EVOLUTION

Eeeehhmmmm!!!!!...... maybe one of the most inaptly titled album ever (unless adding a "D" in front, but a Ohio quartet thought of it first). So with the sacking of Ainsley (he'll find refuge in a real rock band Jefferson Starship), the word business was the first and only thought. Even if Schon's guitar often shines in its histrionics, it's really Perry's property as he signs every track but one, simply choosing who he wants to write with, and very often preferring Schon over Rollie. With yet another ugly (ridiculous) TransAm hood artwork, Evolution has only two tracks above 4 minutes, which goes to tell you how sad this can go. Replacement Smith is apt, and fills the drum stool, which suffered a size- shrinking as part of the business re-organization.

Again loaded with three sure-fire hits, De-Evolution hit the charts with a vengeance it didn't need, since the album before had hit it big, and hit our eardrums with a meanness and with an aggressiveness that we didn't need, causing much nausea and many puking. Indeed Steve Pukerry's voice caused a lot of kids to hate this kind of rock, and probably helped pave the way to NWOBHMB into their hearts. Past the Majestic intro, which might be seen as passage of rite between the early Journey (first 30 seconds) into the Perry-era Journey (the remaining 45 seconds), the album jumps into the well-known Too Late, then the atrocious nah-nah-nah-naaaaah-nah Lovin' Touchin', Squeezin', Pukin' hit-singles, before attacking a few fillers (how much more of a filler than "city of the angels"?) or second rate stuff - When You're Alone, Loving You Is So Easy, Sweet And Simple are complete misses AND fillers. However, when Gregg Rollie writes without Perry, it is neither good, nor does he sing well (his voice is simply shot compared to his Santana days) and even in Just The Same Way, Perry actually saves the tracks from being almost laughable. Grandeur et decadence. Recall, Day Dream are just boring fillers, while the closing Lady Luck might just be the only track worthy of attention, being the only one that displays the energy of the first album without passing through Schon's testosteroned guitars, but rather through the drumming (wouldn't be surprised if this was a Dunbar left-over).

Again an album that's best avoided, partly because of the corporate rock business side (they don't need it anymore), but mostly to save your shelves from ridicule of disp^laying your bad tastes, should you once have bought this (errare humanum est) and not getting rid of it (persevere idioticum est). Stand warned and corrected!!!