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Raised on Radio

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How Journey Pared Down, Then Hit Again With ‘Raised on Radio’

Nothing lasts forever — not even the incredible streak of hits Journey started in the '80s. And as the second half of the decade dawned, the band was falling apart.

In addition to the traditional wear and tear of the recording/touring cycle that Journey had been on since the early '70s, the mid-'80s proved particularly trying on a personal level for singer Steve Perry , who had to cope with his mother's terminal illness just as the band was gearing up to record the follow-up to 1983's Frontiers . Emotionally drained by the looming reality of a loved one's death, Perry nonetheless took on the responsibility of producing the band's next album — a step many on the outside saw as a sign of his complete creative takeover, but one he insisted had everything to do with protecting their musical identity after years of multi-platinum success.

"It was not easy for her, her sickness, as it was not easy for me with the pressure of the album and the pressure of producing it," Perry told the Journey fan club in a 1985 interview. "It was a conscious decision by the band to have me produce it; they wanted me to do it. It really wasn't anything else, like some people thought. It wasn't that Steve Perry was coming back into Journey to change things. It's the other producers that we were afraid would change the band's sound."

The band's sound, at this point, was largely identified with three things: Perry's vocals, Neal Schon 's guitar and Jonathan Cain 's keyboards. Not coincidentally, the trio had also cemented itself as Journey's primary songwriters — and although the group had always been a collection of talented and distinctive players, it was Perry, Cain and Schon who drove the development of the new LP.

It was a process that would ultimately see bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith squeezed out of the lineup and replaced by session musicians — a move Smith later attributed to the advent of recording technology allowing for machine-driven demos that dictated parts to musicians who'd always been able to allow their playing to develop organically.

Watch Journey Perform 'I'll Be Alright Without You'

"I couldn’t play with a click track well during that time. It was new for me, a new experience," Smith told Jrnydv.com . "The problem was they wrote all the music with the technology. And that was a big shift — a paradigm shift — of how we did business. We used to write organically. But that record was written in Jonathan’s music room with machines — without Ross and me there. So by the time we came into it, it was hard for us to get ourselves not only invested but physically into it to the point where we could own the parts. It was the first time that they had written for us."

A handful of Smith's performances would be held over for the final product, but for most of the record, drumming duties were handled by Larrie Londin, a prolific pro who'd worked with Perry on his Street Talk solo LP. Valory, meanwhile, was primarily replaced by session ace and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson. With a handful of other personnel — including engineer Jim Gaines, who served as an associate producer alongside Perry — the band tracked the new material at Bay Area studios throughout late 1985.

The end result, titled Raised on Radio , couldn't help but sound somewhat different from the Journey fans had come to love — and yet with Perry at the mic, Cain at the keyboards and Schon on guitar, it was more than close enough for most listeners. Fans turned out in droves for the new LP upon its arrival on May 27, 1986, sending the record to No. 4 on the charts and giving the band yet another platinum album in the process. Radio programmers were similarly enthused, helping Journey notch four more Top 20 singles — "Be Good to Yourself," "Suzanne," "Girl Can't Help It" and "I'll Be Alright Without You" — while the title track earned additional heavy rotation on rock stations and "Why Can't This Night Go on Forever" turned into a midsize adult contemporary hit.

Still, as commercially successful as the record was, the personal and creative attrition Journey had suffered between Frontiers and Raised on Radio took its toll. By the end of the tour in early 1987, Perry in particular was, as he'd later put it, " toasty " and ready for a break. Unsure of what he wanted to do next but desperate to take an indefinite period away from the spotlight, he walked away from Journey, sending the group into a hiatus that would last for a decade.  

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After the 1983 album Frontiers and the subsequent stadium tour, the band took a bit of a hiatus to pursue different projects. Guitarist Neal Schon made the second of his two “experimental” solo albums, which prompted Perry to pursue his own solo album. Street Talk , released in 1984, contained the pop-rock and ballads that seemed a little too close to Journey’s signature sound for the other band members, causing some tension within the band. The five members of Journey, including Jonathan Cain on keyboards, Ross Valory on bass, and Steve Smith on drums, did re-convene to record a couple of songs for movie soundtracks later in 1984, but took virtually all of 1985 off.

Finally, the band wanted to record a new album, but Perry was hesitant to do so because his mother was ailing. When she convinced him to do the album, Perry was more determined than ever to take the reigns on the musical direction, something that he had slowly been doing as early as 1980, when founding member Greg Rollie departed. Perry’s idea for Raised On Radio (a title which he insisted on over the band’s original title of “Freedom”) was to forge a new sound that was a hybrid of traditional Journey and his solo own work. When early session work did not go over well, Perry convinced Schon and Cain to back him in firing Valory and Smith and Journey continued on as a trio.

Much of the album has a feel similar to Perry’s Street Talk . However, there is one element that makes this definitive Journey (and, in reality, saves the album from musical oblivion) and that element is Neal Schon’s guitar work. Mainly floating above the rhythm, Schon’s excellent guitars add the only truly interesting and uplifting sonic value to this album, with the exception of a few songs with great vocals such as on the opening classic “Girl Can’t Help It”.

