Journey Plans 50th Anniversary Tour

To celebrate 50 years as a band, Journey just announced a big tour for 2023. Toto will provide support. The "Freedom" tour starts in early February and tickets go on sale Friday.

I have never seen either Journey or Toto live, so this interests me. There are no Ohio dates but some shows are not too far away. Will you attend this anniversary celebration?

JOURNEY Announces 'Freedom Tour 2023' With Very Special Guest TOTO https://t.co/UFXDqGDKmu pic.twitter.com/fErAixPxkv

— BLABBERMOUTH.NET (@BLABBERMOUTHNET) October 17, 2022

Sunday's Best: Week 42, 2022

Today's Sunday's Best is a "new" song from Queen!

I was on vacation all last week so I missed this exciting news. The remaining members of Queen rediscovered the lost song "Face It Alone" while working on The Miracle Collector’s Edition. Brian May and Roger Taylor mentioned the lost track a few months ago... and then nothing happened. I forgot about it and then I saw the New York Times roundup of new songs and "Face It Alone" was included!

Jon Pareles of the New York Times writes:

"Freddie Mercury packed drama into every syllable when he sang 'Face It Alone,' a track Queen rediscovered in 1988 session archives while preparing a much-expanded reissue of its 1989 album, The Miracle, and has now rebuilt. It’s a dirge about inevitable, existential loneliness, set to slow, bare-bones arpeggios and funereal drum thuds, and Mercury’s voice expands it to arena scale as he moves between confidential croon and balcony-rattling rasp."

The Best Videos Of 1989 - 'The Last Mile'

"The Last Mile" is on Cinderella's fabulous album Long Cold Winter and it has always been one of my favorites from the band. 

The video is special because it is at once a road clip and also behind-the-scene happiness exposé. Yes, in a time when Metal bands were trying to seem both tough and beautiful, Cinderella managed to also show themselves being genuinely happy. The clip for "The Last Mile" is a bunch of live shots interspersed with the band doing normal road things like being on a bus, walking around, hanging out. There's also after-show shots of the band just plain tired. In all these scenes, the members of Cinderella have infectious smiles. You can tell these were not fake for the camera - the band members were honestly happy. They were successful musicians and having fun and making money while doing it. The smiles - layered with the anthemic and catchy riffs of "The Last Mile" - make the clip my final addition of this list of the best videos of 1989.

Also, can I just say that Long Cold Winter was criminally underrated when it came out - and now it should definitely be regarded as one of the best Glam releases of the era? Few albums stack up to its songwriting, themes, guitar solos and pure grit. I said what I said. 

The Best Videos Of 1989 - 'Love In An Elevator'

Aerosmith released Pump in 1989. Fresh off the back of Permanent Vacation, their successful comeback was cemented in platinum.

"Love In An Elevator" was the first single from Pump - and the video is just glorious. It was directed by Marty Callner, who also did all the famous clips from the Get A Grip album that feature actress Alicia Silverstone. (Callner was a longtime Aerosmith partner - directing something like 13 videos in all for the band back when MTV was big). When you basically have an unlimited budget, you can produce some great video concepts.

Pump is when Aerosmith really became a music video juggernaut and started releasing some truly legendary clips. One of my favorite Aerosmith videos has always been for "Elevator." I always thought all the members of the band looked extra engaged in this clip - like they were truly having fun during the filming. Plus there's Brandi Brandt as the elevator operator, some dogs, a fake cat, a super tall person, a little person, circus performers and an extra-ripped and tan Joe Perry. What's not to like?

"Kiss your sassafras!"

The Best Videos Of 1989 - 'Patience'

One of my favorite Guns n' Roses songs is "Patience." It was released as a single in 1989 and the promotional video just immediately grabbed me. The first time I saw it, I knew I would have a life-long love for Guns n' Roses. "Patience" is on the G N'R Lies EP. I think the clip for "Patience" is when I noticed Axl Rose's signature hip swing for the first time. Iconic.

The Best Videos Of 1989 - '18 and Life'

Perhaps one of the greatest rock debut albums ever, Skid Row came out in 1989. Skid Row was smart in just going with the self-title for their debut. It helped brand them and the album seamlessly - and with the beautiful Sebastian Bach at the helm and amazing songs to boot - success was all but inevitable.

There are so many great tracks on Skid Row, but I think the best video + song combo is "18 and Life." The video matches the story of the song - and each band member gets a chance to be a star against a black backdrop. What could be better?

The Best Videos Of 1989 - 'Poison'

Picture it: summer, 1989. You have a new boombox and are looking at Tower Records for a new cassette. Alice Cooper is on top of the world with his new album Trash.

"Poison" becomes a huge single of the album - and for Cooper's career, period. The big-budget video is so 80s with big hair, black leather, chains, a hot girl and even steamier guitarists. "Poison" is my favorite Alice song - sorry not sorry!