Look into the Future

Journey

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2008)
• Original Release Date: January 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
• ASIN: B0012GMW9I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,274 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a peak experience, May 31, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Look into the Future (Audio CD)

Journey circa 1976 KILLED. This, and their eponymous first album, remain the best examples of the only-in-San-Francisco mix of psychedelia/heavy metal/fusion/santana soul to have ever been committed to vinyl.

As evidenced by numerous Winterland and Day on the Green concert efforts (along with several unfortunate dates at the death-of-all-acoustics barn "Cow Palace"), this group rocked like no other.

Neal Schon blazed though this disc, offering world-class riffing and soloing throughout. The intense solo in "She Make Me (Feel Alright)" is beyond anything Page recorded, and the middle solo in the title track is sublime. "Midnight Dreamer" and "I'm Gonna Leave You" leave the listener in a puddle. Gregg Rolie's backing organ is the closest link to jazz-rock (see numerous early nineties John Abercrombie albums for comparison), and Aynsley Dunbar was every bit a peer of Bonham.

"Anyway" is the moody power ballad that in concert was extended to 20 minutes or so of intense blues rock, while "Saturday Nite" was the hit that didn't happen that could have averted the Steve Perry abortion that followed for 20+ years.

If only Journey could have followed this with a strong effort instead of the tepid "Next," the finest instrumental quartet in the history of rock could have offered us more insanely beautiful/intense music for the ages. Those of us who hoped for the more of the same will have to content ourselves with such 1974-76 classics as "Look Into the Future," "Kohoutek," "Anyway," "Topaz," "Mystery Mountain," "You're On Your Own," and "Of a Lifetime."

If you saw them live during this period, you know what I'm talking about. Journey was it.

Buy this--and the first album--and see the American answer to the power of Zeppelin and the intricacy of Yes--unfortunately never fully appreciated outside of their home town Bay Area.

"Yes I'm coming home, I'm coming home someday...."

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Journey's best album and best song, February 11, 2005

By	kireviewer (Sunnyvale, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Look into the Future (Audio CD)

If you are a fan of Journey's hits and Steve Perry's vocals, you will probably hate this CD. This is Journey's second CD. It is about 42 minutes long. The music style is significantly different than when Journey hit it big.

The style on this CD is British influenced, hard rock/progressive music. It is a lot like early Deep Purple (first three albums) or early Uriah Heep. It reminds me most of Armageddon (Kieth Relf's band after the Yardbirds and Renaissance). If you really like this album, you should definetly check out Armageddon's one and only CD.

Midnight Lover, with its keyboard and guitar solos sounds like it was pulled right out any one of a hundred British progressive rock albums.

This CD even includes an obligatory Beatles song. Almost all early British progressive bands (Yes, Deep Purple, etc.) included a Beatles song on their first or second album. It must have been a law in Britain.

This isn't the softer, art-rock kind of later type of progressive music of Yes or Emerson, Lake and Palmer. This is the early style of progressive rock (like Deep Purple before Ian Gillan joined) that is harder. In concert, Journey played much harder and noiser than this album. When I first saw them, I couldn't believe it was them (I thought it was another group).

As you probably know, Journey was a spin off from Santana. Neal Schon was a teenage guitarist that Santana stole away from Eric Clapton, who appeared on the third and fourth Santana albums. He was joined shortly by Greg Rolle the singer and keyboardist on the first 3 Santana albums. The original drummer, Praire Prince (who now plays with Jefferson Starship) was replaced by Ansley Dunbar (a British drummer who played with Frank Zappa and a number of progressive bands in UK).

Greg Rolle's unique voice and keyboards gave both Santana and Journey a rich atmosphere to the music. I feel that Steve Perry's high pitched, screeching, corporate rock vocals ruined the band. But, obviously, my tastes in music isn't what reaches the masses or sells albums.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Humble Beginnings, November 12, 2003

By	Mark Gatzke (Plant City, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Look into the Future (Audio CD)

Following the reviews of rabid pre-Perry Journey fans is a bit intimidating, but let me include myself as one of them albeit with qualifications. Of the first three Journey albums, this one stands a cut above the other two because of the more focused effort overall as well as their unquestionable peak with the title song, their "Stairway to Heaven"; I can't think of another song in their entire catalog that exhibits such raw and exciting inspiration. Having said that, this and the other two pre-Perry albums, indeed Journey itself, could have been easily relegated to footnotes in rock history were it not for the decisions to add Steve Perry to the lineup and to commit themselves to a specific musical direction rather than continue as a band in search of itself (and a paying market). There is outstanding musicianship demonstrated throughout the first three albums, but relatively little growth in between. Even the most adoring fan must admit, shining moments of musical clarity aside, there are only marginal distinctions between them.
All that to say this: I own the first three Journey CDs and play them regularly, partly out of nostalgia but mostly because they demonstrate a fundamental joy of playing that sometimes got lost in the slick production of later albums. There's no denying Perry's talent or the wisdom of bringing him in, and it is almost certain that Journey wouldn't have achieved the success they did without him. Nonetheless, I have a special place in my heart for their first three efforts, this one in particular. Recommended for anyone who appreciates an honest piece of work.