I had never heard of Joe Satriani until my band mates introduced him to me. They are big fans of his, and as guitarists themselves, it is obvious why they admire him. The first Satriani song I ever heard was "Surfing with the Alien," but I liked it so much I decided that I had to get this album. The Legacy Edition of Surfing with the Alien includes a remastered audio CD of the original album and a DVD of the previously unreleased concert from the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 15, 1988, which also happens to be Joe Satriani's birthday.
All I can say after listening to the CD and watching the DVD is that I'm amazed by what Satriani can do with his guitar. And this was 20 years ago. I've heard he's better now than he was before, and if that's true, I can only imagine how phenomenal he must be now. He does things with his guitar that I never thought were possible. Granted, I'm not very knowledgeable about guitars, but I've seen enough to know that he's brilliant.
Listening to the CD, I fell in love with "Ice 9," which was inspired by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s book Cat's Cradle, "Circles," which has a great melody and an interesting arrangement, "Midnight," which has a very crisp sound and wonderful melody, and "Always With Me, Always With You", which he says himself was the best melody he had written for this album, and I agree. "Always With Me, Always With You" is my favorite track in this album.
I didn't fully appreciate his talent until I watched the DVD of the Montreux concert. It was absolutely mind-blowing, and I'm amazed at the great audio. It's hard to believe this concert was recorded 20 years ago. I was so drawn in by his passion for the music, and it's going to be hard to describe it without getting explicit. I've often heard people describe music or musicians with words like orgasmic and sensual, and I'd always thought that they were just exaggerating. I must have been missing out on a lot of passionate music before I heard Satriani!
Seriously though, watching him perform on stage was like watching him make love to his guitar. Sometimes he makes wild and sexy love to it, and it screams in pleasure, other times he caresses it gently and it murmurs back lovingly. It was truly an orgasmic experience, and none of the songs were more sensual than "Rubina." I really can't find a better word to describe the song than with that word.
Stuart Hamm, who plays the bass, amazed me too with his skill with a fretless bass guitar on this track. "Bass Solo" like its title says, is a bass solo by Hamm, and it showcases his amazing talent. He shows off different techniques of playing which include tapping as well. I have seen my band mates using this technique, but never to the level that Satriani does with "Midnight." His two-handed tapping technique on "Midnight" is a sight to behold. The drummer, Jonathan Mover, was spectacular too, by the way. At the end of the track "Circles", he has a drum solo which tired me out just to watch. The speed, coordination, and energy of his playing simply astounded me.
Watching Satriani perform on stage is an experience every guitar enthusiast should have. If you're a fan of his, and even if you already have the original Surfing with the Alien album, you must get this remastered edition, if only for the DVD. It includes extra tracks like Hamm's "Bass Solo," "Memories," "Rubina," and "Hordes of Locusts." They're great and you shouldn't miss out on them. The DVD also includes bonus features; an interview with Nigel Tufnel (the fictional lead guitarist in the movie This is Spinal Tap played by actor Christopher Guest), the "Satch Boogie" music video, and the "Always With Me, Always With You" music video.
While guitar isn't my musical instrument of choice, watching and listening to Satriani made me appreciate the beauty and the potential of the instrument. I'm so glad my band mates introduced his music to me, and I will definitely be looking for his future works.
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