It took 16 years between Journey’s first eligibility for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their eventual induction in 2017.

Such disrespect for a band that released six straight multi-Platinum albums between 1978 and 1986 and recorded some of the most iconic power pop songs of the era. Hell, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ alone should have landed them in the Hall at the first opportunity.

I admit to some bias in this matter, as Journey was one of the bands I loved most in my tween years. As I remember things, the band’s 1981 album Escape was the very first record I owned.

I have equally fond memories of playing the Journey Escape video game at my local arcade. In that game, each band member had to navigate obstacles (in challenges that stole liberally from Donkey Kong and Space Invaders) in order to make it to a concert.

While lead singer Steve Perry’s expansive vocals are strongly associated with Journey, the band actually formed four years before he joined the lineup. They tried different sounds and singers, but didn’t hit their groove until Perry signed on and they released 1978’s Infinity. That album contained today’s SOTD, the band’s first hit.

The band then ran off that impressive run of successful albums: Evolution (1979), Departure (1980), Escape (1981), Frontiers (1983), and Raised on Radio (1986). Escape was the biggest hit, eventually selling more than 12 million copies worldwide.

Journey went on hiatus for nearly a decade starting in the late 80s. After a 1995 reunion, Perry left the band in 1997 due to complications from a degenerative bone condition. The band has had several lead singers since, and currently is fronted by Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer-songwriter the band discovered on YouTube.