Maps of Music

Eclipse (ECL1P53) (2011)

Where the lyrics of Eclipse (ECL1P53) take you, and where it was really made.

The album's title is stylized ECL1P53 on its cover, and it was the last studio album to feature bassist Ross Valory.

Key places

Recording in Berkeley (2011)

Recording site Zellerbach Auditorium (Berkeley) — Eclipse was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. The point is placed at city-center level, not at the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Nashville re-recordings (2011)

Recording site Nashville — Many tracks were re-recorded in Nashville under Schon and Cain's production, a session linked to The Blue Loft. The point is placed at city-center level, not at the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Eclipse (stylized ECL1P53): fourteenth studio album by the American rock band Journey
• Second album with lead singer Arnel Pineda
• Penned by Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain with contributions from Pineda
• Released 24 May 2011 in the US and Canada, 27 May in Japan, 30 May in the UK, and 3 June internationally
• Last studio album to feature bassist Ross Valory, who was dismissed from the group in 2020

Background

• The album departed from the formulaic pop hits and ballads of earlier work and focused on a harder rock sound
• Schon felt the pop formula had become repetitive and wanted to make the album more guitar-oriented and less radio-friendly
• Cain said the band had this concept in mind from the start
• Despite the change in sound, the album still features four ballads, including Anything Is Possible, which reached number 21 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart

Recording

• Recorded in Berkeley, California
• As the album neared completion, producer Kevin Shirley ran out of time
• To release the album in time for the tour, Schon and Cain produced the remaining tracks in Nashville
• Many of the tracks were re-recorded in Nashville under Schon and Cain's production
• Shirley had reservations about the direction of the album and clashed with Schon creatively

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, the Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch.
• The band was originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, intended as a backup group for Bay Area artists, before developing a jazz fusion style.
• The name Journey was suggested by roadie John Villanueva.

Members

• Current lineup includes Neal Schon (guitars, vocals), Jonathan Cain (keyboards, guitars, vocals), Deen Castronovo (drums, vocals), Arnel Pineda (lead vocals), Jason Derlatka (keyboards, vocals), and Todd Jensen (bass, vocals).
• Steve Perry was lead vocalist from 1977 to 1987, the band's most commercially successful period.

Career

• Escape reached number one on the Billboard 200 and produced "Open Arms" and "Don't Stop Believin'".
• Frontiers reached number two in the US and number six on the UK Albums Chart.
• "Don't Stop Believin'" was certified 18-times platinum by the RIAA in 2024, the top-selling digital track in US history.
• The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
• A farewell tour, the Final Frontier Tour, began in February 2026 after Jonathan Cain announced his departure.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Received mixed to negative reviews
• Rolling Stone reviewer Caryn Ganz rated the album two stars, calling the disc both grand and distractingly proggy
• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic also rated the album two stars, praising the fusion of prog-rock abilities with an arena rock sound
• Erlewine said the album pulsates with an insular chill that is not especially welcoming, and that it is music made for the musicians

Reappraisal

• Though the band enjoyed making the album, they considered its lack of success a career setback
• Afterward the band became skeptical of recording a new album and focused primarily on live performances

Records

• Sold 21,400 copies in the United States in its debut week, reaching number 13 on the US Billboard 200
• Second straight Top 20 album with Pineda as lead singer
• Entered the Top 40 album charts in five different countries
• Dropped from the charts within weeks
• Barely sold 100,000 copies, about one eighth of the previous album's sales
• Sold exclusively at Wal-Mart in North America

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title is stylized ECL1P53 on the front cover.
• In North America the album was sold exclusively at Wal-Mart.
• Despite falling off the charts within weeks, it entered the Top 40 in five countries.
• Cain said the band had a great catalogue and many songs they were not even playing, which shaped their reluctance to make a new album.
• Kevin Shirley and Schon clashed creatively over the album's direction.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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