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You see, Joe knows when to play lead guitar & when to play rhythm, & when to shut up. He cuts it through out the album magnificently, announcing a new force to be reckoned with, & a new genre, "shred," coming of age. The big difference though between Joe, & most others (including Vai) is that he respects the structure of a song, whether it be instrumental or with vocals.
On "Surfin' with the Alien," Satriani provides the shredder genre with it's first masterpiece, an all instrumental attack on the ears. "Surfin' with the Alien," is the standard in shred, for all other shredders to be judged by. Not really a fusion album, but a "shred" album, & on it, Satriani plays like he is a fusion guitarist hopping over to the more structured side of rock.
5 Stars = MasterpieceJoe Satriani along with his protégé Steve Vai, are probably the best known shredders, though they were not the first. Joe is at once concise, but also possesses an extensive guitar vocabulary second to none, & equaled by only a few.I have several Satriani albums, but there are two for me that are a guitar neck above the rest, "Surfin' With the Alien," & " Flying in a Blue Dream." Both are masterpieces, & both completely different. Just an awesome piece of work.
The man can not only play, but he can write also, & he writes very well. He does not go on noodling forever, saying nothing, which is the big down fall of the shred genre.
Aged, and only 5 songs worth a listen on my iPod. Not Joe's best, neither worst, just average. I dont know why this album is Joe's best selling on Amazon. Some songs are too short, others are just garage band noise.
The bass lines are nothing fancy, and Joe sometimes is capable of going over the top, but that's OK because he's basically showing everyone what he's got in his tank, and it's full high test. There are several great tracks, The 'Lords of Karma' being my favorite with the dynamic 'Circles' being a close second. This was Joe's introduction to the masses back in 1987-88. It won the best overall album from Guitar Player magazine back in '89 so those who insist on insulting this cd are in the distant minority.
However the original recording wasnt so well done but this remastered version is much better. This was a break threw album for this artist. It was also the first of his recordings I heard of and I have been a fan ever since.
Shred on Joe. I could not possibly put into words how awesome this album is.In my opinion it is my favorite album to play while driving. The album that put "Satch" on the map.This guy was Steve Vai's guitar teacher.
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