Disco de Journey: “Raised on Radio”

Let's see, it was the summer of '86, (or was it '87??) and the last choir-like lines of the song "Girl Can't Help It" ended in "oooh-oooooh nothing stands between love and you-ooh". A chill ran up my spine. I was thinking of my summer girlfriend at the time (who dumped me at the end of that summer). Everything jelled at that moment (I was drinking a Mountain Dew at that time and the air conditioner was running). This album turned me on to Journey, even more so than "Escape" or "Frontiers" did. Even though it was not as commercially successful, it had some great songs and still is one of my top 2 favorites from that band. Most fans had thought that by then they had resorted to formula, but I think you can't fault a band that by then had generated more quality hits that to this day people sing as though they were hyms -- think "Stone in Love", "Open Arms", Faithfully", the list goes on. This album just proved that they could still get it right. Even though Beth, my summer time love, is gone (I think she married a professional hog-caller if that gives you any clue as to my desirability), I still have this CD. I now know that everything is fine as long as you have Steve (Perry), air conditioning, and a Dew.

In some ways, this record is the quintessential FM radio album of the 80's. In others - especially if you listen maybe to the "Infinity" album first and THEN this one - this is nothing but the showcase of an arena band's glossy demise. So long polyester - make way for leather and frizz.

Good for Journey. Good for capitalizing on their innate talent for writing radio-friendly pop\rock. To anyone who can actually say they've never had a Journey song stuck in their head - turn up your hearing aid. There...that's better.

This collection of songs took three years to finally record. The result is a collection of near-perfect AOR songs tinged with distortion guitar and laced with icy keyboards. But this isn't Night Ranger - where you can only take two or three of the songs in one sitting. No...this is Journey. If they're good at anything, they're great at infusing songs with the right amount of pop and the right amount of rock to create that equal Journeyesque blend.

As with all albums, some songs stand out and others don't quite make it. But the good tracks digest the not-so-good tracks with ease.

The singles from the album, "Girl Can't Help It", "I'll Be Alright Without You", and "Suzanne" are all well-crafted and pleasing. Of the three, "Suzanne" is my personal favorite. It's simply outstanding in every way...Steve Perry's voice, Neal Schon's guitar, and Jonathan Cain's ever-present keyboards all blend together perfectly to create a fast-paced melodic rock effort that surpasses, in my opinion, much of the output from other "corporate rock" bands of the time. A fourth single, "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever", didn't make the Top 40, but I still enjoy it. It's a power-ballad crafted in an uncanny resemblance to "Faithfully" (Frontiers, 1983) and the song is made by Perry's soaring vocals.

Even some of the non-singles are strong. "Positive Touch" is great, as is the reflective and quite moving "Happy to Give" - in which Perry gives what I consider to be his greatest vocal performance ever. The remaining tracks are somewhat weaker, but still listenable and they have their good moments.

This is nothing like early Journey, and hardly comparable to Perry's first three albums with the band. Still, it is an ingeniously crafted album of twentysomething music that won't age well into the new millenium but should be a staple of 80's radio.

Not a thumping CD but a clever more pop CD than their previous efforts. It has been canned in the past reviews but as an offering as a whole, it is a very complete effort. Perry belts out a couple of tracks, there are a few radio friendly songs and the closing Why cant this night go on forever is classic Journey power ballad. Not a weak track on this CD.

Raised On Radio(1986). Journey's tenth studio album.

Journey, the corporate rock band that all critics _love_ to hate. Most everyone who is a serious aficionado of rock music usually cringes at the mere mention of the "corporate rock" moniker, one that is often tagged onto bands such as Styx, Eddie Money, Boston, Peter Frampton, Loverboy, Huey Lewis, Foreigner, Blue Oyster Cult, and countless others. I admit, you do have to wade through a ton of sludge to get to the good stuff, but there is in fact GOOD stuff released amongst all the aforementioned bands. I'm a serious listener of all sorts of rock music, and whether it be pop, heavy metal, progressive, punk, or whatever, good music is good music, and I tend to have a soft spot for Journey from time to time because of this. Like Loverboy, they know how to concoct good and catchy (albeit contrived) melodies that stick in your head long after the song ends. Written off in the 70s as a corporate rock act from the moment vocalist Steve Perry joined the band, Journey spawned many hits such as `Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin', `Any Way You Want It', and `Wheel In The Sky'. The early 80s continued to amass them fans with other radio staples like `Don't Stop Believin', `Faithfully', and `Only The Young'. `Separate Ways' has always been my favorite Journey tune with its sharp rocking sensibilities, and driving melodic keyboard tones. Now the year is 1986 and it's time for them to follow up their success with something even more akin to radio-play. Can they keep up the pace?

