The next albums Evolution (1979) and Departure (1980) had a similar success, and Journey released hit after hit. From that jazz-fusion progressive music they turned in an AOR - hard rock band, not far from what FOREIGNER, STYX or BOSTON played during the same period.ĭunbar left because of this new musical direction (rumours is that he was fired for his British rowdiness and backstage antics) and was replaced by Steve Smith. But the sound changes were almost dramatic. The results were immediately felt on the fourth album, Infinity, released in 1978, who was sold in over one million copies, more than the previous albums altogether. Actually the change was mostly enforced by CBS, or else they would drop the band's recording contract. After three albums that were considered dissapointing sales-wise, but were in fact Journey's most progressive ones from the entire discography, Journey hired a better vocalist - Steve Perry. This thing will change next year, in 1978, when it is considered that the band stepped into a new period, the second one. Their CBS label also initially expecyted sales in the Santana range. Journey's first 3 albums ( Journey from 1975, Look into the future 1976 and Next 1977) sold very poorly and largely ignored by the public and mass media. But since the mid '70's was no more a period of jazz rock or progressive music, these musical styles being considered uninteresting. In this line-up Journey was recorded, in 1975. In the first period the vocal parts were done by Gregg Rollie and sometimes by Schon. Their music back then was jazz rock with progressive elements and fusion interplays, instrumental passages being pretty much top notch thanks to Neal Schon's driving riffs and solid bass lines of Valory, while the keyboards (still mostly the Hammond organ) of Rollie was something "á la Santana" but less latino-inspired. The music of JOURNEY is divided in 2 parts, the one from early 1973 'till 1977 when guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Gregg Rolie, both of Santana fame, met with bassist Ross Valory and drummer Prairie Prince from The Tubes (replaced later by Aynsley Dunbar) in the summer of 1974. JOURNEY is a American band who started playing in the early months of '73 in San Francisco.
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