Journey - Escape.............awesome headphone listen!!!!

g4string · #1 11-03-2009, 12:56 PM

A good friend of mine gave a buch of music to put on my iTunes. I consider this guy to be a walking music library w/ very good taste. Myself, him, and a host my other music bud's are into the same kind of stuff....straight up R&R, jam-bands, jazz-fusion, and some alt-country. I would like to think I have a wide taste in regards to my musical taste....however, I was a little confused when he handed me this Journey CD that was in the stack of music he gave me (that included some bands like the Cosmosquad, Free Form Funky Freqs, Mars Volta, Om, etc, etc). We all know Journey....we have heard their songs at weddings, karaoke jams, and on the local lite music station. All though they are a wonderful band that has wrote some timeless music, I have to admit that I really never gave them much thought/respect. So, I was in a melencoly mood the other night and decided to give give this CD a good headphone listen....afterall, if my music-snob friend gave me this to listen too - it has to be good right??? All I can say is WOW!!! What a great listen!!!! Escape has some of their more popular songs like "Dont Stop Beleiving" and "Empty Arms"........so once you get past some of the cheeziness, there are some great moments on this CD. You will have to pardon my ingorance regarding the band as I have no idea who played guitar and bass on this CD, but all I can say is that they rock. The guitar tracks/solos are epic....just perfect!!! The bass track is what most intrigued me....I am assuming this is why my friend gave me this CD as he too is a bass player. All I can say is that the bass rocks. He has a very distinctice style/sound....I am real interested to know what bass/amp he used in the studio. His timing and note choice is very unique....this is what gives him his very distinct style/sound. I just absolutely loved the fills/runs he uses. The jam section of ea. song is additionally epic...............basically, if you havent heard this CD in its entirity, give it a listen!! There is some great "bass" tracking on this CD.

millsbass5 · #2 11-03-2009, 01:07 PM

Ross Valory was Journey's bassist.when this was recorded.IIRC,he was using Steinberger basses,around this time.

RAM · #3 11-03-2009, 08:47 PM

I think Escape came before he switched to the Steinberger. I know at one point he used a T-40, but not sure if it was on or before Escape. I saw them on the Frontiers tour in 1983 and he was using the Steinie on that tour. Nowadays I know he's a big Cort guy, and he's also known (or perhaps not known this way) to play his 4-string tuned B-E-A-D, instead of standard tuning.

Escape happens to be a closet favorite album of mine. The title song is oft-overlooked, which unfortunately doesn't give people an understanding of Journey's range during that time period! Prior to that they were still in a bit of a prog-rock phase, but clearly Escape was a transitional period which ended up working well.

Ross Valory is a very talented bassist who brings an alternative view to minimalism, using note selection in a way few others do or have ever done.

EagleMoon · #4 11-03-2009, 08:47 PM

One of my favorite albums! Yes, I'll say it.

Ross Valory was one of my major influences back in the late 70's, early 80's. He always knew the right thing to play. Very tasteful. I haven't cared much for the new incarnation of Journey, but the old albums up until about Raised on Radio were great.

Thundar · #5 11-03-2009, 08:56 PM

I think you'd have to have lived under a rock not to have heard this Cd and all the songs on it...LOL...but Im sure if youre a youngster, I could understand. "Escape" is probably my all time favorite album period...not just Journey album. Ross's Steinberger bass sounds amazing...but im not sure either if he recorded Escape with one. BTW, the Peavey T-40 was before Escape Im pretty sure (Ibet there is someone on here that will chime in with what he recorded it with)...and its "Open Arms" not "Empty Arms"

jazzbo · #6 11-03-2009, 08:58 PM

Journey's musicians haven't gotten the respect that they deserve. They were essenially a jazz fusion group in their earliest music, with Aynsley Dunbar, (before Steve Perry). Neil Schon, their guitarist, is quite accomplished, (he began his playing with Santana). Steve Smith, their drummer after Dunbar, still does quite a few clinics, and I think of him with a great deal of respect as a phenomenal drummer. Cain and Perry wrote great songs. They may be cheesy to some, but it's good music.

Check out their entire catalogue, starting with their earliest music. They are extremely talented musicians, all.

