Joe satriani in Instrumental Music

"Engines of Creation" (03/14/2000) Rock & Pop Satriani, Joe, Epic (USA)Personnel: Joe Satriani (guitar, keyboards, programming); Eric Caudieux (keyboards, bass, programming); Pat Thrall (bass); Anton Fig (drums). "Until We Say Goodbye" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. This is a Super Audio CD playable only on Super Audio CD players. This is a Super Audio CD playable only on Super Audio CD players. Master shredder and guitar instructor to some of rock's biggest names, Joe Satriani could surely rest on his laurels. His instrumental virtuosity has already placed him in the hallowed halls of music, yet he continues to release fresh, inventive material. Combining guitar showmanship and electronica, his most ambitious release yet, ENGINES OF CREATION expands his repertoire even more. "Devil's Slide," with its furious machine gun riffs and time changes, shows that Satriani won't be making a New Age album anytime soon. "Flavor Crystal 7" proves that while he's no Moby, he can deliver some catchy breaks and beats of his own. On the trippy "Borg Sex," he demonstrates the heavy guitar effects that have made him famous, while "Until We Say Goodbye" is a return to the mellower melodic phrasing of his earlier works. "Attack" is a Crystal Method-inspired ambient piece, and "Champagne" features blues licks over an electronic backbeat. On ENGINES, Joe Satriani has harnessed the availability of modern technology and merged it with his unique guitar talent. The man who started an entire movement in the late '80s seems poised to reinvent rock in the new millennium.

"Strange Beautiful Music [Japan Bonus Track]" (06/17/2002) Instrumental Satriani, Joe, Epic (USA)Personnel includes: Joe Satriani (acoustic & electric guitar, banjo, keyboards, bass); Robert Fripp (electric guitar); Pia Vai (harp); Eric Caudieux (keyboards); Matt Bissonette (bass); Jeff Campitelli, Greg Bissonette (drums); John Cunibert (percussion). Recorded at The Plant, Sausalito, California. "Starry Night" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Japanese edition features the bonus cut "Eight Steps." Personnel: Joe Satriani (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, autoharp, sitar, keyboards); Robert Fripp (guitar, electric guitar); Pia Vai (harp); Eric Caudieux (keyboards); Jeff Campitelli (drums, percussion); Gregg Bissonette (drums); John Cuniberti (percussion). Audio Mixers: Joe Satriani; John Cuniberti. Recording information: Studio 21; The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA. Photographers: Eric Caudieux; Jay Blakesberg. For his first album since dabbling with electronica on 2000's ENGINES OF CREATION, Joe Satriani returns to the bread-and-butter of straight-forward instrumental virtuosity with a few exotic nuances sprinkled throughout like musical parmesan cheese. Heavy synths and delays give "Oriental Melody" a sinister glint while fat guitar tones mix with Middle Eastern-flavored chord progressions on the intriguing "Belly Dancer." Fans put off by Satch's recent experimentation will have further reason to rejoice over the return of this prodigal son once they hear the thundering riffage of "Mind Storm," hook-filled "New Last Jam" and sassy snap of "Hill Groove." Elsewhere, the Long Island native distinguishes himself from the calculated playing associated with practitioners of this genre that he spawned on two cuts--the acoustic-guitar laced "You Saved My Life" and equally moving "Starry Night." The one non-original is a gorgeous cover of the Santo and Johnny '50s hit "Sleep Walk" featuring a cameo by Robert Fripp, a guitar god in his own right. STRANGE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC is a welcome return from one of music's more maddeningly gifted participants. What's a guitar hero to do now that the masses prefer electronic beats and rap-metal to killer scale runs? Joe Satriani seeks that answer on Strange Beautiful Music. Satriani set himself apart from other would-be kings of the six-string in the 1980s by combining impeccable technique with great feel and pop hooks. With those qualities, he produced great guitar-driven albums like Surfing With the Alien and Flying in a Blue Dream. On his 2002 release, Satriani tries to make his music fresh by incorporating world music influences and a bit of techno flava. To his credit, he succeeds more than he fails. "Belly Dancer" combines straight-up rock riffs with Middle Eastern-tinged melodies and faster-than-sound runs up and down the fretboard. On "Oriental Melody," Satriani's world music sensibility shines with the help of ping-pong delay and keyboards. He still has a knack for great hooks, too, as is evident on "New Last Jam," which features a melody that bounces around in your head for days. But none of these tracks approach the pop brilliance of his Surfing With the Alien songs. In many ways, the experimental nature of songs like "What Breaks a Heart" hark back to his Not of This Earth release. But Strange Beautiful Music suffers from inconsistency. While the mix-and-match approach works on "Belly Dancer," it can also result in the bland discontinuity of "Chords of Life," which at times sounds like "All Along the Watchtower" and at others resembles scale and chord exercises from Yngwie Malmsteen -- not an enticing combo. And "Starry Night," while a nice ballad, feels like an attempt to rewrite his masterful ballad "Always With You, Always With Me." [The Japanese version added the bonus track "Eight Steps.".] ~ Michael Gowan

