Journey Album: “Time 3”

This is a fantastic box set from one of the premier rock bands of the late 1970's and 1980's. From top to bottom, this set gives a wide choice of selections from the early days through the stadium live versions from the "Captured" album to the sentimental radio hits from "Escape" and beyond.

So why do I rate "Time^3" four stars instead of five? Well, I would have rather had the studio versions released in this box set rather than the live versions. The trend of putting live versions and b-sides on multi-dic sets dilutes what would be an otherwise superior compilation.

Not to fret though. This set is a perfect companion for those who already have the studio versions from Journey's "Greatest Hits" CD. That is four CD's with just about everything a fan could want.

Journey is my favorite band. My wife bought me this a few years ago for Christmas. It was wonderful. It had almost all the best songs, plus a few hidden treasures. I was delighted to find "Only Solutions" (from the TRON soundtrack) on the list. I had been looking for that one for many years. It also had other gems like "Raza del Sol", which I had never heard before. And it has a few choice cuts from the pre-Steve Perry days that I had never paid much attention to before, and didn't realize how much I enjoyed.

Three disks and no filler. It's all prime. It makes me wish the rating system was from 0-100, because this would get the 100. You can put these in your CD carousell and play them for weeks without getting tired of hearing them.

If you know someone who loves Journey, this is an awesome gift. Believe me. This flat-out blows away their greatest hits album. If you don't know Journey and would like to, look no further. And if you feel the need to buy even more albums because of it, may I suggest Infinity, Departure, and Escape? Those were made during the peak years. And if you find yourself absolutely compelled to buy all things Journey - well these things happen sometimes to the best of us. Who am I to judge you?

Overall, this is tied for my favorite box set ever. Even if you own all the other Journey albums like I do, you desperately need this box set.

It's that good.

A nice collection of music from the beginning to the mid 1980's. Disc One has five tracks from the pre-Perry era and one song by original vocalist Robert Flieshman ("For You"). Another track of interest is how the song "Feeling That Way" was derived from a Rolie-vocal called "Velvet Curtain". Along with songs from "Infinity", "Evolution", and "Departure", you also get previously unreleased "Good Times" (a Sam Cooke cover) and "Little Girl" from the unique but sadly ignored "Dream, After Dream" Soundtrack.

Disc 2 has Tracks from "Departure" (like the often underplayed "Homemade Love"), "Captured", and "Escape". "Natural Thing" (an outtake from "Departure" available only as a b-side to "Don't Stop Believing") is included on this disc. "Dixie Highway" is a fun rocker from "Captured" which was NEVER released as a studio offering.

Disc 3 was the most interesting (and best) of the collection. This disc consisted of more music not normally found on any other Journey CD. "La Raza Del Sol", the b-side to "Still They Ride has a rare Neal accoustic solo (the original version was released with the electric gutiar solo). From the "Tron" Soundtrack comes "Only Solutions" (a personal favorite). Other soundtrack offerings include "Ask the Lonley" and "Only the Young". However, what makes this disc unique is some offerings not normally heard during this era. First, there is "Liberty", with just Neal and Perry doing magic. Then there is a Jonathan Cain vocal "All that Really Matters". Finally (saving the best for last) are two instrumentals. "With a Tear" is a mid-tempo rocker and a good Neal solo, and personal favorite "Into Your Arms", a straight forward rocker with at least two gutiars, keyboards, bass, drums, and attitude (in a good way).

Overall, I liked this collection, but would have liked to hear more outakes and never-released songs. I do still rate it highly and consider it a MUST for ANY Journey fan who wants to go beyond the basics.

I can still remember the first time I became aware of Journey. I had never heard of them, but happened to be watching late night TV one Saturday night (either Don Kirshnir's Rock Concert or The Midnight Special" I don't remember which), when this band came on. If I remember correctly they did "Lights" and "Just The Same Way". Steve Perry had a voice like no one I had ever heard before and along with Neal Schon's guitar, Ansyly Dunbar's drums, Greg Rollie's keys and vocals and Ross Valory's bass I simply loved what I heard. The next day I went to the record store and sought out their new album at the time which was "Infinity". Although some of their later releases would fall off in quality for my ears, I really dug the "Infinity" disc and was a fan from that time on. "Time" is a 3 CD box set that covers the band from their early more experimental jazz / prog experimentation, through the Steve Perry years, up through the final album before the long breakup, "Raised On Radio". This is an awesome collection if you are a fan of Journey. It is all here, the hits, album cuts, rarities, songs from movie soundtracks and a few live cuts. This is really one of the more comprehensive box sets that I own and it really does represent just about everything you would want from the band up through the early 90's. The set is presented in chronological order.

Disc one covers the early pre- Steve Perry years up through the first two albums with him. The band started off with Greg Rollie and Neal Schon from Santana and the material is a mix of rock, fusion, and progressive rock. It is very different from the Perry years, but a very rewarding listen for fans of more adventurous rock. Rollie and Schon were already music veterans by this time (heck they had both played Woodstock) as was drummer Ansley Dunbar so the music is tight and very well performed. After the band's first three albums Steve Perry was discovered and recruited as a vocalist. At this point the band become much more pop / rock oriented, but Perry had such an incredible set of pipes that the band basically took off almost overnight. This first disc contains two different versions of the song "Feeling That Way" first pre Perry and then the version with Perry on it. It is very interesting to compare the two and what Perry brings to the fold with his voice.

Disc 2 covers the years where the band were at their commercial peak and is packed with hits that most Journey fans will already be familiar with. Some I like better than others but just about everything is covered here. Some of my personal favorites include a live version of "Lights" and "Wheel In The Sky"., "Don't Stop Believing" and the three great songs that close the disc, "Still They Ride", "Open Arms" and "Mother, Father".

Disc 3 is probably my least favorite. I thought that the band kind of lost the plot in the latter part of the 80's. and I really did not care for the last album "Raised On Radio" at all. Still there is some good stuff to be found here. "Separate Ways" was a great rocker. "Faithfully" was a great power ballad. "Into Your Arms" is a very cool instrumental with Schon tearing it up. The rest is all decent Journey but not as good as their earlier material IMO.

Journey has several "hits" collections out there, but this box set blows them away with it extensive coverage of the band's career. As of the time I am writing this you can find the entire box set used for $8 on Amazon which is a steal.

Everything was as expected - with the one exception of "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'". I wanted the studio version and they give you the live version. The piano is what seals the deal on this song, and the live verison has a lot less piano. Otherwise, AWESOME!