Reaction-Analysis of Geoff Castellucci's cover of "Unshaken" from Red Dead Redemption 2

My analysis of Geoff Castellucci's cover of the song "Unshaken" from Red Dead Redemption 2. Original song written by D'Angelo and Daniel Lanois. The chorus of the song is based on a proverb written by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Original Video: • UNSHAKEN | Low Bass Si...
Geoff Castellucci channel: ‪@GeoffCastellucci‬
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00:00:00 Intro
00:02:00 Minor Context
00:06:20 Reaction watch
00:15:48 Analysis watch

[@hwyla4416]

Truthfully, I do not know why it doesn't always say 'Lighting Automation'. Eli sets it all up on a computer so that the lighting changes at exactly the same spot in the song, no matter when or where a stop is done. This is especially important when they are using the SteadyCam because they shoot extra shots separately and the lighting in the close-ups must match the group shots. As you can see in the small amount of 'Behind the Scenes' we see on Geoff's outro, here he is using still cameras, so not for that reason. However, this one has very complex lighting changes and that lighting must change in the exact same place each time Geoff is portraying a different doppelgänger on screen, so that it matches across the entire scene. As for Matthew Buckner (Bucky from "Drunken Sailor"), he's a good friend of Geoff's (used to sing with 4:2Five) and has apparently been pestering Geoff to do this song for well over a year. And according to the BTS from Kathy, agreed to give specific info on the game to help get the feel and look right.

[@ilonadever8249]

About the lighting automation.... Eli has usually/frequently been on set handling the lights. Recently he has created a program (?) that automatically changes the lights with the music. That way, whichever Geoff clone is being recorded, the lights are the same. Didn't know this song at all, but it is masterful! My favorite thing is the "Here we go". In all previous works it was "C'mon"

[@Wildecat10]

It’s not something recent. Eli has been embedding a midi signal in the track to make the lighting changes for Geoff and VoicePlay for years.

[@antknee6]

FYI, these are the riders from "Ghostriders in the Sky" before they were ghosts.

[@Broomrider1492]

These are the Ghost Riders before they became The Ghost Riders In The Sky. Geoff let the boys do this on their own. L to R Goff, Daryl, Jeoph, and Jeff. Geoff was confident that Daryl would keep the boys in line.

[@rhov-anion]

Apparently he didn't keep them in line. I guess that's how they became The Riders.

[@hwyla4416]

I like your points about that first low drop on "...Did I hear you break..." I had another thought about it. I imagined all those newer reactors, who had not yet gotten used to Geoff's low notes, 'breaking' with that note. No idea if Geoff meant it that way, but considering his sense of humor, I can easily believe he did. Going to also mention, VoicePlay did "Sleeping in the Cold Below" from Warfare this year, in case you can fit that one into your Videogames month.

[@shirleykarr560]

Geoff referred to this arrangement as a beast because it has over 100 tracks, quite a few more than usual. Since the Ghost Riders video there's been merchandise with the Daryl's Cafe logo, named for the clone in the duster and full beard. Geoff filmed a funny commercial for Daryl's Cafe that includes all four clones. He shared it on social media. While helping choreograph Monster Mash, Bucky suggested Geoff do Unshaken. Took him a couple years to get around to it.

[@hollyryalsgrubb1273]

As a person who doesn't video game at all I'm always fascinated by your commentary about games. Geoff loaded up with low notes, unloaded on us, reloaded, and shot off another round. I hadn't thought about the set being simply effective. It contrasts with the seemingly simple yet complex vocals; otherwise it would be overwhelming.

[@Me-pt8sv]

“did someone turn geoff down an octave” lol :) love your analyses, they’re so detailed ❤ also, to add i love the little breaths in that geoff keeps in the audio, it just adds so much i keep adding more onto this comment lol but i sat down right before you said “are you sitting comfortably” and it caught me so off guard lol also the lighting changes to that blue/greenish on the word “pines” and you can hear it in the karaoke version but the “oh traveler” line is also sung down and it’s gorgeous but a little hard to hear with three top part HAHAHAHA i was so thinking carry on every time i heard the wayward son part! so glad you said it now i feel validated now 😂 the crash of the world part where it splits and goes wide stereo sounds like the world crashing everywhere around like engulfing panic/danger to me so that whole line (the rock solid g1 “may i”, the unsure “stand unshaken” and the stereo “the crash of the world”) is very cinematic? if that’s the word i’m looking for also i totally agree - i think this is my favorite of geoff’s yet

[@bjspeck4337]

To me, this song is Geoff's best (among a great lot of them) because the world is at a tipping point right now, between what's happening in the US, Russia's invasion of Ukraine (and if successful will mean the Balkans, Poland and others will be next). Our allies have to be sure of the US and until this election is done, I don't know if NATO will still exist. Israel isn't acting to prevent the death of the Palestineans. I understand Hammas being in their line of fire, but there are innocent people being killed there, and Ukraine. May I be unshaken amid, amidst the crash of the world. It carries meaning across the world and is such a pertinent lyric for today. A reminder to not cower.

