Smash hit. Also yes. Tracks like 'Whos cryin' now?' and 'Stone in love' also stand out. The title track ( a b side to one of the singles) is about the rockiest track but still has you singing along to that voice. That voice? Steve Perry, owner of one of the most distinctive voices in rock and probably the soul of Journey even though not a founder memeber. Escape improved on previous Journey albums (I found out later) with the addition of Jonathon Cain of 'The Baby's' whose song writing talents brought out
the best in Neil Schon (guitar) and Steve Perry's already impressive writing skills.

No you can't dance to it. Try listening.


P.S. the album cover shown here is actually the follow up 'frontiers'
Now thats another story for another day.....................

Summary: