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(More customer reviews)The 1980's were undoubtedly characterized, in part, by the music of Journey. Rock anthems and power ballads were the mainstay of the band that turned out such memorable hits at "Separate Ways", "Don't Stop Believing", and (my favorite) "Faithfully". At the forefront of Journey's success was the man with the steely voice, Steve Perry. Few voices in music history are as perfectly crafted for the singer's chosen genre than Perry's. He could achieving the soaring range of the anthems, while also incorporating softer, more accomplished, tones into the power ballads. Internal power struggles caused Journey to break up in 1986 and each member went on their separate ways (no pun intended). Steve Perry, who had already achieved solo success with 1983's "Street Talk", took to the studio a few years later to produce his second album, "For the Love of Strange Medicine" (released in 1994).
"...Strange Medicine" has proven to be an absolute goldmine for Journey faithful captivated by Perry's voice. It provides one of those rare occassions where a listener can put the CD in and listen to it from beginning to end and not find a single track they don't like. Tributes to young love, inner strength, long journeys, and forgiveness all permeate this album. "...Strange Medicine" starts off in style with its lone radio release, "You Better Wait", a soaring cautionary anthem to a young girl starting out in life. Perry's magnificent voice, along with some spectacular guitar play, power this song to a level beyond what even Journey produced. "Young Hearts Forever" follows it with another wondrous song encouraging the embrace of young love. It simply must be experienced to understand how good this song is.
While every track is excellent, there is one more truly impressive song on this album. It is the final track, "Anyway". It is a strong, emotional song that essentially serves as Perry's lyrical apology and peace offering to his fellow bandmates for the troubles of a decade earlier. The strength of this ballad is on par with "Faithfully" and "Open Arms" from the Journey days, and is speculated to have played a part in the 1996 reunion of the band.
Sadly, Perry's medical condition due to a climbing injury made that reunion short-lived. The band has moved on with a new Perry sound alike singer and Perry, himself, has continued to do some studio work from time to time (though, no new studio album is on the horizon). Yet, with music like "For the Love of Strange Medicine" still floating around, Journey and Perry fans alike can still plug in and be reminded of the greatness of what once was.
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2006 Japanese Digitally Remastered Limited Edition Reissue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
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