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From the Vault...
02/18/2007
#1034 |
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info
Journey
"Trial By Fire"
© Columbia Records
Rating:
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track listing
Message Of Love
One More
When You Love
A Woman
If He Should Break
Your Heart
Forever In Blue
Castles Burning
Don't Be Down
On Me Baby
Still She Cries
Colors Of The Spirit
When I Think Of You
Easy To Fall
Can't Tame The Lion
It's Just The Rain
Trial By Fire
Baby I'm A Leavin' You
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Journey
"Trial By Fire"
After Journey's 1986 release Raised On Radio, it seemed that Journey
& Steve Perry had accomplished their goals in making great music. After a
Greatest Hits package, and a 3-disc Box Set, Steve Perry & Journey
reunited one last time together, and released Trial By Fire in 1996.
The good thing about this album, it seemed that Journey never broke up, and
this album has some very good songs, making it a very enjoyable album. A
Greatest Hits Live album would surface after Trial By Fire, and
Journey's future would make another huge change -- Steve Perry would be replaced
by Steve Augeri. Augeri would have a vocal style very similar with Perry's,
yet with more hair.
Trial By Fire has some very entertaining tracks, with all songs
vocalized by the singer who made them most famous: Steve Perry. The opening
track, "Message Of Love" has similarities to another popular song featuring
Perry's vocals, "Separate Ways." "One More" has a bit more of a
harder rock edge, yet a very good song for Perry and Company.
"When You Love A Woman" brings back the pop ballad power of Journey's
past, with a 1990s updated approach. Likewise, another updated song is the
next track, "If He Should Break Your Heart." As if Journey never broke
up, their familiar 1980s sound is heard on "Forever In Blue," yet
"Castles Burning" has a different sound for the band, with a harder rock
edge. It could also be the least favorite track from this release. A nice,
soulful sound is heard "Don't Be Down On Me Baby," and the popular 1980s
sound returns on "Still She Cries." The same can be said on "Colors
Of The Spirit", having a traditional Journey sound, from its heyday past.
The ballad sound has Journey in its finest moments with "When I Think Of
You," And again, it's sounding as if they never broke up on "Easy To
Fall." A more pop style is heard on "Can't Tame The Lion," where a
more mellower style is heard on the title track. There's a hidden track on the
CD, "Baby I'm A Leavin' You" -- Believe it or not, it's a reggae styled
song with Steve Perry's regular vocals, a very different sound and style for
Journey.
From reading other reviews, Trial By Fire wasn't highly regarded as
one of Journey's finest albums. I tend to disagree, Steve Perry made Journey
the sensation it has become today. Trial By Fire is another good album
next to the likes of their most popular releases from the 1980s. When Journey
decided to replace Perry with Jeff Scott Soto, Steve Perry was devastated.
Perry was recovering from an illness, and had asked Journey to wait for his
recovery. Journey's statement regarding this was, "We started Journey without
Perry, we can do that again." Cruel words having said, Journey's success with
their new singer has been good, beginning with a song from the Armegeddon
movie, and they have released 3 albums with their new singer.
Journey will always be best remembered with Steve Perry on vocals. Their
best years were with him, as their music from the 1980s made them famous, as
well as their outstanding concert performances. Trial By Fire will surely
be enjoyed more by the true Perry/Journey fans. It is a very entertaining album,
and it's too bad that Perry and Journey are no more. In looking at the back
cover of Trial By Fire it seemed that there was a sort of distance, as
Perry is facing one way on the right, and the remaining members slightly facing
the other direction from Perry. This may have been a sign of changes to come.
Still, Steve Perry made the band famous, and it will be curious to see how Jeff
Scott Soto accomplishes Journey's future, and how it may or may not be as popular
as the Perry/Journey years.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Columbia Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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