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.
I can remember the moment like it was yesterday. The moment in time of buying my first Michael Schenker Group album, at Caldor department store, back in 1982. It was the second studio album from Michael Schenker Group, it is often referred to as MSG ll, yet no where on my original album that I bought does it have the marking of “ll” on it. I guess the mystery of “ll” shall stay in my Metal mystery files for now. You can see, as proof, on the image below this post, that the front cover does not have “ll” on it. This image depicts the original album cover, the copy that I still own to this day. I have kept this Michael Schenker Group album in pristine condition for 28 years, this is an album that I extremely admire and highly recommend. The eight songs on this album are best described as Hard Rock, I find it difficult to label this album as straight forward Heavy Metal. There is one exception, Attack of the Mad Axeman is the one song from this album that I would label as an early 1980’s Heavy Metal song, in my Metal opinion.
The Kinks – another legendary Rock and Roll Band, (and Hard Rock Band too), that I have never forgotten about… no Metal way. I first caught on to this great band upon their Low Budget album being released – back on September 7, 1979. The Kinks were huge back in the day… I specifically remember the late 1970’s into the 1980’s version of The Kinks. This band had one hell of a work ethic – always touring. There used to be a horde of kids wearing The Kinks concert shirts to High School back in the early ’80’s… as a Metalhead back then, I thought that was cool, due to my fondness for this band. I never was lucky enough to catch The Kinks in concert… back in the early 80’s would have been the choice time too. That is alright, I can always Rock out to The Kinks by listening to their songs whenever I want, like I have been doing since 1979. The Kinks were rightfully inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 1990. I could not endorse a band like The Kinks any louder to the younger generation of Rock/Classic Rock fans… they really put out some incredible music spanning four decades.
Blue Oyster Cult released “Fire Of Unknown Origin” in 1981, which was perfect timing for me. I already had Kiss, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC and Bad Company in my system back then, being wowed by Blue Oyster Cult was my ears next step in branching out into the Heavy Music world. Back in 1981, there was the choice of buying music on 8 track, I bought “Fire Of Unknown Origin” on this medium – thank you very much. (I no longer have this 8 track from yesteryear, the 8 track player is a memory as well). This album is just another example of what melded my Metal and Hard Rock Music tastes at a young age, (I was fifteen years old in 1981). Another stepping stone album, if you will, towards the lifetime of Metal and Hard Rock Music adoration that I behold. In my Metal opinion, this BOC album is an early 1980’s Heavy Metal meets Hard Rock album, that has consistently lured me back for many a listen over the years.
AC/DC – they are not just Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, this band is an elite institution of heavy music. I always pondered throughout the years… which song from the extensive catalog of AC/DC albums, is my favorite of all time? Is my favorite song from the Bon Scott era? Man, the late Bon Scott was unique, his vocals were and always will be legendary. The Brian Johnson era is power packed with amazing songs, could I take the easy route and pull my favorite tune off of the “Back In Black” album? That would be way too easy for me, it seems like choosing “Hells Bells”, “Back In Black” or “Have A Drink On Me” as my favorite AC/DC song, would be particularly predictable. I will not argue the fact it is a historical album, “Back In Black” surely paved the way for Heavy Metal commercial acceptance. Besides, I personally am forever grateful for AC/DC appointing Brian Johnson to succeed the late Bon Scott. “Back In Black” will forever be on my all time favorite album list.
There is no disguising the fact, I have been an ELO fan my entire life. The Electric Light Orchestra has music that actually fits into any type of mood I am in. From the more mellow “Eldorado” album to the rather upbeat “Discovery” album, ELO has always been there for me. Certainly, Metal Music (including all of it’s incredible sub genres of Extreme Metal Music) is my mainstay, #1 always and forever – still, there are those many moments in my life where I turn to ELO for inspiration and musical enjoyment. ELO is music. ELO is a Progressive Rock giant that in my Metal opinion, has always been cutting edge, if you will, with their musical arrangements and overall sound. Here are 12 cool facts for ELO fans to savor over, new fans of ELO just might find these facts to be of interest too.
Bob Seger, Rock and Roll Legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. That should be quite enough of an accomplishment to just call it a day, for just about any aging Rock Star, huh? Not the case with Bob Seger, no way. Just because a living Rock Legend goes on a personal hiatus for a number of years, does this mean this Rock Legend is washed up? Has this Rock Legend lost the ability to write and sing music like it was 1980 all over again? In my Metal opinion, Bob Seger has lost no Rock and Roll groove in his music, nor has he forgotten how to write Rock music songs that hit me straight to the heart. “Face The Promise” is a celebration of Rock Music that not only inspires me with all of it’s lyrical content, the Rock and Roll move and groove songs on this album are wrapped up in sincere blue collar grit.
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