Essential Journey Songs
Journey was my first rock concert that I ever attended, back in June of 2003. They headlined the show, with opening acts from the Midwest, REO Speedwagon and Styx. I went to the show for Styx, but left liking Journey the most. The amount of hits in their catalog was lost on me at the time but I recognized nearly every song they played that night. I saw them again almost 10 years later in the same building in September 2012 and I'd definitely see them again!
This ballad is found on the band's reunion album in 1996, Trial By Fire. While ballads like "Faithfully" and "Open Arms" are obviously more famous and I'm sure have been played live many more times, I enjoy this one much more. Steve Perry's vocals are top-notch.
Just today a friend sent me a message that he was surprised by how "prog-rock"-sounding Journey was on their early albums before Steve Perry joined the band. I feel like Jonathan Cain and this album may have played the biggest role in the evolution of their sound, though. The band sounds very polished on Escape, much like when AC/DC joined forces with "Mutt" Lange for the Highway To Hell album. It took them to the next level; but "Mother, Father" sounds like it's structured like their earlier songs with a transition from acoustic guitar into electric and back again, along with several sections where Neal Schon breaks out into a solo.
8. "Winds Of March" (Infinity)
I first came across this song, and album, when I bought one of those 5-in-1 CD sets for $20 a couple of years ago. I was already familiar with several of the songs, like "Lights" and "Wheel In The Sky", but this one instantly stood out amongst the other tracks. I sent a text to a friend telling him to look up this song, he later sent a message back saying something to the effect of, "Great vocals, cheesy lyrics, awesome guitar solo." I said, "That's EVERY Journey song!"
7. "Ask The Lonely" (Two Of A Kind soundtrack/Frontiers re-issue)
I think this is among the most straight-forward rock songs in Journey's catalog of hits. The use of the synthesizer by Jonathan Cain is the driving force, but there's also the layered vocals by Perry and co., plus a solo by Schon- all working in tandem.
For several albums after Steve Perry joined the band on Infinity, he took over as lead vocalist but was accompanied by Gregg Rolie on many songs. They played off each other well and this is the best example of that "team work". This wasn't on the Greatest Hits CD that I'd had when I first saw them live in 2003, but I became familiar with it through my job working for a classic rock station and it quickly became a favorite.
5. "Don't Stop Believin'" (Escape)
The big hit song from Journey that's a staple of parties and karaoke bars. I liked it, hated it, but now I'm back to embracing it. Much like my experience with Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle", it's hard to resist the happy environment created by several people singing along to it; that Family Guy episode had it right.
Taken from Journey's live album titled Captured, I became aware of it through a friend of mine that I saw Journey with the second time around in 2012. That was a great show with Journey and their opening act Pat Benatar, but was made better by our air guitar performances and his love for Neal Schon.
3. "Girl Can't Help It" (Raised On Radio)
I love everything about the composition of this song, although it stays faithful to their formula of Perry's vocals, Schon's guitar, and Cain's keyboards. There's just something a bit more bombastic about it than other songs from that trio- I think it's the addition of Randy Jackson on bass. Yes, that Randy Jackson of American Idol fame! I was shocked to discover that while watching a live Journey DVD of a concert from the 1986 Raised On Radio tour. He kind of resembled a professional wrestler by the name of Mabel, which was probably more hilarious to me than it had any right to be.
An awesome song on it's own, made better by Jonathan Cain playing keyboards on the side of a garage.
Another song that wasn't on their Greatest Hits that I became familiar with while working for a classic rock station. I think I like it most of all because the entire last minute and a half of the song features Neal Schon taking center stage.
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