CAPTURED

Journey was always known as a tremendous stage band and toured constantly throughout its career, so it is odd that for over 18 years, Captured was their only live recording. Recorded after their Departure CD, this is also the last time founder member Gregg Rolie (keyboards, vocals) appeared on a Journey record. So it seems it was put out while the band was still adapting to their new member Jonathan Cain (who was appointed to the band by Rolie himself). Although the blow was hard, it would also sign the peak of the group´s career, so Captured kind of close an era for the band. A middle period where Steve Perry joined in and Rolie was still one of the mainstays of the band., between their former jazz rock roots and their mega success with Cain.

Recorded mostly in Detroit, with some material coming also from Quebec and Tokyo, Captured it´s an excellent display of how good Journey was live: their playing is energetic, but note perfect, with some songs being elongated, but not much. It´s surprising that no long jamming was included since their jazz rock past should make some believe they would do that. Their perfectionism is evident by the tight vocal harmonies they reproduce live with apparent ease. the repertoire is totally based on their LPs done with Perry and there are much more rockers than ballads around (contrary to their recent albums). As a bonus there are two new songs: a live rendition of the rocking Dixie Highway (a tune they would never release a studio version) and the middle paced The Party Is Over (Hopelessly in Love), which was recorded after Rolie left the band, but before Cain joined, and thus featuring a studio musician, Steve Roseman, handling keyboards duties. Nice additions, both songs.

If you want to know why the band is so beloved by the fans, just listen to their powerful performances and see how good they were on stage then (and now too, but that´s another story). One of the few groups that used their tremendous talent and skill to enhance the music and could take any of their songs to a live environment and make them at least as good as the studio counterparts. Some did sound even better.