Generations

Journey, ????? | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records, Sony BMG Music
• ASIN: B000B5XPPG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,876 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Faith in the Heartland

2. The Place in Your Heart

3. A Better Life

4. Every Generation

5. Butterfly (She Flies Alone)

6. Believe

7. Knowing That You Love Me

8. Out of Harms Way

9. In Self-Defense

10. Better Together

11. Gone Crazy

12. Beyond the Clouds

13. Never Too Late (Remixed Version)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newly Confident, Energetic, and Solid, October 6, 2005

By 

The Point - See all my reviews

This review is from: Generations (Audio CD)

Journey finds its footing again and shows signs of its newly-found confidence by taking some chances throughout "Generations." The album is a quantum leap forward from "Arrival" and certainly miles ahead of the uninspired "Raised on Radio" and "Trial By Fire." After twenty years, this album shows Journey returning to the energetic form of "Frontiers" and "Escape." And while not matching the fresh brilliance of "Escape" or "Evolution," on the whole this album is qualitatively the equal of "Frontiers."

What keeps the album from breaking through to brilliant is that perhaps the boldness was tempered TOO MUCH. Taking a few more chances songwriting-wise and incorporating a few more interesting production techniques could really have a huge difference at the top end. If Amazon had decimals, this album would get a 4.3.

The current Journey lineup, which remains a highly successful touring act, is now in its seventh year and the Steve Perry-esque Steve Augeri remains at the mic, supported by the entire band on this release: for the first time in Journey's thirty-year history, every band member gets a turn to sing lead on a song.

Although Augeri develops his own vocal style toward a harder rocking Robert Plant-like edge on this release ("Believe"), Augeri's delivery can nevertheless steer eerily close to Perry's ("The Place in Your Heart").

"The Place in Your Heart" could be "Separate Ways, Part II," and, in fact, seems to be a reflection on the theme of separation, but this time from the perspective of the process of reconciliation.

"Butterfly" is a beautiful power ballad, solo-penned by Augeri, which is straight out of the Journey-swoon playbook and shows that Augeri has absorbed the "Journey-system" of songwriting very well.

Augeri also wrote "Believe," an energetic Zeppelin-esque rocker that shows off his harder-edge to maximum advantage and incorporates a more interesting structure and set of time signatures than most traditional Journey rockers. Kudos for this.

One of the best tracks on the album is "Out of Harms Way," a searing rocker that could be taught in classes on how to write good lyrics. Thematically it addresses military service and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, yet without casting a cloying political gloss to the song that is so common among so-called political rock. In any case, it's a performance tour-de-force by both Augeri and Schon.

Augeri's best vocal performance on this album is arguably the gorgeous "Knowing That You Love Me," a soul and gospel-infused ballad that shows Augeri's independent vocal identity from that of Perry's imprint.

Drummer Deen Castronovo, who sings lead on two tracks, is even closer to many traditionalist fans' breathy Steve Perry vocal ideal that they will swoon ("A Better Life," and "Never Too Late"). "A Better Life" is too close to the mid-80s (Raised On Radio ear) production and vocal gloss, that even with the fabulous vocals, it simply lacks the passion and warmth of Castronovo's other track, the fiery "Never Too Late," which is easily one of the top three tracks on the album.

Jonathan Cain's vocals on "Every Generation" are perfectly adequate and reminiscent of Gregg Rolie's vocal tracks during his Santana and Journey days in the 1970s. The track itself is a strong bluesy jaunt with beautifully sleazy guitar work by Neal Schon that recalls Keith Richards and Joe Walsh. Lyrically, Cain infuses the song with self-referencing humor and a tribute to rock traditions prized by boomer rockers. Despite Cain's middling vocal delivery, its other merits make it one of the strongest tracks on the album.

Undervalued for his vocals, bassist Ross Valory lends a gritty lead vocal to a ZZ-Top-evoking dirt-rubbed shuffle ("Gone Crazy") that is also a fabulous showcase of Schon's guitar technical prowess and breadth of musical inspiration. At times Schon manages to sound like both Billy Gibbons AND Zakk Wylde on this track. For Perry fans, Valory's vocals may be a step too far, but there is no questioning the song's energy and awe-inspiring guitar work on this track.

