Album · Journey
Evolution by Journey
Evolution is an album by Journey, released in 1979. 1 song from it has charted on rock radio countdowns, with 54 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'”, on 54 lists with a best position of #95.
Evolution, Journey's fifth studio album, hit the racks on Columbia in March 1979, and the title fits: the San Francisco band that started out chasing prog was turning into a sleek, radio-smart hit machine. Roy Thomas Baker, best known for his work with Queen, stayed on as producer, and the big change was behind the kit, where Steve Smith, fresh from Ronnie Montrose's band, took over from Aynsley Dunbar.
Steve Perry's soaring voice is front and center now, with Neal Schon's guitar, Ross Valory's bass and Gregg Rolie's keyboards packed in tight around him; Rolie still gets a turn at the mic alongside Perry on "Just the Same Way". The real prize is "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'", a slow, swaying number modeled on Sam Cooke's "Nothin' Can Change This Love" and Journey's first single to crack the US top 20. The album reached No. 20 and went on to sell three million copies in the US, their best showing yet.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Evolution on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' | 54 | #95 | – | 1982–2026 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.