I (more often than not) have the blessing/misfortune of being able to see something is 'rotten in Denmark' (or wherever ) long before others do and often incur their displeasure for mentioning it...until they and others figure out I was right. :\


Being around/familiar w/ the Bay Area music scene...I'll say


I do not like these people as people from my observations and haven't for a long time. I do not like the way they seem to have not made much in the way of actual 'new' music, (IMO) but rather re-arrange and re-hash what they've already done before. For some people who love the product due to the ('signature') sound or nostalgia, that's GREAT..To me, it's a lazy rip-oFF And yeah, these people have boo-koo buck$, so that doesn't make sense and kinda goes against the point of being an artist/being in it for some sort of creativity.

They are not the only one$ of course...

And while I admit I still sing along when their classic songs come on the radio (and it's really hard not to) I'd rather support something underground that has some semblance of a human soul in it somewhere.

All of this inspires me to spend zer0 dollar$ and time on anything they do.


You may now throw rocks....

I admit I like Journey a little but don't have any of thier albums. I bought "Generations" because of the hype at the type and thought it was horrible. I am hearing good things about this album thou. I may have to get this but I don't want to get burned like I did with Generations. Anyone know where I can hear some samples from the album?

walmart.com has some short samples... if you want I could email you a few songs...

I'm getting my copy today at work (Sam's Club) - $10.72

OK, I've heard the album...start to finish...here are my thoughts:

1. Never Walk Away - Good song, good vibe...along the lines of "Higher Place" or "Be Good To Yourself"...nothing Journey hasn't done before.

2. Like A Sunshower - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz An attempt at "Lights 2"...played well, boring song.

3. Change For The Better - like a Bad English leftover (the way some of the Augeri material was)...not bad, but not great...good chorus.

4. Wildest Dream - more Bad English-style music...not bad, not great...good chorus.

5. Faith In The Heartland - I guess I'm jaded, but Augeri did this song so much better...boring vocal, great song. The intro now sounds exactly like "Where The Streets Have No Name"...

6. After All These Years - Crap...plain and simple. Like a bad Disney movie ballad...or like a Clay Aiken/American Idol throw away. Cain needs to keep this crap on his solo albums...

7. Where Did I Lose Your Love - starts off sounding like 80s Genesis...weird. More "not bad, not great" material. Good chorus...almost sounds like something The Storm would have done.

8. What I Needed - a much better ballad than the first one. More minor-key like "Living To Do"...this should have been the lead-off ballad.

9. What It Takes To Win - not good. Theme from Rocky 7...training montage "you can do it" crap. Give me Survivor's "Burning Heart" any day...

10. Turn Down The World Tonight - best ballad on the CD...they should have left off AATY...

11. The Journey (Revelation) - Neal's instrumental...sounds like it could have been included on Trial By Fire...reminds me of "Colors Of The Spirit" on the intro. The man can shred, but this was kinda pointless...especially at the end...

Overall:

Good melodies, good guitars, good hooks, but you can't shake the feeling that you've heard it all before and better somewhere else. This sounds like all the good songs on Arrival and Generations simply re-written. Arnel's accent comes through too much for my liking, and his phrasing is a little choppy. Neal sounds awesome, of course. It has it's moments, but this album will not get any repeated listens from me. If this were some new band on Frontiers or something, I don't think some Journey fans would be loving it...they'd say "it sounds like they're trying to be Journey"...that's what this sounds like to me...a band trying to be Journey.

Odd review Shawn.... I don't get any of that at all. I don't know. Honestly I usually agree with almost every review you write at least 90%. This one we disagree on.

Quote:

If this were some new band on Frontiers or something, I don't think some Journey fans would be loving it...they'd say "it sounds like they're trying to be Journey"...that's what this sounds like to me...a band trying to be Journey.

That's just it though... this is not just some new band on Frontiers... This is Journey. That's why it sounds like "they're trying to be Journey". You are the one always talking about bands and their "signature sounds". Well to me, this has the signature sound without being identical to anything from the past. Just an amazing record for me. I think this goes so far beyond what they did on Arrival and Generations. While I liked those cd's they didn't come close to this one in the songwriting department. You're right, this won't come close to Khymera for me this year but it's up there with other Frontiers bands like Action, Alliance and Work Of Art. I'm sorry if you disagree but this disc just oozes fun and passion compasred to the last few. I haven't felt this kind of vibe on a Journey cd all the way through since "Frontiers".

GlassPrison,
If you are reading this thread tell Shawn what you said about Sunshower!

Personally I don't like Sunshower as much as other people are liking it but it seems that song is getting a lot of love from fans.

_________________
"It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not."

I actually sorta understand Shawn's point as it is more personal (sorta like why I don't like Alice Cooper, it's an integrity thing) but I still don't understand people simply not liking it because of Perry's abscence. Why should they sound exactly the same?

The jury is still out for me. I like a lot of it, but I am still not 100% sold on some of it. More time will decide...



Arttie

I have been on the fence about getting this one but i guess a trip to walmart will have to be had soon...

Alex

I think Shawn hit it very well with a couple of these tracks, because a couple sound so much like Bad English I could have sworn I had heard them before.

The older version of Faith In The Heartland is better, too...



ARttie

I'm glad you enjoy it.

So I was at Wal-Mart with a friend last night, and I decided to pick this up. I'm listening to track 1 right now. Sounds like classic Journey to me! I'm diggin' it so far.

Love it. Love the DVD. Love the rerecorded songs. Love the new songs. Can;t we all just get along??

There's keyboards and thats about it....if you're a U2 freak, do you go to any U2 forums online? It's possible we go to the same forum.....