Journey's Greatest Hits--Backseat Ballads for the Blue-Balled Protagonist

I can only imagine what it must have been like to have been an eighteen year old kid in the eighties. With groups like Journey assaulting the airwaves with a variety of songs that alternately touched on themes of love, longing and sometimes recrimination, finding songs to suit your particular circumstances and mood probably wasn't too difficult. In fact, it was probably pretty easy to score if you knew just which Journey tune to plug in to your cassette player--I venture to say that the smart young man probably had a good Journey mix tape ready for just the right occasion.

Part of Journey's sensual allure can be attributed to the soaring vocals of Steve Perry--his earnest, longing delivery and his incredible range made it sound like he had a case of the blue balls himself. Even the upbeat rockers were suggestive and really got the hormones raging, thanks in no small part to the melodic metal licks of Neal Schon on lead guitar. When you paired the vocal stylings of Perry with the guitar mastery of Schon, and backed them with Journey's good solid rhythm section, the result was music that appealed to the libido of most people.

Greatest Hits--Journey is a fifteen track collection of backseat ballads and upbeat rockers, with each song having that peculiar suggestive message that I've talked about. Even though some critics write this stuff off as formulaic pop fluff, most of this music very moving, as I'm sure many a young man figured out in the eighties. This album wasn't available until 1988, but like I said earlier, the astute young man had his own Journey collection, if I opine correctly.

The Music

Faithfully and Open Arms are solid backseat ballads--Perry's voice expresses the most longing when he's backed with the piano, and the sexuality expressed in these tunes is blatant.Send Her My Love operates on the same level, but with more of an upbeat rhythm, while Ask The Lonely and Only The Young each have a message of sexual urgency, created by Perry's emotional vocals and stratospheric range.

Don't Stop Believing and Be Good To Yourself are pep talks that are given in the context of a romantic relationship, while Who's Crying Now and Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' are delivered as "I told you so" lectures to a former girlfriend. I'll Be Alright Without You and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) both address the aftermath of a failed relationship, while Any Way You Want It is positively charged up by Schon's flaming guitar work.

The common theme in the majority of Journey's music is love and romance and what happens before, during, and in the aftermath of a relationship, a little something for everyone and every occasion, I think. If you were young in the eighties and understood this, you were a step ahead of the game, believe me.

Track Listing

1. Only The Young
2. Don't Stop Believing
3. Wheel In The Sky
4. Faithfully
5. I'll Be Alright Without You
6. Any Way You Want It
7. Ask The Lonely
8. Who's Crying Now
9. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
10. Lights
11. Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
12. Open Arms
13. Girl Can't Help It
14. Send Her My Love
15. Be Good To Yourself

Thanks for dropping by.