Journey

The origins of Journey date back to San Francisco, where in 1971, Walter Herbie Herbert, who was the representative of Carlos Santana, decided to form a band of musicians, initially called The Golden Gate Rhythm Section. Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon, dissatisfied with the musical direction of Santana, left the band in 1972. To this new project joined Prairie Prince of The Tubes, the bassist Ross Valory of Frumious Bandersnatch, and the rhythm guitarist George Tickner. After an unsuccessful radio contest to find a name, Jack Villanueva suggested the name "Journey." The band made their public debut at Winterland during the New Year's Eve of 1973 and the next day performed at the Crater Festival in Hawaii.

Early in 1973, Prairie Prince returned to The Tubes, so Herbert incorporated Aynsley Dunbar, a drummer who had worked with artists such as John Lennon, Frank Zappa, John Mayall, Jeff Beck, Bonzo Dog Band, Mothers of Invention, Lou Reed and David Bowie. On February 5, 1974, the new lineup debuted at the Great American Music Hall, which allowed them to sign a contract with Columbia Records. In 1975, they released their first album of the same name, and that same year they invited Albert King to one of their concerts. The album reflected their ability in jazz-fusion and progressive rock. Before recording their second album, Look into the Future (1976), the rhythm guitarist Tickner left the band. This album reduced the progressive focus of the first, but maintained its base of jazz-fusion. The next album, Next, attempted to shorten the songs to attract a broader audience, with Neal Schon singing on several tracks, but commercial success remained elusive.

Due to the low sales of Next, the record label pressured the group to change direction and find a new vocalist. Thus, Journey incorporated Robert Fleischman, a musician from Southern California who had been playing with a band from Chicago. His representative, Barry Fey, took him to Denver in 1977 for a meeting with executives from a studio. Despite adverse weather conditions, Fleischman was discovered by a CBS executive and shortly after was sent to San Francisco to audition with Journey.

Fleischman was informed that the band was looking for a more commercial sound, similar to that of Foreigner or Boston, so his vocal style, influenced by Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, would be an added value. Fleischman was impressed by the band's ability during their first session together, describing them as "having fireworks in the back pocket." From these sessions emerged songs such as "For You," which later appeared in Time³, and "Wheel in the Sky," which was reissued without Fleischman for the album Infinity.