As I bring to a close this three-week look at major artists who failed to achieve a #1 hit, I wanted to save a big one for last.
Journey has released two Platinum, five multi-Platinum, and one Diamond studio album. They also lay claim to two Platinum or multi-Platinum live albums, and a greatest hits collection that went 18X Platinum. That’s a lot of platinum!
And yet, despite releasing some of the most iconic pop rock songs of the 70s and 80s, Journey has never reached the top of the Hot 100.
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.
Journey’s Frontiers claims the 13th spot on my list of 1983 albums. Like all of the albums toward the bottom of this list, Frontiers earns its spot on the strength of a few songs.
In this case, those songs are ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),’ ‘Send Her My Love’ and especially the lovely road song ‘Faithfully.’ Solid tracks such as ‘Chain Reaction’ and ‘After the Fall’ flesh out the album nicely. Power ballads performed in Steve Perry’s terrific voice — that’s always a winning formula.
Before I begin, Happy 18th Birthday to my nephew Daniel! If you haven’t had a chance to listen to his recent EP, Daniel Gallup, you can do so through my blog right here.
My #4 album of 1981 is the only one on this list that I actually listened to in 1981. In fact, I’m pretty sure Journey’s Escape was the first album I ever owned. It was also the first (and last) album I ever experienced in the form of an arcade game.
[Note: This week I’m turning the blog over to my niece, Madison, for a continued look back at 2017]
Hi everyone! Millenial in the house! My uncle trusted me, his television obsessed niece, to guest blog for the week in order to feature five of the best musical moments on the small screen in 2017. Get psyched, people. I’ve made these selections with much careful thought and debate. Every show I’ve chosen frequently and meaningfully uses music. The songs featured add layers to each scene and some weave into the fabric of their show’s narrative in such a way that it becomes difficult to hear the song without picturing the characters and imagery alongside it (and vice-versa).
Meet Me In Montauk 