16-08-2012, 11:02
online listen
mostly instrumental prog rock
not my thing but it may be yours
had not heard an album by the guitar wizzard
just not a fan of rock instrumentals, sorry
1.1 from me and a converted 2.2 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - The Story Of Light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZSSsa2EnFo
released August 14th, 2012
![[Image: 220px-The_Story_Of_Light.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/73/The_Story_Of_Light.jpg/220px-The_Story_Of_Light.jpg)
Bio - from allmusic
Six-string wizard Steve Vai, along with his one-time teacher Joe Satriani, set the standard for rock guitar
virtuosity in the '80s. Born on June 6, 1960, and raised in Carle Place, New York, Vai became interested in the
guitar via such legendary artists as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper as a teenager and, upon starting
high school, took lessons with an older player from the school, Joe Satriani. Playing in several local bands, Vai
quickly picked up on the instrument, and by the age of 18 was attending the renowned Berklee School of Music in
Boston. As a student there, Vai transcribed several of Frank Zappa's most technically demanding compositions for
guitar, and even sent a copy of one such transcription, "Black Page," to Zappa himself. Zappa was so impressed with
the young guitarist that upon meeting him, he invited Vai to join his band.
Subsequently, Vai toured the world with Zappa (giving Vai the nicknames "Stunt Guitarist" and "Little Italian
Virtuoso") and played on such albums as 1981's Tinsel Town Rebellion and You Are What You Is, 1982's Ship Arriving
Too Late, 1983's Man from Utopia, plus 1984's Them or Us and Thing-Fish, before leaving to set out on his own. First
off was a pair of self-financed, recorded, and released solo albums in 1984, Flex-Able and Flex-Able Leftovers, both
of which showcased Vai's guitar playing and songwriting talents, yet were still heavily influenced by Zappa.
With Van Halen all the rage by the mid-'80s due to their massive hard rock/pop crossover success, Vai replaced
Yngwie Malmsteen in a similarly styled outfit called Alcatrazz (which featured former Rainbow vocalist Graham
Bonnett), playing on their overlooked 1985 release Disturbing the Peace. The same year, Vai made a cameo appearance
in the movie Crossroads (playing the Devil's guitarist and shredding away in a guitar duel with Ralph Macchio) and
got an invitation from his friend/bass master Billy Sheehan to try out for the guitar spot in singer David Lee
Roth's solo band (Roth had just split from Van Halen), and eventually landed the gig. The debut release from Roth
and his stellar solo band, Eat 'Em and Smile, arrived in 1986 and went on to become one of the year's top hard rock
releases. Both Vai and Sheehan were catapulted to superstardom due to their instrumental talents, as they took top
honors in numerous guitar magazines for years afterward.
But although the quartet showed great promise, Sheehan jumped ship just after their sophomore album, Skyscraper, was
issued in 1988. Although the album was more pop-based than its predecessor, it became another sizable hit -- with
Vai earning a co-producing credit on the album along with Roth. The same year, Vai issued his own line of snazzy
guitars, the Jem 777 series, via the Ibanez company. After the ensuing tour with Roth wrapped up in late 1988, it
was Vai's turn to jump ship. In addition to working on another solo album, he was invited to join up with chart-
topping pop-metallists Whitesnake, an offer he accepted. His one and only album with Whitesnake, Slip of the Tongue,
was issued in 1989, as was his third solo album overall, Passion and Warfare, a year later. The largely instrumental
album was based on dreams that Vai experienced as a teenager, and it became a sizable hit, earning gold
certification and solidifying Vai's standing as one of the top guitarists of the day. It was also around this time
that Vai created a seven-string guitar through Ibanez. Although the instrument didn't catch on initially, it would
by the mid- to late '90s, when the guitarists in such metal acts as Korn and Limp Bizkit would utilize the
instrument to achieve super-low tunings.
After an extended hiatus, Vai formed his first conventional rock band (called...Vai) along with newcomer Devin
Townsend on vocals, T.M. Stevens on bass, and Terry Bozzio on drums -- offering their one and only album in 1993,
Sex & Religion. When the album proved to be a disappointment both critically and commercially, Vai returned to all-
instrumental work with the 1995 EP Alien Love Secrets. For the remainder of the decade, Vai continued to issue solo
releases, including 1996's Fire Garden, 1998's Flex-Able Leftovers (a re-release of his long out of print second
solo album, with added tracks), and 1999's The Ultra Zone. It was also during the late '90s that Vai and Satriani
reunited for an annual co-headlining tour (with a different third artist added each year), called G3, unleashing a
live album, G3: Live in Concert, in 1997.
