Journey: Escape [Remastered] CD Track Listing

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Journey Escape [Remastered] (1981)
Escape (Reissued + Expanded Digipack)\n2006 Columbia/Legacy\n\nOriginally Released August 1981\nCD Edition Released 1987 ??\nRemastered CD Edition Released October 15, 1996\nSACD Edition Released January 4, 2000\nReissued Digipack CD Edition Released August 1, 2006\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Jonathan Cain (ex-Babys keyboardist) replaced Gregg Rolie on the band's most popular album to date. On the strength of the hits "Who's Crying Now" and "Don't Stop Believin'," this album spent more than a year in the Top 20. -- Donna DiChario\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Escape was a groundbreaking album for San Francisco's Journey, charting three singles inside Billboard's Top Ten, with "Don't Stop Believing" reaching number nine, "Who's Crying Now" number four, and "Open Arms" peaking at number two and holding there for six weeks. Escape flung Journey steadfastly into the AOR arena, combining Neal Schon's grand yet palatable guitar playing with Jonathan Cain's blatant keyboards. All this was topped off by the passionate, wide-ranged vocals of Steve Perry, who is the true lifeblood of this album, and this band. The songs on Escape are more rock-flavored, with more hooks and a harder cadence compared to their former sound. "Who's Crying Now" spotlights the sweeping fervor of Perry's voice, whose theme about the ups and downs of a relationship was plentiful in Journey's repertoire. With "Don't Stop Believing," the whisper of Perry's ardor is crept up to with Schon's searing electric guitar work, making for a perfect rock song. One of rock's most beautiful ballads, "Open Arms," gleams with an honesty and feel only Steve Perry could muster. Outside of the singles, there is a certain electricity that circulates through the rest of the album. The songs are timeless, and as a whole, they have a way of rekindling the innocence of youthful romance and the rebelliousness of growing up, built from heartfelt songwriting and sturdy musicianship. [Escape was reissued in 2006, housed in a fancy digipack with an expanded booklet and the addition of four bonus tracks: "La Raza del Sol" (the B-side of "Still They Ride") and three live songs from a 1981 show.] -- Mike DeGagne\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW (Reissued + Expanded Edition)\nRemastered, yes, but not newly remastered, August 2, 2006\nReviewer: Shane Wilson (Lafayette, Louisiana United States)\nThis is a reissue of the 1996 remastered edition along with the 4 bonus tracks. I bought this hoping that it had been newly remastered, but the sound is identical to the 1996 cd. "The Essential Journey" from 2001 is louder and has a better mix (as in you can hear the instruments better and clearer) than this 2006 cd. The live tracks on this cd can all be gotten on the 2006 "Live in Houston" cd and the sound on that cd is better, clearer, and louder than on this reissue cd ("Reissue" is written on this cd wrapper not "remaster"). I'm a bit of a fiend for remasters and I did play them "side by side" and can hear no difference from the 1996 to the 2006. The only true new thing on here is "La Raza Del Sol". \n\nSo this is great if all you've got is the original cd release, but do realize that this is not a 2nd remaster. Get the "Essential" disc if you want that; it's the closest there is and it does sound better than the 1st edition remasters. Of course, not all the songs are on there that I'm sure you want. I'd like to see all their albums remastered like the "Essential" is. But oh well, it's not here.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nOK, don't get mad but..., February 24, 2001\nReviewer: Shawn Anderson "Shawn" (Geneseo, Illinois USA)\nI LOVE this cd. My favorite cd of all time. I've been a professional musician for over 20 years and these guys are the real deal. I'm sorry for some of you that it isn't "dark", and they made sure the guitars were in tune, and Steve Perry can sing (this is now called 'over produced'), unlike bands of today who screech their low monotones. I'm sorry if that offends you in some way. Journey is not trying to make a political statement. They are just writing about things that everybody thinks about. Sure, it's commercial sounding, but that doesn't make it bad, that just gives it greater listening appeal to more people. Now, to pick on the rest of you: I didn't grow up in the 60's. I grew up in the 70's and 80's. Yes, I think the Beatles are fantastic, but if I were left on a desert island, I'd rather have "Escape" than any Beatles or Jimi album. Sorry! Journey is just what I'd rather listen to. Every band has some crap songs. However, I think that Escape is 99% good music. The only song I wouldn't give a '10' to is "Dead Or Alive", though it is still good. Sometimes more artsy stuff like Jimi or the Beatles can get hard to listen to, especially some of John Lennon's wierd crap. I appreciate ground breaking artists like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, but music has evolved. The bottom line is I'd give Escape 5 stars and Revolver 4. Sorry, it is just what I like more. Now, please re-read the title for this review...........