Eclipse (sometimes stylized as ECL1P53) is the 14th studio album by Americanrock band, Journey, and the second with Filipino lead singer, Arnel Pineda.[3] Penned by Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain with contributions from Pineda, the album was released in the United States and Canada on 24 May 2011, on 27 May 2011 in Japan, in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2011, and internationally on 3 June 2011.
Production
Eclipse was recorded in Berkeley, CA. As the album was near completion, producer Kevin Shirley ran out of time. In an effort for the band to release the album in time for the tour, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain produced the remaining tracks in Nashville. The album was a departure, focusing on a harder rock sound rather than the formulaic pop hits and ballads. Schon, feeling the pop formula became repetitive, wanted to experiment on Eclipse and make it more guitar-oriented and less radio-friendly. Shirley had trepidation about the direction of the album, clashing with Schon creatively. Many of the tracks were re-recorded in Nashville under Schon and Cain's production.[4] Cain supported Eclipse, saying "we’d had this concept in mind from the get go. We’ve got the ballads we can play all day long. If people want to hear ballads, they can certainly find them on other records."[5]
Release and Reception
Eclipse was released on May 24, 2011. In North America it was exclusively sold at Wal-Mart.[6]Eclipse sold 21,400 copies in the United States in its debut week, reaching No. 13 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[7]Eclipse marks Journey's second straight Top 20 album with current lead singer, Arnel Pineda. Internationally, Eclipse entered the Top 40 album charts in five different countries.
Despite high chart positions it quickly descended from the charts within weeks. The departure from their pop formula alienated longtime fans. Eclipse was unable to match the success of Revelation, barely selling 100,000 copies—an 1/8th of the previous album's sales.[8]
Critical Reception and Aftermath
Eclipse received mixed to negative reviews. Rolling Stone reviewer Caryn Ganz rated the album at two stars, saying "Journey's second disc with Filipino YouTube discovery Arnel Pineda on vocals is both grand and distractingly proggy."[9]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic also rated Eclipse at two stars, praising Journey's ability to fuse their prog-rock abilities with their arena rock sound, however he goes on to say the album "pulsates with a certain insular chill that isn’t especially welcoming; this is music made for the musicians, and if anybody else happens to like it, that’s just a minor bonus."[10]
Though Journey enjoyed the process of recording Eclipse, they considered its lack of success a career setback. They became skeptical of recording a new album, focusing primarily on live performances. Jonathan Cain said "we have a great catalogue here, right now to play. We got a lot of songs that we’re not even playing. So, we’re like, ‘What’s the point of makin’ a new CD right now?'". Cain did not rule out the possibility of another album, which he says "I think we need to stay sort of closer to who we are, to who we've been -- great songs, great melodies, harmonies -- and not worry about if it's heavy or not. Our fans are getting older, man; they're not headbangers anymore. So if we do anything, I think we need to go back to the center."[11]
