Journey Debut
Released in 1975 by Columbia Records
Progressive Rock / Jazz-Fusion
The Band:
• Gregg Rolie - vocals, keyboards
• Neal Schon - lead guitar
• George Tickner - rhythm guitar
• Ross Valory - bass, piano
• Aynsley Dunbar - drums
1. "Of A Lifetime" Gregg Rolie, George Tickner, Neal Schon 6:54
2. "In the Morning Day" Rolie, Ross Valory 4:27
3. "Kohoutek" (Instrumental) Schon, Rolie 6:46
4. "To Play Some Music" Rolie, Schon 3:19
5. "Topaz" (Instrumental) Tickner 6:12
6. "In My Lonely Feeling/Conversations" Rolie, Valory 5:01
7. "Mystery Mountain" Rolie, Valory, Diane Valory 4:23
The first musical effort from Journey is unlike any of their following albums since this album focuses on the musical talents of the band. You will also note that the lead vocalist is Gregg Rolie, Steve Perry never came on board Journey until 1977. I had never listened to the debut album from Journey until about 6 months ago, and I think the band should revisit their progressive, jazz-fusion roots. The early Journey is nothing like the ballad-driven , pop anthem Journey most fans know, in fact, once the first song begins, you will probably go “Wow, who in the hell are these guys!!”. The music is very guitar laden with some mind blowing solos, and Gregg Rolie is a pretty good vocalist. The music is very structured, with Neal Schon adding tons of melodic creativity. I do hope you will take the time to give this album a listen, especially if you dig guitar rock, solos, and progressive rock in general. Journey’s debut is most definitely a progressive rock classic.
The Music: ”Of a Lifetime” ~ The opening song has a very quiet, soft guitar intro, with a masterpiece solo mid-song. The epic ending will leave you in awe, Schon shows how talented he really is. The song has a beautiful blend of bass lines and organ. A definite highlight of the album.
”In the Morning Day” ~ This song has a very nice piano and organ intro. The beginning vocals remind me of Sir Elton John, then the song takes a turn and begins this organ rich solo and guitar solo. Very interesting song, indeed.
”Kohoutek” ~ An instrumental song where the beginning of the song is very interesting with a mix of piano, percussion, cymbals, and guitar. The intro has a dark droning quality. Then midway into the song you hear some synthesized solos. The song then comes to a hault, and returns to the droning intro with an abrupt ending. A bit of a long song, but manages to keep your interest with all the different solos and tempo changes.
”To Play Some Music” ~ Begins with a neat organ intro. The song is very upbeat with some nice simple guitar riffs. The song even employs a small talk box part. The solos again, are spectacular. The only fault I have with this song is hearing Rolie constantly repeating “Play some music” over and over…
”Topaz” ~ The band’s Santana roots are showing in this song, the intro is very reminiscent of Santana. The song picks up the pace after the intro and you hear juxtaposed electric guitar over electric piano. The solo and jam midpoint is awesome. Schon is definitely showing his jazz side in this song. Very nice work, IMO. Interestingly, this song is written by George Tickner, and Tickner left the band after this album.
”In My Lonely Feeling/Conversations” ~ This song is a bluesy song. A very mellow song, with some long instrumental solo’s. IMO, this song is a bit long and repetitive.
”Mystery Mountain” ~ A perfect closing to the album. The vocal melodies are nice, and there is a cohesiveness on this song that makes it an outstanding song. The only complaint I have about this song is that it could have used more vocals, the vocal harmonies of the beginning were superb.
My rating for listening pleasure 4/5.
Journey - Journey (1975) 
Linear Mode