\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMemories of youth..., January 28, 2006\nReviewer: A. Ort "aorto" (Youngstown, Ohio)\nI just picked this LP up for 50 cents from my local thrift. The other copy I have is all beat up from use and I've never owned it on CD. \n\nI forgot how much these songs mean to me. This album came out when I was thirteen and it carried me for the next five years, all through high school. Songs of loneliness, hope, angst and passion fill these songs, the intensity of which only occurs during youth. \n\nThere is a sound that just radiates of driving late at night, alone, longing for something or someone to fill the ache. I can't tell you how many times this album gave me hope and expressed what I could not put into words. \n\nThere are a few rockers on here ("Stone In Love", "Keep on Runnin'"), a few dreamy songs ("Don't Stop Believing", "Who's Crying Now") and the epitome of ballads, "Open Arms." Every song in here is a song you can sing to alone. If you play it for a group, don't be surprised if everyone knows the songs and sings along. \n\nSide 1 is perhaps one of the best album sides ever. The whole album is just classic, Journey at its peak. \n\nSay what you wish about the 80s sound, the formula riffs and all the other criticisms, this album means a lot to a whole bunch of people. It may never go down in history as a "classic" LP but there is no doubt that it is one that will stir up memories of anyone who ever owned it.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA pathetic end for Journey: oversimplified and formulaic, January 17, 2006\nReviewer: Marc Twaine\nI know everybody that was alive 25 years ago loves this record, so I'll probably take a lot of heat for giving it a bad review. But the truth must be told! The Steve Perry era albums by Journey are BORING!!! Thats right I said it----BORING! For those of you who don't know, the REAL Journey was formed in San Francisco without Steve Perry in 1973. Back then, the band members weren't trying to be a blockbuster, mega platinum, chart topping, arena rocking, satin trousered super duper group. Instead, they were a minor league progressive rock group. Sure, early Journey wasn't on the same level of complexity as say, Dream Theater, but it was a heck of a lot better than this album of made-for-radio filler! If it weren't for this band's unquenchable thirst for money, they would have been a lot better. \n\nBut by 1978, the record company told the band that they were going to get dropped from the label if they didn't come up with a hit. So they hired Steve Perry, and transformed the band into a top 40 hitmaking machine! From 1978 to 1986, Journey cranked out hit after hit, just like the assembly line in a factory. "Escape" was typical of that period of oversimplified and formulaic top 40 drivel. Whenever I listen to that simplistic guitar on "Open Arms", it makes me mourn the loss of the REAL Journey...an amazingly talented progressive rock band that made a fortune by pandering to top 40 radio! Too bad they had to oversiimplify their music just to have a hit. What could have been...\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nIf you're a twenty-something art student..., February 1, 2004\nReviewer: Kevin D. Perry "kdperryiv" (Kansas City, MO)\n...don't bother, we already know what you think. For the rest of us, here goes...flashpoint album for a truly stupendous rock band. This was a turning point for Journey, as they dropped Gregg Rolie and added Jonathan Caine. This lessened further the Santana contingent in the band, and Caine proved to be some sort of money-magnet, since with this album Journey shot up to superstar status. There were costs, however--mainly in the tone of their music heading down, alternately, a darker and a more commercial path. I find this album to be the moment when they balanced on the edge of their intermediate style--with a heavier, but more hopeful edge--and the murkier world of Jonathan Caine, the king of the depresso ballad. In any case, they stepped smoothly into the 80's with this one, so kudos to them, even if it only lasted for two albums. It is difficult to review songs that nearly everyone has heard a million times, but here's a go :\nDon't Stop Believin'--anthem of a generation. Classic "don't let the bastards drag you down" sentiment, coupled with that bass line that you can probably hum to Maori tribesmen in the remote jungle and get recognition. Nice piece of songcraft, that bass line carries everything, the keyboard riding it, guitar sneaking up on us in the intro until Schon lets loose with a cascade of notes and Smith kicks in on the drums. And we're hooked. We *want* this song to succeed, and it does, building nicely to a mid-tempo rock, grooving solidly in that uniquely Journey way. Tasteful Schon solo (as if there were any other kind), repeat chorus, let Steve Perry clear the pipes, and end the song, movie's over now, you can go home..