The two weakest tracks on the album precede this song. "In Self Defense," revived from the 1983 Frontiers sessions and tracked on a release by Schon and Mahavishnu Orchestra alumnus Jan Hammer, is a blistering guitar track but isn't sufficiently interesting beyond hearing Neal Schon take lead vocal duties and hearing him shred. "Better Together" is a funk-rock track too close to "Arrival"'s "Nothin' Comes Close" and "To Be Alive Again" to merit a reprise of the same theme on this album.

The songwriting on this album, with a couple of exceptions, is superb and occasionally topical (another new wrinkle to the band). Avoiding the clumsiness and heavy-handedness of other artists' efforts, Journey manages to deliver a hopeful and positive message for those emerging from tragedy through "Beyond the Clouds," a song written about 9/11, specific reference of which only becomes obvious through the figurative subtext of the song. The musical structure of the song breaks no new ground for the band, but is nevertheless a classier tribute to 9/11 than that of other pop artists.

Finally, and not to be overlooked, is the lead track "Faith in the Heartland," which pays tribute to British hard rock by musically (and not lyrically) invoking The Who's "Pinball Wizard," "Won't Get Fooled Again," and "Baba O'Riley" (later generations may also find shades of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" here). It is a fabulously energetic track and a good introduction to the "New Journey" that a listener is about to hear.

This is a solidly strong album, even if not ground-breaking. Hopefully this band will be able to harness its newfound energy and confidence to blaze even bolder trails on a subsequent release.

CHOICEST CUTS: "Faith in the Heartland," "Every Generation," "Believe," "Knowing That You Love Me," "Out of Harms Way," "Never Too Late."

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Since The 80's, August 31, 2005

By 

Michael D. Millum (Connecticut, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Generations (Audio CD)

