The Great HTF Music Challenge (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

Journey - a band that had some *huge* hits in the 70s/80s. Also a band I really didn't listen to much as it was more aimed at rock/pop type radio. That's not to say I didn't like some of their material as I did and still do - just that, for me, they're more a "greatest hits" type band and not one for whom I'd ever considered purchasing the full albums. Then a couple of days ago Amazon "recommended" a collection of their first 3 albums. I'd seen the covers in the past but didn't recognize any of the song names. The set was inexpensive so I pulled up those albums to see if there was anything interesting.

I was quite surprised to find the *early* incarnation of Journey is nothing like the pop/rock band that had many huge radio friendly hits. Steve Perry is also not present in the early recordings and it was *his* addition that pretty much changed their style and sent them on to fame. That early version is more jazz/rock fusion with a bit of prog thrown in for good measure. It's nothing truly unique and nothing truly stands out, sounding like any of a half dozen or so other similar bands from the era, but it's mostly good stuff. Something I'd have absolutely listened to in those years and would have been quite upset when they changed direction. I enjoyed the 3 albums enough that I'll be purchasing that album set.

So... it's nothing "great" but *is* rather interesting and there's some good musicianship on display. Here's a sample track from their first album, "Journey" with an open that reminds me of a track from Mahavishnu Orchestra:

Journey - "Mystery Mountain":



They're a bit more focused on their 2nd outing, 1976's "Look Into The Future".

Journey - "I'm Gonna Leave You":



And from their 3rd album, "Next," a track that reminds me quite a bit of Robin Trower's output.

Journey - "I Would Find You":

 

[BobO'Link]

To be fair to Journey, I'm listening to the Steve Perry era albums... so far (the 4 studio albums after he joined, ending with "Escape") I'm not hearing anything, outside a handful of hits, that, IMHO, is as good or interesting as those first 3 albums. They all have a rather bland, cookie cutter 80s pop/AOR approach, pretty much sounding pretty much the same with mostly disposable songs.

 

[Malcolm R]

I like Perry's voice and have several of those albums, but don't listen to them with any regularity. I do have some of the "hits" on my iPod 80's mix. As is usual, a couple of my favorites are the less-successful singles, "Suzanne" from Journey, and "You Better Wait" from Steve Perry solo.

 

[BobO'Link]

Yeah, Perry has a very good voice though I feel he's just a bit too "showy." I like his lack of vibrato - too many singers use huge vibrato ranges to make up for an inability to sing longer notes on pitch accurately. I have a "Greatest Hits" of those albums with Perry and after listening to the full albums feel that's good enough - actually better as it has all the hits I like and little dross.

 

[JohnRice]

Journey - a band that had some *huge* hits in the 70s/80s. Also a band I really didn't listen to much as it was more aimed at rock/pop type radio. That's not to say I didn't like some of their material as I did and still do - just that, for me, they're more a "greatest hits" type band and not one for whom I'd ever considered purchasing the full albums. Then a couple of days ago Amazon "recommended" a collection of their first 3 albums. I'd seen the covers in the past but didn't recognize any of the song names. The set was inexpensive so I pulled up those albums to see if there was anything interesting.

I was quite surprised to find the *early* incarnation of Journey is nothing like the pop/rock band that had many huge radio friendly hits. Steve Perry is also not present in the early recordings and it was *his* addition that pretty much changed their style and sent them on to fame. That early version is more jazz/rock fusion with a bit of prog thrown in for good measure. It's nothing truly unique and nothing truly stands out, sounding like any of a half dozen or so other similar bands from the era, but it's mostly good stuff. Something I'd have absolutely listened to in those years and would have been quite upset when they changed direction. I enjoyed the 3 albums enough that I'll be purchasing that album set.

So... it's nothing "great" but *is* rather interesting and there's some good musicianship on display. Here's a sample track from their first album, "Journey" with an open that reminds me of a track from Mahavishnu Orchestra:

Journey - "Mystery Mountain":



They're a bit more focused on their 2nd outing, 1976's "Look Into The Future".

Journey - "I'm Gonna Leave You":



And from their 3rd album, "Next," a track that reminds me quite a bit of Robin Trower's output.

Journey - "I Would Find You":

I need to give those a listen. I had forgotten that Journey did start out as a completely different band than they became when they got popular. It's sort of like Fleetwood Mac, who had two distinct, very different incarnations (I consider to be the Peter Green and Bob Welch eras) before the "Buckingham/Nicks" era when they established super popularity.

 

[jcroy]

Journey's current singer Arnel Pineda (since 2008) sounds almost identical to Perry.


Separate Ways (2008 version)

 

[Malcolm R]

I like Pineda's vocals, too. I have the first two Pineda albums. Liked the first, but wasn't so crazy about the second. Have not yet checked out the most recent, Freedom.

 

[BobO'Link]

Journey's current singer Arnel Pineda (since 2008) sounds almost identical to Perry.


Separate Ways (2008 version)

If I heard that on the radio and didn't know ahead of time I'd not have known it wasn't Perry singing... I don't know if that's good or bad... certainly not good for Perry as it means they don't really need him for the sound. Also not really good for Pineda as it means he doesn't have his own distinctive sound...

 

[BobO'Link]

It's hard to read on the alb cover, but it's UFO

Interesting... That's a 1977 album. I also like that original a bit better and *have* heard it on the radio (or somewhere - I rarely listen to radio because of all the commercials and talk-overs). I vaguely recall the band but don't have anything by them in my collection. Considering the year you'd think I'd own some as disco seemed to be taking over the music scene and we'd usually embrace *anything* that at least sounded like rock 'n roll... and this absolutely does.

