Journey
Raised on Radio

THE REVIEW

1986: a decidedly important year for AOR, during which extremely important and especially wonderful works in this genre were released. In this regard, one can mention various albums like Back To The Streets by Christian rockers Petra, or When Seconds Count by Survivor, among the most important artists when it comes to AOR, as well as Toto, who released the splendid Fahrenheit that year (one of the most underrated albums of all time in my opinion, just because it is positioned between two masterpieces like Isolation from 1984 and The Seventh One from 1988), or even A Matter Of Attitude by Fate, The Sport Of Kings by Triumph, The Final Countdown by Europe, and many others. All seemingly unsurpassable albums, all deserving of top marks, yet, incredibly but true, there was one album capable of surpassing (and not by a small margin) all of these: Raised On Radio by Journey.

This legendary work was able to surpass all the aforementioned albums, and in my very humble opinion, even two enormous albums like Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983), which practically represented perfection in AOR and are still cited as two cornerstones of the genre.

The superlatives are abundant with this album, but there are no words capable of fully conveying its beauty, its nuances, the atmosphere it breathes into you while listening. So, the only thing to do is to insert Raised On Radio into the stereo to be swept away by the highly emotional impact of the opener "Girl Can't Help It", a very valid representative style of the album: keyboard dominance (here Jonathan Cain performs a formidable job, probably the best performance of his career), atmospheres that involve the listener in a spiral of emotions and above all a touch of melancholy which makes this album's style unmistakable.

The following track "Positive Touch" (obviously influenced by Toto), with its absolutely irresistible rhythm, seems more cheerful and vigorous than the previous one, but after a certain number of listens, one can catch (especially in the excellent final sax solo) the veiled melancholy previously discussed, which greatly enriches the piece.

After the beautiful "Suzanne", comes the biggest hit of this Raised On Radio: "Be Good To Yourself", with decidedly sunnier and more fun tones than the rest of the album; this makes it seem a bit detached from the other songs, but it fits perfectly with them, not clashing at all within the album. "Once You Love Somebody" is characterized by a very funky rhythm and its ponderous, almost agonizing tempo, while "Happy To Give" is a delicate and beautiful ballad, with Jonathan Cain recreating evocative, fantastic, even unreal scenarios with his keyboards.

The atmospheres are lightened once again with the vibrant and energetic title track, as brief as it is incisive, containing a short but very intense and engaging solo by Neal Schon and a great performance by Steve Perry, who as usual is very expressive, while "I'll Be Alright Without You" and "It Could Have Been You" are two splendid pieces where the shadow of Toto looms once again, while still maintaining their originality.

As we approach the end of the album, we find what is for me one of the most beautiful songs in the history of music, "The Eyes Of A Woman". A Steve Perry at his most expressive and especially a Jonathan Cain who once again weaves imaginary plots and builds ethereal and melancholic atmospheres, making this song a masterpiece, a whirlwind of feelings and emotions destined to stir the listener's soul. The closing is entrusted to the intense ballad "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever", which from the title alone hints at flashes of burning passion emanating from every detail.

One of the most beautiful albums of all music, even if it surely deserves top marks. Its quality may have been surpassed by other works, but trust me, when you listen to (assuming you haven't already) this Raised On Radio, you will immediately realize that its magic will manage to give you emotions that nothing else on Earth will be able to evoke.