I just ordered the import version of this CD that comes complete with a 10-page booklet and 14 songs, including two I have never heard. What I have is the copy the band has been handing out at concerts during their summer U.S. tour that is packaged in a CD size album jacket and has just 12 songs on it. But, in my judgment this is the best music Journey has recorded since Escape and Frontiers. I heard some of these songs previewed at a Journey concert I attended recently and I listened to the new CD on the way home from the concert and absolutely loved it. I have been listening to nothing else for the last two weeks. Honestly, I can't understand the indifference Journey fans have to the new material. I heard people outside the arena complaining about the fact that the band played so many new songs during a 3 hour concert that also featured all the hits from the 70's and 80's that everyone wanted to hear. Do people object to the new material just because Steve Perry is not the front man anymore? Get over it! Steve Augeri's vocals are superb on this new CD and he contributes some writing credits that are excellent as well. The band loses nothing, and I believe gains a great deal with the less egomaniacal Steve Augeri on lead vocals, because they are more of a band. This CD has more variety in musical style then you would have seen in Perry's day, and every member of the band takes a turn singing lead on at least one song on the CD. Schon's and Valory's voices are barely passable, but Cain and Castronovo can sing lead vocal quality on their songs. This is a more creative and happy Journey lineup, and the results are evident on this new CD.
The opening track is "Faith In The Heartland," an excellent rock and roll song about holding onto hope in the face of a changing, dangerous world. The tone of the song is typically upbeat and positive, and the music is signature journey, somewhat reminiscent of "Separate Ways." What follows is a straight ahead rocker entitled "The Place In Your Heart." Again, an excellent track somewhat reminiscent of "Chain Reaction" or one of the lesser known Journey rockers that are nevertheless solid tracks. Track three is "Better Life," and thanks to Penetrator above, I have discovered that this is actually the first song on the CD fronted by someone other than Steve A. As I said I have a concert copy without any credits or lyrics, and was startled to find that the song features Deen Castronovo on lead vocals, though he sounds very much like Augeri. The song is about a young couple struggling to earn a living, congquering the challenges through love and believing in the future. Again, it is typically hopeful in tone and has more of a pop rock feel to it, featuring excellent harmonies by the band. The vocals on Song four are delivered by Jonathan Cain, and in places sounds a great deal like Greg Rolie used to when he sang lead. The song is "Every Generation," a song with the message that the more things change the more they seem to stay the same across generations and it expresses Cain's hope, as he said introducing this song in concert, that some of the newest generation will leave this world a better place than they found it. Song five is the first true ballad on the CD, though it does still feature some great guitar work by Neal Schon. The song was written solo by Steve Augeri and it is excellent. It is very lyrical and somewhat reminiscent of songs Journey was writing on their first few albums with Perry, though longer. The next track is the first one that fails a bit for me. Though it is not a bad song, it is not a standout track and doesn't really sound like Journey. It was written by Augeri and DeRossi, which leads me to believe it might by a song written by Steve and one of his former "Tall Stories" band mates that they have tried to turn into a Journey song and it doesn't quite work. Track 7 is a blues, soul piece written by Jonathan Cain entitled "Knowing That You Love Me." In some ways it is a typical Cain ballad with some syrupy lyrics but I found with several listens that the song grew on me. Musically though the piece is excellent and it shows Journey's versatility. "Out Of Harms Way," is a song written for the troops fighting in Iraq. Journey featured this song in concert and it a great rocker with lyrics that deal sensitively and realistically with what our soldiers must confront, both on the battle field and then readjusting to civilian life. It is definitely not a rah, rah, patriotic piece that glorifies the conflict in Iraq, for which I am grateful. "In Self-Defense" is the next song and Neal sings lead. This is a song written by Schon/Cain and apparently dates back to the Frontiers era. It's a decent straight ahead rocker, but it doesn't have the melodic touch of a typical Journey rocker. "Better Together" is another straight ahead rocker. There is nothing remarkable about it but it is a decent track. "Gone Crazy" is the one song on the CD that seems truly out of place. I can appreciate the effort to have everyone in the band sing lead on at least one song, but...Ross Valory's voice is even less palatable than Schon's, and the song sounds like it should have been recorded by ZZ Top, not Journey. Journey closes out the concert version of their CD on a high note however, with a ballad written by Augeri and Schon entitled "Beyond The Clouds." Again it is a song about hoping in the future though the present may appear dark. The song uses the theme of the clouds to describe the present, and the hope of the return of the sun "beyond the clouds" as a metaphor for the future. Schons brings a bit of a jazz/soul feel to the song, not unlike some of the material on Infinity. It is sentimental without being cheesy, and provides an opportunity for Augeri to shine, not just as a vocalist, but with his song writing. I can't review the two songs I have not heard on the Japanese import version of the CD, but I am eager to hear the songs myself.
This is the most satisfying Journey CD by far since Frontiers. Musically the CD is very Journeyesque throughout, much more consistent than "Raised On Radio," "Trial By Fire," or even "Arrival" was. The lyrics are much stronger, showing more of the maturity and the sensitivity of songs on "Red 13," however the sound quality on "Generations" is far superior to the EP. This is a CD that, had it been released in the 1980's following Escape and Frontiers, I feel certain would have been a multi-platinum seller. However, in today's radio market, where everything is rap and hip hop driven, Journey is reduced to having to hand out their new CD on their concert tour because they cannot find a distributer to handle the CD for retail and no radio station will play any of their new material. But, people who have appreciated Journey's music in the past need to give the new material a chance. Stop worshiping Steve Perry. Steve Augeri does sound very like Perry, particularly when he sings the old material in concert. But he shows on the new CD that he is his own man, and his vocal style on the new material sets him apart from Perry. This is the best CD I have obtained in a long time, and I am looking forward to getting a copy of the Import and to the eventual U.S. release that is coming after Journey completes its tour. Give this new music a try. It will not disappoint!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can tell they're having fun, August 30, 2005

By 

Tonya Price "elysianhunter" (Gahanna, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Generations (Audio CD)

Ok, there are people who are going to either love or hate this one. I haven't found myself capable of really disliking any Journey offering with maybe the exception of "Raised on Radio." Those who enjoyed "Arrival" and "Red 13" will find this one enjoyable as well.

I found it interesting that they switch the lead vocals around - notable examples are Neal Schon on "Self Defense" and Ross Valory on "She's Gone Crazy." (that's one to crank up, it's a fun song) Those who are familiar with Journey before Steve Perry (and have the album "Next") know that Neal sang lead vocals on the song "Karma." Neal also sang lead vocals on his solo album "Late Nite." He's a better guitarist than singer (duh) but he can sing to a degree. He's good if you want a sort of grungy voice.

"Butterfly (She Flies Alone)" and "Beyond the Clouds" are power ballads fronted by Steve Augeri that are more reminiscent of "Escape" or "Frontiers."

Over all I really enjoy this CD - it's fresh, the guitar is awesome and it's a refreshing change from all the syrupy pop and horrid rap/dance garbage that seems to be polluting the airwaves. The problem is that no one will probably hear these songs played on the radio which is a real shame.

Yes it's 80's style music which makes it necessary to make a distinction - there was bad 80's music and good 80's music. This is better than a lot of the good 80's music. Enjoy and don't be afraid to admit your closet pleasure is cranking up Journey in the car!