Journey - Escape
#433
By Andrew Anthony
Journey
Escape
Genre: AOR
Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Andrew’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Highlights: (I mean…if you don’t know by now…)
Don’t Stop Believin’
Stone in Love
Who’s Crying Now
Still They Ride
Mother, Father
Open Arms.
The other 3 or 4 songs are kinda filler-y, but not bad.
Lordy, lordy, this was a BIG album. Hit number 1 on the Billboard charts in September of ‘81, 38 weeks in the top 10, over 150 weeks in the top 200. Fifth highest selling album of 1981. Just shy of 10 times platinum (diamond) in the US. Four Top 20 hits. A freaking Journey Escape Atari 2600 game! A Journey arcade game based on the Escape album!
You KNOW the big hits by heart, whether you like them or not. Open Arms was THE slow dance song of the year in nearly every high school in the nation. Don’t Stop Believin’, a big hit in its time, saw a huge 21st century revival, thanks to its use in the series finale of The Sopranos and the re-recording performed by the cast of Glee. It would go on to become the number one paid digital download song originally released in the 20th Century.
So, the big question is…is Escape a good album? I guess that depends on your musical taste. Escape was an album that broke the hearts of some of Journey’s earliest fans, those who were around when Journey was a jazz/Latin-based jam band.
But in 1981, Journey was a band that was changing. Original keyboardist/co-vocalist Gregg Rolie was out, Babys keyboardist Jonathan Cain was in. Cain would prove to be a songwriter with strong pop sensibilities, and those pop sensibilities would be the driving force behind the album’s biggest hits. Earworm melodies, catchy lyrics, anthemic choruses, would all be designed to move the band from clubs and festivals to massive arenas. Journey was transforming into an AOR band, a category that would include other hard rock bands with pop sensibilities—REO Speedwagon, Boston, and Foreigner, just to name a few.
If AOR is your jam, Escape is already in your collection.
So, let’s look at the songs, track by track:
“Don’t Stop Believin’”: A cultural landmark. As soon as you hear those first piano chords, you KNOW what you’re listening to. You love it or you hate it. Probably safe to say most people love it, if they aren’t sick of it. But admit it, even if you hate the song: Neal Schon’s flurry of notes at the end of the first verse awakens your inner air guitarist. Every time.
Fun fact: The title lyrics aren’t sung until there are only 50 seconds left of a 4 minute song.
Fun fact, part two: This track became an end-of-school-year tradition for the teacher/student band I was in several years ago. 30 years after the song came out, junior high kids knew all the words.
“Stone in Love”: Catchy, rockin’ tune about a summer love. Always gets my head bobbing and my toes tapping. I love how the song starts with just a simple guitar riff, then Steve Perry joins in for a couple of lines. Then, the whole band kicks in and the song just takes off. (Now that I think about it, a lot of the songs on this album start out with a solo instrument, with rest of the band gradually joining in.) And those Schon solos—textbook hard rock licks.
“Who’s Crying Now”: A moody, almost eerie song about the pain associated with unrequited love. This song is a great showcase for Steve Perry’s amazing vocal skills. The man has an amazing range to begin with, and his vocals reflect the agony of heartbreak.
“Keep On Runnin’”: One of the filler-y tracks, this could have fit like a glove on a Survivor or REO Speedwagon album, or as the soundtrack of an 80s workout montage in the latest Stallone flick. Very by-the-numbers 80s hard rock. Strong vocals by Perry and the band, though.
“Still They Ride”: I’ve seen Journey 3 times in concert, and I always look forward to them performing this tune. What can I say? I’m a sucker for anthemic ballads with soaring vocals. This is one of those songs where the band is just firing on all cylinders, the earworms are out in full force, and that guitar solo. Goosebumps.
“Escape”: Journey at their most “heavy metal”. Crunchy, crunchy guitar and tough guy lyrics about a boy becoming a fighting man, on the street, breaking all the rules. The lyrics make this one of the filler-y tracks—Bon Jovi could have easily covered this one.
“Lay It Down”: Another filler tune, very formulaic guitar, lyrics, and backing vocals. Perry hits some startlingly high notes. Kinda fun, but ultimately kinda forgettable song about rocking out, drinking, dancing, and looking for action on a Friday or Saturday night.
“Dead Or Alive”: One more filler tune about a skilled hitman who makes big money doing his job until he is suddenly “gunned down by a heartless woman’s .38.” Meh. Perry sings this one with a weird, slightly off-putting staccato that makes it difficult to understand what he’s actually saying.
“Mother, Father”: 1985—15-year-old Andrew has a big blowout, angsty argument with the parental units. He grabs his Walkman and stomps out of the house to take a walk and cool off. His Escape cassette is in, and the song that starts playing is “Mother, Father”. And the lyrics are a perfect reflection of the fury and the angst that young Andrew is going through as he feels picked on and misunderstood. As he stalks down the streets of his neighborhood, the words, “The fight is gone/Lord help this broken home”, “Hey, mother, father, sister/Don’t you know that I’m alive for you”, and “Through bitter tears/
And wounded years, those ties/Of blood were strong/So much to say, those yesterdays/So now don't you turn away” ring SOOO TRUUUUUUE. The soaring guitar and vocals at the end of the song help him to calm down and go back home to work things out.
“Open Arms”: THE granddaddy of all power ballads. Tell me you wouldn’t hold that special girl or guy a little tighter, swaying slowly on the dance floor as Perry belts out that amazing chorus, “So now I come to you/With open arms/Nothing to hide/Believe what I say/So here I am/With open arms/Hoping you’ll see/What your love means to me/Open arms.” If you love this song, look for the Houston ’81 Live Concert album. Perry’s vocals are even more magical.
So, in the end, I doubt that I’ve done much more than reinforce the love that fans have for this album. I also doubt that I’ve converted any non-believers. So be it. But even the non-believers have to admit that Journey’s Escape album is a tour de force, a cultural landmark that has stood the test of time.
https://open.spotify.com/album/43wpzak9OmQfrjyksuGwp0?si=hYGILa9LS-6vHi9krTU-Cw
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