Rocking Retro – Journey’s Greatest Hits
Out of all the 70’s-80’s arena rock groups, who are now staples of the yacht rock club (think REO Speedwagon, Styx, Foghat, Foreigner, et al), Journey is probably the one whose popularity has endured and been passed on to a younger crowd better than the others. Why? Well, perhaps it’s because everyone’s parents owned a copy of the band’s Greatest Hits album (shown above). After all, it has sold 15 million copies and spent 760 weeks on the Billboard charts, and it’s Journey’s best selling album.
Maybe it’s because “Don’t Stop Believing” has never exactly left the pop music consciousness; it was, after all, the only thing my Freshmen roommate would listen to whenever he came home – I mean, he would just blare it repeatedly, over and over and over and over. Not to mention it’s a karaoke staple and pretty much the most unavoidable song in the history of the world….I hate that I still like it, I really do.
Everything off this compilation is heard on the radio every day, and in bars, clubs, and the occasional Girl Talk mashup. And Journey, as this comp proves, had some pretty badass songs (even though “Lights” and “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin'” are pretty much the same song). Sure, Journey’s greatest hits aren’t perfect, there are some duds, and sorry, world, but these guys can’t top my love for Foreigner or REO, but there are some jams in here, particularly “Any Way You Want It.” How can you not crank it when that one comes on?
“Any Way You Want It”
“Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin'”
“Lights”