Columbia 37408
Producers: Mike Stone and Kevin Elton
Track listing: Don’t Stop Believin’ / Stone in Love / Who’s Crying Now / Keep on Runnin’ / Still They Ride / Escape / Lay It Down / Dead or Alive / Mother, Father / Open Arms
September 12, 1981
1 week
“I knew we were going to do good,” says guitarist Neal Schon. “I knew we were going to sell at least a million records. I felt like we had good songs that were right in line with radio. We had worked hard to build quite a fan base. Even if we put out a terrible record, it would have sold.” Escape wasn’t a terrible record, but “one of the best records Journey ever made,” Schon adds.
Journey was formed in February 1973 in San Francisco, when Schon, formerly of Santana, recruited Steve Miller Band bassist Ross Valory, future Tubes drummer Prairie Prince, and guitarist George Tickner. Keyboardist Gregg Rolie, also of Santana fame, joined a few months later. Yet after three albums and multiple personnel changes, Journey still hadn’t taken off.
Then, in late 1977, vocalist Steve Perry joined the band. With Perry and new drummer Steve Smith, Journey became an album-rock radio favorite and racked up a string of four consecutive platinum albums, including the 1981 live double-album Captured. Next up was Escape.
Before the album was recorded, road-weary Rolie was replaced by former Babys member Jonathan Cain. “It was a breath of fresh air,” Schon recalls. “He had a lot of really great songwriting ability and he kind of rounded out the whole project.”
Recorded in approximately a month at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, Escape was one of the least expensive Journey albums. “Everyone basically did their homework and had their shit together,” Schon says. “We were in and out of the studio.”
Much of the material on the album, including “Stone in Love” and the title track, was born out of Schon’s practice of running a tape recorder when he experimented with his guitar. “I came up with ‘Stone in Love’ in one day,” Schon recalls. “I had taken some mushrooms and turned on the cassette recorder. I had no idea what I played until I listened to the tape the next day.” Another track, the appropriately titled “Mother, Father,” was co-written with Schon’s father.
Newcomer Cain also contributed heavily. “He brought ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.’ I came up with a couple chords and jammed them out and then he and Steve finished it.” It was the combination of Perry and Cain that led to what would become the band’s two biggest hits, the radio-friendly ballads “Who’s Crying Now” and “Open Arms.” The former would help propel Escape to the top of the album chart and into the hearts of millions, although the band was despised by rock critics. “The critics never liked us,” Schon admits. “But we didn’t give a shit. The fans loved us and radio loved us, and we sold a ton of records.”
Journey would go on to score with two other multi-platinum albums, 1983’s Frontiers and 1986’s Raised on Radio, but even during the making of Escape, tension was brewing within the band. “Steven and I used to butt heads a lot,” Schon admits. “There was a lot of friction going on between him and me, but it made for better music.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of September 12, 1981
1. Escape, Journey
2. Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks
3. 4, Foreigner
4. Precious Time, Pat Benatar
5. Don’t Say No, Billy Squier