[@hollyryalsgrubb1273]

6:21 @ completion of watch; so darn close....

[@carinarodebak9419]

As for lighting, I gather that after Eli has designed it, the cues for it get set into the music track, so whenever Kathy films a new Geoff, the lights come on right as the track is played. Bucky made the choreagraphy for Monster Mash, I suppose he was involved in the choreography here too. Superbass Geoff, just wait for listening to Wicked Games. ❤❤❤❤

[@janetdw]

Bucky is a big fan of the game and he suggested it at some point in the past and Geoff just got around to it.

[@christinestromberg4057]

I was particularly amused by the synchronised hand moving at one point. :) I'm not a gamer. I even struggled with Bugdom. My reactions are slow due to a neurological disorder which makes it very frustrating. But I love what Geoff has done with this. I think perhaps that Geoff's confidence has grown exponentially which is allowing him to try more adventurous videos. And yes the two on the left are holding rifles. I like how in this and in I See Fire they look more like brothers, of different ages. At times they can look like quads.

[@CynicalTesuji]

I wish I could like this video twice- this was such a fantastic breakdown!! I mean, they're always great, but I loved seeing how excited you kept getting over Geoff's musical choices. He really is a genius arranger, and as incredible as his covers are I would be terribly curious to know what kind of original music he'd create. With his vocal range, agility, timbre and character he has access to a whole set of options that are available to very few people.

[@randiskye4444]

I echo all the usual commentators in how much I love this arrangement by Geoff, as well as your wonderful breakdown of it. Were you looking forcthe word "tableau" perhaps to describe the freeze at the end of the video? I lose words sometimes too, so i feel your brain pain.😂❤

[@fabianamercedezortiz7631]

Hola desde Argentina... nos mató a los dos!!! Jajajaja... Maravilloso análisis... Lo disfruté de principio a fin... Gracias!!! Geoff cada día más nos muestra lo magnífico buen músico que es... Realmente es un deleite para el alma oírlo... Te agradezco tanto tu análisis tan profundo en detalles... Un abrazo grande a la distancia!😊

[@sarahborzelli_Castellineicieli]

I enjoyed very much seeing that you were just as amazed, impressed and astonished of this wonderful rendition as I was and still am! ❤ I think others have commented too that Eli cues the midi track or the whole music to the lights in a program, so that every take has the exact same lighting.

[@janetdw]

I am not a fan of western style music in general, but I find myself humming this all the time. Your analysis helps me understand some of the things that I find so appealing about it (other than the incredible visuals). When the tambourine sound comes I never hear a tambourine. When it starts, it reminds me of a rattlesnake and during the song it reminds me of spurs jingling.

[@barbarakennedy2667]

Brilliant analysis.

[@CapriUni]

I believe, from what I've seen other commenters say, on other VoicePlay videos (In the Hall of the Mountain King), that Eli gets a midi track of the arrangement, and cues computer control of the lights to that.

[@patjayne5273]

Thank you for your reaction… ☺️😊

[@tari6085]

I love that you appreciate every aspect of the song and video.

[@barbarakennedy2667]

In my memory of watching my brother play RDR2, the song is featured in one of the ending scenes of the game.

[@gilliandrysdale5306]

lot of Geoffquakes in this one!

[@amberfuchscia709]

Loved your reaction/analysis. The enthusiasm is contagious and super fun.❤❤❤❤❤

[@jennifersmith8923]

Exactly!

