By Contributing Pencilstorm Writer, Wal Ozello

This coming Friday night, April 7, Journey will finally earn their rightful seat in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the controversy around whether or not former front man Steve Perry will be in attendance has overshadowed the importance of this band in Rock history. (Also... how about no word of all the other players including founding member Gregg Rolie?)

Much like their hometown Golden Gate Bridge spans across the bay and connects San Francisco to Sausalito, Journey effectively connected 70's Classic Rock to 80's Power Rock. Rooted in the San Francisco sounds of bands like Santana with a thick mix of blues, rock and jazz, Journey evolved over the years with different members much like their fellow 2017 inductee: Yes.

You can still hear their classic rock roots on their earlier albums like Infinity, Evolution and even Departure. Listen to the 70's feel in the chord structure, guitar and rhythm sections in both these songs, while the 80's feel of power rock can be felt emerging from the melody and keyboards.

Where the band begins to push the synthesizer and arena rock envelope is in their much more successful albums, Escape and Frontiers. Here in Separate Ways is a prime example of where Neal's angry hard guitar meets power synth, topped with driving drums and bass, layered with Steve's bluesy and emotional vocals.

For all intents and purposes, Journey invented the Power Ballad with songs like Send Her My Love, Opens Arms and probably the best 80's ballad ever, Faithfully. While the piano and vocals dominate this song, it's really the pounding, massive drum fills and wailing guitar solos that really make this song stand out.

Journey never transitioned into the MTV generation well, and due to Steve Perry's personal issues (his mother passing away during the recording of Raised on Radio and a degenerative bone condition discovered after the release of Trial By Fire), the band never had the success they had in the late 70's and early 80's. Steve had a shortlived solo career while Neal and Jonathan teamed up with John Waite from The Babies to form Bad English, then Neal went on to play in Hardline. Journey has tried to rekindle that magic over the years and now are basically a touring band with their new singer, Arnel Pineda.

There are many reasons why Journey belongs in the Rock Hall. Don't Stop Believin' is the most downloaded song in history. All the members of the Escape/Frontier line-up are virtuosos in their own right. Steve Perry has one of the most awesome voices in rock, Neal Schon plays a killer guitar, Jonathan Cain's talent as keyboardist is only superseded by his songwriting skills, Ross Valory plays a funky rock bass and Steve Smith is a god on drums.

But the most important thing is the impact Journey has had in rock history. We'd never have 80's rock music without Journey. Van Halen's 1984 wouldn't have been the success it was if Journey hadn't lead the way with the powerful synth-guitar formula. Bands like Aerosmith and Van Hagar could have never made their triumphant return to rock n roll without Journey opening the door to Arena Rock. There would be no Bon Jovi, no Huey Lewis & The News, Duran Duran, David Lee Roth, and any other Hard Rock band. We would have missed out on every hard rock power ballad that was ever written. Even Prince was influenced by their work. Concerned that Purple Rain sounded too much like Faithfully, The Purple One played the song for Jonathan Cain before its release to ask for his blessing.

I'm sure there are those that would argue a world without Bon Jovi and Huey Lewis & The News would be just fine, if not better. Those are probably the people that believe Classic Rock should have never died and their dislike of Journey runs deep.

Journey nailed the classic rock coffin shut with their release of Escape and Frontiers, ushering in a new era of rock 'n' roll. I, for one, am thankful they did. Classic Rock was going to evolve and it was better for Journey to take it into the direction they did. Congrats on your induction into the Rock Hall of Fame.

A child of the 80's, Wal Ozello is the lead singer of the Columbus hairband Armada. He's the author of the science fiction time travel books Assignment 1989 , Revolution 1990 and Sacrifice 2086 and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

Hailing from Dublin, Ireland and best known for their classic rock anthem "The Boys Are Back In Town," Thin Lizzy has a loyal & passionate fan base, but at the same time they are one of the most overlooked and underrated bands in rock history. Thin Lizzy left behind a catalog of music that spans 12 studio albums from 1971 to 1983. Led by charismatic singer, bassist and chief songwriter Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy definitely left their mark on the music world, but they should have been huge.

