TIME 3

Released at a time when lavish box sets were very much in vogue, "Time Cubed" or "Time (to the power of) three" is a fine summary of the work of Journey from their début up to "Raised on radio". The band had effectively split up when this set was released in 1992, although they would later reconvene to record "Trial by fire".

A number of tracks from each album are included, inevitably encompassing the hit singles which brought fame and fortune to the band. From a prog point of view, while the early albums (which tend to be the most revered of the band's albums in these parts) are covered up front, they are rather skimmed over. The implication is that they are but a footnote in the real history of the band, and for many Journey fans I suppose that is true.

In addition to the familiar tracks, there is a good selection of rarer material. Much of this consists of tracks recorded for albums but ultimately omitted. Thus lost classics such as "Only the Young" and "Ask the Lonely" finally become more widely available. "For you" is of interest as it is the only known recording to feature lead vocals by Robert Fleischman, who joined the band briefly prior to the arrival of Steve Perry. The following "Velvet Curtain/Feeling That Way" provides an excellent link between the original Santana offshoot band and the AOR outfit which conquered the world.

As you would expect, the package comes with a fine booklet containing essays and track details. My only real disappointment with this box set is that many similar packages have 4 discs, while this has just three. A fourth disc might have made all the difference in affording space for the better album tracks, thus offering a more comprehensive overview of each.