[@rhov-anion]

I agree that old games were more challenging. I think because we had to do so much with so little. Also if you died, you often just went back to the beginning. There were rarely "save points" like 3rd or 4th gen games. Mario Bros. is a good example. How many times did I get to the end of a level only to die doing a simple jump onto a pipe and had to go back to the beginning? And that was after playing it 50 times before I figured out the right timing for everything. I think it's fine that you struggle with chords. We all have our weaknesses. Back when I took music theory, my biggest struggle was ear training. I couldn't hear a note and know where in the chord it lay, although we were drilled on that for months, and ear training was a major part of our final exam. I was terrified on finals day, because we had to sing intervals as well as sightreading and rhythm playing (clapping or drumming) before the whole class, and I am not really a vocalist. I "can" sing... I don't "usually" sing. (Most of the class weren't vocalists either. We were jealous of the singers, who were jealous that instrumentalists could sightread with ease, and we were all jealous of the percussionists who could figure out complex rhythms so easily.) On the day of the final, we got up one by one and were first told to pick a number from one to ten, then open our rhythm book to a random page the professor told us to use. Each page had ten lines of complex rhythms. We could sing, clap, or drum the rhythms. Percussionists found this simple, instrumentalists could handle it, while the choir kids seriously struggled. Next, we were to pick a piece of paper turned upside down on the piano which had 16 measures of notes and we had to sing or play on our instrument of choice the rest. Instrumentalists had no problem with sightreading, singers struggled but could figure it out as soon as they got into it, drummers lamented that they couldn't "play their instrument" like the rest of us. (Except for the bell players.) Finally, we had to pull a scrap of paper out of a jar with a part of the chord we had to sing. The professor then played a random note on the piano in our vocal range, and we sang. The vocalists had no problem with this, instrumentalists struggled because we could only sing, not play our instrument this time, and again the poor percussionists had such a hard time when it wasn't about rhythms. If you were unlucky, you had to sing the augmented 5th or diminished 3rd. I got extremely lucky and pulled a perfect 5th. "STAR WAAAAARS!" To this day I still can't simply hear a note and go "Ah, that's the 6th of the chord" like you can. I'm always impressed by you, Ethan, and Peter, able to hear a note and easily pick it out. I've tried to train my ears over the years, and it just doesn't work. MEMORYYYYYYY!

[@mikkifullerton]

Thanks, David. I already loved this track from Geoff and all the musical goodies he managed to squeeze into just one song, but you again pointed out a few I hadn't even thought about yet. Just keep on ramblin'! 😁

[@Wildecat10]

For me, that game was Doom on a PC. (Yes, I’m dating myself!). I could go all the way to the end, but when I tried again years later I didn’t get very far.

[@SleepyheadJJC]

Thanks David 😊

[@MiladyMacabre]

Most of the costumes from Ghost Riders in the Sky were in storage and Rick still had most of the hair pieces saved. The moment of matching moves by Daryl and Jeoph was serendipity. Geoff explains it as him having his style of singing and moving his hands with the notes, and they sometimes are the same in a couple of the shots. Often, he'll reshoot a segment to get rid of it, but liked how it turned out in this instance. One of the plug-ins for this cover was labeled "Tubular Bells," and Geoff says there are over 1000 tracks for this song! This is the first time this particular background set at PattyCake Productions was used. It's a "dirty, weathered wood tone, accented by the yellow lighting.

[@bjspeck4337]

There is no Geoff in this one. He let the Ghost Riders while still alive do this one. My favorites were Joust, and all of the Pac-Man including Baby Pac which was half video and half pinball. I liked it all.

[@Denalicat]

I really enjoyed your reaction/analysis of this even though with all the stuff going on around here it took me 2 days to finish watching. You always enlighten me on Why I like something so much .

[@DarthKoonstyle]

6:11 pm ;-) 100% Like to View Ratio too; 2 Views, 2 Likes! I loved this song, I felt like this song might have spoken to Geoff on some level, he put his all into it. Really is fantastic, I've been listening to it at least once daily since it released!

[@DarthKoonstyle]

I turned it to 125% cuz LTT is streaming the Wan Show I wanted to finish watching this first. ;-)

[@rmdewberry2482]

One of Geoff's best!

[@AnnetteKommelt]

Due to hearing impairment I usually watch with the captions on and my headphones on full blast.🔊 I tell you, that was a mistake, I will surely not make again.😮 And the captions tell me (gentle music).😊 For me the visual is important and I love artists, who are using light and staging for storytelling. 🤩But I do not always understand the intentions why which is used at that exact point. I´m thanking you from my heart for helping me to understand.🌹

[@EtherealForever]

🔥🔥🔥 - 🤠

[@carinarodebak9419]

Tableau.

[@dianeschluter9995]

Yeah I kept saying it like he'd hear me, lol