Journey In The Studio For 'Frontiers' 40th Anniversary

Michael Angulia | 02-06-2023

The 40th anniversary of Journey's 'Frontiers' album is being celebrated by the syndicated radio show In The Studio With Redbeard: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands.

Redbeard had this to say, "When you are as talented, top-heavy with songwriters, and as hard working as Journey was from 1978 to 1983, a lot can happen in five years. You see, it was only five years time after their fourth album, Infinity, broke the band until the deepest part of Winter, February 1983, when the San Francisco-based American juggernaut Journey released Frontiers amidst intense anticipation.

"The rock world knew that Journey's preceding album, 1981's Escape, had spawned three Top Ten hits on its way to #1 sales. Journey had already established itself as a tireless touring enterprise, a real 'people's band', a perception validated when the national Gallup Poll determined that the Bay Area quintet was voted America's favorite band then. That fame in turn prompted the first computer video game named after a rock band. It was no surprise then when that success increased the demand to extend the already lengthy Escape tour, but what we outside the band's inner circle had no way of knowing is that the extended time away from home was straining several marriages of Journey band members.

"The skyrocketing album, merchandise, and concert ticket sales were obvious, but far less apparent were the exceedingly high musical standards to which any new Journey member, such as ex-Babys keyboard player/songwriter Jonathan Cain, would be held. Cain, band co-founder/guitarist Neal Schon, and former singer Steve Perry reveal considerable personal pathos during the Big Payday provided by 'Separate Ways', 'Faithfully', and two more Journey hits which were inexplicably bumped off of Frontiers, 'Only the Young' and 'Ask the Lonely'." Stream the episode here.