Savatage - Castles Burning (Guitar Cover)

Decidedly not thrash, the song holds a very special place with me. As taken from my post yesterday:

(Tonight, I learned a simple tune. Decidedly not thrash, but a good and sentimental one based on the listenings of an ill-fated move to Vegas 30 years ago. The second day was dawning of the overnight ride. The desert, plateaus crested with cloudbursts in the distance, purple in hue as we drove by was magic. This song was playing at the time and I think I'll have to cover it as it is forever synonymous with that imagery, possibility, and a new start. Skolnick-era Savatage, here we come.)

The drive down took 26 hours. This really was an amazing time and was a marked turning point in my life in several ways. I learned that I love the desert, and I learned that if you decide to move without work lined up, you take more money with you or go home in failure. I still look back at the time fondly, and like it was a lost opportunity in a way. But I'm glad the things turned out the way they did. Nevertheless, anyone my age, looking back in their 20s, not wishing they could relive some of it and maybe do things a little differently is fooling themselves. That out of the way, let's talk performance notes.

This song is not difficult until you get to the lead. The lead is also not entirely difficult, but has its moments of complexity and nuance, much like many other covers I've done in the past. The acoustic part itself is not difficult. Playing it on a 12 string may be for some. And yes, I realized on the original recording the guitars were at least doubled and panned left right. This being a simple cover, I did not go to that extent. I did just enough to cover the parts that are obvious.

Casey, I know you're out there. With the 30th anniversary of the Vegas move this month... This one's for both of us. Hope you're well out there, man.