Infinity

Infinity is an extremely important fourth album that captures the decisive moment when Journey, welcoming the new vocalist Steve Perry — holding both clarity and powerful tension — changed from its former playing-oriented rock into a band with big melody. This fateful vocalist’s joining clearly opened the road to the later worldwide success. Neal Schon’s guitar, while showing outstanding technique, devotes itself to powerfully lifting the songs’ songcraft. From the gentleness of the opening ballad “Lights” and the powerful drive of “Wheel in the Sky,” which became a signature classic, to the lift of “Feeling That Way” and “Anytime,” the songs vividly build a new album outline wholly different from before, while a cut like “Patiently” conveys the appeal of Perry’s voice. The skill of the great producer Roy Thomas Baker also shines. A memorable record on which the arena-scale big melodic sense leading to the later Journey clearly took form. Playing technique and catchy songcraft beautifully fuse. An extremely important transitional work inscribing the moment the band truly awakened through Steve Perry’s joining. Journey’s golden age began here.