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"...Wheel In The Sky..."
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American and Canadian bands like Journey, Kansas, Boston and Rush (even Blue Oyster Cult jumps to mind) – issued albums that had great parts padded out with obvious space filler. But then these Seventies behemoths had their "Infinity" moment - where the whole damn 33 1/3 platter was ‘all good’. And as four whole decades have since stonewashed our slightly soiled elephant-flared denims to threadbare buggery, its "Winds Of March" rep has only grown in stature.
Now in the all-genre-comers 2020s - "Infinity" is being picked up by those revisiting a Prog/AOR/Classic Rock past – a more adventurous long-ago time when guitar pyrotechnics, banks of keyboards and even bigger banks of hair-dos were all a-blazing, all the rage and hell - even trendy. Grown men bared their chests beneath flowery jackets and grew moustaches without the slightest fear of the fashion police arresting their sorry mid-American asses. Man you could even forgive those leaning-back ha-ha-ha poses on the rear sleeve. We’re so brill aren’t we Steve – yes Neal – you’re so right - in fact - you’re always right...
Part of 'The Journey Reissues' series of Remasters from Columbia/Legacy USA - unfortunately and rather disappointingly - even though this 2006 upgraded presentation reissue has a cutesy digipak, a 16-page booklet with new photos and repro's of period memorabilia - it doesn't have anything new. There are no bonuses in other words and it sports a Remaster over a decade old (the Bob Ludwig and Brian Lee Remaster version from 1996). Still what you do get rocks like the proverbial "Wheel In The Sky". Here are the long-lasting details...
UK released 28 August 2006 (1 August 2006 in the USA) - "Infinity" by JOURNEY on Columbia/Legacy 82876858902 (Barcode 828768589021) is a straightforward transfer of the 10-track 1978 US album onto Remastered CD in a Card Digipak that plays out as follows (36:28 minutes):
1. Lights [Side 1]
2. Feeling That Way
3. Anytime
4. La Do Da
5. Patiently
6. Wheel In The Sky [Side 2]
7. Somethin' To Hide
8. Winds Of March
9. Can Do
10. Opened The Door
Tracks 1 to 10 are their fourth studio album "Infinity" - released January 1978 in the USA on Columbia PC 34912 and May 1978 in the UK on CBS Records S 82244. Produced by RAY THOMAS BAKER - it peaked at No. 21 in the USA (didn't chart UK).
2. Feeling That Way
3. Anytime
4. La Do Da
5. Patiently
6. Wheel In The Sky [Side 2]
7. Somethin' To Hide
8. Winds Of March
9. Can Do
10. Opened The Door
Tracks 1 to 10 are their fourth studio album "Infinity" - released January 1978 in the USA on Columbia PC 34912 and May 1978 in the UK on CBS Records S 82244. Produced by RAY THOMAS BAKER - it peaked at No. 21 in the USA (didn't chart UK).
JOURNEY was:
STEVE PERRY - Lead Vocals
NEAL SCHON - Lead Guitar and Vocals
GREG ROLIE - Keyboards and Vocals
ROSS VALORY - Bass and Vocals
AYNSLEY DUNBAR - Drums and Percussion
STEVE PERRY - Lead Vocals
NEAL SCHON - Lead Guitar and Vocals
GREG ROLIE - Keyboards and Vocals
ROSS VALORY - Bass and Vocals
AYNSLEY DUNBAR - Drums and Percussion
The last time this Journey album was released on CD in November 1996 - the Audio Engineers were the legendary BOB LUDWIG with his assistant BRIAN LEE – that transfer and Remaster done at Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine. That variant rocked and so it still is - Columbia Legacy clearly deeming it unnecessary to do the album again.
The upgrade is supposedly in the packaging – a snazzy looking stickered card digipak with a 16-page booklet – a sort of photo-scrapbook of memorabilia from the extensive yearlong 1978 American Tour (posters, billboards, tour passes, trade adverts). Clearly not gun shy when it came to night-after-night gigging, like Thin Lizzy and others bands of the time, Journey worked their new album into the dirt. Dates listed in full begin 20 January 1978 in Chicago and go on for three pages, all the way up to New Year's Eve in San Francisco.
The original liner notes that expressed such sorrow to what had befallen Lynyrd Skynyrd in their devastating plane crash (half the band was killed outright), is reproduced too - but there is no history, musical references, input from old-timers who were there - which is a real let down. It's nice to look at for sure and great to listen to, but if it heralded a new launch of the often-maligned Journey, a little more background and group participation would have pleased fans and enlightened newcomers. To the music...
The big change was of course Steve Perry - whose voice and writing chops aligned with Neal Schon and between them they penned most of the album with Drummer Aynsley Dunbar throwing in their penny's worth on tunes like "Anytime" and "Can Do". The band's other twin weaponry out front was the technical guitar wizardry of Schon backed up the keys of Greg Rolie. Five of them sang too, so that when Perry pines for his city by the bay in "Lights" and the boys join in for the chorus - the effect is alarmingly radio friendly. Written by Perry, Rolie and Dunbar - "Feeling That Way" is a typical Journey rawk-ballad - smooch then riffage.
Irresistibly hooky is how you'd describe "Anytime" - those walls of guitars and that flanged-up solo - sexy as baby oil - great stuff. Straight into a Rock bopper and my least fave on the record - "La Do Da". Better is the time-goes-by ballad of "Patiently" - a piano and guitar pleader that goes on about light shining on just as the distorted guitars come roaring in. Side 2's biggie is "Wheel In The Sky" - guitars keep on turning - Perry trying to make it home through the sleet and rain. And of the remaining layered material - the I covered you in roses "Winds Of March" gets tearful just enough to convince while the Aerosmith rawk of "Can Do" feels like its flying at ten thousand miles an hour out of your speakers with just as many guitar overdubs in tow.
I know there are people who hate this over-produced American Radio Rawk with a passion (Prog elements or no). But this album has plenty worth recommending it to make your 'journey' back to this 2006 remaster-revisit worthwhile. Can do, have done...