"Strange Beautiful Music" (07/01/2002) Instrumental Satriani, Joe, Epic (USA)Personnel includes: Joe Satriani (acoustic & electric guitar, banjo, keyboards, bass); Robert Fripp (electric guitar); Pia Vai (harp); Eric Caudieux (keyboards); Matt Bissonette (bass); Jeff Campitelli, Greg Bissonette (drums); John Cunibert (percussion). Recorded at The Plant, Sausalito, California. "Starry Night" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Japanese version contains the bonus cut "Eight Steps." For his first album since dabbling with electronica on 2000's ENGINES OF CREATION, Joe Satriani returns to the bread-and-butter of straight-forward instrumental virtuosity with a few exotic nuances sprinkled throughout like musical parmesan cheese. Heavy synths and delays give "Oriental Melody" a sinister glint while fat guitar tones mix with Middle Eastern-flavored chord progressions on the intriguing "Belly Dancer." Fans put off by Satch's recent experimentation will have further reason to rejoice over the return of this prodigal son once they hear the thundering riffage of "Mind Storm," hook-filled "New Last Jam" and sassy snap of "Hill Groove." Elsewhere, the Long Island native distinguishes himself from the calculated playing associated with practitioners of this genre that he spawned on two cuts--the acoustic-guitar laced "You Saved My Life" and equally moving "Starry Night." The one non-original is a gorgeous cover of the Santo and Johnny '50s hit "Sleep Walk" featuring a cameo by Robert Fripp, a guitar god in his own right. STRANGE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC is a welcome return from one of music's more maddeningly gifted participants.

"Surfing With The Alien (Millennium) [Remaster]" (11/15/2001) Rock & Pop Satriani, Joe, Sony Music Distribution (USA)Personnel: Joe Satriani (guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, drum programming); Jeff Campbell (drums, percussion); Bongo Bob Smith (percussion, drum programming); John Cuniberti (percussion). Recorded at Alpha And Omega Recording and Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, California. Includes liner notes by Matt Resnicoff. The LED ZEPPELIN IV of instrumental rock albums, 1987's SURFING WITH THE ALIEN cemented Joe Satriani's status as a top-tier virtuoso axe man. Although Satriani (a teacher to such famous students as Steve Vai and Metallica's Kirk Hammett) began getting recognition following his solo debut, NOT OF THIS EARTH, it was this subsequent record that truly sent the guitarist's career into the stratosphere. With the majority of the album performed by Satch himself (including bass, keyboard, and most drum parts), this is an outing that prominently displays his overall musical talent, while keeping the focus on his amazingly deft, blistering leads. The New York-born guitarist also impresses with his eclectic array of styles, ranging from the fierce hard rock of the title track to the delicate pop of "Always with Me, Always with You" to the bold blues of "Satch Boogie." For those curious about the revered shredder, this is a great introduction, and, for aspiring heavy-metal/hard-rock guitarists, SURFING WITH THE ALIEN is absolutely essential.

