JOURNEY

While JOURNEY's debut garners more respect than the mega hit output that followed a few years later, it suffers from an opposite problem, that of being seemingly unaware of the audience rather than pathologically aware. And superstar credentials won't change the simple reality that, unless you are a musician who likes to play along, JOURNEY's self titled debut has all the appeal of watching someone play....

The opening notes of "Of a LIfetime" show much promise, and indeed introduces a hypnotic melody carried through the remainder of the track with reasonable success, but sadly the group does not pick up on this approach for the remainder of the disk, a blend of faux-improvised hard rock, blues and jazz, performed by virtuosi but composed and arranged by fragile individualists.

If JOURNEY ever did strike a balance in terms of restraint and gentle respect for their audience, it was not on this debut or on any of their colossal hit albums of the 1980s. Even the longest journey begins with a single step, provided that step is not backwards.