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Infinity: Turning The Corner
by Greg Carpenter

It's 2001, and Journey has released a new album with a new vocalist. The hope is that Arrival, the new album with vocalist Steve Augeri, might be Escape 2000, but according to Keven Shirley on his website, "Well, Neal thinks Infinity is more of a comparison..."

Can there be a more fitting context to begin a look at the album that launched a band into mega-stardom? And why would Schon compare a new album to one recorded by the band 25 years ago?

The obvious comparisons are that, going into the studio to record Infinity, Journey had a new singer and a lot of pressure to hit a homerun with a new record. This very familiar scenario faced the band as they entered the studio to record Arrival.

But in order to really understand the importance of Infinity to Journey's career, let's start at the beginning of the Steve Perry era of Journey. The band was one album away from being a footnote in rock history when entering the studio to record their fourth album, Infinity. Armed with a tenacious manager, a successful producer, a new singer, and refocused energy, the band went into His Masters Wheels to begin recording Journey¹s breakthrough album.

Infinity sounds like no other Journey record for many reasons, one being the influence of producer Roy Thomas Baker. After a run of three albums, each selling under 250,000 copies, Journey¹s label gave the band an ultimatum to hire a singer, use Baker, and get some hits or get dropped.

Known for his success with Queen, Baker took the band into the studio with, according to keyboardist and vocalist Gregg Rollie, a philosophy of, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing at 10!" Baker had certainly used that philosophy with Queen, producing over-the-top singles with that band including "Bohemian Rhapsody."

In the time between recording Next and Infinity, Journey experienced line-up changes with the addition of a singer, Robert Fleischman*, the firing of that singer, and the addition of another singer, Steve Perry. Fleischman, though not in the band for very long, helped Journey to write material with a vocal orientation ("Anytime," "Wheel In The Sky") and gave the band experience in working with a strong lead vocalist.

Fleischman, though a strong vocalist, did not have the range or the spirit of cooperation that a young Perry brought with him. Though dubious at first, keyboardist Gregg Rollie and guitarist Neal Schon began a successful working relationship with Perry that would result in top 40 singles, something that had alluded the band on their first three albums. Infinity would also be Journey's first platinum album.

Perry's pre-tour vocals are another reason that Infinity sounds like no other Journey album. Perry had no real tour experience before recording with Journey, and his vocals never sounded so crisp and clear. His range and flexibility is simply incredible on the album, but it's the emotion he pours into every line that wins new fans.

Along with a new singer, Journey brought into the studio songs that, while in stark contrast to the material featured on the band¹s first three albums, were a mixture of pop and progressive sounds not found in such quantity on any other Journey release. Gone were the extended solos and indulgent song structures. In their place were meticulously crafted songs with sing-along vocal melodies over restrained instrumental tracks with occasional bursts of bombast.

Traces of the band¹s heavier, progressive side were still evident, especially in the songs ³La Do Da/Patiently,² and ³Can Do,² but now, the band introduced songs like ³Lights² and ³Wheel In The Sky² which had the potential for mass appeal. Proving that Journey manager Herbie Herbert had made the right decision in hiring the young vocalist, Perry brought with him the hit song ³Lights,² and the gift of helping to shape musical ideas by the group into hit material.

Infinity may be considered Journey's Revolver in that it was the band's first album which was not just a collection of songs. Instead, it is a cohesive statement with tracks weaving in and out of each other and a track listing that moves along from soft to hard, simple to complex, almost perfectly showcasing the diversity of the band's influences.

The album opens with "Lights" which was a slap in the face to fans of pre-Perry Journey and an announcement to the rock world that Journey had turned a corner in their career. "Lights" has commercial single appeal, and it becomes an early triumph at radio for the band.

The dominate keyboard sound is piano as opposed to Rollie's pounding organ of the past. Schon, while ripping into a wailing solo two minutes into the song, plays a very restrained melody throughout. Drummer Ansley Dunbar, though playing very crisply, abandons the complex fills which were his trademark.

And that voice. Listeners are introduced to the voice that would melt millions of hearts and bring legions of new fans into the Journey family, the voice that has inspired such diverse vocalists as James LaBrie of Dream Theater and Ricky Martin.

Next up is "Feeling That Way," a duet between Rollie and Perry. Rollie is singing technically better here than anything on the previous Journey albums, and better than most of his Santana work. Schon continues to play with the finesse heard on "Lights," allowing him to show his skill beyond the thunderous leads of earlier Journey tracks, alluding back to the opening of "Of A Lifetime."

