REVIEW: Journey – In The Beginning (1979 CBS cassette)

JOURNEY – In The Beginning (1979 CBS cassette)

Journey began scoring hits when they acquired powerhouse vocalist Steve Perry on Infinity (1978) and Evolution (1979).  Why not issue a compilation sourced from the band’s first three Perry-less records, with new cover art that ties into their present?  Seems like a no-brainer.  And so we have Journey’s first compilation album (and a double length at that) called In The Beginning.  Thank you Tim Durling for gifting this copy for the collection and for review.

In The Beginning contains five of the seven tracks from Journey’s self-titled debut.  It begins with three.  As on the original LP, “Of A Lifetime” opens.  The long organ and guitar-drenched opening gives way to a slow and passionate Gregg Rolie lead vocal.  Were Iron Maiden influenced by this song when they wrote “Strange World” for their own debut?  Probably just coincidence, but it can be heard.  The main hook in “Of A Lifetime” was the unmistakable guitar hook.  At this early stage, Journey boasted two guitar players:  Neal Schon and the late George Tickner.  They have to share the spotlight with an absolutely raging Aynsley Dunbar on drums and Rolie tearing it up on the synth.  Undervalued bassist Ross Valory also must be mentioned, playing concrete but melodic foundations under the feature players.

George Tickner’s instrumental “Topaz” goes second, starting slow and then taking on a jamming, progressive jazz rock fusion vibe.  This complex track is not to be taken lightly.  Just absorb every different section as they hit you.  Once again, Dunbar is a monster.  Third is “Kohoutek”, the memorable Schon/Rolie instrumental that was also track three on the debut album.  On vinyl, in both cases, it closed Side One.  It’s another challenging track with a cool galloping section.  (There’s a reason I’ve heard Dunbar referred to as an octopus – he sounds like he’s playing with eight arms!)

Rolie’s “On A Saturday Night” from album #2, Look Into the Future is a completely different style from the first three progressive sprawls.  Under four minutes with a bopping piano, this is just great rock and roll!  Tickner was out and the band was reduced to a quartet with Schon as the sole six-stringer.  Shades here of where the band would head once they figured out their future direction.  Schon’s solo is an example of melodic composition.  The Beatles cover “It’s All Too Much” from Look Into the Future follows.  It fits this new concise straightforward Journey sound, and it is quite excellent.  Rolie was the perfect guy to sing a George Harrison song, and the backwards ending is suitably trippy.  The blues “In My Lonely Feeling/Conversations” takes us back to the debut album.  This Rolie/Valory composition scorches with passionate fretwork.  Not surprisingly, the bass is the foundation.  Also from the debut, “Mystery Mountain” closes side one.  A short, but jamming track with subtle use of the wah-wah pedal.

Opening (cassette) Side Two, “Spaceman” from Next (album #3) was a melodic single.  Journey were honing in on that simple pop rock ballad.  “Spaceman” is one of their first.  As it did on album, “People” follows “Spaceman”, featuring synth and acoustics.  Very psychedelic for Journey.  The back to album #2, “Anyway” rocks hard and slow, like a monumental Whitesnake track from the 70s.  (Dunbar later joined Coverdale & Co. for 1987.)  From the same record, “You’re On Your Own” switches from slow and bluesy verses to a pounding chorus, enabled by Aynsley.  There’s a Beatles influence here in “I Want You (She’s So Heavy”).

We’re into the last tracks here, as vinyl listeners would have been flipping to side four for “Look Into the Future”, a brilliant ballad and one of the band’s early best.  “Nickel and Dime”, a legendary jam from Next feels like a throwback to the first album and for good reason:  it’s a leftover Tickner co-write!  And finally, In The Beginning closes with the epic “I’m Gonna Leave You”, the same song that closed the debut Journey.  Coupling some killer organ with with a heavy riff, this bluesy rocker also boasts some of Rolie’s best vocalizin’.  Legendary!

For those who only know Journey as a lovin’, touchin’, squeezin’ band of crooners and balladeers, this compilation would come as a shock to the system.  But a shock can be a good thing.  In The Beginning is a great way to get many of the key tracks from the first phase of Journey in one purchase.  This stuff doesn’t usually make it onto regular Journey compilations.  It’s a good set to own.

4/5 stars

21 comments

  1. How duplicitous of them to market pre-Perry prog Journey with the logo styles of post-Perry Journey to boost sales. I still respect the con a bit.

    Didn’t know Journey had a “Kohoutek.” I like the R.E.M. one better.

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  3. How many people have we meet over the years that would say “I know every word to every Journey song”? You put the first album on without saying a word and about half way through “Of a Lifetime” you ask why they aren’t singing and you get that look…..

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    1. Dennis this is my favourite comment. It is bang-on. So true.

      On the flipside you have the ones who think Steve Perry is still in the band! I had that happen to me working at the record store. Someone came in and said “I just saw Journey live! They were awesome! Steve Perry still has it!” I said, “Lady, you saw Steve Augeri, not Steve Perry.”

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  4. Have a nearly worn out vinyl copy of the first-bought it as soon as it came out. That first side is awesome. Love alternating it with the 3rd Santana (best Schon solos).
    And Aynsley is a frickin’ MONSTER. Zappa’s CHUNGA’S REVENGE isn’t the greatest for songs, but Dunbar absolutely dominates.
    Recently found SCHON&HAMMER cheap on vinyl- Steve Perry and Ross Valory guest. Different approach for both guys, bit more of a metal edge.

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  6. Interesting review. I like the first three Journey albums although I do understand why they were not as popular. Although I consider the Steve Perry version of Journey (which I also enjoy) and the original version(s) to be almost different bands, I think it’s cool to listen to how the group changed from one into the other, both before Perry joined and after (with the big change coming around the time Jonathan Cain became the keyboard player in the band, replacing Gregg Rolie). I think I got the first three albums (the ones covered by this piece) quite late, after immersing myself in Santana (who made a somewhat analogous progression of their own – to see what I mean compare their classic ’70’s albums with their early ’80’s albums when Alex Ligertwood was the singer, as heard on their chart-topping version of Canadian Ian Thomas’ song “Hold On”).

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    1. Hey Henry! Nice Ian Thomas reference. Here’s an Ian Thomas for ya!

      I agree with you that the later version of Journey is pretty much a different band. Perhaps even more so today, now that they won’t touch most of these songs. The Journey Through Time CD set is quite excellent, and they even do a couple Santana songs with Marco Mendoza singing. I reviewed this with Tim a while back:

      VIDEO/REVIEW: Tim’s Vinyl Confessions: Ep. 424: Neal Schon – Journey Through Time (2023)

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  8. Update: After watching Mike’s video on “Journey Through Time” I listened to the concert online and enjoyed it so much I’ve ordered a copy of the CD.

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    1. These words make me happy. Tim was hoping a couple people would buy the album based on this. It’s great value! 3 CDs and a DVD, it’s total value. Marco Mendoza later played with the actual Journey when Randy Jackson was having back surgery, so really…this is Journey all but one member.

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      1. I’m looking forward to it coming in the mail (post). I must say it’s a great service when you and others highlight releases like this because I’ve found that in the years since brick and mortar stores became increasingly rare I struggle just to know what’s been released, what’s out there (whereas is in the past it was easier to keep track of new releases and it was more about finding out about imports or rarities.).

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        1. Thank you Henry. Appreciated!

          In this case Tim really stressed to me the urgency to get this CD. He sent me all the tracks because my CD was late. I binged on them, and we just recorded the show like that with me fresh.

          I’ll do my best to keep you posted on other important releases out there!

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