James Castelli / Omega - Ω 102: Throwback (2018)

May I present to you my 102nd (technically 103rd) album, "THROWBACK," released (officially) on the second anniversary of the previous album's release. I suppose a two year gap is a typical and respectable gap between releases, and certainly an improvement over the previous 8-year gap. But hey, as it is a month before my 46th birthday, why beat myself up about it or bore you with the trivia? Onto the music!

My aim - an aim I tried many times before - was to present as best I could a solid album of SONGS - pieces of music fashioned in the mold of pop, even if they wander esoterically on its fringes, complete with sung lyrics. I'm not sure I ever did this before though I came very close 12 years ago with Ω 98. No classical pieces, comedic skits, auditory experiments, drum solos, speeches or other flights of fancy, just 10 songs. Stylistically, I still manage to wander over a wider range than (commercially?) typical, but that is to be expected. "Something for everybody," as I see it. It may be my finest work.

If there is a "theme" to this album, it is contained entirely in it's title. Musically, because of my penchant for retro musical styles, sounds and vintage (or convincing facsimile) instruments, the album and music on it are themselves a throwback, much as I regard myself. The idea of remaking my own songs is not new, but the last time I did that was a three-song medley remake on my 10th anniversary album Ω LXXVII in 1995 (I'm not counting subsequent arrangements of songs for percussion ensemble or multiple live performances of the same piece). At first I thought I might do an entire album of remakes, or perhaps ease my audience into it with one remake of an old song; ultimately I decided to split the album: five new songs and 5 remakes, mostly heard in alternation. Ignoring (for now) the first five years in the 80's, I chose to select the material (from a much larger pile of candidates) from the time of my 51st album in 1990, when my songwriting chops seemed to noticeably mature, up until the late 90's just before my albums started containing fewer traditional songs that COULD be remade, a period which lasted until 2002 with the release of my 95th album, at which point the production values spiked near to present levels, and there wouldn't be much point in remaking such songs. So, it seemed a nostalgic trip into the 90's was how it was going to go. (I discuss each of these songs on their individual info pages.)

The cover art (still being created a bit late, as I write this) pokes fun at the concept with an unusually simplistic image that conveys a completely different meaning and double entendre/pun. A year ago I had thought of a few superior titles, but, failing to write any of them down, I've managed not to remember a single one of them.

Other than that, the album benefits from several other intentional factors - and my increasing experience - which contribute to the album also being my most highly and competently produced and sounding.

The first order of business - aside from actually writing the new songs, which began in early 2017, or possibly late 2016, and selecting the old ones I would remake - was rebuilding my studio after my previous laptop's untimely death. To complete my previous album, I had to use a trial version of Digital Performer on my new laptop once my trusty G-4 also bit the dust. I just made it before the free 30-day trial expired, and over a year passed without me updating this status. Late 2017, I properly purchased the latest version. Prior to that, I had been busily writing (in Finale) the sheet music for each song, so another milestone for this album is it is the first one to have a complete set of sheet music. I had also wanted to update my sounds, which until then were from my Proteus E-Mu 1000 (everything other than percussion, guitar and singing), and was beginning to sound dated. I got a hankering to get my hands on a vintage keyboard, like a Fender Rhodes, and in the end I settled on Keyscape, which offered very convincing samples of many such instruments, so, you will hopefully notice a new batch of yummy keyboard sounds and more realistic pianos. To use this, I had to reacquaint myself with MIDI, and in fact I required a new MIDI-to-USB cable, along with an external HD to store my new library of vintage instruments.

I picked up a few more items along the way: new shock cradles for my two main microphones and a much needed "pop" guard/screen. I restrung the electric guitar with strings that allowed for much easier bending, which I did a lot of on this album - my guitar playing in general is probably my best yet, or at least I make it seem that way. I also set the tone setting the complete opposite of what I normally do (darker), which seemed to unexpectedly improve the sound to my ears. The drums benefitted from a new crash cymbal my sweet wife found and surprised me with, and to that new sonic color I dug out an old crash I hadn't used in years (like I need more cymbals!). My mics and set-up were basically the same, as were the mixer settings, but I somehow managed to achieve a better bass drum sound than previously. I tuned my snare radically differently - not sure I'll do it again, as it unevenly puts pressure on the shell - but it provided a different quality to the snare. I tried to maintain a consistent drum sound throughout the album. I also finally got around to putting a new head on a bongo that had split (used on only two songs, briefly and sparingly) AND I bought a trumpet from my nephew and used it on one track.

In mixing, I tried to maintain the same EQ and effects settings for both drums and vocals as I used on the previous album. I continue to double track most of the vocals - including some harmonies, and apply a bit of (extremely tedious) manual pitch correction on some of the more offending moments. (Shhh!) Hey, people gotta listen to this stuff - including me - and it ain't easy being a one-man band.

I think I just wrote more than anyone cares to read, or that will be able to fit in the printed jewel case liner notes of any physical CDs I produce, so I think I'll stop here and let the music speak for itself.

Enjoy! JC

released February 14, 2018

All songs written, arranged, performed, recorded, mixed and produced by James Castelli (except where indicated in individual track credits).

Track List:
01. Price Of Admission [00:02:36]
02. The Summit (A Reckoning) [00:05:34]
03. I Never Knew [2017 remake of 1992 instrumental demo version] [00:05:02]
04. Should've Seen This Coming (You're My Box Office Disaster) [00:06:06]
05. Too Involved [2018 remake of the 1997 original version] [00:04:29]
06. The Long Haul [00:07:02]
07. Pie In The Face [2018 remake of the 1997 original version] [00:05:14]
08. Existential Funk [00:03:35]
09. As It Was, And Again [2018 remake of the 1990 instrumental demo version] [00:04:49]
10. Don't Forget That I Love You [2018 remake of the 1990 instrumental demo version] [00:06:29]

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