JOURNEY: Worlds Apart; An Inside Look!

I've got a full color inside look into the new Book about Journey, Journey: World's Apart.

Here's a full color look into "Escape";

Here's the full article on "Infinity";

CLICK HERE

Journey's Steve Perry Documentary 2001

What was Journey up to during 1998-2001?

Steve Perry: Before They Were Stars 2001

 Journey Live In Concert - Live At Lollapalooza 7-29-2021

Journey's latest Live Album is Reviewed by WITS

Here's a video of me showing off the Green Vinyl Record of the album as well as the CD's, DVD, and Blu-Ray!

The WHEEL IN THE SKY Reviews Journey's Freedom Album.

The album was released on July 8, 2022. 

Watch my review of the album here;

FREEDOM REVIEW

JOURNEY in Las Vegas with Orchestra on July 23, 2022 

This is the entire Concert Road Trip Experience. On July 23, 2022 Journey played at Resorts World in Las Vegas, Nevada. I drove there from Los Angeles heading out on the 14 to the 15. The drive is about 4.5 hours. This video is for anyone who couldn't make it to the Concert! You see the drive through California to Las Vegas, Nevada. The arrival to Las Vegas. You'll see the merchandise booth, a quick run to the seats, back up for Beer and Shirts and then the Concert begins! I'll give my wrap-up of what I thought of the Concert at the end of the video. Sit down, relax and enjoy the experience!

There are 3 early Journey jams snuck into this video including one called "Something About You" which is sung by Steve Perry!

JOURNEY FREEDOM TOUR CONCERT EXPERIENCE

On April 5, 2022, Journey played at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. I was there to capture the experience and bring it to you here at Wheel In The Sky.

For anyone who had to miss the concert for any reason, you can take the experience here. If you want to watch the whole concert, it can be found on YouTube here at https://youtu.be/932iH_hpp-g

Journey Freedom Concert Experience, Los Angeles

The Escape Tour on Vinyl

Journey's Live In Houston 1981, Escape Tour is out on Vinyl. 

Released on June 10, 2022 and produced again by Steve Perry!!

The concert took place on November 6, 1981 and was first broadcast on MTV in 1982. This was the concert that took Journey to the Moon.  

The Concert was also simulcast in stereo on radio stations all across the Country. This was massive.

The album was first released on CD in 2005. It was produced by Steve Perry and John Kalodner. This vinyl version was produced by Steve Perry and John Jackson in 2021.

Journey Live In Manila CD

 JOURNEY - LIVE IN MANILA - CD

On September 9, 2016, Journey released a 2 CD set called "Live In Manila".

The line-up is Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Deen Castronovo, Ross Valory and Arnel Pineda on Vocals.

The Journey Frontiers Stickker-Gram Postcard and Sticker

 The Original Journey Frontiers Stickker-Gram

This was the size of a post card and could be used as such. They are also individual stickers you can peel and stick anywhere. They were acquired through the Fan Club, The Journey Force, back in 1984.

The New WHEEL IN THE SKY YouTube Channel

 Wheel In The Sky YouTube Channel now Streaming

The new 'Wheel In The Sky" YouTube Channel has started. Since all my Journey Videos were stored on YouTube. I've posted the first introduction video here for convenience.

Come check out the channel! Everything I've posted here is in one place on YouTube, plus I'll be posting more videos as Time3 goes by. There will be a lot more different kinds of video's besides the ones I mention in the video.

The good news is, I'm Back!

Back for more

"WHEEL IN THE SKY"

Welcome to Wheel In The Sky

Journey's 1979 U.K. Evolution Tour Book from Columbia Records

JOURNEY "Revelation" Italian Press Release from Frontiers Records

On June 6th, 2005, Journey released their first album with brand new singer, Arnel Pineda.

Billed as Melodic Rock, Journey's "Revelation" hit the streets on June 6th, 2008. This featured a new lineup. Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Dean Castronovo, and introducing Arnel Pineda as the new Lead Singer for the band.

