Journey - Escape (1981)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by the 2006 CD reissue which includes 4 bonus tracks.

In 1981, between my disco era and my New Wave/New Romantic era, I was just a "normal" 14/15 year old white boy listening to much the same music as my peers: mainstream album oriented rock. When I think of rock albums released that year, I always think of Tattoo You, Foreigner 4, Freeze-Frame, Paradise Theater, and, of course, Escape. Sure, there's many others (Shake It Up, Queen's Greatest Hits, etc.), but for whatever reason my mind groups those 5 albums together. I owned all of them on cassette with the exception of Tattoo You, which I had on vinyl.

The Stereo Review write-up (see below) puts it best: "Journey is a good example of rock's youth fetish...they've let themselves settle comfortably into playing for kids." Can confirm and, as a member of that target audience, the 15 year old version of myself appreciated the group's efforts. I prefer earlier Journey singles such as Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin', Any Way You Want It, etc., but there's no debating the addition of keyboardist Jonathan Cain took the band to greater commercial heights. I definitely didn't appreciate Steve Perry's high flying vocals as much as I should have in 1981, but I eventually came around.

I listened intently to this album for many months before gradually sliding into my next music phase mid-1982, summarily declaring album oriented rock artists as sell-outs, and becoming an intolerable music snob at my high school - "You listen to who? April Whine? REO Speedwhat?" - while continuing to buy Asia and Def Leppard albums. Such is high school teenage reasoning and posturing. Go figure. So, after several decades, the purchase of this CD had more to do with simple nostalgia than the music itself and, as such, was easily worth a couple of bucks. And as for being an intolerable music snob, I've outgrown all that. Kinda sorta. Maybe.

There's no liner notes to speak of, but there's plenty of photos of the Escape tour and a complete listing of tour dates. I was at home in my rural town at the time, but the band played two dates in nearby Houston in early November 1981, recording them for eventual release on video (the bonus tracks on this disc are also from those dates/recordings). Following the concert, the requisite concert jersey started making appearances around my high school.

Speaking of 1981 rock albums, on March 21, 1981, Billboard magazine started publishing separate charts for both rock albums and rock tracks based not on sales, but radio airplay. For more info, please visit: Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks, March 1981 - September 1984

Press of the time:

• CashBox:"Great rhythms, brilliant hooks"
• Record World: "Journey is poised for its greatest success yet."
• Stereo Review: "decent enough as kid stuff, but rock should reach higher"
• Billboard: "arguable the best thing they've done both artistically and commercially."
• Rolling Stone (★★): "a veritable march of the well-versed schmaltz stirrers."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1 (1 week)
• Billboard Rock: #1 (3 weeks)
• CashBox: #1 (3 weeks)
• Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks: Plenty of hits here; half the album hit at least one Billboard chart.

Title	Hot 100	Rock	AC
Who's Crying Now	4	4	14
Don't Stop Believin'	9	8
Open Arms	2	35	7
Still They Ride	19	47	37
Stone In Love		13

While I enjoyed the singles back in '81 and '82, I've heard Who's Crying Now and Open Arms enough for one lifetime and Don't Stop Believin' enough for three lifetimes. But from the get-go I've thought Stone In Love was the best cut on the album and I'm not alone in that opinion. It was good to reconnect with the rockers Keep On Runnin', Escape, Lay It Down, and Dead Or Alive. Still They Ride still bores me.

Bonus tracks: a prog-rockish b-side and fairly rote live versions of the three overplayed tracks mentioned above. Makes me want to hit the eject button and escape this particular journey. (bad puns most definitely intended)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This album reminds me of cruising on Friday and/or Saturday nights during my sophomore year of high school. The cruising drag in our small town started at the Dairy Queen, then headed west about a mile on state highway 35 (7th Street) turning south downtown at the county courthouse, then travelling another mile down state highway 60 (Avenue F) to the shopping center that contained Bay Cinema 4, the local movie theater. Turn the car around and retrace the same path. Repeat ad nauseum. I didn't have a drivers license, so I had to pester older friends to take me cruising with them. Regardless of whose car we took, Escape was played on nearly every trip.

I didn't have an Atari 2600, but I was close friends with two brothers who owned one. I was with one of them when they bought the Journey Escape video game and I remember the both of us being disappointed in the thing after only a few minutes and then quickly going back to playing Pitfall or Pac-Man. Don't think we ever gave the thing a second chance. What a waste of $30 (adjusted for inflation, that's $100 in 2025).

Finally, I will confirm that girls at my school seemed to enjoy having Open Arms sung softly in their ear while slow dancing. I didn't have many moves in high school, but I had a good voice, so you gotta use the tools at your disposal. Also worked well with Chicago's Hard To Say I'm Sorry and any Lionel Richie ballad.