Well, not quite. But if you're a fan of some of Journey's catchier material, it's worth having it for a few songs. Much of the hard rock guitars have been stripped away in favor of a highly polished pop sheen, a standard thing in 1986. There's a couple of outstanding songs, several decent songs, and a few duds. So overall, a slightly above-average pop rock album.

Let's start with the best first. `Be Good To Yourself' has always been a great mid-paced rocker, sort of the swan song of classic Journey on their greatest hits album. The other highlight here is `Suzanne', which although somewhat un-Journey like in its poppiness, manages to capture everything that a good pop song needs, and is unquestionably my favorite track on the disc. It has a very upbeat quality with an awesome build-up into a full soaring chorus, the likes of which I haven't heard in a long time. Probably worth buying the disc used if you like it. `The Eyes Of A Woman' is a fairly standard melodic synth pop song in of itself, but for some reason I'm really drawn to its catchy chorus melody. Now, the good but not great songs. `Girl Can't Help It' opens the album on a light note, while `Positive Touch' has a bouncy but dated saxophone pop quality. Then there's the slower `Once You Love Somebody', which is just okay. The title track starts off promising, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere as the song moves along. `I'll Be Alright Without You' was a minor hit in the vein of some of Journey's earlier softer radio staples. The rest of the songs are either merely forgettable or below average.

So is ROR worth picking up? Sure, but only if you're already a Journey fan and you've checked out their earlier catalogue. It's neither essential nor a good starting point, but worth having for a few good songs if you can get into it.

Replayability: I'll break it out once in a while, if only for those few songs. The rest I can live without.

Recommendations:

-Any of Journey's earlier albums prior to this one

-Any of Foreigner's 70s and 80s albums

-`Reckless' by Bryan Adams

-`Third Stage' by Boston

-`Sports' by Huey Lewis

Journey's "Raised on Radio" was the ninth album released by the band from San Francisco. Released in 1986, it went double platinum and spawned five hits. Despite its success, it's genesis was one of turmoil.

After Steve Perry's very successful "Street Talk" album hit the charts in 1984, the five members of Journey regrouped to begin work on new material. Much has been written on the internet and other sources as to the circumstances that broke up the band... the long and short of it - founding member Ross Valory (bassist) was fired and drummer Steve Smith left after recording three tunes. That left original member guitarist Neil Schon, keyboardist Jon Cain (new since 1981) and lead Steve Perry (new since 1978) as the band that we know as "Journey." Studio musicians Larrie London, Bob Glaub and Randy Jackson (now recognized for his work on "American Idol") filled in on the remaining tracks.

The music of "Raised on Radio" took a definite turn with the new lineup. Where the albums "Escape" and "Frontiers" had led toward harder, edgier rock, "ROR" delved deeper into the pop arena. Not that it was a bad thing - it sold albums; however I've often wondered what direction the songs would have taken had the band stayed together.

Although the three remaining members are credited for writing most of the material on the album, the sound is very much that of Perry and Cain. The duo created some very memorable melodies - melodies that have natural rises and falls that "hook" the listener in. The last track, "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever" is a perfect example of this. For one familiar with this tune, the opening four notes make it instantly recognizable. This gorgeous ballad ranks right up there with "Faithfully."

My favorite tune on the album is "Girl Can't Help It." The best part is the end with all of the vocal overdubs. This song is as fresh for me twenty years later as the first time I heard it. I absolutely love the chord progressions, which a couple of borrowed chords in the chorus - totally cool!

"I'll Be Alright Without You" hasn't been a favorite of mine, but does feature a stellar guitar solo at the end by Neil Schon. Very different from his previous solos, it is almost in a "smooth jazz" style - a style that he would use on later solo albums. The two big hits, "Suzanne" and "Be Good To Yourself" have become part of Journey's classic rock repertoire, the latter reminding me a little of "Only the Young." Both of these songs have become favorites amongst fans.

Well, I've listed the five hits, which are, unfortunately, the best part of the album. Outside of them, "The Eyes of a Woman" is the only one that stands out. It has a very well written melody is sounds very similar to "Send Her My Love," a song off of the "Frontiers" album. The rest of the songs aren't bad, but I certainly don't make a point of listening to them, either.

So...my advice? If you're an upcoming Journey fan, as I was twenty years ago, you'll want this album for your collection. You might find the other seven songs worthwhile. On the other hand, if you don't want to make the investment, buy the greatest hits or the "Time 3" collection. At least there you'll have the best stuff altogether.