No more letting everyone have a chance at vocals, Arnel takes on all the vocals on the album. The album also includes eleven of Journey's top hits rerecorded with Arnel's voice. Had they left it alone there, it would have been fine. The only bad thing in a really excellent album package is that the instrumentations are different, they should have used the old version and replaced only Steve Perry's voice. The album also came with a DVD of Journey playing live in Santiago, Chile 2008.

This ad is from Italy and is two-sided. Both sides are shown below. 

Frontiers Records Presents...

Old Steve Perry Article that reveals he has over 50 songs ready. We'll get 15 of them on October 5, 2018

Here's an old Steve Perry News Article ad I never got around to posting. It reveals that Steve Perry had over 50 songs ready when this news article was found in 2015...

Steve Perry will be releasing his new album "Traces" on October 5, 2018. You can order it on Amazon.com and receive the 10 song version or order from Target and get 5 extra songs for a total of  15. That's 15 brand new songs from Steve Perry!!

JOURNEY "Generations" Italian Press Release from Frontiers Records

On August 29th, 2005, Journey released their second full album with Steve Augeri on Vocals.

Billed as Melodic Rock, Journey's "Generation" hit the streets on August 29th, 2005. This featured the same lineup as Journey's 2001 album, "Arrival" and 2002's "Red 13". Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Dean Castronovo, and Steve Augeri make up the band.

2005 also marked the 30th Anniversary of JOURNEY. The band celebrated by giving at least one song top each member. Of course Steve Augeri sing the most number of them.

This ad is from Italy and is two-sided. Both sides are shown below. 

Frontiers Records Presents...

JOURNEY "Red 13" Italian Press Release from Frontiers Records

On October 30, 2002, Journey released their first record without Columbia Records, "Red 13".

Billed as Melodic Rock, Journey's "Red 13" hit the streets on October 13th. This featured the same lineup as Journey's 2001 album, "Arrival". with Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Dean Castronovo, and Steve Augeri on Vocals.

This ad is from Italy and is two-sided. Both sides are shown below. 

Frontiers Records Presents...

Steve Perry "Traces" releases on October 5, 2018

Steve Perry releases his third Studio Album on October 5, 2018. The Album is called "Traces" and was recorded between 2015 and 2018.

I really cannot wait for this album to be released. I am so excited to hear Steve Perry again. There are 10 songs on this album and the first single music video is on You Tube already, I have a link below. I've also included a link to Steve Perry's New York Radio Interview on Q1043. The Song list is directly under the Album Cover Artwork.

At the bottom of this page there is a link to pre-order the album.

And now, WHEEL IN THE SKY brings you "TRACES";

	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	"No Erasin'"	Steve Perry, David Spreng	4:07
2	"We're Still Here"	Perry, Brian West	4:06
3	"Most of All"	Perry, Randy Goodrum	4:23
4	"No More Cryin'"	Perry, Dan Wilson	4:29
5	"In the Rain"	Perry, David Spreng	4:06
6	"Sun Shines Gray"	Perry, John 5, Thom Flowers	3:57
7	"You Belong to Me"	Perry, Barry Eastmond	4:07
8	"Easy to Love"	Perry, Thom Flowers	4:03
9	"I Need You"	Perry, George Harrison	2:59
10	"We Fly"	Perry, Jeff Babko	3:56

Watch Steve Perry sing the first single from the new Album;

Steve Perry "No Erasin'"

The Steve Perry Interview on Q1043 Radio in New York;

Steve Perry Q1043 New York Interview August 20, 2018

Pre-Order Steve Perry's "Traces" NOW;

Steve Perry's new album "Traces" Coming October 5, 2018

Apparently Amazon let it slip for just a fragment of time. Time enough for it to be picked up and tweeted before it was completely deleted.

I do not know the story but saw this Album cover design and had to share it.