\n\nStone In Love : Starts as a classic, straightforward, rock'n'roll song, performed with authority by, well, a classic, straightforward rock'n'roll band. Stuttery guitar, Valory's bass still way in the forefront, a nice breakdown at the end with some return to that old free-form Journey stuff, with a crying, sweeping solo by Schon that, again, just fits like a frickin' glove here.\n\nWho's Crying Now : Classic Caine. Got that crying in the cold, cold, dark feel to it. Good, solid stuff, of course, since this is still Journey, after all. Ridiculously memorable chorus, layered vocals, Perry putting that slight scratchiness in his vocals to good use. He's a Singer, in a way not really understood by the current music world, and that's what you need to pull a song like this off. And that every-note-where-it-should-be Schon solo closing it off.\n\nKeep On Runnin' : A little change, here, for the guys. this is precursor to those faster, heavier tunes they experimented with on Frontiers, some chugging, staccato guitar work by Schon here, some hanging chords, and Perry just kicking the ass of this song all over the place, really letting loose with those powerful, throaty banshee wails. It was always between Perry's pipes and Schon's fretburning skill, and that shows quite well, here.\n\nStill They Ride : Oh, another ballad. Again, you gotta have a classy, tight band, and, above all, a real Singer to pull this kind of thing off and have people believe the spell for the three or four minutes in question. Everyone else hangs back nicely, here, providing colour and texture for Perry, everyone just oozing class and restraint all over the grooves in your vinyl. Schon does a little wanky wanky at the end, here, just so you don't forget him, and then hands it back to Perry, who takes it on home and puts it gently to bed.\n\nEscape : Title track. Edging again toward a more heavy-metal approach, lyrically it's classic Journey subject matter--chock full of do-or-die optimism. Album heading into a heavier streak, here.\n\nLay It Down : Again, a butt-kickin' rock'n'roll song, the band just cutting loose here, everything lurching along in bone-crunching fasion, Valory and Smith laying down their swinging-boogie-dinosaur stomp rhythm thang, and then Schon and Perry both going nutso on top of it, both men wailing and screaming all over the place, Perry doing his scary banshee bit again, and Schon just doing the serviceable impression of guitar god.\n\nDead Or Alive : You can hear the guys shouting something at the beginning of the song. Probably something along the lines of "let's rock our balls off". Again, that patented Journey boogie-stomp groove set up by Valory and Smith, Schon marching in step, Caine only there for colour, but holding up his bit well enough. Rather a dark tale of crime and murder, Perry getting a chance to do some grittier vocal work, and clearly enjoying it.\n\nMother, Father : Sort of a ballad. Yes, I know. But the lyrics are damned fine, and it's just so well-crafted you just gotta weep. Anthemic, even. One of the best moments in Journey balladry, in my opinion. Valory gives us another carrier bass line, embracing everything in a wash of warm tones. And again, Perry selling this song for all he's worth, which is a hell of a lot, as singers go.\n\nOpen Arms : The bane of all weddings attended by guys wearing jeans and bola ties. Yes, I admit it. But, jesus, it's such a good goddamned ballad. Admit it! It starts, and you just wanna have a girl in your arms, both of you swaying slightly back and forth in a dimly lit auditorium...admit it! If you don't feel this way, your soul is dead, and you're a hopeless, cynical, snotty bastard. Go back to art school!\n\nWow. Clocked in just under the word limit. I hope Amazon accepts this, for all the Journey fans out there...\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nfly in the ointment... get your swatters out!, January 1, 2004\nReviewer: "deafeningwhisper" (Chicago, IL.)\nNot being a big fan of Journey (at least since my early teen years.. more on that later), I've been swayed ever so slightly by the passionate pleas of the Journey fans here and will begrudgingly give the boys a little more respect from now on. \nYes, I can agree that these are talented musicians and they've made some solid popular songs here. No more, no less. However, that's where my praise must end. 5 star ratings for this, or any Journey album for that matter?? Uhh.. no. \n\nI'll liken a band such as Journey to a television program I've seen where a painter paints a picture within the confines of a half-hour show, instructing the viewer along the way as he demonstrates the techniques used to create the scenic painting. The finished product, usually a vase of flowers or some other pleasant scenic picture, is well executed and pleasing to look at. \n\nWell crafted.. yes.