This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
If anything proves that some folks just don’t know when to quit, it’s comeback albums like these unwanted offerings from some of our least-missed ’70s acts.
The biggest of the bunch would have to be The Bee Gees, who still can’t escape their Saturday Night Fever notoriety a quarter-century after disco died. Thankfully, on This is Where I Came In, they leapfrog over the white-suit era altogether, opting instead for a curious cocktail of Beatlesque ’60s pop (which works splendidly) and synthetic ’80s new wave (which doesn’t). Naturally, everything is lathered with their trademark breathy harmonies (which sound as swell as ever) and deeply earnest romanticism (which sounds as hokey as ever). Not bad — though the ’20s-style jazz ballad might be better called This Is Where Everybody Tunes Out. Still, even at their wet-noodliest, Barry, Robin and Maurice seem cutting-edge compared to the reunited Journey. Make that partially reconstituted. Unable to lure singer Steve Perry back to smack the pony one more time, they hired a helium-voiced clone whose name even sounds the same — Steve Augeri. I only wish I was kidding. Much as I wish I was only kidding about the existence of Arrival, a pointless, soulless collection of freeze-dried ’80s crud, from the mullet-head guitar wankery to the power-ballad drivel. Doubtless you’ll be able to see them at a classic rock fest this summer. Why you would want to is beyond me. At least former Chicago singer Peter Cetera doesn’t spend his whole album trying to rewrite 25 or 6 to 4 or Saturday in the Park. Though in his case, a little more nostalgia might have been an improvement over much of this bland, white-boy soul and roots-pop. Cetera’s chirpy voice still reaches the high notes and meshes smoothly with the everpresent horns, but Another Perfect World doesn’t come close to living up to its title. Now please, guys, go away so we can miss you again.
