The Essential Journey

Performer: Journey (Rock)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Gregg Rolie (vocals, keyboards); Steve Perry (vocals); Neal Schon (guitar, background vocals); Jonathan Cain (keyboards, background vocals); Ross Valory (bass, background vocals); Randy Jackson (bass); Steve Smith, Aynsley Dunbar, Larrie London (drums). Producers include: Steve Perry, Kevin Elson, Kevin Shirley, Mike Stone, Roy Thomas Baker. Includes liner notes by David Wild. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering). Personnel: Neal Schon (guitar); Gregg Rolie, Jonathan Cain (keyboards); Larrie Londin, Steve Smith , Aynsley Dunbar (drums). Audio Mixer: Bob Clearmountain. Liner Note Author: David Wild. Photographers: William Hames; Mark Weiss; Ron Pownall; Peter Ogilvie; Jim Welch; Bruce Bishop. The title says it all. The cream of the crop from one of rock's most enduring and successful bands. Hardcore Journey fans will want this because of the fidelity improvement; (the material is remastered from the original source tapes). Everyone else will want this because it's simply one of the best hits collections ever released. With new liner notes by Rolling Stone's David Wild, ESSENTIAL is over 130 minutes of music covering the group's 1978-1996 output. The classics ("Don't Stop Believin', "Who's Crying Now", "Faithfully") are known and loved by all, but it's the minor hits and album tracks that truly shine here. "Patiently" (a gorgeous ballad) and "Line Of Fire" (a boogie woogie crowd pleaser from the live CAPTURED) will make you want to purchase the original albums from which they hail, as will the beautiful "Good Morning Girl." From blistering, adrenaline-pumping rockers ("Any Way You Want It", "Chain Reaction", "Escape) to raise-your-lighter power ballads ("When You Love A Woman", "Open Arms") and everything in between (the reggae-ish "Baby I'm A Leavin' You) there isn't a bad cut here. The Journey continues...

When one thinks of the archetypal power-ballad powerhouse Journey, it's hard not to automatically picture an arena full of fans hoisting cigarette lighters. While singer Steve Perry's voice was custom-made for Journey's heartbreaking love songs, guitarist Neal Schon had the hard rock chops to fire up their numerous melodic anthems, the combination making them one of the biggest bands of the 1980s. They started out as a prog-rock/fusion-oriented offshoot of Santana, but didn't break through until Perry was brought in to front the band in the late '70s. Nevertheless, after Perry's departure, the band eventually reunited and carried on with Perry soundalike Steve Augeri, playing for thousands of enraptured fans and recording new material.

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