Another highlight of AOR Journey

Frontiers is the 1983 album by the US rock band Journey. After the huge success of its predecessor Escape Journey had found the typical band sound for the next few years. Frontiers is the album the musical Escape comes closest.

The first half of the album (page 1 of the LP) is a fireworks display of hits, most of which are all also be found on compilations of the band. With Separate Ways and Chain Reaction are among two of the hardest songs of the band. After The Fall is a midtempo song, Send Her My Love and Faithfully two poignant ballads.

The second half of the album can not quite keep up since. With the rumble of rock Backtalk and the title track are two filler for me. The remaining 3 songs are okay. Especially Edge Of The Blade, with its pronounced guitar solo is interesting.

The 4 bonus tracks are on this issue, of course, a major selling point. With Liberty there is a track that it was only on the Time3 set previously. The song sounds like a kind Battle Of Evermore Led Zeppelin. With just under 3 minutes but the piece seems somehow unfinished. The other 3 bonus tracks then already appeared on soundtracks. Only Solutions comes from 1982 Soundtrack Tron, Only The Young from 1985 Soundtrack Vision Quest (Top 10 hit in the US) and Ask The Lonely by Two Of A Kind soundtrack with John Travolta.
Only The Young and Ask The Lonely taken already to the Sessions of the Frontiers album and count me among the best songs of the band. Something incomprehensible why this did not make it on the actual album. At least the band was able to bridge the three-year break until the next album Raised On Radio.
Unfortunately, you have not the instrumental 1900 packed the Tron soundtrack on CD.

Musically the plate is attributable to the AOR (Adult Oriented Rock), so bombastic melodic (American) rock. This music you have to like, otherwise one is wrong at Journey at this stage of their careers. Compared to its predecessor, the band has clogged up the songs on Frontiers with more keyboards.

The remastering is from the year 2007. Unfortunately I have no comparison sound like the previous CD editions (some swear by the 1996 edition). At least the CD sounds better than my fairly crackling vinyl edition.

Conclusion:
For me Frontiers is the second best album of the band to escape. But the second half contains some filler. Overall, you get offered on this CD 7 Hits of Journey. If you buy still escape it, then you already have more than half of all known songs of the band. Despite the bonus tracks the CD but not quite comes close to escape. In addition, the lyrics are missing. That is why a star less in the evaluation.

Very nice was also the unbeatable price on Amazon of 5 Euros in the "3 for 15 euros-action" (April 2014).