Journey

“Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” “Any Way You Want It” — with early-’80s hits like these, Journey defined the muscular, heart-tugging sound of arena rock. The band’s instrumental virtuosity (particularly the breathtaking lead guitar of Neal Schon, who had once been a member of Santana and remained the only Journey-man to play on all the band’s recordings) gave them a solid foundation. Then, with the addition of Steve Perry’s crystalline voice, Journey entered the ranks of rock’s enduring immortals. Cue up the classic line “A singer in a smoky room/A smell of wine and cheap perfume” . . . and keep on believin’. Journey hits the 21st century in overdrive, in Next Steps.

During its early- to mid-’80s heyday, Journey made rock with a tender heart, rich in prog texture and visceral in its romantic appeal. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain wrote outstanding melodic ballads (like “After the Fall”), giving Steve Perry the tunes he needed to soar to stratospheric heights. The grandeur that was Journey at its best continues to inspire fans across the globe . . . and the band still delivers arena-sized thrills: check out heavyweight 21st-century album tracks, the beat-pummelin’ “Nothin’ Comes Close” and the thunderous, amp-crushing “World Gone Wild” from 11th studio album Arrival, the full-length debut for Perry replacement Steve Augeri. For a choice selection of progressive early Journey material, head to Deep Cuts.

Those who know Journey only as a mighty hit-single machine have an incomplete picture of the group’s talents. Their early years emphasized jazz-tinged improvisation; later albums buried more personal material between potential singles. Double back to discover a few more bends in Journey’s road: “Topaz” (from 1975’s self-titled debut) betrays the band’s prog/fusion roots in Santana, and while 1976’s Look Into the Future reined in that sound for the sake of commercial streamlining, a five-minute-plus piece like “Midnight Dreamer” has more than enough room to breathe, coming across like a heavy, prog-tempered jam.

Journey never dreamed small. From the start, the San Francisco group had a grand vision of its potential. First, they experimented with a challenging jazz-rock synthesis. Then, with the addition of singer Steve Perry (the frontman who became a legend with the band during its ’80s glory years), they forged a melodic rock sound that achieved staggering success. Their arena-sized tours and hit singles faded for a time, but the band came roaring back in the 21st century with new vocalist Steve Augeri, who made his studio debut on 2001’s Arrival. By 2008, Augeri had, in turn, given way to Arnel Pineda . . . and the Journey continues.