Trial by Fire (Journey album)

Trial by Fire
Studio album by Journey
Released	October 22, 1996
Recorded	Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, California, The Site Studio and Wildhorse Studio, Marin County, California, Summer 1996
Genre	Rock
Length	75:02
Label	Columbia/Sony
Producer	Kevin Shirley
Journey chronology
Raised on Radio (1986) Trial by Fire (1996) Arrival (2001)
Singles from Trial by Fire
"When You Love a Woman" Released: July 10, 1996 "Message of Love" Released: 1996 "If He Should Break Your Heart" Released: 1996 "Can't Tame the Lion" Released: 1997

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Trial by Fire is the tenth studio album by American rock band Journey. Released on October 22, 1996, the album marked the reunion of the classic 1980s lineup, which had not recorded together since 1983's Frontiers. Trial by Fire was produced by Kevin Shirley, who continues to produce the band's albums until now. The first album to feature bassist Ross Valory since Frontiers and the last to feature vocalist Steve Perry and drummer Steve Smith until the latter rejoined Journey in 2015.

Trial by Fire includes the Top 20 hit and Grammy nominated single "When You Love a Woman", which reached No. 12 and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts respectively.^[2] "Message of Love", "Can't Tame the Lion" and "If He Should Break Your Heart" were released as singles and received radio airplay.

The album reflected a growing maturity with the members of Journey and could be loosely termed a concept album with many tracks reflecting a more overt spirituality in lyrical content. The title track, for example, is taken directly from Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.^[3]

Trial by Fire was Journey's last album featuring vocalist Steve Perry and the only one to not be accompanied by a supporting tour. That was due to internal disputes over a tour (originally scheduled for the summer and fall of 1997), as a result of Perry's hip injury as he prolonged getting the necessary surgery. If the band had toured, the tour wouldn't start until over a year after the album's release. Perry left the band feeling that he was being forced out over his mulling over his decision to have the necessary surgery and because of the other band members' pressure to tour sooner than later. Drummer Steve Smith also quit citing that the band without Perry didn't interest him.

On November 9, 1996, the album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200^[4] and was eventually certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA.^[5] The band did not receive another platinum award until Revelation in 2008.^[5]

Background

Trial by Fire is Journey's first studio album in ten years following the release of Raised on Radio in 1986 and the band's subsequent split. In the years after the split musicians Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain formed supergroup Bad English and released two albums in 1989 and 1991, while lead singer Steve Perry released his second solo album, For the Love of Strange Medicine (1994). While on his solo tour in 1994, it became apparent to Perry that "underneath it all, I was missing more and more being the singer in Journey than I ever thought I would."^[6] When A&R executive John Kalodner of Columbia Records suggested that the band members reform, Cain, Perry, and Schon began writing together. According to Perry, the band wanted to "see if we had the spark to write again" instead of simply reforming for a comeback tour.^[6]

Steve Perry said the band did not try to reinvent themselves on the album: "Nothing sounds more pretentious than someone being something they're not. One of the things we've always known is that there are certain musical directions that fit what [our] chemistry is about. We're going to sink or swim being what we are and not by trying to reinvent ourselves and not by trying to be the flavor of the month."^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Message of Love"	Perry, Schon, Cain, John Bettis	5:34
2.	"One More"	Perry, Schon, Cain	5:28
3.	"When You Love a Woman"	Perry, Cain, Schon	4:07
4.	"If He Should Break Your Heart"	Perry, Cain, Schon	4:23
5.	"Forever in Blue"	Perry, Cain, Schon	3:35
6.	"Castles Burning"	Perry, Cain, Schon	6:00
7.	"Don't Be Down on Me Baby"	Perry, Schon, Cain	4:01
8.	"Still She Cries"	Perry, Schon, Cain	5:04
9.	"Colors of the Spirit"	Perry, Cain, Schon, Bettis	5:41
10.	"When I Think of You"	Perry, Cain	4:21
11.	"Easy to Fall"	Perry, Schon, Cain	5:15
12.	"Can't Tame the Lion"	Perry, Cain, Schon	4:32
13.	"It's Just the Rain"	Perry, Cain	5:19
14.	"Trial by Fire"	Perry, Schon, Cain	4:41
15.	"Baby I'm a Leavin' You" (Hidden track)	Perry, Cain, Schon	2:49
16.	"I Can See It in Your Eyes" (Japanese-only bonus track on the original CD release, later added to the 2006 CD reissue)	Perry, Schon, Cain	4:12

Personnel

Band members

• Steve Perry — lead vocals
• Neal Schon — lead guitar, background vocals
• Ross Valory — bass, background vocals
• Steve Smith — drums, percussion
• Jonathan Cain — keyboards, rhythm guitar, background vocals, engineer

Additional musicians

• Paulinho da Costa — percussion
• Scott Pinkerton — programming
• David Campbell — string arrangements

Production

• Kevin Shirley — producer, engineer, mixing
• George Massenburg — engineer, mixing
• John Hurlbut, Bob Levy — engineers
• George Marino — mastering
• John Kalodner — A&R

Charts

Album Year Chart Position 1996 Billboard 200 (United States)[4] 3 Oricon Japanese Albums Charts[7] 6 RPM100 Albums (Canada)[8] 16 Swedish Albums Chart[9] 24 German Albums Chart[10] 62 GfK Dutch Charts[11] 89

Singles Year Title Chart Position 1996 "Message of Love" Mainstream Rock (United States)[2] 18 RPM100 Hit Tracks (Canada)[12] 36 "When You Love a Woman" Billboard Hot 100 (United States)[2] 12 Top 40 Mainstream (United States)[2] 9 Adult Contemporary (United States)[2] 1 Adult Top 40 (United States)[2] 3 RPM100 Hit Tracks (Canada)[13] 3 1997 Top 40 Adult Recurrents (United States)[2] 2 "Can't Tame the Lion" Mainstream Rock (United States)[2] 33 RPM100 Hit Tracks (Canada)[14] 86 "If He Should Break Your Heart" Adult Contemporary (United States)[2] 21 RPM100 Hit Tracks (Canada)[15] 13

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
United States	RIAA	1996	Platinum (+ 1,000,000)[5]
Canada	CRIA	1996	Gold (+ 50,000)[16]

References

1. DeGagne, Mike. "Journey Trial by Fire review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
2. "Trial by Fire Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
3. 1 Cor 3:13
4. "Trial by Fire Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
5. RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Journey. Retrieved on 2013-06-30.
6. Newman, Melinda (5 October 1996). "Columbia's Journey Gets Warm Welcome At Radio". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 108 (40): 13, 113. ISSN 0006-2510.
7. ジャーニー - クイーンズライクのアルバム売り上げランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
8. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 64, No. 13, November 11, 1996". Library and Archives Canada. 11 November 1996. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
9. "Journey – Trial by Fire (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
10. "Album – Journey, Trial by Fire". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
11. "Album – Journey, Trial by Fire". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
12. "Top Singles - Volume 64, No. 18, December 16, 1996". Library and Archives Canada. 16 December 1996. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
13. "Top Singles - Volume 64, No. 18, December 16, 1996". Library and Archives Canada. 16 December 1996. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
14. "Top Singles - Volume 65, No. 3, March 24, 1997". Library and Archives Canada. 24 March 1997. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
15. "Top Singles - Volume 65, No. 10, May 12, 1997". Library and Archives Canada. 12 May 1997. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
16. "Gold Platinum Search for Journey". Music Canada. Retrieved 2013-07-14.