STEVE PERRY "Traces" coming October 5, 2018

Journey Escape 35th Anniversary Japanese Special Edition CD

Happy Birthday "Escape"! 

Escape was released on July 31, 1981 and is 36 years old today!

In Japan a special edition CD/DVD super-package was released. The album cover and Booklets are all 7 inches, while the CD's are normal size. It's an incredible package including the entire "Escape" CD with different bonus tracks than the US release. Also included is the "The Escape Tour, Live in Houston 1981" CD and DVD!  There are 4 Booklets, including a reproduction of the 1981-82 Escape Tour Book and other Japanese posters and single covers.

The Escape Japanese Special Edition

Japanese Special Edition "Escape" Front Cover

Japanese Special Edition "Escape" Inside Fold Left

Japanese Special Edition "Escape" Inside Fold Middle

Japanese Special Edition "Escape" Inside Fold Right

Japanese Special Edition "Escape" Back Cover

Journey Escape 35th Anniversary Japanese Special Edition

Journey Album Retrospective: "NEXT", Released in February 1977

JOURNEY: Next

Album Cover - Front

Gregg Rolie..........Keyboards, Lead Vocals
Neal Schon...........Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Lead Vocals
Ross Valory...........Bass, Background Vocals
Aynsley Dunbar......Drums, Percussion

Album Cover - Back

Main Release Format..........Vinyl Album (LP)

Label............................Columbia Records

Management and Direction.....Walter “Herbie” Herbert

Produced by Journey for Nightmare Productions, Inc.

Recorded and Mixed at His Master’s Wheels, San Francisco, CA

Recording and Mixing Engineer..........Smiggy

Mastered at Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood

Mastering Engineer.....Bruce Botnick  (Thank You, Mike Dilbeck)

Art Direction and Photography for Journey.......Bruce Steinberg

Album Design......Bruce Steinberg and Ellie Oberzil

Sleeve Art..........Mansfield

Album Liner - Side One

Release Date............February, 1977

Chart Rating............#100

Number Sold...........-500,000

Certification............None

Catalogue Number.....PC34311

Genre....................Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion

Album Liner - Side Two

TRACKS:

Number of Tracks........8;

Side 1;

1. Spaceman..............4:00

2. People..................5:20

3. I Would Find You......5:53

4. Here We Are...........4:16

Side 2;

1. Hustler.................3:14

2. Next....................5:26

3. Nickel & Dime.........4:13

4. Karma..................5:08

LINER NOTES;
Special Thanks to everyone at CBS Records and to these special friends:
Gary Jackson (financial direction)
Brian Rohan (attorney-at-peace)
Bruce “One-Stop” Steinberg (overtime)
Ray Arbuckle
Ron Bennett
Carol Bork
Jonathan Coffino
Charley Coplen
Mike Dilbeck
Don Ellis
Sam Hood
Mark Hyman
Bruce Lundvall
Rob Oberman
Frank Shargo
Peter Starr
And to Bill Graham and the FM Productions staff

Extra special thanks to our loyal and dedicated staff:
Gloria “Glo” Calbreath, secretary
Juan “Zopilote” Vallanueva, office manager
Patrick “Bubba” Morrow, road manager
Ken “The Duke” Mednick, lighting designer
Greg “Michelin Man” Schafer, axes & lamps
Chris “Biff” Uryevick, drum roadie
Ed “The Hit Man “Simeone, house engineer

Thank you, Herbie for your oneness, dedication and concern

Journey Fan Club;
Send self-addressed envelope to
P.O. Box 404, San Francisco, California  94101

(John Vallanueva, road manager)

Album Label - Side One

Album Label - Side Two

SINGLES:

Number of Singles 1;

Spaceman / To Play Some Music

Spaceman Promo Single Mono Side

Spaceman Promo Single Stereo Side

Spaceman Single - Side One

Spaceman Single - Side Two

WHEEL IN THE SKY REVIEW:

Album Review
Journey's third album, Next, makes it perfectly clear that these guys would become hugely popular the moment they would streamline their sound. They really were excellent songwriters as well as players. There isn't a weak song on the album. Neal Schon really knew how to infuse everything with exciting guitar solos back when he was still learning how to be a great showman.


