Customer Reviews

Departure [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although not as good as Infinity or Escape, this is a great CD with hard-hitting classics such as Where Were You and Line of Fire.

But yikes, what is this 2008 Sony/BMG Special Markets reissue without the bonus tracks listed and what mastering is on this one? My CD is the 2006 Sony/Legacy version and has great 2006 remastering and the cool bonus tracks Natural Thing and Little Girl. I'd suggest grabbing the 2006 version with bonus tracks from an Amazon seller rather than gambling on the 2008 version.

FYI: Here's the mastering scoop on the Journey CD's I like and own:

Infinity (not remastered for 2006 Legacy reissues, old 1996 remastering)
Evolution (not remastered for 2006 Legacy reissues, old 1996 remastering)
Departure (remastered for 2006 Legacy reissues)
Escape (not remastered for 2006 Legacy reissues, old 1996 remastering)
Frontiers (remastered for 2006 Legacy reissues)

They should have all been re-remastered.

Released in early 1980,"Departure" was the last album to feature Gregg Rolie on keyboards and vocals.It was also their first Top 10 album(#8),continuing their ascent from journeyman rockers to mainstream pop/rock hitmakers which,with the addition of Jonathan Cain on keys,would finally pay off the following year with "Escape".Back to this album,it kicks off in stellar form with Journey's most popular rockers "Any Way You Want It" and moves on to a very diverse set of songs-the bluesy tinge of "Walks Like A Lady" and "Precious Time";the melodic AOR of "Someday Soon"(the last time Gregg Rolie sang on a Journey album)and "People And Places"(which features Neal Schon on vocals along with Steve Perry);the straight-up hard-rockers "Where Were You" and "Line Of Fire",and the dramatic,emotional ballads "I'm Crying" and "Good Morning Girl/Stay Awhile",which would be,like or not,Steve Perry's trademark for the 1980's.The only track that doesn't work is "Homemade Love",a boogie-rocker that fall flat.Luckily,this album has been reissued with two strong tracks:the soulful "Natural Thing",which was the B-side to "Don't Stop Believin",and the searing "Little Girl",which first appeared on the "Dream After Dream" soundtrack.This reissue also has excellent remastering (done by Dave Donnelly at DNA Mastering),which is superior to previous CD editions, and a nice 16-page booklet contain photos,press clips,tour dates,and other memorabilia from the "Departure" period.Plus it's dirt cheap too.Essential for any Journey fan!

Fantastic music as always -- a great example of the stylistic shifting between late 70s and early-to-mid 80s Journey. Glorious work by all members, and sadly the last we hear of Rolie and Dunbar with this band. Perry's vocals are brilliant as usual -- champagne-clear and eerily spotless before his voice began to develop more of a texture through hard use.

Fantastic music to listen to closely; it's easy to think of anything off the pop charts as suitable for background listening, but I strongly recommend putting in the earphones, leaning back, and really listening with all attention to this album. It merits it.

i needed a last minute gift for my bf dad and hes a big journey fan so had to find one of there Cd's he didn't own and i did .he loved it too

Departure is one of the best albums from great album featuring some of the finest songs recorded by the band and is highly recoded.

Opening with the propulsive "Anyway You Want It" (one of Journey's BEST singles), "Departure" was a musical quantum leap for the Perry era led version of the band; you won't find anything you'd mistake for prog rock or new wave here BUT you will find some unusual and creative arrangements on songs like "People and Places" with a unique vocal arrangement and the harmonica driven "Precious Time". Perhaps part of the power of this album is because much of it was recorded live (as opposed as recording it piece meal with every instrument recorded separately), perhaps it was just their time but this was a massive album for Journey (although sales wise it would be superceded by "Escape").

The 2006 remaster isn't as loud and compressed as many remasters but it doesn't hold a candle to the original CD issue (or the vinyl itself)and it sounds decent (although I would try and find an earlier edition of this album if you can). What makes this essential for fans are the bonus tracks--one a b-side that hadn't appeared on CD before "Natural Thing" and a track from the Japanese CD and soundtrack "Dream After Dream". If you have "Dream After Dream" this may be a bit less essential to have although "Natural Thing" truly SHOULD have been an album track (and would have been better than one or two of the weaker tracks on the album).

The booklet leaves a bit to be desired. While it's nice to have photos of the band and also their tour schedule for support of this album I'd rather have an essay on the making of this album. That's a minor point and, on the whole, this is a solid remaster and is worthwhile picking up for the reasons mentioned. Since it IS inexpensive and a bit easier to find compared to the first pressing, I'd say go for it and enjoy it just be aware of the flaws of the remaster.

Journey was hitting their stride as they were hitting the eighties with `Departure' which was the follow up to their then commercial peak, `Evolution'. The new record was even more successful than its predecessor though I prefer the earlier LP. `Departure' was aptly titled as it turned out for the band would go through a major lineup change with founding member Gregg Rolie leaving the band after the tour and Jonathan Cain being brought in. Rolie had seen his role in Journey become minimized no doubt due to the growing dominance of front man Steve Perry. "Any Way You Want It" became the big hit obviously and features all of the band's strengths; harmonies, biting lead guitar from Neal Schon and the soaring vocal of Perry. My personal favorites are "Precious Time" which is a song that is never heard or talked about when one mentions this album and "Stay Awhile" which is very much a classic Journey ballad. "Walks Like a Lady" harkens back to the band's progressive and jazzy past as do some of the other tracks but there was no denying that first and foremost Journey was an AOR band - built for the massive success that was to come. `Departure' can be seen as a transitional album for this and many reasons. Standing in the line of fire it's gonna shoot ya....

This is by far the most varied album in Journey's catalog. None of my favorite songs are on this album, but it is their BEST OVERALL ALBUM. You will not get tired of listening to this one. It makes me wonder what the band would have done after this album if Gregg Rolie had not quit.

I think Steve Perry came into his element on this one. The bonus tracks are nice songs that I'd swear I'd heard before but they aren't on any of my other albums. "Any Way You Want It" and "Walks like a lady" are just classic wonderful songs. "Good Morning Girl" and "Stay Awhile" are short but sweet songs that display the immense talent Steve Perry has. "Where were you" and "Someday Soon" are really good songs that no one ever talks about. The album is just the best old Journey album with solid songs. I think Neal Schon's guitar work was better on the previous album.

Great album and really like I'm Crying. Steve Perry's voice is great as usual, and this was Greg's departure from the Band he helped start.