One of the most popular late 70's and 80's band, Journey were able to produce some top notch hits and in 1988 they released "Greatest Hits" containing 15 of their best hits. Now i'm really not a big fan of Journey but I can dig a few of their songs and as a whole this album is not too bad. Without having to buy all the studio albums I can have Journey's best songs.
1. Only the Young (4:05)
The song starts out with a quick keybaord riff that maintains its beat throughout the song with a nice guitar solo in the middle of the song. This song ain't too bad and it's quite relaxing. Steve Perry does a good singing job as well and is a nice way to kick off the album. 4/5
2. Don't Stop Believin' (4:10)
Now my favorite Journey song of all time and maybe their most popular song ever. The paino is first to be heard then Perry begins singing some sweet lyrics that almost suggest a fate on how we meet the people that we were ment to be with. But enough with the corny stuff, the guitar solo is awesome with a high shrieking pitch and Perry gets his voice up their to match the intesity of the guitar. The bass riff is also noticable in this song and all in all this song is just a classic song that'll live on forever. 5/5
3. Wheel in the Sky (4:12)
I know so many people who love this song but I absolutely hate it. It starts out with a good riff but the singing and lyrics are way too cheesy for me to stand. Like I said, the guitar riff is pretty good as well as the solo but the singing is mediocre and the lyrics are really, really bad if you ask me. Oh well... 2/5
4. Faithfully (4:26)
A pretty ballad building off a great opening piano piece with probably Steve Perry's best vocal performance of the entire album. The lyrics are nothin' special but everything else makes up for that and overall is a really beautiful song. 4/5
5. I'll Be Alright Without You (4:34)
A personal favorite of mine from Journey, it really came as a suprise to me considering its not a catchy song. But the ambient guitar playing that I find echoes that of David Gilmour from Pink Floyd. The solo sounds good and it always creates a great mood to enjoy. 5/5
6. Any Way You Want It (3:23)
The biggest radio hit on the album, it starts out fast and never lets up. You've probably heard this song on many commercials here and there and plenty of times on the local classic rock radio. It's a fun song and one of their better ones too. 5/5
7. Ask the Lonely (3:54)
I like the riff to this song, kind of fast paced but melodic making it really catchy. The singing is alright and the lyrics are standard cheese that's actually quite expecting from Journey. 4/5
8. Who's Crying Now (5:02)
Now I swear the piano riff to this song was always used in some old show that I can't remember. I'm not sure but I sure do know that this song is great. The riff gives this song a really dark and serious tone to it but is really a sad tune and the lyrics come out to be top notch. I like the guitar solo and the song ends on a strong note. 5/5
9. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (5:26)
Another huge hit off from Journey and for many good reasons. I'm not a big fan of the opening keybaord riff, it bugs me but the guitar and bass kick in and suprisingly I find the lyrics to be the strongest part of the song. Steve Perry also does a magnifecent job on the vocals and all together this song is probably their biggest masterpiece wether or not it was their biggest hit. 5/5
10. Lights (3:11)
The guitar starts out with some bluesy Jimi Hendrix like playing from Neal Schon. The whole song is a bit quiet but really sets a mellow feel and the singing and lyrics combination really works out well in this one. 5/5
11. Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' (3:50)
Similar to "Lights", it starts out quiet and remains quiet throughout most of the album until the end when the energy builds up. The guitar riff is mellow but the bass is noticeable and does a good job carrying the song. "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" was another big radio hit from Journey and i'm sure you're quite familiar with it. 5/5
12. Open Arms (3:18)
Again Journey pulls off a dramatic ballad but this time come up a bit short in my opinion. It contains some more great piano playing and emotional singing from Steve Perry. But too me, this song really never ment much to me. 4/5
13. Girl Can't Help It (3:50)
Not a huge fan of this song and it may be the weakest song on the album. Nothing really catches my attention and though it ain't a bad song it's still an alright song just not up with standards with the rest of the album. 2/5
14. Send Her My Love (3:55)
Another ballad yet again I don't see anything too great about it. It was a fair hit for the band but it's not catchy and really puts me in a boring mood. Now that i've said all of that you may like these songs but they're really nothing to me but average songs. 3/5
15. Be Good to Yourself (3:52)
This is the reason why the album loses a point is the last three songs are quite weak and don't fit the other songs well. "Stone in Love" or any other song could've been a better choice then one of these songs. Like i've already said, it's not bad but it ain't all that great either. In the end it's up to your opinion wether or not you'll like these last three songs. 2/5
Though the album ends weak to me, the first 12 songs are petty much classics with the exception of the most cheesiest song of all time "Wheel in the Sky". This is a great way to avoid buying all the studio albums and getting the hits that you like.
Pros (+)
+ First 12 songs with exception of "Wheel in the Sky"
+ Great singing by Steve Perry
+ Good guitar and bass playing throughout the album
+ Superb paino playing as well as the keyboard
Cons (-)
- Last 3 songs are really weak
- A lot of cheesy lyrics
- You may hate this band anyways so it's a bit irrelevant to even look at this review
I recommend this album to the reasons stated above and one of the better compilations out there.
