By Mike O’Cull
Founding member of Journey and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Neal Schon takes us back to one incredible night of live music in 2018 on his new live album Journey Through Time.
Set to drop May 19th, 2023 on the Frontiers Music s.r.l. imprint, the new record documents a live show that happened February 9, 2018 at The Independent in San Francisco, California. It was a benefit concert for fire victims in the Bay Area and was also the debut of Schon and fellow Journey founder Greg Rolie’s Journey Through Time project. JTT is a heavily-muscled band that includes Schon on guitar, Rolie on keyboards and vocals, current Journey member Deen Castronovo on drums and vocals, Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake) on bass, and John Varn on keyboards and vocals that focuses on Journey’s 1970s material, including its often overlooked pre-Steve Perry albums.
The 2018 benefit gig did exactly that. Schon and company put on a blasting two-and-a-half-hour show largely focused on Journey’s ’70s body of work, including the band’s first three albums Journey, Look Into The Future, and Next. Journey’s Steve Perry days were well-represented that night, as well, and the long setlist was balanced, rocking, and fun.
Journey began in 1973 in San Francisco and went on to become one of the defining and most-successful rock bands of the 70s and 80s. The group started life as a Prog/jam outfit but shifted gears with the addition of lead singer Steve Perry, a move that made Journey one of the most colossal rock radio bands of their era. Journey has earned 25 gold and platinum albums, in addition to their 15-time platinum, RIAA Diamond Certified Greatest Hits set. They’ve sold better than 48 million albums in the USA, alone, and over 100 million around the world.
The three-CD set of Journey Through Time kicks off with three early Journey gems in succession. The opening track “I’m Gonna Leave You” is a raging, early 70s-style blues/Prog gem that might surprise fans only used to the band’s later material. Schon and Rollie both turn in cool riffs, intense solos, and the wide-open sense of freedom that was part of the social climate of Journey’s launching-pad days. “Look Into The Future” and “Kohoutek” follow and demonstrate the vision and range that set Journey into motion. Hearing Greg Rolie’s smooth, baritone vocals again is also a long-overdue pleasure.
Drummer and present-day Journey-man Deen Castronovo absolutely owns the high-range, Steve Perry lead vocal parts and does so while putting down world-class beats on the drum kit. Drumming and singing like this at the same time shouldn’t be humanly possible but Deen makes it look like a snap. He captures both the notes and high-flying spirit of Steve Perry’s legendary vocal parts and truly ices the cake of these familiar tunes. Castronovo grabs hold of Journey classics like “La Do Da,” “Walks Like A Lady,” “Feelin’ That Way,” “Lights,” and “Wheel In The Sky” and honors Perry and the band’s legacy with his exceptional talents. Hearing him and Rolie sharing vocals on “Just The Same Way” and “Feelin’ That Way” will make you believe all over again.
Neal Schon’s instantly-identifiable guitar work saturates these songs from front to back and his playing and presence is beyond reproach. He still wails with melody and authority and also displays his underrated rhythm guitar skills in the live environment. Every note he plays is tasty and he never seems to run out of gas.
Since Schon and Rolie are former members of Santana, another of the Bay Area’s musical giants, it only makes sense that they close the night with a couple of their songs. “Black Magic Woman” is deep and meditative, its pulse ebbing and flowing from section to section. Schon rips on it in all sections and the band follows close behind. He even quotes Jimi’s “Third Stone From The Sun” in his solo, which adds more 60s cool to his jamming.
Santana’s “Oye Como Va” closes the show with a joyful feeling that will linger with you for days. This eternal Tito Puente tune always makes people happy and the version on Journey Through Time does nothing to interfere with its magic. The whole record is filled with peak experiences and comes off like a summation of Neal Schon’s musical life. No matter which part of his career is your favorite, you’ll find it here. Go listen to the record!
Pre-order link Here
“Lights” (Journey Through Time Performance)
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