The singer/songwriter Peter Allen once commented in song, “Everything old is new again.”  And that adage certainly applies to the case of Journey.  Thanks to the one-two punch of television shows The Sopranos and Glee, the band’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” has become ubiquitous.  Though the band’s heyday was undoubtedly the 1980s (“Don’t Stop Believin’,” reportedly the top-selling catalogue track of all time on iTunes, dates from 1981), the music of Journey is in the public eye now more than ever.  So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that on November 1, Columbia Records and Legacy will release Greatest Hits Vol. 2.  It belatedly follows up the original Greatest Hits album, first released in 1988, which has racked up worldwide sales of over 25 million.  Greatest Hits Vol. 2 will be available as a single CD, digital download, and special gatefold 180-gram double-vinyl edition (which includes a code for a free digital download of the vinyl remastered album).

But there's more!  The original Greatest Hits will also be issued as a gatefold 180-gram double-vinyl edition on the same date, November 1 (which also includes a code for a free digital download of the vinyl remastered album). Each release has been meticulously remastered; the honors for Greatest Hits Vol. 2 were handled by Robert Hadley and Steve Perry at The Mastering Lab in Ojai, CA, while the new vinyl release of Greatest Hits Vol. 1 was remastered by Doug Sax, Hadley and Perry, also at The Mastering Lab.  Perry commented of these new releases, “I truly forgot how sonically exciting and just plain better these Journey tracks sound back where they originally lived…on vinyl. The stereo separation, the center imaging and the sonic depth of the tracks themselves is more true to what we all loved about these original final mixes. All the instruments and voices, to me personally, sound so damn good that all I want to do is reach for the volume and turn it up!”

Formed in 1973 by guitarist Neal Schon and releasing an eponymous debut album in 1975, Journey’s career really took off when Steve Perry joined the band as lead singer.  Journey adopted a more pop-friendly sound, taking its cue from the arena rock of Boston and Foreigner, and the band was rewarded with a No. 21 chart placement and platinum sales for its 1978 album Infinity produced by Roy Thomas Baker and featuring Perry's debut.  Despite a number of personnel changes, Journey was off and running.  1979’s Evolution included Journey’s first Top 20 single, “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” and 1980’s Departure introduced one of the band’s signature songs, “Any Way You Want It.”  The big one was 1981’s Escape, the eighth studio album from the group.  It shot to No. 1 on the album charts and included three Top 10 hits: “Who’s Cryin’ Now,” the deathless “Open Arms,” and of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”  Escape spent nearly three years on Billboard’s Top 200 chart.

Escape was produced by Mike Stone and Kevin Elson, who went on to produce the band's next album, Frontiers (1983). Frontiers (“After The Fall,” “Chain Reaction”) debuted the week before Michael Jackson’s Thriller reached pole position, and made sure that Thriller wasn't lonely at the top when it remained comfortably ensconced at No. 2 for nine weeks! 1986's Raised On Radio introduced a new member to the journey fold, the bassist Randy Jackson.  One of the most familiar faces in television thanks to his judging stint on American Idol, The Dawg went on to tour with Journey through 1987. Raised On Radio spent 67 weeks on the album chart, propelled by the Top 20 hit “Suzanne."

Journey's story is proof in the pudding that a label’s investment in a band might not always produce returns immediately, but that faith in a recording artist over a long period of time can, indeed, pay off in a big way.  Album Oriented Rock (AOR) was here to stay.  When Journey broke up (for what turned out to be a temporary hiatus) in 1988, Columbia issued the Greatest Hits album, encompassing fifteen tracks from seven of the band's albums.  It’s been a mainstay for those fans introduced via The Sopranos, Glee, Family Guy, and American Idol, all of which have employed the band’s music.  Although the first Greatest Hits has long covered the bases for a casual fan’s Journey collection, a number of Top 40 and Top 20 singles were not included.  Columbia also notes that favorites of principal songwriters Steve Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain were excluded. Many of these tracks have been included on Greatest Hits Vol. 2, including five Top 40 hits and one AOR Top 20 track.

Hit the jump for the full track listing with discographical information as to the original album appearance of each track, and singles chart annotation for Journey’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2.  The album arrives in stores on both CD and vinyl on November 1 from Columbia/Legacy, along with the brand new vinyl remaster of that seminal Greatest Hits Vol. 1.  You'll find pre-order links below!.

Journey, Greatest Hits Volume 2 (Columbia/Legacy CD 88697 77986 2, 2011/Vinyl)

1. Stone In Love (No. 13, AOR)
2. After The Fall (No. 23)
3. Chain Reaction
4. The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love) (No. 34)
5. Escape
6. Still They Ride (No. 19)
7. Good Morning Girl (No. 55)
8. Stay Awhile (No. 55)
9. Suzanne (No. 17)
10. Feeling That Way
11. Anytime (No. 83)
12. Walks Like A Lady (No. 32)
13. Little Girl
14. Just The Same Way (No. 58)
15. Patiently
16. When I Think Of You
17. Mother, Father (Live in Houston, 1981)

Tracks 1, 5 & 6 from Escape, Columbia HC 47408, 1981
Tracks 2-3 from Frontiers, Columbia QC 38504, 1983
Track 4 from Captured, Columbia KC2 37016, 1981
Tracks 7-8 & 12 from Departure, Columbia FC 36339, 1980
Track 9 from Raised on Radio, Columbia OC 39936, 1986
Tracks 10-11 & 15 from Infinity, Columbia HC 44912, 1978
Track 13 from Dream After Dream, CBS (Japan) 27AP 1950, 1980
Track 14 from Evolution, Columbia FC 35797, 1979
Track 16 from Trial By Fire, Columbia CK 67514, 1996
Track 17 from Live in Houston: 1981 Escape Tour, Columbia/CMV CK 97774, 2005