Raised on Radio (1986)
1. Girl Can't Help It
2. Positive Touch
3. Suzanne
4. Be Good To Yourself
5. Once You Love Somebody
6. Happy to Give
7. Raised on Radio
8. I'll Be Alright Without You
9. It Could Have Been you
10.The Eyes of a Woman
11.Why Can't This Night Go On Forever
 
Although it wasn't really apparent to
most outside observers, the unit known as Journey was slowly starting to
come apart. Physically and mentally exhausted following the two
breakthrough albums and tours of Escape and Frontiers, the band took a bit of a sabbatical
with several members doing outside and/or solo projects. Steve Perry
enjoyed the most success with "Street Talk" in 1984, and didn't seem
particularly in a hurry to get back to Journey. When he announced a
couple of years later that he wanted to embark on a second solo project,
his record label (which also was Journey's) balked. Profitability wise,
it made more sense for a new Journey album first, so Perry was kind of dragged
into this project kicking and screaming.
Now, also as the "leader" of the band, he decided he wanted his own
rhythm section, so Steve Smith and Ross Valory were terminated from the
band, leaving the group a threesome of Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan
Cain. Fortunately, the album sold well - charting several singles, and
the music here for the most part is good, but hindsight hasn't been too
kind. It's obvious that this is not the same band that dominated the
charts a few short years ago. The "rock" edge of this band seems to
have taken a back seat to more of a blue-eyed soul approach (which, not
surprisingly, was the sound of Perry's solo record). Perry hadn't lost
anything in terms of his singing ability, and since he now owned one of
the most famously recognizable voices in rock history, it's not
surprising that the album achieved the popularity that it did.
The album does labor on in places, many of the songs sound too similar
to one and other for a strong, coherent statement throughout the record.
But as the four (or so) singles demonstrate, the band still could reach
into the hearts of many and deliver when asked. Apart from the lead off
single Be Good To Yourself, the album doesn't really rock at all,
but Journey's audiences were growing up, so this didn't seem to matter
to that many people at the time. Sadly, halfway through the tour, Perry
had to walk out for personal reasons, and it would almost be ten
years before the band would get back together again.
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