As Journey was shifting to a more of a pop sound while keeping the roots of Rock and Roll intact over the period of these first three albums, it presents itself pretty clearly here that they have what it takes to make it big. The sound on this album is still dense and earthy while making the shift to a more pop sound, although Rolie’s vocals tend to be a bit more rough and soulful than what Journey would become on their next album.

I do love “Spaceman.” It is the first of many Journey power ballads, even if it's obvious they took a lot of hints from “Rocket Man.” Also, the melody is gorgeous as the album opener. The follow-up songs start to actually seem like a classic Journey songs, as they sport a tighter, more streamlined sound. The only thing missing here are the flamboyant vocals. The album does create a quite compelling atmosphere.

There isn’t a song over 6 minutes on this album while they average about 4-5 minutes. This album is four minutes shorter than Look Into The Future. That was precious time that could have been used to extend the album's terrific closer, the dark and powerful “Karma.” ...Come on! Doesn't a song like that need an extended jam session? I'm not even a jam guy, but considering how entertaining it has been hearing Schon and Rolie go at it in the previous Journey albums, why not bring it here?

Gregg Rolie’s vocals, as great as they are, do call for something more. If only Journey was able to bring that perfect voice to offset Gregg’s powerful voice, the possibilities seem endless. Although this album might not thrill me like Journey's previous ones did, it's still nonetheless among the group's finer releases. 

The cover art front and back are full color pictures of the band, the inner sleeve does contain the first incarnation of some feathered wings artwork, but it’s bitmapped black and white.


Spaceman (A Song For Hang Gliders)
Lyrics by Aynsley Dunbar and Gregg Rolie
Music by Gregg Rolie
It's hard for me not to want to compare this directly with the song that opened Look Into the Future, which was a bouncy and fun Supertramp-ish pop tune. This is also a pop tune but a ballad and kind of a good first power ballad that Journey would become famous for.

Actually this song seems to take a lot of obvious hints from Elton John's “Rocket Man.” Somehow that's not at all because of the similar song titles. It's Rolie's vocal performance, which adopts Elton John's mannerisms. (Hear how Rolie songs “Ooh, I'm not a spaceman, no, no.” I mean, the instrumental textures are engaging and the melody is gorgeous. What more do you need?

People
Lyrics by Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie
Music by Aynsley Dunbar and Gregg Rolie
This is the closest thing we get to the classic Journey sound in this pre-Steve Perry trilogy. All that's missing is flamboyant lead vocals, as Rolie's vocals here are more or less flat and less involved. It's that smooth and tight atmosphere they create here, really providing a nice texture for the ears to sink into. Midway through the drama picks up where we get that zippy synthesizer solo and probably the most crowd-pleasingly flashy electric guitar solo Schon has ever done so far! I believe this song shows Journey gearing up for their commercially successful days yet to come!

I Would Find You
Lyrics by Neal Schon and Tena Austin
Music by Neal Schon
Lead Vocals by Neal Schon
Here’s a good six minute song. Whereas lengthy songs like that had me positively excited in the previous album, this song isn’t the one to extend that extra 50 seconds. Though I do like that mystical, Middle Eastern-like bendy synthesizer solo that starts this off. After that, all we get is a heavy and very slowly developing filler. Some buzzy and bendy electric guitar chords do lend it a foreboding flavor, and there's a little bit of soloing toward the end that's nice, but it's ultimately a bit boring. Overall a good effort but this would need that perfect voice to supplement what Gregg is trying to do here.

Here We Are
Music and Lyrics by Gregg Rolie
This song starts out with heavy, dreamy, and dreary, pure synthesizer chords. What happened to Gregg’s Hammond organ? The song develops very slowly and really needs a soaring voice to take this song to it’s fullest potential, apart from its very last minute when some momentum finally starts to pick up. Schon is also far too absent throughout this, his electric guitar is kept merely in the background.

