Taking a Journey back to greatness

Journey is one day away from its gig here in Tampa Bay at the Ford Amphitheatre, though it seems like we've been waiting years for this tour. (Read my story in today's St. Pete Times here, and click here to hear the Ross Valory podcast interview.)

Naturally, I've spent the last few days looking up the band's setlist from recent shows, trying to figure out if my favorite tunes will be taken for a spin on Wednesday night. The good news is that nearly all of the songs you NEED to hear will be played.

But what about those lost classics? The tunes from earlier albums deserve just as much love as "Stone in Love" or "Faithfully."

The great thing about bands like Journey is that they had great tunes deep into every album they did back in the '70s and '80s, when making a "complete album" was still a cherished art form.

These days, iTunes has pretty much dissolved that necessity for musicians. But forgive me if I look back on fonder years. (Dude, it's what I do.)

TOP 5 LOST JOURNEY CLASSICS:

5. STAY AWHILE: "Reach out your hand, oh, to me. Oh, I'm fallin'."

4. THE PARTY'S OVER: "What can this poor boy do when he's hopelessly in love with you?"

3. DIXIE HIGHWAY: "I don't care what you want to be, baby, long as you're happy and free."

2. LINE OF FIRE: "Bye, bye, bye, Suzi."

1. JUST THE SAME WAY: "Come with me, never go away. Every day we will fly."

Comments

[Spears]

Stone in Love was a Top 20 hit, but not Top 10.

It seems to be hit and miss on their set lists these days.

[J Dub]

Was Stone In Love a hit? No one I know remembers that song, so I always considered it my secret favorite Journey song, but on this board everyone knows it. Strange...

[Spears]

Bassnote, the show is Wednesday night. And I awake here now at 2 a.m., sleeping the non-sleep of a guy who ate pizza too late in the evening.

And ah yes, the concert t-shirt issue. My beloved Escape Tour 1981 concert shirt will NOT be worn on Wednesday. A couple reasons. One, I keep it safely tucked away at the office to wear during podcast recordings when I need a little extra uumph. And since it's an outdoor show, there's no way I'd wear a long-sleeve shirt.

Look for me to pull the infamous shirt-rooskie, where I wear a ratty old t-shirt that I'll replace when I buy a new Journey shirt at the show.

Generally, though, I do subscribe to the "don't wear the band you're going to see" philosophy. ("Don't be that guy," as Jeremy Piven says in PCU.)

Here is a rave review of Rick Springfield's new one:

http://www.ktvu.com/entertainment/16970535/detail.html

[Bassnote]

Steve has probably made it back to the 'Spearslair' by now, and is sleeping the sleep of mummies. Hope the show was great, and I can't wait to read about it.

[CHAD]

i dont know the exact chart position of ask the lonely. but i seem to remember quite a bit of airplay for it, when it came out. i'm pretty sure it went top 20. it is on the greatest hits cd, and i think on the bands set list this tour.

[CHAD]

i'm with bassnote, a lot of my original concert tees didnt make it past the 80s, but for the most part everything from 91 or so has. over the years i've amassed quite the concert tee collection. so unlike my predicament then, i have more of a variety to choose from. with the invention of ebay, every now and then i'll go looking for some of my older shirts. i found some, but they were either the wrong size or way beyond what i would pay for them. i did pick up a monkees 20th anniversary tour shirt, like i bought in 86, for $20. i couldnt buy that one fast enough.

[Bassnote]

Most of my old concert shirts have disintegrated, so I would not be able to provide photographic evidence.

[Blaine]

As always, good stuff, Steve. Can't go wrong with Stay Awhile and Just the Same Way, in my opinion. Enjoy the concert.

I'm with Chad - always loved People and Places. Other faves on the obscure side include Destiny from the Dream After Dream soundtrack, Ask the Lonely, and the title track from Escape.

[Michelle]

That would be a good topic-best concert T-shirts you've ever purchased (with photographic proof).

[don in tulsa]

i just can't wear the shirt of the band i'm going to go see. i've never been able to do it, it's in my dna.

[CHAD]

some unsung journey classics in album order.

1. feeling that way/anytime-infinity
2. too late-evolution
3. people and places-departure
4. mother father-escape
5. after the fall, frontiers-frontiers
6. raised on radio, happy to give-raised on radio
7. message of love, don't be down on me baby-trial by fire
8. higher place, livin' to do, to be alive again-arrival
9. state of grace, walkin' way from the edge-red 13
10. beyond the clouds-generations
11. faith in the heartland, change for the better-revelation

[Spears]

They actually are doing the instrumental "Escape" as an encore. Anyone else see that one coming?

[Spears]

Hey gang. Sorry, I'm out of pocket a lot this week.

I'm going solely as a fan to Journey on Wednesday night, but I'll post a review to the blog, of course. I'd never leave you all hanging!

I haven't downloaded the new Rick Springfield CD yet. I'll probably wait til after the Vegas trip, which is at the top of my mind these days.

My first intuition, though, is to say buy the new Rick S. CD. The guy just plain rocks.

"Still They Ride" -- dare I say classic?

[Matt]

Spearsy, need I say -- enjoy the show. I've heard that they do "Oh Sherrie" as one of their encores. Kidding!

[Deborah]

I love Journey's new album. It really sounds like it came from straight from the '80's.
Keep us posted on how the concert goes, Spearsy. =)

[Neil]

I think the important question here is what shirt are you going to wear to the concert? Will it be the classic Journey "Escape" t-shirt? Do you just have a whole closet full of Journey shirts? I would just wait until the day of the concert and see what mood I am in that day.

[Miguel]

Enjoy those shows,Spears.
Personally i would be more excited about Heart and Cheap Trick than new Journey.

Last weekend we had our own "Lisbon Calling" show with 80s music. Marillion,Tha Stranglers,B-52s and Meat Loaf performed here in Lisbon.

[joe]

Vinyl recordings are very sacred to me. With their attendant artwork, gatefolds & extensive liner notes, they continue to be a significant resource for music reproduction. It gives me a great "thrill" to fire up my state of the art Technics turntable, blow the dust off the needle, apply just the right amount of Gruv-Glide & drop the tone arm on a fabulous track from the pre-cd era. The occasional pop or brief hiss of surface noise only makes me wax nostalgic. I guess I'm just Old School.

[geri]

Off topic but reminder to all Rick Springfield fans:
Entertainment Tonight reports that Rick will be singing on GENERAL HOSPITAL TODAY! GH is on ABC at 3PM EST.

[jane]

You make a great point -- and one I'm pondering a lot as I tinker with my iTunes material -- about the lost art of creating a complete album. There was a method to song placement on the vinyl, making the playing of the record a listening "experience," complete with fliping the album over and blowing the dust off the grooves.

Might be time for me to reinvest in that turntable...

[Michelle]

I don't even like "Still They Ride" and yet it's been the daily earworm since I listened to the 'cast.

[Bassnote]

Steve, off topic, give us a review of Rick Springfield's "Venus In Overdrive." I downloaded it at midnight last night, and it is great.

Have a ball at the Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick show.

[Marissa]

and I posted that realizing my answer might be in the article you wrote.

[Marissa]

As the days inch closer to the Stuck in the 80s Vegas Baby! extravaganza I become increasingly nauseous.

Now that I've said that, I must ask a question. Steve, are you going solely as a fan to the Journey/Heart/Cheaptrick show, or will you be backstage, too?

[Complaint Department Manager]

"After the Fall" By far, my favorite and hardly ever played or mentioned classic.