Evolution is the fifth studio album by American
rock band
Journey, released in March 1979 by
Columbia Records. It is the band's first album to feature drummer
Steve Smith.
It was the band's most successful album at the time, reaching No. 20 on the US
Billboard 200 chart, and has sold three million copies in the US. They retained
Roy Thomas Baker (best known for his work with
Queen) as producer, but drummer
Aynsley Dunbar was replaced with Smith, formerly with
Ronnie Montrose's band.
Evolution features their first top 20 hit, "
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'", which was inspired by the classic
Sam Cooke top 20 hit "Nothin' Can Change This Love" and reached No. 16 in the US.[6] "Just the Same Way" featured original lead vocalist
Gregg Rolie along with
Steve Perry.
Record World said that the single "Too Late" "takes the rock ballad to new limits with a call & response hookline and
Neal Schon's dashing guitar break."[9] The magazine called "Just the Same Way" a "hard but slick rocker."[10]
The Globe and Mail concluded that "all the songs here could well have originated at the same session as the numbers on the previous album, and that suggests stagnation."[11]