JOURNEY “DEPARTURE” ALBUM FROM 1980 – A CLASSIC ROCK FLASHBACK
JOURNEY – released their sixth studio album, Departure, on March 23, 1980, on Columbia Records. This was my very first Journey album that I ever bought, sometime around 1980. Between this Journey album and Queen – The Game, I was becoming quite a Rock Music fanatic at the age of fourteen. Departure falls into the first dozen or so albums that I ever owned. As with Queen’s The Game album, this Journey album is an exquisite blend of Rock and Hard Rock songs. The FM radio favorite back in the day was Any Way You Want It, this song was the motivation for my buying this album to begin with. A genuine Hard Rock song, Any Way You Want It flowed through my veins like psyche-out serum. Aw, heck, it still does to this very day.
Walks Like A Lady is the mellow Rock song that FM radio caught onto as well, it’s chorus coupled with the simplicity and innocence in it’s lyrics, gives this song it’s appeal, almost spotlighting it amongst the other songs on Departure. Where Were You is one of my favorite Journey songs… ever. If a song can Rock me at age fourteen, then Rock me the same way three decades later… then it ‘s an impact song that did it’s deed in imbedding itself into my Rock and Roll psyche. Where Were You, as with Any Way You Want It, just brings back memories of my discovering what Rock and Hard Rock Music was really all about. Back in 1980, I found myself gravitating towards much more up-tempo and harder edged songs. Departure became another tile, on the Hard Rock ground floor that I was setting foot upon.
I’m Cryin’ for all intents and purposes, is Steve Perry at his very finest, unleashing his never to be duplicated vocals, with a spill-over of believable emotion. Line Of Fire has the saturated sound of Classic Rock boogie, pulsating with every imaginable vibration of 1970’s Hard Rock as well. Neal Schon’s guitar actually sounds like a backup singer on Line Of Fire, his signature tone is that expressive… to my ears. When I listen to Good Morning Girl in 2010, I can safely point to this song as the direction as to where Journey would go musically, on future albums. Steve Perry’s vocals being the focal point in a soft ballad, is a key part of the puzzle to Journey’s mainstream success and popularity explosion of the 1980’s. Good Morning Girl was the hint of more incredible things to come, from this legendary band and lead vocalist… only I did not have a clue of Journey’s future back in 1980.
Whenever I can reach into my music collection and pull out an album that resonates the roots of Rock and Hard Rock of my young adult life, it surely is an impeccable album for me indeed. Rock and Roll is more than an aging slab of vinyl or a hardened plastic disc referred to as a CD. Rock and Roll encompasses dozens upon dozens of genres, while these same genres are represented by bands that are iconic as well as lesser known. What comes out of all this are the emotions, vibrations and memories that the music instills in one. Journey – Departure is an album I look upon as an integral reason as to why I decided to take a Hard Rock trek in my early teens. Journey, as with many other Hard Rock bands of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, aided in my transition to Heavy Metal… and I never considered for one second of abandoning Journey or any other influential band from my youth… Metal be thy name.
Journey, as they appeared on Departure:
Steve Perry – lead vocals
Neal Schon – guitar & backing vocals
Ross Valory – bass & backing vocals
Gregg Rolie – keyboards, harmonica & backing vocals
Steve Smith – drums & percussion
* Gregg Rolie is the lead vocalist on Someday Soon.
* Neal Schon is the lead vocalist on People And Places.
* Check out the Official Journey website: JOURNEY
Track Listing for Departure:
Any Way You Want It
Walks Like A Lady
Someday Soon
People And Places
Precious Time
Where Were You
I’m Cryin’
Line Of Fire
Departure
Good Morning Girl
Stay Awhile
Homemade Love
* Bonus Tracks From 2006 Reissue:
Natural Thing
Little Girl
Stone.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
March 31, 2010 at 11:20 am
A very good classic album. What is your take on Journey’s new singer Arnel Pineda?
March 31, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Arnel is one fine vocalist! I am a firm believer, that there are those “select” bands out there that can carry their musical identity and “brand” over the years, decades, with lineup changes… especially at lead vocalist. Journey is one of those bands for me. Foreigner and Lynyrd Skynyrd are two other prime examples, IMO.
Arnel sounds like the ultra legendary Steve Perry, yet at the end of the Hard Rock day… Arnel is new and unique in his own right. No two vocalists can ever be identical, similarities can exist… and those similarities are what Neal Schon is capitalizing on with Journey, to continue that sound and appeal that us Journey fans have grown with.
Therefore… Arnel Pineda – ROCKS! “Revelation” is as credible a Journey album as there ever was one. I personally was blown away by just how energized and fresh that new Journey album sounded! Arnel brings to the table that fresh energy and enthusiasm… it must be contagious within the band for it came out in the new songs!
Stone
March 31, 2010 at 1:22 pm
On that note, I think I will go listen to Revelation. =)
March 31, 2010 at 4:40 pm
This was the first “old” Journey album I ever bought, I believe (my first ever being ARRIVAL). I remember not taking too much of a liking to it overall.
March 31, 2010 at 5:45 pm
It’s an alright album. It’s no Escape or Frontiers.
April 1, 2010 at 10:15 am
I like “Departure” for it’s lack of commercial “over appeal” as well. The later Journey albums really scored with the hits, which is all good and I reel them in. This Journey album for me, was like the “catalyst” between Journey’s blue collar beginning and then their unstoppable rise to the top.
April 1, 2010 at 1:38 am
The only Journey album that I ever owned was their “Greatest Hits” that came out around 1988.
Actually I like all the songs on it…except three: the two soundtracks songs (“Only The Young” and “Ask The Lonely”), and the one from Departures (“Any Way You Want It”).
The other twelve tracks are good (some better than others).
I haven’t heard their new singer. I’m not into Journey enough to buy a studio album. The Greatest Hits has all of their songs that interest me.
April 1, 2010 at 8:30 am
Arnel is good and his accent has gotten better. In the early live clips I saw he was still very Filipino in his enunciation.
I really wish Jeff Scott Soto would have retained the gig. His brief stint was great. Deen Castronovo could’ve handled the duties as well, he’s a great singer and can sound a lot like Perry as well.