Here to Stay

by Greg PratoBack for round two, guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jan Hammer united for a collaboration once again -- 1982's Here to Stay -- barely a year after their debut appeared. Like the debut (1981's Untold Passion), the album is a combination of both player's prog, fusion, and rock backgrounds -- although a short songwriting leash prevents most of the tracks from stretching past the four-minute mark. The duo were obviously aiming for the top of the charts with the album-opener (whose accompanying video was quite popular during the early days of MTV), "No More Lies," which sounds like a song tailor-made for Pat Benatar. Elsewhere, Hammer gets to spread his wings on "Time Again," while Schon shows off his hard rocking side with the Zeppelin-esque "Turnaround." Like Untold Passion, Here to Stay was a moderate chart success. But despite its bold title, the album would prove to be the last Schon/Hammer collaboration.