The song glides effortlessly into "Anytime," with a lead vocal by Rollie. The highlight though is Schon's lead playing and the perfect vocal harmony achieved by the group in the chorus, transforming the simple lyrics "Anytime that you need me/Anytime that you want me to" into pure listening bliss.

Roy Thomas Baker gives the headphone listener some fun on "Feeling That Way/Anytime" by creatively manipulating the left and right channels, isolating some sounds, emphasizing others, and even using a little phasing effect that every 70's album seemed to have at least once. His manipulation of right and left channels makes Infinity a definite must listen on headphones and one can only dream about what a Surround Sound mix of Infinity would sound like.

Journey re-enters some familiar territory for them on "La Do Da." This is one of the highlights on the album for the serious music fan, with Schon and Rollie's blistering leads, the driving rhythm track, and Ansley's powerful drumming.

Perry also shines on this song, pushing his vocals to the limit. Baker takes Perry's stellar vocal performance and manipulates it electronically to enhance the emotion and dynamics of the performance, taking a song that on Next would have been just another jam and transforming it into a melodic hard rock masterpiece.

A single note supplied by a synthesizer connects "La Do Da" to the first ballad on Infinity, also new territory for the band. "Patiently" is the first song that Schon and Perry worked on together, and it is a beautiful ballad. The band shows their progressive roots again by grafting two musical ideas into one song as "Patiently's" rocking bridge allows Neal to perform a blistering solo.

The second half of Infinity is kicked off by another single, "Wheel In The Sky." Written by the band previous to Perry's arrival, "Wheel In The Sky" has become one of Journey's signature songs and a single that still gets radio play today. Not only does it have a catchy melody, the haunting sound of Perry's vocal over Schon's solo recalls the interplay of Page and Plant at their very best.

The band kicks it into overdrive at the end of "Wheel In The Sky," and one can only imagine what a tour de force the song could have been if it had not been cut short. We get a taste of the extended "Wheel" on Captured, but the decision to fade out the end on Infinity is a sign of the band's dedication to streamlining their sound.

Another ballad, "Something To Hide" follows the up-tempo "Wheel In The Sky." The most emotional track on the album, "Something To Hide" features a pleading vocal by Perry that stirs the soul. There is also more interplay between the voice of Perry and the guitar of Schon. This is a wonderful element on Infinity that is not explored as much as it should have been on future releases.

"Something To Hide" seques smoothly into "Winds Of March," with a musical, if not lyrical, theme that would be explored again on "Mother, Father" on Escape. "Winds of March" can be described as having the "prettiest" melody on Infinity, that is until the solo section which features Rollie playing a smoking organ solo followed by a energized solo by Schon. As on "Patiently," the band is not content to play a simple ballad, still not willing to relinquish completely their progressive roots.

"Can Do" is a track that would have fit nicely on Next, with another driving rhythm track and soloing all over the place. The lyrics, while optimistic, are a little shallow on this track, and if Infinity has a weak spot, it is "Can Do." This song just sticks out on the album like a sore thumb.

Infinity ends with another ballad, "Opened The Door." While "Can Do" breaks up what would have been a string of three ballads at the end of the album, "Opened The Door" is a natural follow-up to "Winds Of March." This may be the closet classic on Infinity as it contains all of the elements that make a great Journey song.

Schon supplies majestic leads and a melodic solo while Perry sings sentimental lyrics from the heart. The song is introduced by melodic interplay between piano and acoustic guitar and it builds throughout the song, adding layers of electric guitar, crashing cymbals, and Rollie's lead keyboard playing.

Looking at Infinity as a whole, it is remarkable how a band, with so much pressure on it, produced such a steller album from start to finish considering the unknows the band faced going into the process. As Journey was going into the studio to record Arrival, they must have felt the same pressure to perform as they also faced some of the same unknows (a new singer, label pressures, a new band dynamic). In 20 years, let us hope there are glowing reviews of Arrival as well.

Infinity is the only Journey album to see a Sony MasterSound Gold Compact Disc release but from the reviews of that disc, you would do just as well buying a Sony SBM remaster (which should the common version on store shelves now). The liner notes in the SBM remastered CD are true to the vinyl release which is a nice touch (except for the SBM notes, but they are unobtrusive).

*Fleischman would go on to be the first vocalist in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion named for guitarist and former Kiss member Vinnie Vincent. Ironically, Fleischman would be replaced in that band by a singer, Mark Slaughter, with a wider vocal range, one of the reasons he was replaced in Journey. The Invasion would go on to fire Vinnie Vincent and form the group Slaughter which is still together as of this writing.