Thundar · #7 11-03-2009, 09:02 PM

Looks like he used his Ovation on the tour from Escape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62h0...eature=related

Thundar · #8 11-03-2009, 09:07 PM

And here a year later with the Steinberger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stUli...eature=related

EagleMoon · #9 11-03-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundar

Looks like he used his Ovation on the tour from Escape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62h0...eature=related

This is a great DVD. Journey Live in Houston. I actually got to meet both Ross and Neil in 1978. Ross is a hoot. He's really a funny guy. You get a taste of that on stage quite often. Neil was a bit more laid back but they were both really humble and really down to earth.

scowboy · #10 11-03-2009, 09:14 PM

There is a good chance he used an Ovation Magnum during the Escape era. I believe there is a Live in Houston concert floating around which he was playing the the big O.

Lately I have seen him playing a Music Man Stingray HH.

T-40 was prior, I had some video of them floating around where he took a solo on the T-40 back in the late 70's and he sounded dang good.

smallbutmighty · #11 11-03-2009, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundar

Looks like he used his Ovation on the tour from Escape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62h0...eature=related

This is correct, AFAIK. Escape was all the Ovation - one of my all time favorite bass tones, from one of my all time favorite bass players.

"Escape" is a freakin' awesome tune.

One of the greatest display of musicianship I have ever scene happened when I saw Journey about 8 years ago at the Gorge Ampitheatre. Thier drummer at the time had his hurt his hand the night before, and so they flew Jonathan Cain's little brother in for one show.

Obviously, being JC's brother, you would already know a large part of the Journey catalogue, but holy crap...that's some serious pressure.

That night was anything but "another night on the road" for these guys. This was not a case of having everything down pat.

I watched in amazement at musicians at work. Eye contact galore, head cues, etc, as they coached their "drummer for one night" through the set. During the middle section of "Escape" they almost lost it, but managed to land on their feet. I saw Neal give Ross a look of massive relief and they both laughed and continued on with the song.

I already loved Journey, but I left with a whole new respect for their level of musicianship.

Wow.

g4string · #12 11-04-2009, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundar

....I think you'd have to have lived under a rock not to have heard this Cd and all the songs on it...LOL...but Im sure if youre a youngster....

I have heard most of the stuf on this album......however, I must admit their were a couple of tunes that I have never heard. I have never been a big enough fan to listen to any of their albums in thier entirity.......let alone "REALLY" listen to an entire album, including this album.

RAM · #13 11-07-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzbo

Journey's musicians haven't gotten the respect that they deserve. They were essenially a jazz fusion group in their earliest music, with Aynsley Dunbar, (before Steve Perry). Neil Schon, their guitarist, is quite accomplished, (he began his playing with Santana). Steve Smith, their drummer after Dunbar, still does quite a few clinics, and I think of him with a great deal of respect as a phenomenal drummer. Cain and Perry wrote great songs. They may be cheesy to some, but it's good music.

Check out their entire catalogue, starting with their earliest music. They are extremely talented musicians, all.

Dunbar came after Steve Perry. The only singer they had before Perry was also their keyboardist before Jonathan Cain - Gregg Rollie.

jazzbo · #14 11-07-2009, 09:11 PM

Dunbar left because of Perry. He was most definitely a part of the band before Perry. Rollie was the vocalist and keyboardist, Schon on guitar, Valory on bass. Priairie Prince was the original drummer, who was replaced by Dunbar. Robert Fleischman came in to add vocals to Rollie, but he didn't work out. Then they got Perry, who Dunbar didn't get along with. Steve Smith replaced him. So then you had Perry, Schon, Valory, Rollie, and Smith. Rollie was the next to leave, and he was replaced by Cain.

Mad Russian · #15 11-07-2009, 09:31 PM

Ross Is now using a Music Man bass now, i think. I have seen them twice in the past year. Yes, he does tune his basses BEAD now

Thundar · #16 11-07-2009, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Russian

Ross Is now using a Music Man bass now, i think. I have seen them twice in the past year. Yes, he does tune his basses BEAD now

Yeah I saw he was using EBMM's on the footage from the Download festival...and i have to admit, I hated the tone he had. It sounded completely "Anti-Ross"...LOL....scooped and really bright (no fault of the EBMM bass though)

EagleMoon · #17 11-07-2009, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundar

Yeah I saw he was using EBMM's on the footage from the Download festival...and i have to admit, I hated the tone he had. It sounded completely "Anti-Ross"...LOL....scooped and really bright (no fault of the EBMM bass though)

I agree. I can't think of a brand that would sound less "Ross" than a MM. Except maybe a Carl Thompson.

dalkowski · #18 11-09-2009, 07:40 AM

Never a Journey fan -- I cheered when Rolling Stone reviewed "Escape" and compared Perry's vox to seal torture.

STILL, I am a fan of that bass line and tone on "Don't Stop Believing."