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.
W.A.S.P. has me burning up with an extreme Heavy Metal fever. Their new studio album, Babylon, is the total Old School Heavy Metal package. I am so excited about this new W.A.S.P. album, I need to calm down. Alright, if you have never purchased a W.A.S.P. album in your life and you are into Metal, do the right thing and buy Babylon. Veteran W.A.S.P. fans should understand why I am pumped up about Babylon… it is the quintessential Heavy Metal album for 2009. Am I saying it is the best Heavy Metal album of 2009? I am sure leaning in that direction for certain. Remember, this is Heavy Metal, no strings attached. Blackie Lawless has proven once again he is not about to back down, cow tow or change for anyone. Blackie Lawless has my total Metal support and praise for his convictions, which he so eloquently states within the liner notes of Babylon.
I will always believe, that it is extremely hard to cover a song of this magnitude, without tripping up somewhere along the way. Nothing beats a Hard Rock Classic, especially one from Deep Purple. David Coverdale will forever have the notoriety of originally vocalizing Burn with Deep Purple. David Coverdale’s vocal signature on the original version of Burn, plus his historical importance to Heavy Metal is immeasurable, in my most honest Metal opinion. Fast forward to 2009 and Burn is resurrected from the archives of Hard Rock history, thanks to W.A.S.P.. Blackie Lawless maintains the signature keyboards of Burn, reestablishing the importance this instrument has within this song. Doug Blair on lead guitar, cements himself as an asset, to the Heavy Metal identity that is W.A.S.P., on this amazing cover song. Burn returns and rises like a flaming phoenix, with Blackie Lawless unleashing this song’s power and exposing it’s grandeur for all Heavy Metal time.
Ah, the weekend is here. Time to clean up the house, tidy the garage, finish some yard work and maybe wash and vacuum the car. Watch some College and/or NFL Football this weekend too. What are some music listening suggestions I may have for the weekend? Thank you for asking. Heavy Metal and/or all the other Metal Music genres that exist is first and foremost. Oh, may I also suggest some Punk Rock as well? Thank you for allowing me to do so. What was that? Did someone just ask me to name specifically which bands and/or albums to delve into this weekend? Gee, I feel rather honored to be suggesting to the entire world , a tidy list of great heavy bands and/or albums to choose from… uh, here it is:
Meat Loaf, Rock Music legend. Meat Loaf, lead vocalist on Ted Nugent’s 1976 Free For All 
I found IOMMI With Glenn Hughes – the 1996 Dep Sessions on the Century Media Records online store CM Distro.com. This CD set me back 3 bucks plus shipping. (I bought a few CD’s so the total shipping cost of 5 bucks was reasonable to me). This CD was in the clearance section at CM Distro.com, proving to be a cool Metal find for me. Tony Iommi is the lead guitarist for the ultra legendary/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – Black Sabbath. Glenn Hughes has had a stellar career of his own, most notably being a vocalist and bass guitarist for Deep Purple on their Burn and Stormbringer 
I have owned the vinyl album of No Mean City by Nazareth since 1983. No, I could never part with this album at all over the years, never. For years I could never find No Mean City on CD, it most likely had been out of print for some time. To this day, No Mean City does not seem to be that readily available anywhere, on CD and especially on vinyl. Who knows, maybe there is an independent record store somewhere that has dozens of copies in their inventory… I just never come across this Nazareth classic myself. With the brilliant, Old School, Classic Hard Rock heard on this album, combined with the album cover artwork, makes for a keeper. I actually bought this album as a cut-out, back when Strawberries Records & Tapes was around. Back in the early 1980’s, cut-out bins found in any record store was Rock and Roll Heaven! You could always find cool albums in these cut-out bins at real discounted prices, many times there were hidden heavy gems in them. My copy of No Mean City has a cut in the top right corner of the album jacket – this never bothered me one bit. The enjoyment this album’s music has given me all these years more than makes up for any cosmetic defect on it’s exterior.
It’s always great to vent. Vent I did in my last post – where I needed over 1,100 words to express my disappointment in not being able to purchase the new KISS CD – Sonic Boom at my local Super Walmart on October 6, 2009, (the release date for it). Just as I hoped for and predicted, at 4:00 p.m. EST, I entered the Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, Super Walmart and took hold of my very own copy of Sonic Boom. (Phew). I can now say I bought this new KISS CD on it’s release date… yes, it means something to me. I have my core Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Bands that I have followed for decades, when they release a new album I try my very best to buy it on the release day. Metal case closed. I went to this Super Walmart twice during the morning of October 6, (the release date), my last visit was at 9;30 a.m. EST, as I left empty handed. I will say this much… the packaging for this Sonic Boom CD is INCREDIBLE! Once I get to crank up Sonic Boom for a couple of listens, I will post my Metal jubilation. Here are some quick tidbits about my Sonic Boom shopping experience at Super Walmart, plus other related notes:
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.