I thought I would take a quick look at the five albums that I think best tell the story of Thin Lizzy and give those who are just casually familiar with their music a reason to look deeper.

1. Thin Lizzy (1971)

The Irish rockers first album was released in April of 1971. The band was a trio at this point with Phil Lynott on bass & lead vocals, Brian Downey on drums, and Eric Bell on guitar. Many die-hard Thin Lizzy fans site this record as one of their best....if not their best, but it is only a glimpse of what the band would eventually become. The album is deeply rooted in heavy blues- rock and it would take a few more records before Thin Lizzy would develop their own signature sound. Several great tracks are on the record, including "Honesty Is No Excuse" which was recently covered by Aimee Mann's new band The Both. This line up of Thin Lizzy would record two more records and scored their first major hit with a rock version of the traditional Irish song "Whiskey In The Jar." Phil Lynott was very proud of his Irish heritage and it can be heard in his early lyrics, most notably in a non-album track from this period entitled "Dublin," Although not loaded with the "hits," Thin Lizzy's debut album is essential listening.

2. Fighting (1975)

Guitarist Eric Bell left Thin Lizzy at the end of 1973 due to health issues and was briefly replaced by Gary Moore. After Gary Moore left, Phil Lynott decided to expand the band to two guitars: eventually Brian Robertson & Scott Gorham joined and this would become what is considered to be the classic line-up of Thin Lizzy. This line-up's first album was 1974's "Nightlife" but the band really began to hit their stride with the following years' "Fighting." "Fighting" begins with an amped-up version of Bob Seger's "Rosalie" and also features some of the bands strongest material to date, including "Suicide," "Wild One," "Fighting My Way Back," "Freedom Song" and "For Those Who Love To Live". The twin guitar harmony sound that the band is known for began with this record and Phil Lynott's poetic lyrics took a leap forward. With "Fighting" Thin Lizzy finally nailed down their own unique sound and in some ways this album feels like a proper debut album.

3. Jailbreak (1976)

1976's "Jailbreak" became the band's international breakthrough album and would forever cement their place in the history of rock music. "Jailbreak" blends all the elements that make Thin Lizzy special and presents them flawlessly. The album plays like a greatest hits album, not a bad song in the bunch. "The Boys Are Back In Town" became the band's biggest hit and propelled them to arena rock status. The album also features other Thin Lizzy classics, including the title track, along with "The Cowboy Song" and "Emerald." Unfortunately the band was not able to fully capitalize on the success of "Jailbreak" and its follow-up "Johnny The Fox" as they had to cancel tours due to Phil Lynott's poor health. And to make matters worse, Brian Robertson suffered a hand injury preventing him from playing for a time too. Guitarist Gary Moore was brought in and the band would tour the States with Queen at the beginning of 1977. Robertson would eventually return to the band on a limited basis and the classic Thin Lizzy line- up would release one last studio album - "Bad Reputation" - before officially splitting with Robertson for good. The band would never match the success of "Jailbreak" but continued to tour and made several more great albums along the way.

4. Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)

I would hate to pick just one Thin Lizzy album to own, but if it came down to that I would choose "Black Rose: A Rock Legend" over any of them. By 1979 guitarist Gary Moore had become an official member of the band and "Black Rose" was the first time he was completely involved with a Thin Lizzy record. Gary's presence on this project is evident and made for a very exciting return to form for the band. Opening with pounding drums and Thin Lizzy's signature dual lead guitars, "Do Anything You Want To" begins "Black Rose" in grand fashion. Next up, another classic Thin Lizzy tune "Toughest Street In Town" featuring great soloing from Moore and Gorham. By this time Phil Lynott's lyrics had mostly moved away from his earlier Celtic flavored themes and became much more personal. One of his more personal songs on this record is "My Sarah" which was written for his daughter and the second song he had written with the name Sarah in the title. The first was "Sarah": written for Lynott's grandmother, which appeared on Thin Lizzy's second album - "Shades of a Blue Orphanage." With Lynott's health issues & drug/alcohol use very public the song "Got To Give It Up" hits very close to home, it's almost like self-intervention. Other highlights include "Waiting On An Alibi," "Get Out Of Here," "With Love," and the epic closing track "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend," which harkens back to Lynott's love of Celtic themes and is one of Thin Lizzy's most majestic-sounding tunes. This is the first Thin Lizzy album I ever owned and if any of their albums deserves five stars it is this one.