\nGreat art?.. hardly.\n\nMuch like the picture created by this artistic craftsman, Journey doesn't make great art, but they do make pleasant songs that are easy to enjoy, requiring very little effort by the listener. There's very little nuance, complexity of emotion, lyrical or musical originality on display here.. it all goes down pretty easy. The best art should, at least to some degree, mirror the complexities and ambivalences of life. Journey is incapable of doing that, and as a result, will never get much respect from critics. \n\nWhile I'll certainly agree that not every song or artist should be aiming for the high heavens of artistic legitimacy, one must at least be capable of making such distinctions. By the level of enthusiastic reviews here, it's evident that most are not. \n\nMany reviewers here have found meaning and are genuinely moved by this album, and that's what's great about the power of music in general, no matter what other people may think. Detractors may find the music of Journey too simplistic or unsatisfying in some other way, and find much greater pleasure elsewhere. Journey fans may not be ready to or even capable of recognizing true artistic greatness, and are perfectly contented with what a band like Journey can provide them, never caring enough to dig deeper.\n\nWhen I was in 13 or 14, I bought the Infinity record when it first came out, proud of being in on the ground floor of what I thought was a great band before anybody else knew about them. As the years went by, I explored a lot more, challenging myself to listen to other rock artists that weren't as easily digestible as Journey. I found much greater satisfaction and more meaning elsewhere than I found with Journey and bands of their type. Now, I still retain some nostalgic appreciation for the Styx & REO Speedwagons & Journeys of this world as they provided the soundtrack for my teen years, but understand how much more Rock music is capable of.\n\nOk, now that I've gotten that off my chest, go ahead rate my review as unhelpful as I'm sure most of you will. ;-)\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAptly titled, dreamy record., May 17, 2001\nReviewer: David A. Lee "Musophile" (Cincinnati)\nWith the departure of founding member Greg Rolie and the advent of Jonathan Cain, Journey practically becomes a different band. Virtually any trace of Neal Schon's Santana days are gone. So many people almost want to apologize for the 80s sound of this record, but from the album art to the sound they were able to capture in the studio, this album for me has a timeless quality. Maybe it's that I was an early teenager when I discovered this record and grew up listening to it, but this album speaks to my subconscious. It could be my appreciation for Journey beyond their classic hits but my favorites on this album are 'Lay It Down', 'Mother, Father' and 'Escape'. (I'll correct this if I'm wrong, but I think Neal Schon's father co-wrote 'Mother, Father'.) You could see it in their live performances. They weren't quite sure what people would think. It's almost like when Steve Perry joined the band - but if you think Steve Perry made Journey sound mainstream ... The hereto underrealized pop songwriting ability of of Cain still seems a bit tentative here but the rich earthy sound of the Moog and the Hammond B3 are gone. The updated definitive 80s sound of the Sequential and Oberheim synthesizers are a world apart. Steve Perry is of course a tenor, but on this album his voice takes on a fuller, almost raspy character. He still sings in the same range as ever but he somehow makes it sound even easier than he did before. I still have my LP, which I pull out from time to time but I imagine I'll always have it on CD or on whatever other media this album becomes available in the future.\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Kevin Elson, Mike Stone \n\nAlbum Notes\nJourney: Steve Perry (vocals); Jonathan Cain (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Neil Schon (guitar, background vocals); Ross Valory (bass, background vocals); Steve Smith (drums).\n\nRecorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California.\n\nDigitally remastered by Bob Ludwig & Brian Lee (Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine).\n\nOne of America's biggest rock bands of all time, Journey managed to achieve a perfect blend of spirited and soulful AOR that brought them both commercial and critical success. With Steve Perry's blistering vocal range and Neal Schon's colourful shading of sounds, they created an album that was neither understated or overblown. Their songwriting skill as a band was extraordinary, passing quickly from fond balladeering to hard rock in an assured instant.
This rock cd contains 14 tracks and runs 59min 45sec.
Freedb: c60dff0e
Buy: from Amazon.com

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