Livin' Just to Find Emotion

Starred review from November 27, 2023
Monmouth University history professor Golland (A Terrible Thing to Waste) leaves no stone unturned in this fine-grained chronicle of the rock group Journey. Formed in 1973 as a “progressive rock” band, Journey’s lackluster sales had Columbia Records close to ending their contract in 1977, when “crooning tenor” Steve Perry joined as frontman, bringing with him a sound inflected by the smooth, “beguiling” vocals of Black soul singer Sam Cooke. The band’s 1981 album Escape featured such hits as “Who’s Crying Now” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which catapulted the group to superstardom. Following a burned-out Perry’s 1987 departure, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” cemented the band’s legacy as a nostalgic cornerstone of white American culture whose songs are piped through ballparks and used by TV shows and movies. Golland meticulously colors in the band’s artistic conflicts and power struggles, paying particular attention to Perry’s decision to leave, but he’s at his most convincing when he interrogates the racial dynamics at play in the band’s success. Under Perry, Golland contends, the group’s music could border on a “modern form of minstrelsy,” capitalizing on “the racial backlash of the ’70s by producing music rooted in soul and rhythm & blues for a largely white, working-class audience... that didn’t want to listen to Motown because it was ‘too Black’ but was perfectly happy listening to five white dudes play... hot Motown wax.” Golland’s passion and precision make this a pleasure.

Starred review from January 1, 2024

The single most downloaded song on the internet from the 20th century isn't one by the Beatles, Prince, or Madonna. It's the signature song of one of rock's most enduring acts: Journey. "Don't Stop Believin'" transcended its early 1980s roots and became an inspirational anthem for sports teams, start-ups, people fighting life-altering ailments, and more. The band's long and complicated history, with its myriad stylistic and lineup changes, is the subject of historian and lifelong fan Golland's book. Refreshingly, this is not the standard band biography. Golland (dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Monmouth Univ.; A Terrible Thing To Waste) brings an academic approach to the subject, placing Journey within its proper historical musical context. Though it is clear that Golland loves Journey's music, he also provides an overdue critical take on the group's overall sound. He also discusses issues of musical influence versus appropriation. It is rare, and valuable, to find such insight in books like this. VERDICT Readers don't have to be Journey fans to appreciate this cerebral approach to a biography about the band. For casual readers and scholars alike.--Brett Rohlwing

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