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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "J," and I have more than a couple remaining Journey albums, so let's go with their 1978 breakthrough album Infinity, the band's fourth studio album.
Journey was formed in the early '70s when keyboardist/lead singer Gregg Rolie and guitarist Neal Schon left Santana. They teamed up with bassist Ross Valory, rhythm guitarist George Tickner (who has a fantastic mustache, by the way), and Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. Originally, they played jazz fusion and prog rock. Prince then went back to The Tubes, and former Bluesbreakers and Frank Zappa drummer Aynsley Dunbar (who was also fresh off drumming for two David Bowie albums) replaced Prince before the band recorded their first album.
Their first three albums weren't big commercial successes, with the highest-charting album only reaching #85 on the Billboard album chart and no singles charting on the Billboard Hot 100. Tickner left after the third album, and the band decided to change their musical direction to be more mainstream and hire a frontman to share lead vocal duties with Rolie. They hired lead singer Robert Fleischman in 1977, but he left within a year due to differences with the band's management.
Enter Steve Perry. Infinity was the band's first album with Perry at the helm, though Rolie still handled some lead vocal duties. The addition of Perry and the band's new sound helped propel Journey into the mainstream. The album reached #21 on the Billboard album chart and eventually went triple platinum in the U.S. -- the first of five consecutive studio albums that went at least triple platinum in the U.S., six consecutive that went at least double platinum, and seven consecutive that went at least platinum.
Infinity also yielded the band's first three charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Wheel in the Sky" reaching #57, "Anytime" going to #83, and "Lights" hitting #68. All three would be big AOR hits and classic rock radio over the coming decades. When you listen to the album, you can hear the direction in which the band will go. It's solid, radio-friendly rock and roll. Dunbar left the band after this album and would go on to play with Jefferson Starship and Whitesnake, among others.
As alluded to above, Infinity set the stage for Journey's success. The band's star kept rising over the next decade, as they racked up 17 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1979 and 1987, including six Top 10 hits. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 -- putting Rolie in some elite company, as he is one of now 23 individuals who have been inducted into the Rock Hall multiple times.
Favorite song on Side 1: "Feeling That Way/Anytime"
Technically, these are two separate songs, but they are in consecutive order on the album, and any time you hear them on the radio, they are played back-to-back. I have always enjoyed Rolie's vocals when he was with Santana. He and Perry share lead vocals on "Feeling That Way" -- with Rolie's deeper voice complemented by Perry's soaring iconic voice. And let's not overlook Schon's guitars. Then the end of "Feeling That Way" seamlessly transitions into the opening harmonies of "Anytime," on which Rolie and Perry again share lead vocals. Schon again has a great solo, and Dunbar has some delicious fills.
Favorite song on Side 2: "Can Do"
The obvious choice would be "Wheel in the Sky," which is undoubtedly a great song, but I went with a hidden gem in "Can Do." It's the hardest rocking song on the album, a snarling little rocker that showcases Perry's pipes and Schon's guitar prowess.
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