Disco de Journey: “Next”

For musicians this album will remind why Journey, who are best known nowadays for their pop ballads, still is and always was a group to be admired and respected. Steve Perry is not present on this album. (No disrespect intended) The dense, experimental arrangements and the sophisticated fusion influence is all here. Yu will recognize Greg Rolie's vocals from his appearance on Santana's 'Black Magic Woman' and later Journey material like 'Anytime', 'Feeling That Way' and 'Just The Same Way'. Neal Schon still plays the thick Santana tones and solos. When I listen to this record I can almost smell the 70s and San Francisco. If you can get the vinyl, this album belongs in your collection alonside the likes of Jefferson Starship, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin.

After the departure of George Tickner, Journey continued as a four-man unit. Steve Perry would not join for two more albums, and the time was the fusion era. Experimenting with many different ideas, Journey's third album lacks some of the punch of their self-titled debut, but the songwriting is just as well thought out. Gregg Rolie still sings like a master(on People, his voice bears a striking resemblance to John Lennon) and Neal Schon even contributes a lead vocal. For anyone who wishes to explore the evolution of a group who later became a vehicle for Steve Perry, this album will show a much different(and in my opinion, better) side of Journey.

The average Journey fan is going look at this album's cover and say "No Steve Perry? What the hell is this?" The thing is, this is one of my favorite Journey albums overall! Fans of classic Journey will recognize keyboardist Gregg Rollie's voice (he of "Just the Same Way" and "Feeling That Way/Anytime" fame). Unfortunately, this album is SO poorly represented on the Journey box set-one cut, that being the instrumental "Nickel and Dime". Taking nothing away from that song-Neal Schon smokes on it-the rest of the album rocks. Someone else who reviewed this album recommended "I Would Find You"-I would have to go with "Spaceman", the title cut, and especially, "Here We Are". Spaceman and Here We Are were probably the two songs with the most potential to have been "hits". If you are a fan of the "Faithfully"/"Open Arms" Journey stuff (which I still like), don't expect that style here. That was Perry's influence. This is for fans of the Gregg Rollie sung songs and is more progressive rock in style. If you are a Journey fan and want to expand your library to the early stuff, start here!

This particular record was always my favorite Journey album of them all. This isn't quite as proggy as the first two were and is better focused overall. Their attempt to be more mainstream? Perhaps, but the musicianship is epic...these four musicians could seriously play. Do you want to know how really good Neal Schon was or what he was really capable of doing? Listen to this. Aynsley Dunbar may have gotten lost in the mist of time when it comes to legendary rock drummers talk but again, listen to this and understand how great he really was. "Nickel and Dime" remains absolutely soaring well over thirty years later. Nothing on this record sounds dated at all.

I don't dislike Steve Perry at all but after he joined I lost interest. Nothing that version of Journey (or others) did could ever compare to this. Musical chops matter as much as a good upfront vocalist does, maybe more.

At least I think so anyway.

The year was 1980. "Infinity" and "Evolution" dominated my eight-track player, and "Departure" was on my turntable. Journey was the band that spoke to me the most. So imagine my enthusiasm when I was perusing the used eight-track tapes at the local thrift store and came across a tape by Journey entitled "Next."

I held the cartridge in my hand, not knowing what to think. Psychedelic clothes. Greg Rolie with a moustache. Neal Schon with a gigantic Afro. Aynsley Dunbar and Ross Valory pretty much looked normal. But conspicuous by his absence was Steve Perry. My 15-year old mind could scarcely comprehend what I had stumbled across, but I had to find out.

Back in "the day," being a "Metalhead" was listening to KISS, AC/DC, Styx, Skynyrd, and Black Sabbath with equal zeal. And while most of us "diehard" rockers listened to Journey, only a brave few of us - myself included - dared admit to really liking them. However, this album ranks up there with good, solid hard rock. I can only imagine how these songs sounded live; we'll never find out, as all vocal work was done by Rolie.

You won't find the power ballads or polished rockers of the Perry era, but what you will find with "Next" - which is, incidentally, my favorite pre-Perry Journey album - is borderline psychedelic rock driven by Rolie's piano and keyboard prowess and Neal Schon's timeless guitar playing. You rocked with Perry, you embraced Augeri, and maybe like me, you grudgingly accepted Arnel Pineda, but to get the full Journey experience, "Next" is a must-have.