Description

If there is one thing that can be said about veteran guitarist Joe Satriani, it is that he loves to play in front of a crowd. Okay, so he’s not your average shredder. That much was clear in 1987, when he stormed the gates with Surfing with the Alien, his second album and the follow-up to his self-financed debut, Not of This Earth. An action-packed record of bracing, delirious guitar instrumentals, it was a runaway success, cracking Billboard’s Top 20 and going Gold (it has since gone multi-Platinum). Satriani (or “Satch,” as he became popularly known from his song “Satch Boogie”) had done the impossible, hitting a bulls-eye before anyone knew a target existed. But for the former guitar teacher turned pro, a David amongst the Goliaths of the music industry, it was the culmination of a dream he had the day he quit his high school football team (not coincidentally on the day of Jimi Hendrix’s death) to devote his life to the guitar: that six strings could rule the world. ‘It’s funny’, says Satriani. ‘There’s part of me that still gets off on playing wild, out-of-control guitar. I think I’ll always stay in that state of arrested development’. This limited album was recorded live at The Spectrum in Montreal, Canada on the 15th of August 1988, during the Surfing With The Alien tour. Satriani is joined by bass player Stuart Hamm and drummer Jonathan Mover. The playing is technically astounding but Satch and his band still remain relaxed throughout, engaging the crowd in the intimate venue and allowing room in their performance for some playful improvisation. It's a fun vibe, and a real collaborative effort – this is a true band performance, giving it their all and having a blast! Track listing: 1. Ice 9 2. Memories 3. Midnight 4. Circles 5. Bass Solo – Stu Hamm 6. Echo 7. Hordes Of Locusts 8. The Crush Of Love 9. Always With Me Always With You 10. Satch Boogie 11. Slow Blues-Satch Boogie Outro