Journey rose to the pinnacle of the arena rock genre in the late ‘70s, and their peak era rolled all the way into the middle of the next decade. Outstanding writing, virtuoso players, and a one-of-a-kind lead singer: This band had everything working for it for a long time.
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But when squabbles within the band slowed their momentum, they went about a decade without doing any recording at all. That’s when they came back for one more assault on the pop charts.
Journey to the Top
Journey began their career playing a style much closer to progressive rock than the stadium-pleasing, singles-oriented approach of years to come. The turning point for their fortunes came when Steve Perry took over as lead singer in 1978, bringing both rafter-scraping vocal ability and plenty of songwriting savvy.
Another key moment came when keyboardist Jonathan Cain joined up for the 1981 album Escape. Cain, Perry, and founding guitarist Neal Schon became the creative triad of the band, all standouts in fulfilling their musical roles while combining as songwriters as the band churned out hit after hit.
Even as Journey albums and tours did booming business, cracks in the band’s foundation began to show as the ‘80s progressed. Perry found success with a solo album, and the 1986 album Raised on Radio took place only after the firing of the band’s rhythm section. Perry decided after that album’s tour he needed a break, which led to a long hiatus.
Coming Back for “Love”
Steve Perry mostly sat out the music scene for a long stretch in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Schon and Cain kept themselves busy with the quite-successful supergroup Bad English. For a while, it seemed like Journey might never return, until Perry had a change of heart.
This didn’t come without some drama, as Perry insisted on a switch in managers before he’d agree to return. When the band reunited to make the album Trial by Fire, which would be released in 1996, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith returned to the fold.
The album sacrificed some of the heft of previous Journey albums for more of an adult contemporary feel. That was evident in the single “When You Love a Woman,” which never truly kicked into power ballad territory, instead settling for a piano-driven, almost gospelized feel.
The Last Hit
Even if it didn’t exactly rock the airwaves like the Journey of “Anyway You Want It” or “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “When You Love a Woman” seemed to please the faithful, rising all the way to No. 12 on the charts. It seemed like a resurgence could indeed be in the cards.
Unfortunately, the follow-up singles from the album failed to gain that same kind of traction. Journey planned to tour behind Trial by Fire, but health problems kept Perry from committing to it. Ultimately, he once again stepped away from the band, this time in a way that made it clear that his bandmates would have to go on without him.
Journey did just that, replacing Perry with Steve Augeri, and then later with Arnel Pineda, but no more hit singles were forthcoming. The band remains a recording and touring outfit, even as its members have publicly battled each other in the press and with legal proceedings. Barring some unexpected surprise, “When You Love a Woman” seems destined to go down as their somewhat understated last chart gasp.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/ImageDirect
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