[6] Record World called the medley "an epic ballad" with "healthy amounts of pomp and bravado.

"[7] Departure would mark the last full-time studio album appearance of founding member Gregg Rolie, and his penultimate recording with the band: his final contributions would appear on Dream, After Dream, a soundtrack album to the Japanese film of the same name, which would also be released in 1980.

Rolie had become tired of life on the road and decided to leave the band after assisting in the selection of his replacement, Jonathan Cain, then of The Babys.

[9] BMG/Columbia remastered Departure again in 2006 for European, Japanese and American listeners,[10] adding bonus tracks 13 "Natural Thing" and 14 "Little Girl".

[11] All tracks are written by Steve Perry and Neal Schon, except where notedJourney Production ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.