Maps of Music

Escape (1981)

Where the lyrics of Escape take you, and where it was really made.

The keyboardist who joined for this album was suggested by the man he replaced, founding member Gregg Rolie.

Key places

Recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley (1981)

Recording site Fantasy Studios — The album was recorded over about three months at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. Mike Stone and Kevin Elson handled production, engineering and mixing. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Escape (stylized as E5C4P3 on the album cover): seventh studio album by American rock band Journey
• Released July 1981 on Columbia Records
• Topped the US Billboard 200 chart
• Four Billboard Hot 100 hits: "Don't Stop Believin'" (No. 9), "Who's Crying Now" (No. 4), "Still They Ride", "Open Arms" (No. 2)
• Rock radio staple "Stone in Love" also taken from the album
• The band's most successful studio album

Background

• First album with keyboardist Jonathan Cain
• Cain replaced founding member Gregg Rolie, who left the band at the end of 1980
• Rolie suggested Cain to the band
• More prominent synthesizers gave the album a more melodic sound than earlier work
• Co-produced by Kevin Elson, former Lynyrd Skynyrd sound technician
• Mike Stone, one-time Queen engineer, co-produced and engineered the album

Recording

• Recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
• Recording took place over three months
• Mike Stone and Kevin Elson handled production, engineering and mixing
• Wally Buck served as assistant engineer
• Bob Ludwig did the original mastering

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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

Reappraisal

• Mike DeGagne of AllMusic retrospectively gave the album four and a half stars out of five
• AllMusic wrote that the songs are timeless and rekindle the innocence of youthful romance and the rebelliousness of growing up
• Colin Larkin gave four out of five stars in the 2002 edition of the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music
• Rolling Stone's 2004 album guide gave two and a half stars out of five
• Rolling Stone's 1983 edition had given one star, by Dave Marsh
• Kerrang! readers voted it the greatest AOR album of all time in 1988
• Kerrang! ranked it number 32 in "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" in 1989
• Classic Rock ranked it No. 22 in "The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All Time" in 2001

Records

• Topped the US Billboard 200 chart
• Certified Diamond by the RIAA in July 2021 for at least ten million US sales
• Certified 9× Platinum by the RIAA on 14 November 1994
• The band's most successful studio album, second only to Greatest Hits overall
• Fifth-highest selling album of 1981, just behind Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Gregg Rolie suggested Jonathan Cain to the band before Cain joined.
• The album's sleeve has embossed artwork.
• The title is also known as E5C4P3.
• Co-producer Kevin Elson was once a sound technician for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Mike Stone had been a Queen engineer.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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