IMO they "became" Yacht Rock but Infinity, Evolution and Departure (IMO Neals best work) is vastly different from albums like Frontiers, Raised on Radio etc...
Escape, their first album with Cain has some great rock stuff like Lay it Down, Dead or Alive, Stone in Love, and stuff outside the box like Mother, Father. It's kinda of the bridge album to them becoming and overtly commercial pop band. Open Arms and even Don't Stop is as Yacht Rock as you can get. And why I was done with them after that album. I hate Frontiers and if I never hear Separate Ways again, life will be good.
Problem with Journey is after Gregg left, Perry took over and eventually pushed their manager Herbie Herbert out. Herbie relied on Gregg as the defacto leader. Further Herbie never wanted the band to go in the pop direction because like he said, once you put yourself in that category then you're always chasing the next hit. And he was right, they became watered down radio mush. Herbert was a brilliant manager, he created the band a company which handled all their merch, licensing i.e. basically anything where the band made money. And which Neal, Cain, Valory and Smith all started suing each other for several years back. Herbie also started the first video boards for bands in concert and for awhile owned the largest video board company in the rock business until he sold it before he passed. In fact most concerts fans saw in the 90's and early 2000's with video screens, that was his company. There's a couple of old interviews with Herbie out there where he basically just peels the lid off everything. Needless to say he didn't have much good to say about Perry and especially Cain. I do think he and Perry reconciled before he passed as Herbie was at the RNR Hall of Fame induction. Crazy because he basically saved Perry from a life on a chicken farm that his family owned and told the band, this is your lead singer, deal with it. And removed Robert Fleischman the original singer who would go on to Vinnie Vincent fame or infamy lol.
A great story about Jon Cain - he was in The Baby's who were opening for Journey. Rolie went to Herbie and told him that Cain should be his replacement. So as a favor to Rolie he agreed. Cain flew in from England to take the job and as he stepped into Herbie's car he told him, you either get my wife a record deal or I'm walking. Herbie had stated he should have left him at the airport but he agreed and from that point on Cain was a headache. So few months later Escape comes out, big hit album and Perry in interviews is taking all the accolades for the music and writing on the album and minimizing Cain's contributions. To the point in one live interview that Cain left the room crying because he wasn't getting any credit. Herbert goes up to Cain while he's crying and humbled and say's, now you know what it's like to meet a bigger asshole than you. Lol.
Journey is an interesting band as there are four distinct versions - the original jam band which I have come to appreciate more through the years. The rock band which I love - Infinity to Captured. The pop Yacht Rock band which I have no use for. And lastly the touring band that sues the shit out of each other, even in the middle of a tour.
