Retro Spins: Journey - Journey

 

Journey had a bit of a rough start when the band first came on the scene. Lead singer Greg Rollie, lead guitarist Neal Schon, rhythm guitarist  George Tickner, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Prairie Prince recorded all the tracks that would eventually become their 1975 self titled debut album. However, by the time it was released, Aynsley Dunbar replaced Prince as the drummer. Despite this change, their debut was met with lackluster enthusiasm.

Their follow up album, 1976's Look Into The Future, would see the departure of rhythm guitars Tickner, who was not replaced by anyone. This album too failed to garner much attention. This same mild reception occurred with their 1977 album, Next.

With sales not improving on their albums, CBS Records requested the band change their musical style, and bring in a front man. It was while on tour in '77 that the group was introduced to Steve Perry, who made his live debut with the band that same year upon being hired by the band. From there, the band's earlier jamming sounds of the 70's turned into garbage, and nobody cared.

HA! Take that, Journey fans!

Seriously though. As we all know, under the lead of Steve Perry, Journey went on to become one of the hottest rock bands of the 70's and 80's, churning out hit after hit. Band members would continue to depart and be replaced, including Perry himself after their 1986 album, Raised On Radio, but he returned briefly in 1996 for the album Trial By Fire. The period in which Perry fronted the group remain the band's highest selling albums to date.

With not much love in my heart for Journey, I reluctantly fired up their debut album. I was immediately greeted by an edgy guitar hook, which was quickly taken over by a manic drum beat. I was kicked to the back of my seat with a, "Whoa! Who is this?" This was straight up classic rock.

As I listened on, I thought to myself, "What were the record execs thinking?" This was awesome! Everyone brought their "A" game, exploding with instrumental talent. It felt more like a jam session, but one that had been honed and crafted to perfection. Hearing this made me want to dive straight in to the other two albums pre-Perry (which I suppose we can just call the PP years - Is that childish?).

Hearing this album makes me understand what the guitarist for the band meant when they were talking about all the ballads, and he said something to the tune of, "What exactly is my part in this song?" Journey knows how to play their instruments, and they do this well. This is something that gets buried in the sappiness that is their PP :) years. Seriously though. It's like listening to a completely different band.

More Journey like this, please.

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Retro Spins: Rush - Rush

 

Before the classic lineup of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, there was another iteration of Rush.

Front man and bassist Jeff Jones, lead guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer John Rutsey were the initial incarnation of the band in the summer of 1968. However, by fall of that same year, Geddy Lee would replace Jones, and this line up of Lee, Lifeson and Rutsey would record and release the debut self titled album in 1974.

Though Rutsey was credited with the overall success of Rush creating its first album, being the man who often pushed Lee and Lifeson to practice and stay focused, he would end up leaving the band shortly after their first album. This was a decision based on concerns with his health, due to his diabetes, a difference in musical direction, and an overall dislike of touring. His absence was filled by drummer Neil Peart, and with that, the classic lineup of Rush which would go on for forty years was in place.

Peart would not only provide a unique percussion sound to the band, but also be credited as the main writer of lyrics. His lover for science fiction would often result in rock opera style albums, which would remain a recurring theme through the 70's, intertwining many of their records with a continuous story.

It's long been disputed as to whether or not Rush was better in the 70's versus the 80's. To this, I can only say that I suppose it varies based on your own personal tastes. If nothing else, Rush certainly continued to evolve in their music, starting with a hard rock style, which eventually moved into prog rock for the majority of the 70's, before transitioning to synth led tracks, and even a little commercial mainstream. The band never really seemed to stay still long enough to really label them as any one particular style. I think this is what not only led them to such a successful career, but also one that helped keep them relevant in an ever changing industry over the decades.

With that said, I can also understand that Rush is one of those groups that people tend to love or hate. I've heard it many times from people when I ask them, "Do you like Rush?" They either say, "I love them," or "I can't stand them." The usual answer for why people don't like them typically goes like this, "The music sounds great, but I hate the singer's voice." I totally get that. Geddy Lee's vocals can be cringe worth to people not expecting such a shrill noise. It's an acquired taste.

For me, my journey with the band began in the early 90's, when I heard a song on the radio, but had no clue what it was. Being young and naive, I thought that going down to my local Waxie Maxie, telling the clerk I had heard a song recently from them, and briefly trying to explain what it was would lead me to getting the album. Not so much. The clerk handed me the 1980 released Permanent Waves, and said, "It's probably on here. This is the album most people ask for." For the record, that song was Nobody's Hero from the 1993 released Counterparts. However, this wasn't a bad thing. Getting my hands on Permanent Waves introduced me to The Spirit Of Radio, Freewill, Jacob's Ladder, and Natural Science, which in turn led me to wanting to here more from the group. As my collection of Rush albums grew, I eventually stumbled across Counterparts, and got the song I was initially after.

 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, today's Retro Spin takes us back the bands 1974 self titled debut, where we hear the origins featuring the (somewhat) original lineup. Sadly, my overall impression of the album can be summed up much quicker than the above.

Things spring into high gear with Finding My Way, a classic staple of the groups many greatest hits albums. However, from there, the remaining tracks kind of fall into obscurity as noise. That is until things wrap up with Working Man, another iconic song often found on their various hits albums.