Just dropping in to say that since those two posts back in mid June I purchased this:

I've listened to the 9 of those discs (alphabetical order rather than by year) and have really enjoyed the journey. My 11yo granddaughter said "Meh" when I commented that I'd really enjoyed the discs and asked what she thought... oh well... can't win 'em all, eh? I *do* like the earlier material (70s stuff) a bit better than the later (80s) but it *all* has a nice 70s AOR type sound. And I *still* don't know how I never really heard of them or listened to them in those years...

 

[JohnRice]

This video is a good explanation why I'm completely fascinated by Tool's music. For anyone who has 20 minutes to spare.

 

[John Dirk]

This video is a good explanation why I'm completely fascinated by Tool's music. For anyone who has 20 minutes to spare.

I've never heard of the band but the overall experience reminds me of something along the lines of Pink Floyd back in the day. There also seems to be a cult-like aspect, reminiscent of The Grateful Dead which I personally find somewhat disturbing.

Knowing what [I think] I do about you, I can understand your fascination from a technical perspective but this band also has a lot of musical depth, which I wouldn't expect to necessarily interest a non-musician. If I were going to explore them further, however, it would be solely for this reason.

Finally, there is also extreme depth in their lyrics, If you find this interesting I can't understand why you haven't explored the Rap genre further. There's a whole lot more to it than the commercial [violence and misogynistic] stuff that is being promoted but you do have to dig for it.

 

[BobO'Link]

Just dropping in to say that since those two posts back in mid June I purchased this:
View attachment 160785
I've listened to the 9 of those discs (alphabetical order rather than by year) and have really enjoyed the journey. My 11yo granddaughter said "Meh" when I commented that I'd really enjoyed the discs and asked what she thought... oh well... can't win 'em all, eh? I *do* like the earlier material (70s stuff) a bit better than the later (80s) but it *all* has a nice 70s AOR type sound. And I *still* don't know how I never really heard of them or listened to them in those years...

And... a few days back the now 12yo's mother was telling me about how well the 16yo daughter did in a "pop/rock music challenge" type game she'd played somewhere, chalking it up to my influence and the variety of music we listened to in the car on the way to/from school when *she* was a regular passenger. The 16yo lamented that "I knew several but just couldn't come up with the name!" - made me proud.

So... as part of that conversation I mentioned that 10 disc set to my daughter and that the 12yo and I had listened to all of them. Her mom asked and the 12yo said "I liked them!" - which was a surprise to me as she'd not been that enthusiastic when they were played in the car... Oh well... at least it was a victory of sorts.

 

[JohnRice]

There also seems to be a cult-like aspect, reminiscent of The Grateful Dead which I personally find somewhat disturbing.

I've heard that Tool has a rather fanatical following. As you said, in the Grateful Dead, or Pfish sense. I don't participate in that, and honestly don't give a shit about it. It would make zero sense for that to influence me in any way.

 

[BobO'Link]

This video is a good explanation why I'm completely fascinated by Tool's music. For anyone who has 20 minutes to spare.

I *have* heard of Tool but can't say I've ever listened to any tracks from them. This was interesting enough that I looked it up with a possible eye towards a purchase until I saw the asking price of a physical copy. Absolutely insane - with the "cheapest" CD being a book-like affair going for ~$35+ when a MP3 copy can be had for $12. Sorry... no sale guys. I'll check out their catalog on allmusic (or just ask my daughter as I think she listens to them) and pick something else for a sample as the rest of their catalog is quite reasonably priced.

While I liked it, I didn't find it "amazing" like the guy who did the video. It somewhat reminds me of other alt/metal type songs though I can't quite put my finger on just who/what. Like always, the lyrics didn't register at all. Gotta research this group...

 

[HawksFord]

I've been reviewing the new releases I enjoyed in 2022. High on that list is the latest from First Aid Kit, Palomino.


I'd love to hear your favorites from the past year.

 

[John Dirk]

I've been reviewing the new releases I enjoyed in 2022. High on that list is the latest from First Aid Kit, Palomino.


I'd love to hear your favorites from the past year.

The actual song is nice enough but a tad generic, for my taste anyway. I absolutely loved the video. Had to watch it twice!

Thanks for this one.

 

[JohnRice]

I just don't seek out new music, I guess. The most recent things I've bought are An Evening with Silk Sonic which was released a year ago, and Lacuna Coil's Black Anima, and already mentioned, Tool's Fear Inoculum, which were released in 2019.

 

[BobO'Link]

I've been reviewing the new releases I enjoyed in 2022. High on that list is the latest from First Aid Kit, Palomino.


I'd love to hear your favorites from the past year.

It's not bad but kind of generic sounding - the kind of thing I might have on in the background that doesn't want/require any attention. It has a kind of "new country" sound, which is superior to anything "pop" I've heard this year.

I've purchased exactly 2 releases from 2022. Def Leppard's "Diamond Star Halos" and Edgar Winter's "Brother Johnny." The only one of those I've listened to so far is "Brother Johnny" so by default it's my favorite. I fully expect to like the Def Leppard album though can't see it being superior to Winter's simply due to its subject matter.

 

[HawksFord]

Another favorite from 2022 is Kevin Morby's This is a Photograph:

 

[John Dirk]

Kevin Morby's This is a Photograph:
This felt more like "coffee shop" poetry than serious music to me. That's not to take away from the artist but it just seemed highly personal as if it were meant as a family keepsake or something.