5. Thunder and Lightning (1983)

"Thunder and Lightning" is the final studio record from Thin Lizzy and the only one to feature guitarist John Sykes. Sykes joined the band after most of the material had been written for the record and replaced guitarist Snowy White, who had replaced Gary Moore in 1980. Most fans consider this to be Thin Lizzy's heavy-metal record and that is mainly because of Sykes' guitar style. Thin Lizzy had expanded to a five piece by this time with the addition of keyboard player Darren Wharton, who had joined on the previous year's "Renegade" album. Heavy on soaring guitar solos and well-written melodic songs "Thunder and Lightning" ends Thin Lizzy's recording history on a high note. Stand out tracks include "Cold Sweat," "This Is The One," "The Holy War," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Bad Habits," and of course the title track. The band would embark on a farewell tour after the album's release and went their separate ways by the end of 1983. Sadly, not long after the final tour, Phil Lynott became very ill from years of drug & alcohol abuse and died at the age of 36, in January of 1986. Lynott had hoped to do one more Thin Lizzy record and even had booked studio time for the project. It wasn't meant to be. "Thunder and Lightning" would be the final chapter.

_________________________________________________

Check out the YouTube links below for some of my favorite Thin Lizzy tunes from the records above. Also check out the link for the Thin Lizzy "Behind The Music" episode, very sad and one of the best in the series.

Once Colin G. gets Cheap Trick inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I may have to persuade him to start a new band: "Why Isn't Thin Lizzy In The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" has a nice ring to it......

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps and Returning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

Honesty is no Excuse from Thin Lizzy's debut album "Thin Lizzy". Video is a collection of early Thin Lizzy photos, some solo shots of Phil and finally his statue and headstone in Dublin. This is one of my favorite songs and the only other version I found on YouTube was poor quality.

Uploaded by Ola J. on 2012-03-22.

Live At National Stadium Dublin 1975 1975 National Stadium Line up:- Phil Lynott - Bass/vocals Scott Gorham - Guitar Brian Downey - Drums Brian Robertson - Guitar

Lyrics & Information Since SHAYMCN2's account has been closed, uploading some of his videos until he gets back for the benefit of all us fans. This comes from the band's 1975 album 'Fighting'. Lyrics : Wild one wont you please come home You've been away too long, will ya?

Incredible Lizzy performance from the Jailbreak tour lineup it don't get much better than this!!! Check out the full 4 song set at http://youtu.be/QreSqOBDPWI

From Jailbreak (1976). I am just a cowboy, lonesome in the trail. Starry night, campfire light, and the coyote calls where the howlin' winds will. So I ride out to the ol' sundown. I am just a cowboy, lonesome on the trail. Lord I'm just thinking about a certain female.

Uploaded by Countdown Chart History on 2014-06-19.

Musica do THIN LIZZY - Got to Give it up Album Black Rose April 1979 Thin Lizzy foi uma banda de hard rock da Irlanda, formanda em Dublin no ano de 1969.

2013 JANUARY 15 Thank you all ! You can watch "Remember Lizzy" The Greek tribute band /watch?v=IfKADk-lWik I like to re-make good old videos , and give you music pleasure . This one is the 1978`s studio version , in a different studio video .

Off Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979).

Thin Lizzy - With Love My ultimate fav. Enjoy!

Live at the Regal Theatre Hitchin, London 1983

Thin Lizzy - Holy War Regal Theatre, Hitchin, UK, 1983 Enjoy!

Behind The Music Full Episodes Behind The Music,Behind The Music aaliyah,Behind The Music ac dc,Behind The Music album,Behind The Music alice cooper,Behind The Music blue oyster cult,Behind The Music boston,Behind The Music bad company,Behind The Music busta rhymes,Behind The Music cher lloyd,Behind The Music cher lloyd lyrics,Behind The Music creed,Behind

Blog