Overall, it's okay as an album, but it certainly doesn't scream forty year veteran band, which I suppose isn't uncommon. It's just unfortunate, considering who the are. Most of the times when someone gains an appreciation for a group, they can go back to their earlier works and view it through stain glassed eyes, finding more joy out of it than your casual listener. With Rush, I don't get that. The album's decent, but it's not rave worthy.

Most of the songs just don't make the cut. For me, I'd rather just pull the two off of it I like, add them to my shuffle, and move on. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is admittedly a little disappointing.

Do I still like Rush? Absolutely. I think they're a great bad. They never necessarily went mainstream, but at the same, they have a distinct sound to them, that when you hear it, you can immediately say, "That's a Rush song." I think that's one of the things I like most about them. They're familiar, which in and of itself is a good thing.

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Retro Spins: Heart - Dreamboat Annie

 

Heart exploded big time in the 80's with their 1985 self titled album, which featured powerful hits such as; Never, What About Love and These Dreams. For me, the female led group came out of nowhere, but quickly became one of my favorites, thanks in part to continuous rotation on MTV.

However, little did my young mind know that Heart were no strangers to the world of rock 'n roll. Singer Ann and Nancy Wilson had been fronting the band for over a decade, lavishing as queens of rock with hits such as; Crazy On You, Magic Man, Barracuda, Straight On, and several more. 

The group released their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, in 1975 in Canada under the label, Mushroom Records. Despite this limited release, the album would reach number twenty on the charts, going double platinum before it was released in the United States in 1976.

With major success under their belts from the starting gate, Heart began negotiations with their label to received a larger slice of the royalties, insisting that as a platinum band they should be compensated more. However, Mushroom insisted the group was a one hit wonder, and held firm. This lead to producer Mike Flicker leaving the label, which was the loophole Heart felt was in their benefit to also exit as well, as their contract specifically stated Flicker would produce their albums. Heart signed with Portrait.

Mushroom on the other hand felt the band was contractually obligated to provide them with two additional albums. When they band refused, the label took it upon themselves to release Magazine in 1977. As legal proceedings ensued, a settlement court ruled in Heart's favor to stop distribution on the album. However, with this, Heart was to provide the label with the promised second album per their contract. The group opted to return to the studio and complete Magazine, which was re-released in 1978.

Sadly, Vice President of Mushroom Records, Shelly Siegel died suddenly in January 1979 of a brain aneurysm. Without her, the label inevitably wen bankrupt, and closed down in 1980. This lead to Capitol Records purchasing the rights to Heart's first two albums, which they re-released in the early 80's.

Wow, that's a lot of good drama surrounding the band, but what about this purported double platinum album, Dreamboat Annie? Is it as juicy as the spectacle that was Heart versus Mushroom Records? Well, I suppose that depends on your personality. Do you like gossip or music better?

Dreamboat Annie jumps right into the highlights of the album with Magic Man, which sets the bar pretty high. For whatever reason, this is followed up by a very short rendering of Dreamboat Annie, the song. Just as you're getting into it, it ends, making you wonder why it was even included. Fortunately, you are quickly whisked off with Crazy On You, distracting you from the odd edited track.

There's a couple throw away songs after this, and finally you come to the full version of Dreamboat Annie, but then you're once again taken on a journey of throw away forgettable songs for the remainder of the album. This all wraps up with yet another rendition of Dreamboat Annie, this time a reprise version. Come on, Heart. The song is okay, but it's not that good that you needed to add it three times to the album.

Overall, their debut album is decent. I can understand how it would go double platinum, being led by Magic Man, Crazy On You, and Dreamboat Annie. These are good songs. However, for as good as those three tracks are, the remaining seven are equally as forgettable. Hearing this album doesn't make me necessarily want to listen to any other studio albums from Heart. Rather, it makes me more so inclined to grab a greatest hits and cut to the chase.

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Retro Spins: Kiss - Kiss

 

I don't know what it is about Kiss that they keep ending up on my radar. It's certainly not the music, because I not only have never heard the majority of their music, but the stuff I have, I don't necessarily like. Yet oddly they continue to pull me towards them.

When BMG and Columbia House were a thing back in my high school years, I tried (unsuccessfully) to get every single Kiss album from them. It was one of those "Sign your friends up and get four CD's free," things. For whatever reason, the CD's never came though.

Decades passed, and I was well into amassing my massive CD collection, and things came full circle. One day, I had to have Kiss albums. At first, I started by grabbing only the albums which had songs that I wanted. I think there was five or six albums in this group. Then things went bad. Suddenly, I needed ALL of them. Very quickly, I was the owner of twenty studio albums, four solo albums and three live albums. Most of which to this day I haven't listened to.

Well, what better time then now? Let's start with their debut. The self titled, 1974 released, Kiss.

It's got rock. It's got roll. It starts out with Strutter, and it's a pretty solid album. I mean, I don't hate it. If anything, it only stood out to prove my theory correctly that the true talent of the band was actually Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Sure, Paul Stanley is a good singer, and Gene Simmons a decent bass player, but the other two work magic around their instruments. This is so apparent in tracks Cold Gin, which showcase Frehley on guitar, and Kissin' Time which gives Criss an opportunity to show his drumming skills. To be honest,they're actually the only reason these otherwise lame songs turned out to be good. It certainly wasn't the lyrics or bass.

As for the rest of the album, it's great to hear the foundation the would become the legacy of Kiss. However, this is not the album that makes me a fan - Nor do I know if one even exists that will. I guess I'll find out.

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