Hustler
Lyrics by Aynsley Dunbar
Music by Gregg Rolie
Well this is definitely more like classic early! It starts out right away with some lightning-fast electric guitar licks, before delivering a heavy riff. There are lots of things to listen to here. Though it doesn't quite have that gradual, flawlessly developing momentum that some songs in their previous album had. The riff isn't really that catchy, but this thing is littered with Neal's show-offey electric guitar licks, which is pretty cool.

Next
Lyrics by Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Rolie, and Heidi Cogdell
Music by Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie
There are power-chords. Is this album leading into Infinity or what? ...I mean, this song is muddy, gritty, and ugly--making it totally unlike the glistening studio magic of Infinity--but still…I have to say that Gregg spends so much time singing in this and Neal is more reduced to licking away faintly in the background, regrettably, until the final minute when the groove gets quicker and heavier, and Neal starts going to town. The vocal melody is pretty good, Gregg does a great job with the vocals. Quite good as a whole, but was elevated tremendously in the live shows when Steve Perry added his voice to the song. If the album had a second single, this might have been it!

Nickel and Dime
Music by George Tickner, Ross Valory, Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie
An excellent instrumental! It's a backdrop to so many Journey documentaries. The song gives Neal and Gregg the excuse to noodle around exclusively throughout this. Gregg is using a synthesizer here instead of the Hammond organ he would have used in the previous two albums. Unlike the previous albums they're playing a bit flashy here, as opposed to a bluesy sound. They had proven to be excellent blues soloists in the past. This is an excellent instrumental which would be the last for a few years coming.

Karma
Lyrics by Aynsley Dunbar
Music by Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie
Lead Vocals by Neal Schon
This is an appropriate send-off to pre-Perry Journey if there ever was one, and these kind of jams will be missed. Neal Schon takes lead vocals on this one and kills it! This is the roughest, muddiest, grittiest, and heaviest Journey song of all time. Just listen to this song and try to refrain from bobbing your head righteously to it. This riff is very catchy. Well, this is Journey, after all. This song really called for 9 minutes of blistering jamming! But all they give us is 5!

Steve Perry For The Love Of Strange Medicine Tour 1994-1995 Picture Book, part 8

This week concludes the Steve Perry "For The Love Of Strange Medicine" Tour Book. A great Concert Program even though there wasn't much more than a bunch of pictures of Steve Perry. Steve Perry and his band didn't have any kind of a history. What it was though was a way to hear Steve Perry sing Journey songs live again!

For The Love Of Strange Medicine kept Steve busy from 1993-1995 while it looked for sure like the Journey was really over. All other members of Journey kept active during this time, yet they didn't have the voice that could only be heard at this show!

The last page of the Tour Book is an advertisement for Steve Perry's second solo album, "For The Love Of Strange Medicine" for without it, there would be no tour or this excellent Concert Program. The album ended up spawning two singles, "You Better Wait", and "Missing You" from the eleven songs on the original album.

The tour to promote the album lasted a full six months before ending in early 1995. By the end on 1995 Steve was already working again with Journey on a new reunion album called "Trial By Fire" that was released in October 1996.

The back cover of the Tour Book is a giant "Steve Perry" logo. It's a beautiful white lettering with the Strange Medicine design behind it in red, all with a deep rick black background. As of this date, there is rumor of a third Steve Perry solo album to be released in 2017 after many years of delay.

Another regret I have is never seeing this show. I have no idea why I missed this. I was a huge Steve Perry fan as I always have since 1980. I was upset at the whole "Raised On Radio" fiasco and the end of Journey, but I would have wanted to go I think. I was making enough money at the time, this was the 1990's when the Motion Picture Industry was still a great industry. Maybe I was just too busy working overtime, we may never know why...