Raised On Radio does get off to a very good start. “Girl Can’t Help It” is the best song on the album, with a direct and crisp sound with a just slight flange, a simple but memorable piano riff, and some counter-harmonic guitars to accent it all. The song morphs from the simple, melodic first section to a more intense second part with some excellent harmonies. “Positive Touch” follows with a definite 1986 sound that is still quite entertaining. Guest Dan Hull adds a great saxophone and the song also contains an entertaining outtro section, highlighted by Perry’s majestic high-pitched melodies. To this point Raised On Radio still feels like the natural progression of the Journey sound.

Unfortunately, the album then takes a serious downward turn. Although both were significant pop hits, “Suzanne” and “Be Good to Yourself” are sub-standard to most of the vast radio hits of Journey’s past. These are mostly disposable songs, with just small sprinklings of guitar excellence and vocal harmonies. The greatest disappoint here is Cain’s keyboard work, which has really fallen off from the bluesy piano ballads of Escape and Frontiers towards a cheap and cheesy synth sound on this album.

The rest of Raised On Radio is high-end mediocre at best. “Once You Love Somebody” contains a nice funky bass by future American Idol host Randy Jackson and the title song opens with a nice blues harp by Hull, but both of these are really average songs on the whole. “I’ll Be Alright Without You” is the best song on the second side, as a soft-rock adult contemporary ballad with harmonized vocals nicely complemented by Perry’s crooning and Schon’s slow walk-up to the signature guitar riff in the outro. “The Eyes of a Woman” is a little doomy with deep, long string synths and the closer “Why Can’t This Night Go On Forever” is an attempt to replicate past ballad smashes such as “Faithfully” that falls far short.

Following the release of Raised On Radio , Journey embarked on a tour which was initially very successful, but in early 1987 Perry suddenly and unexpectedly pulled the plug and the band was forced to cancel the rest of the tour and went on an indefinite hiatus. Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain teamed up with Cain’s ex-Babys’ band mates John Waite and Ricky Phillips to form Bad English in 1988 while Ross Valory teamed up with Gregg Rolie to form The Storm . They would not again reconvene as a band for nearly a decade, when the five members who made up Journey prior to Raised On Radio had a short-lived comeback. But the classic band was never again the same.

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1986 albums .

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Huge Journey fan, having followed their music since 79. The ROR album does have unique sounds for the era. There is a saxophone piece towards the end of “Suzanna” that brings back the very early Journey when Steve Perry joined the band reference “Good times” e.g. There is a song, however that did not get the pub it needed. The song is called “Happy to Give” Perhaps the best song on this album and marks the beginning of the end of Steve Perry’s incredible range. IMO, all albums sung (afterward), does not have this range advertised. Listen to his next album (FTLOSM) and then Trial by Fire (1996) for his range degradation.

Agreed Alfred. Happy to give is awesome. This album is great and deserves a better review. I do wish Steve Perry had smoked fewer cigarettes going forward.

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Raised On Radio (Bonus Track Version)

May 27, 1986 13 Songs, 53 minutes ℗ 1986 Sony Music Entertainment

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Houston life, houston-native sam morrow talks about his journey in music and performs a single from his new album on houston life.

Javana Vela , Houston Life Producer

Houston – Musician Sam Morrow is gearing up for his album release show in The Woodlands. First, he stopped by Studio B and talked to Houston Life about life on the road, his journey, and finding his sound.

Morrow was born and raised in Houston before ditching his Texas roots for the California Coast. It wasn’t until he left Texas, that he felt the need to appreciate the country genre. Morrow spent the last 10 years on the road filtering those country sounds into his music, mashing them together with the southern boogie of Little Feat, the electric blues of Freddie King, the Tex-Mex of Los Lobos, and the desert rock of Queens Of The Stone Age. After four albums, Morrow moved back to the Houston area last year.

His latest album On The Ride Here was released on March 22 and offers more than travelogue tales, Morrow focuses on the destination, and many songs on the album deal with the hard lessons and new perspectives that come with rest, reflection, and time spent at home.

On The Ride Here is considered the final piece of his musical trilogy that began with the country-inspired Concrete & Mud and the rock-influenced Gettin’ By On Gettin’ Down.

Following his interview with Houston Life, Morrow performed the single ‘By Your Side” from his album.

FUN FACT: Sam’s album Concrete and Mud was Top 10 on the Americana Radio Chart. The song “Quick Fix” has been streamed more than 1.8 million times. The track was also featured in Showtime’s popular series Billions, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson featured Sam’s song in an Instagram post receiving over 10 million likes.

Morrow heads out on tour in June to tour in support of his new record.

Before then, he’s performing several venues across the country. You can see him on April 12 in The Woodlands at the Dosey Doe at 6:30 p.m.

Get your tickets here.

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