JOURNEY – Generations [Japanese Edition +1] *HQ*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ 1 /// HQ 2

As requested, here’s JOURNEY 2005’s album ”Generations” in its not-so-easy to find, out of print Japanese edition including an exclusive bonus track and full artwork.
”Generations” was the last album featuring the exquisite lead vocals of Steve Augeri. In fact, all members (Schon / Cain / Valory / Castronovo) perform lead vocals at least in one song each (as happens with the Japanese-only bonus ‘The Pride of the Family’ sung / written by Jonathan Cain) which drew mixed, often critical, reactions.
However the songs comprise what is perhaps the band’s most daring material yet. First of all, ”Generations” is a lot heavier than previous Journey albums, and some songs were really shocking in how brutal they could be. Take album highlight “Out of Harm’s Way” for instance; in the middle after a particularly solid chorus, the band go into a heavy metal breakdown. Yup, and you know what? It’s a very well-done breakdown; I could even see Dream Theater doing this kind of groove on an album like Awake.
While the album still features classic Journey melodic hooks on numbers like “Faith in the Heartland” or “The Place in Your Heart,” this is a very guitar driven recording.

The first thing you notice is that the songs are exceptionally long for a Journey release… the first song, “Faith in the Heartland” is a daunting 7 minutes long, a length not seen since 1976’s title track “Look Into the Future” which clocks in at over 8 minutes.
In that sense, the band give a subtle nod to the pre-Perry days, much like Arrival did. The second thing is singer Steve Augeri’s resemblance to old classic rock legends like Steve Perry (of course) and Robert Plant. Unfortunately, while he is a capable singer and frontman, Steve is probably the weakest link on this release as at the time was suffering vocal fatigue – that’s why also all members perform lead vocals.
Jonathan Cain sings lead on “Every Generation” and “Pride of the Family” (the latter of which is only found on this Japanese edition), the first time he sang lead since “All That Really Matters” (originally a Frontiers outtake) from the Time3 box set.
Deen Castronovo sings lead on “A Better Life” and “Never Too Late”. Neal Schon provides lead vocals for “In Self Defense” (previously recorded for the Schon & Hammer album Here to Stay) and Ross Valory lends his vocals to “Gone Crazy”.

Despite the situation with mixed vocal performances, the songs are in no way inconsistent. Everything here retains the classic late 70s-style Journey sound, and adds its tricks to keep things fresh. The highlights are definitely the hard-rockers like “In Self-Defense” and “Out of Harm’s Way,” but the band’s subtle side sees some fantastic moments as well. “Butterfly (She Flies Alone)” is the big standout in this regard; a soft, distant piano melody starts the song off, and the way Steve’s vocals and Jonathan Cain’s piano chords fit together is simply sublime in this song. Neal’s guitar work adds an overlaying texture to the main melody, and the song never gets boring in its 6-minute runtime.

”Generations” proves that you in fact CAN retain an old flame years after it’s passed, as long as you bring some rock n’ roll to the table. It may not have performed favorably in terms of sales, but for non-buyers, it’s their loss.
This one’s a keeper.
Highly Recommended

01 – Faith in the Heartland
02 – The Place in Your Heart
03 – A Better Life (lead vocal; Castronovo)
04 – Every Generation (lead vocal; Cain)
05 – Butterfly (She Flies Alone)
06 – Believe
07 – Knowing That You Love Me
08 – Out of Harms Way
09 – In Self-Defense (lead vocal; Schon)
10 – Better Together
11 – Gone Crazy (lead vocal; Valory)
12 – Beyond the Clouds
JAPAN-ONLY BONUS TRACK:
13 – The Pride of the Family (lead vocal; Cain)
EURO / USA BONUS TRACK:
14 – Never Too Late (lead vocal; Castronovo)

Steve Augeri – lead vocals, guitar
Neal Schon – guitar, backing vocals
Jonathan Cain – keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Ross Valory – bass, backing vocals
Deen Castronovo – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Out Of Orint
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/KICP-1100