DEPARTURE

Second or third album since the industry-enforced coup on Journey and imposing Dictator Steve Perry as lifelong torturer of eardrums and certainly not an improvement over its predecessor or successors. By now, the most rebellious element, British citizen Ainsley Dunbar had either quit or most likely got fired, apparently for off-stage antics, like screwing groupies (unfortunately, I'm not kidding here, that's how sad things were). Hang that man by the balls!!!! (here I am!! ;o))) Whether this is his replacement's debut or second album remains unclear (I don't care to check it out really), but Steve Smith is nowhere close to Dunbar's fantastic drumming abilities, although the later's where being wasted since Dictator Perry came to power. The two Santana survivors (Rollie and Schon) are obviously hanging on, content on their wallets finally getting a fortunate twist of fate. This goes double for Schon with whom Perry found a songwriting partnership at the expense of Rollie, so it's no surprise that the best two tracks of the album are the two Greg got to write..

Pompously titled Departure with the 1980 date outlined and the horizontal 8 into an infinity sign, the group set out indeed to beat all records of bad taste in FM-AOR airwaves and actively contributing to moronize rock crowds around the world with tasteless Pontiac Trans-Am hood artworks and cheap sleazy cheesy and moronic ballads that will brainwash tons of so-called adults. And to show that Perry is the new master, the group starts on two of the most numbskulling hits they've written the rocker Any Way You Want It and the cheesy soul-ish Walks Like A Lady (Rollie's Hammond is the only good thing about this track), Rollie's only shot at lead vocals on this stinker of an album is a weak Someday Soon, with Perry sabotaging him in background vocals. Best forgotten. An intriguing Hammond (and hope- inducing) opening People And Places, but all hopes are quickly deceived as the track turns into a boring ballad that's probably the album's best track and impeccably played. The only other track approaching this semi-interesting status (aside the short instrumental title track) is I'm Crying, with all histrionics out.

The album continues in a typical AOR fashion that quickly irks the proghead (unlike he likes a numb skull) with shrieky vocals, harmonica (Precious Time, courtesy of Rollie) and guitars and the track succeed to each other, some obvious fillers (Line Of Fire, Good Morning Girl and Homemade Love), others being Journey semi-classics (Where Were You and Stay Awhile), but it is mostly a listless affair, where boredom seeps through every pore out of the speakers..

Soooo nicely underlined by the typical deep wisdom of a mindless corporate rock band, comes a line of unique wisdom: As A Seed Is Planted, So A Tree Shall Grow!! Yikes, why didn't we think of that ourselves??!! Don't get me wrong here, Departure is a very professional album with impeccable execution, outstanding production and everything else, but it reeks industrial standards, something to which I've grown very quickly allergic to.

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