Screen13

Humm...I'm still siding more with Escape. True, "Don't Stop Believin' " is one of the most over-played songs of the last couple of years and "Open Arms" is cheese, but then the former has an arresting opening Piano bit plus the hook that will never leave your mind and the later is possibly a very tasty cheese to some (certainly a Prom Night favorite back in the day). I feel that this was where the Steve Perry era had it's apex. As for highlight album tracks, Escape had "Stone In Love," one of the FM Rock staples I did not mind hearing a lot back in the day with a great simple guitar riff prefect for WRIF and WIOT over-kill play (memories).

Plus, there was the Atari 2600 video game - A laughable but likable highlight of 80's FM Rock promotion.

Journey Escape for the Atari 2600
Journey Escape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

jackhammer

So we have to consent to an album that critics and fans alike love which narrows down our choice.

Classic albums are generally assigned this way whereas I think you should have asked what is the best Rock album of the 80's in your opinion and my answer would be:

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sopsych

That's a solid argument. I could add that Escape is more adventurous musically. However, I might lean slightly away from Escape, because I'm not fond of "Open Arms" and "Still They Ride," whereas I like all 5 songs from Frontiers that got much airplay.

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gunnels

Man, this is not my area of expertise, but of what I've heard I have to align myself with Nea and Puffn and go with Rush's Moving Pictures. Not only do I find almost every moment of it gleefully cheery, but it was also one of my first albums I got when really started to collect music, so it has the factor of nostalgia as well.

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Screen13

Yeah. For the AOR division, that was a highlight. Actually, I think that the Frontiers era was ruined a little by a video game that still is rated among the worst tie ins ever. That says nothing about the music, which still kept the sound alive very well, especially with a stronger lead off single than Escape's "Who's Crying Now" with "Separate Ways," but as they were going into a lot of things that tried to connect with their audience I still look at the whole package for full effect.

Some info on the arcade game that may have spelled the end for Data Age, who presented the Atari game, but found that the Arcade crowd was more picky about what they put their quarters in.

Journey Frontiers Arcade Game
Journey - Videogame by Bally Midway
Journey (1983 video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Just to keep things in check for this thread, I already voted for Motorhead's Ace of Spades (1980) as my personal pick a couple of pages back, with AC/DC's Back in Black in a very close #2, but I sometimes like to throw in some good words elsewhere.

sopsych

I didn't know there was a Frontiers-inspired videogame. I could argue from the other side that Escape has less filler (which is a vague impression I have). Beyond those two albums, only a few others come to mind as great 80's classic rock. They include Def Leppard's Hysteria, 5150 by Van Halen, and the album 4 by Foreigner.

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Anteater

This is one of those questions where so many albums can qualify that it feels too open ended. I think a lot of people would say Ozzy Osbourne and Dio's solo material throughout the 80's would rate pretty high amongst classic rock aficionados, as would Whitesnake, Foreigner, Huey Lewis & The News, Journey (as previously mentioned), and to a lesser extent Toto and The Police.

Then again, different strokes for different folks. Two of my favorite albums from the decade are Dan Fogelberg's The Innocent Age and Strangeways's Native Sons, but would they qualify as "classic rock" per-se? Tough call.

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Unknown Soldier

I'd agree that Frontiers for such a classic album does have a couple of filler tracks, but like anything special its standout tracks are amazing. Escape is more consistent but I'd still take Frontiers over it anytime.

Hysteria very much fits in with what the general public would view as a classic rock album and sure its tunes are great. 4 by Foreigner is another great choice, never one of my favourite AOR bands but the album is kind of essential here.

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zEPfAN

Anything by Foreigner.

Paul Smeenus

God, I am so embarrassed for you