Journey’s Deen Castronovo Names Phil Collins’ Best Band Era Other Than Genesis

During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Journey drummer Deen Castronovo stated that Phil Collins‘ best band era was with Brand X rather than Genesis.

Phil Collins joined Genesis as their drummer back in 1970 and then became the face of the band after their original lead singer Peter Gabriel left to embark on a solo career. During his time as Genesis’ drummer, Collins also pursued other projects. The drummer formed an instrumental jazz fusion band named Brand X with the bassist Percy Jones in 1974.

Brand X released their debut studio album, ‘Unorthodox Behaviour,’ in 1976. They supported the album with a UK tour later on. Although the band experienced many lineup changes in the following years, they still produced several albums and stayed in the music scene. However, Phil Collins didn’t contribute to the band’s all albums. Due to his conflicting schedule with Genesis, he left the band several times. Then, the drummer permanently left Brand X in 1979.

During his recent appearance, Deen Castronovo revealed that Phil Collins significantly influenced him during the 1970s. He would listen to him while playing in Brand X. He respects what he did with Genesis, but for Castronovo, Collins’ best band era was Brand X, other than Genesis. His tenure with the band was mind-blowing and much better than what his fan heard on the radio. Therefore, the rocker still goes back and listens to his works from time to time to get the inspiration he needs.

About Phil Collins’ best band era, Deen Castronovo’s said:

“Oh yeah. I’m a product of the late ’70s and early ’80s. There were great players at that time. You had Dave Weckl and stuff, but you saw guys like Smith and Narada, Tony Williams, and these amazing players. At a very young age, I listened to guys like Phil Collins when he was playing with Brand X. That was Phil Collins, man.

The stuff you hear on the radio, he’s a great singer and a great drummer, but go back and listen to some Brand X; that will blow your mind. He’s a much better player than what you hear on the radio. So yeah, to get that perspective, you have to get out of your comfort zone, and that’s what I had to do. I had to go back and listen to some of these players and just be floored, knowing where that stuff came from.”

Deen Castronovo has been readying to release a new album with Journey nowadays. The band’s fifteenth studio album, ‘Freedom,’ is scheduled to drop on July 8, 2022. Besides the drum parts, Deen Castronovo contributed to the album also in the backing vocals.