Redemption Songs? Journey Through Time
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 12:01AM Today's post is from our friend HIM.
Neal Schon has been out playing classic cuts from Journey under the ‘through time’ moniker. He brought back some classic players (Gregg Rolie, anyone?). He also brought along Deen Castronovo.
I am no fan of Schon’s preening and pomp. I find it grating. I also find some of his lifestyle choices questionable. Castronovo is in an entirely different orbit. Do a quick Google search if you don’t know. The man did some horrid things. He is reportedly on the clean path these days and making amends for his crimes. But still . . .
So you have pucker lips, the convict, and some classic players out on the road doing Journey songs before they (the band Journey) head to Vegas to do the requisite residency. And what you get is this:
To my mind, three things come up: (1) the first song sounds a bit quicker than normal; (2) the second song is a bit looser than the original; and (3) holy cow, this is amazing!!! Castronovo sounds better than Pineda, and the band sounds better than Journey. That is just me. I am no musician. So I don’t know if either (1) or (2) are me just making mistakes. But I do know that I think (3) is the truth. That is an opinion, humble BBG! readers.
Listening to this, and thinking about Castronovo in particular, makes me think about a lot of things. When do we forgive a person for admitted, and seemingly inexcusable, sins? How do we square our love of good time rock with all the shadows and shades of life? I don’t have the answers. But I am humble enough to say that I found this to be troubling, awesome, and nostalgia-inducing all at the same time. Life can be a paradox, can’t it?
To kind BBG! posters: I took, and am taking, a step back (I posted a comment re: Aerosmith a few weeks ago that made that clear). I am not going to be posting. I just don’t have the stomach for it right now. That is on me. But don’t think that I am not reading, and loving (for the most part), this site. I just want to set a standard for myself that is more about sharing and less about sparring. So entries like this are my way of threading the needle. I can’t begin to thank Allyson enough for providing us with this site.
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Reader Comments (13)
There are two versions of the album: the black cover has the original drum tracks with Castronovo, but after he had to quit the band for health reasons, Schon remixed it and added a few new songs with new drummer Virgil Donati. Both versions sound great.
Am I over analyzing and losing a touch of "something" for what is basically a karoke machine ? :)
Wheel In The Sky
Studio -- 105 bpm
Houston, 1981 -- 126
Journey 2018 (w/ Pineda) -- 119
Journey Through Time -- 114*
*Intro is 117 bpm, first verse is 114 bpm, first chorus is 113, and second verse is 111.
Any Way You Want It
Studio -- 138 bpm
Houston, 1981 -- 153
Journey 2018 (w/ Pineda) -- 145
Journey Through Time -- 142
The most interesting thing about Journey Through Time is Castronovo's pipes. They're in standard tuning in those videos, and he's hitting most of the notes -- while playing his ass off on the drums! When Journey plays with Pineda they have to tune down a half step, going back to at least 2014 (and Pineda struggled badly in the 2018 clips I viewed).
As for his struggles with the law and substance abuse ... I think most people deserve at least a shot at redemption. It takes a special kind of predatory SOB for me to hope he rots in jail (cough, Cosby, cough). And while I have a very hard time forgiving anybody of domestic violence, if Castronovo is clean, stays that way, and gets consistent therapy, maybe I can okay with enjoying his playing here or with Revolution Saints.
You can bother to write these back-to-back Bring Back AOR! posts but can’t strain yourself to spend 5 or 10 minutes a day to deliver your fantastic peanut gallery Comments along with the rest of us jokers down here?
How about every other day? Look, I get taking a hiatus once and awhile. We all do it. But Allyson needs you and we need you, Bro!
What will BK, GNR, Fletch, Badland, Rita, Gogmagog, Eddie Long Hair, KixChix, Bob, Funny Gary, Shawn, Jack T, Not Funny Gary, Cheapseats, Oper8n, anybody else I forgot, the Drive-By’s, all the Nom de Plumes and I going to survive in here without being able to agree with you, mess with you and herald you? Geezus!
p.s. Great stuff, Gogmagog! I’d love to see the BPM stats on ZZ Top since it’s apparent they’ve slowed down over the years. Diversely, it would be fascinating to see those on bands like The Ramones or The Dickies, two acts known for being among the fastest both live and in the studio in their heyday.
As for passing judgement on Dean as a human it is hard not to pass judgement on others because it is inherent in our human nature - if we accept others empirically it can shake your belief foundations.
Musicians are people just like us even though some believe they are above us mere mortals.
It is easy to bash Vince but in the end I still love the Crue. Axl is a well documented ass but still love Guns plus he has a documented history of domestic violence. The music is the music and love it for what it is just remember that the delivery mechanism can be flawed - Can they earn redemption I believe so but that is the choice we as fans have to make. Just as we pass judgement we have the ability to forgive transgressions as we see fit.
@ Him I need your west coast wiseassery to cover my sarcastic east coast goon babblings brother.
@Bk Man you’re right. I hear through the grapevine I had shit tons of fun in the 80’s. To which I have answer “when we’re the 80’s”... lol
Now if we can just get UNFUNNY Gary back to counterbalance it!