Escape (Journey album)

Escape
Cover art by Stanley Mouse
Studio album by
Journey
ReleasedJuly 17, 1981
RecordedApril–June 1981
StudioFantasy (Berkeley)
GenreRock[1]
Length42:51
LabelColumbia
ProducerMike Stone · Kevin Elson
Journey chronology
Captured
(1981)		 Escape
(1981)		 Frontiers
(1983)
Singles from Escape
  1. "Who's Crying Now"
    Released: July 9, 1981[2]
  2. "Don't Stop Believin'"
    Released: October 19, 1981
  3. "Open Arms"
    Released: January 8, 1982
  4. "Still They Ride"
    Released: May 22, 1982[3]
  5. "Stone in Love"
    Released: October 29, 1982 (UK)[4]

Escape (stylized as E5C4P3 on the album cover) is the seventh studio album by American rock band Journey, released on July 17, 1981, by Columbia Records.[5] It topped the US Billboard 200 chart[6] and featured four hit Billboard Hot 100 singles – "Don't Stop Believin'" (No. 9), "Who's Crying Now" (No. 4), "Still They Ride" (No. 19) and "Open Arms" (No. 2)[7] – plus rock radio staple "Stone in Love". In July 2021, it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) for at least ten million sales in the US, making it the band's most successful studio album and second most successful album overall behind Greatest Hits. Escape was the fifth-highest selling album of 1981, just behind Bella Donna from Stevie Nicks.

Background and writing

Escape was the band's first album with keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who replaced founding member Gregg Rolie after he left the band at the end of 1980. The album was co-produced by former Lynyrd Skynyrd sound technician Kevin Elson and one-time Queen engineer Mike Stone, who also engineered the album.

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[8]
Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarStar[9]
The Great Rock Discography8/10[10]
Rolling StoneStarStar[11]

Mike DeGagne of AllMusic retrospectively awarded Escape four-and-a-half stars out of five, writing, "The songs are timeless, and as a whole, they have a way of rekindling the innocence of youthful romance and the rebelliousness of growing up, built from heartfelt songwriting and sturdy musicianship."[8] Colin Larkin awarded the album four out of five stars in the 2002 edition of the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music.[9] Contemporary Rolling Stone reviews were less favorable. In a review dated October 29, 1981, Deborah Frost dismissed the band as "heavy-metal light-weights" who utilized a "hard-rock pose," and characterized the musicianship as that of "fluffbrained sessioneers."[12] In the 2004 edition of their album guide, Rolling Stone awarded the album two-and-a-half stars out of five, which was nonetheless an improvement from Dave Marsh's one star rating in the 1983 edition of the publication.[13]

In 1988, Kerrang! readers voted Escape the greatest AOR album of all time[14]—Classic Rock expressed the same opinion in 2008.[15] In 1989, Kerrang! ranked Escape number 32 in "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[16] A 2000 Virgin poll saw the album voted the 24th greatest heavy metal/alternative rock album of all time.[17] In 2001, Classic Rock ranked the album No. 22 in "The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All Time".[18]

Cash Box described "Still They Ride" as a "bluesy lament" with a "sad, almost mournful" vocal, "doleful acoustic piano work" and "crying guitar notes."[19] Billboard called "Still They Ride" a "soft, lyrical ballad" with similar "tone and style" to "Open Arms".[20]

An Atari 2600 game based on the album, Journey Escape, was released in 1982.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Perry, Neal Schon, and Jonathan Cain, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Don't Stop Believin'" 4:11
2."Stone in Love" 4:26
3."Who's Crying Now"
  • Perry
  • Cain
5:01
4."Keep On Runnin'" 3:40
5."Still They Ride" 3:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Escape" 5:17
7."Lay It Down" 4:13
8."Dead or Alive" 3:21
9."Mother, Father"
  • N. Schon
  • Perry
  • Cain
  • Matt Schon
5:29
10."Open Arms"
  • Perry
  • Cain
3:23
Total length:42:51
2006 Remastered edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."La Raza del Sol" (B-side of "Still They Ride" (Alternate Version)
  • Perry
  • Cain
3:26
12."Don't Stop Believin'" (Live at The Summit, Houston, Texas, November 6, 1981; from Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour) 4:19
13."Who's Crying Now" (Live at The Summit, Houston, Texas, November 6, 1981; from Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour) 5:44
14."Open Arms" (Live at The Summit, Houston, Texas, November 6, 1981; from Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour) 3:23
Total length:59:43

Personnel

Journey

Production

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] 3× Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[32] Diamond 10,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ DeGagne, Mike. "Journey Escape - AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ "RIAA Certification". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Still They Ride - Journey". elpee.jp. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Journey - Stone In Love". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  5. ↑ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 35.
  6. ↑ "Escape Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Escape Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Mike, DeGagne. "Journey Escape review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1852279370.
  10. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books.
  11. ↑ Frost, Deborah (October 29, 1981). "Album Reviews: Journey – Escape". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  12. ↑ Frost, Deborah (October 29, 1981). "Journey: Escape". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  13. ↑ Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004)
  14. ↑ "The Best AOR Albums Of All Time". Kerrang!. October 29, 1988. Archived from the original on February 14, 2006.
  15. ↑ Elliott, Paul (August 20, 2008). "Journey: a guide to their best (and worst) albums". Classic Rock. Louder. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". Kerrang!. January 1989. Archived from the original on February 14, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Heavy Metal/Alternative Rock – All Time Top 50". Virgin. 2000. Archived from the original on August 11, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  18. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All Time". Classic Rock. No. 35. Christmas 2001. p. 50.
  19. ↑ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 29, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. May 22, 1982. p. 70. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Classic Tracks: Journey's "Open Arms"". Mixonline. 2016.
  22. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 0399". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Journey – Escape" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  24. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  25. ↑ "Charts.nz – Journey – Escape". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 29/8/1982 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Journey Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  28. ↑ ジャーニー – クイーンズライクのアルバム売り上げランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Journey – Escape". Music Canada. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  32. ↑ "American album certifications – Journey – Escape". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
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