"Is There Love in Space? [Bonus Track]" (04/19/2004) Heavy Metal Satriani, Joe, Sony Music Distribution (USA)Personnel: Joe Satriani (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards); Matt Bissonette (bass); ZZ Satriani (bowed bass); Jeff Campitelli (drums, percussion); John Cuniberti (tambourine); Mike Manning. Recorded at The Plant Studios, Sausalito, California. There's an extra song on this Japanese release. CD contains 1 bonus track. Throughout his career, Joe Satriani has managed that rare trick of inspiring worship by guitar acolytes everywhere, while still managing a modicum of crossover appeal to music fans less interested in the technical aspects of his work. His ninth album, IS THERE LOVE IN SPACE?, continues down that same path of serving both the instrumental aficionado and the casual fan. Working with bassist Matt Bissonette and drummer Jeff Campitelli, Satriani quickly switches stylistic gears, flip-flopping between an uber-funky, wah-wah riff and his standard high-flying soloing on "The Souls of Distortion" or running through the brash, drop-tuned menace of "Hands in the Air." Satch's also conjures up "I Like the Rain," a Lone Star boogie that combines a sampled motorcycle engine and a fuzz-tone vocal, and sees him coming off like ZZ Top. Likewise, this Long Island native's eccentric musical whims will have Lenny Kravitz fans doing a double take upon hearing the Lenny-like vocals and chugging swagger of "Lifestyle." Satriani even recruits his young son to contribute bowed electric bass on the atmospheric closer "Bamboo." Guitar boss Joe Satriani's ninth album reflects the terrain he's traveled more than it points to an unexplored one -- and yes, that does prove to be a good thing. Satriani has explored many directions over eight previous albums, mashing together rock, blues, jazz, and pure technical proficiency in a dizzying blend that bears his unique signature. Is There Love in Space? recalls two distinct projects from his catalog, the groundbreaking Surfing With the Alien and the exotic Strange Beautiful Music. From the former is the driven, balls-out, tough blues-and-hard rock riffs and hooks, while from the latter are involved and sometimes intricate melodies and Eastern-tinged modes -- though none of the electronica. Satriani's sense of writing catchy turnarounds and hooks is ubiquitous here, and though he uses keyboards, they are never employed as more than devices to further along the framework of a particular tune. Even the vocal cuts here work well, "Lifestyle" with its roosty rock & roll vocal, boogie on methamphetamine whir, and bombastic power chords is a great choice for a single, as is the stomping, metallic "Hands in the Air," which updates Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" riff in extremis. The mid-tempo tunes, such as the wah-wah-phased title track and the shimmering "If I Could Fly," are nice changes of pace too. The funky future blues of "I Like the Rain" features a slightly annoying vocal, but in its ZZ Top-fueled desert boogie, it hardly matters. The masterpiece on the set is "Searching," however. It's slow- to mid-tempo stride and minor key cadence pushed to the limit by the razor-wired and feedback aesthetic of its ten-minute sprawling excess. While guitar hero records are anything but cool in the new century, this guitar hero offers one cool little record. [A Japanese version added a bonus track.] ~ Thom Jurek

"Engines of Creation" (03/21/2000) Rock & Pop Satriani, Joe, Sony Music Distribution (USA)Personnel: Joe Satriani (guitar, keyboards, programming); Eric Caudieux (keyboards, bass, programming); Pat Thrall (bass); Anton Fig (drums). "Until We Say Goodbye" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Japanes version comes with a guitar pick. Master shredder and guitar instructor to some of rock's biggest names, Joe Satriani could surely rest on his laurels. His instrumental virtuosity has already placed him in the hallowed halls of music, yet he continues to release fresh, inventive material. Combining guitar showmanship and electronica, his most ambitious release yet, ENGINES OF CREATION expands his repertoire even more. "Devil's Slide," with its furious machine gun riffs and time changes, shows that Satriani won't be making a New Age album anytime soon. "Flavor Crystal 7" proves that while he's no Moby, he can deliver some catchy breaks and beats of his own. On the trippy "Borg Sex," he demonstrates the heavy guitar effects that have made him famous, while "Until We Say Goodbye" is a return to the mellower melodic phrasing of his earlier works. "Attack" is a Crystal Method-inspired ambient piece, and "Champagne" features blues licks over an electronic backbeat. On ENGINES, Joe Satriani has harnessed the availability of modern technology and merged it with his unique guitar talent. The man who started an entire movement in the late '80s seems poised to reinvent rock in the new millennium.