The early 21st century saw a flurry of releases from Vai, including a compilation of instrumentals, The 7th Song:
Enchanting Guitar Melodies Archive, in 2000, and his first full-length live release, Alive in an Ultra World, in
2001, as well as his mammoth career-encompassing ten-disc box set The Secret Jewel Box. In 2002 he collected several
pieces that he had contributed to films through the years, including the guitar duel from Crossroads and the theme
to Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and put them together in a 40-track collection called The Elusive Light and Sound,
Vol. 1. A series of compilations came next, and after a five-year hiatus from the studio, Vai returned in 2005 with
Real Illusions: Reflections. A tour with the Metropole Orchestra followed and he released a ambitious double live
set documenting his performances, titled Sound Theories, Vols. 1-2, in 2007. In 2010, he performed with the North
Netherlands Orchestra, debuting several new compositions that fused rock music with orchestral arrangements, dubbed
the "Evo Era." Vai also made several television appearances in 2010, performing on The Tonight Show and on American
Idol with Mary J. Blige, Orianthi, Travis Barker, Ron Fair, Orianthi, and Randy Jackson. In 2012, eighth studio
album The Story of Light arrived, continuing the new age themes first put forth on Real Illusions: Reflections, and
including unexpected twists such as a rootsy blues cover backed by a full gospel choir as well as a duet with Aimee
Mann.
Over the years, Vai has guested on countless albums by other artists, including Gregg Bissonette's self-titled debut
and Submarine, Alice Cooper's Hey Stoopid, Randy Coven's Funk Me Tender, Al di Meola's Infinite Desire, Public Image
Ltd.'s Album, Joe Jackson's Symphony 1, and Billy Sheehan's Compression, and also releases from Mike Stern, Ozzy,
and Meat Loaf. He can also be found on such additional Zappa releases as Jazz from Hell, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar,
Guitar, and on several volumes of the ongoing You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore series and the live tribute disc
Zappa's Universe. As if his busy schedule weren't full enough, Vai pursued a lifelong interest when he began
harvesting honey among five bee colonies in the backyard of his home.
Album Review - from allmusic
Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai's music has its roots in some unknown interstellar worlds. From his earliest mid-'80s solo
output, Vai's largely instrumental tricked-out guitar compositions found some strange middle ground between heavy
metal bliss and space-traveling experimentalism. Released in 2005, Real Illusions: Reflection found Vai shifting
from his alien undercurrents to a more spiritual vibe, with themes of new age discovery and introspection filling
the album. The Story of Light, Vai's eighth studio album of solo work, continues down the spiritual path, infusing
his monolithic metal fusion playing with inward reflections, as well as expanding on the "rock fable" begun on the
last album. His signature heavily processed tone and liquid playing characterize barnburning runs like the funky
"Velorum" and the roadhouse stomp of "Gravity Storm," while softer tracks like "Creamsicle Sunset" and "The Moon and
I" wander longingly through various time signatures and modes, the later dabbling with Middle Eastern scales. The
most winning moments on The Story of Light are the unexpected ones, as with "No More Amsterdam," a zigzagging ballad
about the ennui of world travel that finds Vai duetting with singer/songwriter institution Aimee Mann, who also
wrote the song's lyrics. Most uncommon to the guitarist's catalog thus far is his two-part cover of bluesman Blind
Willie Johnson's "John the Revelator." This surprising cut is sung largely by Beverly McClellan from television's
The Voice, backed by a full gospel choir with samples of Johnson's original recording of the song sampled in
intermittently. The effect, much like the entire album, is epic, but not the type of epic we've come to expect from
one of the longer-running guitar gods of his era. While always prolific, uncompromising, and inarguably shredding,
it's refreshing to see that Vai is still deeply interested in expanding his sound. Even at a well-established level
and decades into his craft, Vai takes some surprising risks on The Story of Light, and the album almost always
benefits from them.
Track Listing
1. The Story of Light
2. Velorum
3. John the Revelator
4. Book of the Seven Seals
5. Creamsicle Sunset
6. Gravity Storm
7. Mullach atSi
8. The Moon and I
9. Weeping China Doll
10. Racing the World
11. No More Amsterdam
12. Sunshine Electric Raindrops
mostly instrumental prog rock
not my thing but it may be yours
had not heard an album by the guitar wizzard
just not a fan of rock instrumentals, sorry
1.1 from me and a converted 2.2 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - The Story Of Light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZSSsa2EnFo
released August 14th, 2012
Bio - from allmusic
Six-string wizard Steve Vai, along with his one-time teacher Joe Satriani, set the standard for rock guitar
virtuosity in the '80s. Born on June 6, 1960, and raised in Carle Place, New York, Vai became interested in the
guitar via such legendary artists as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper as a teenager and, upon starting
high school, took lessons with an older player from the school, Joe Satriani. Playing in several local bands, Vai
quickly picked up on the instrument, and by the age of 18 was attending the renowned Berklee School of Music in
Boston. As a student there, Vai transcribed several of Frank Zappa's most technically demanding compositions for
guitar, and even sent a copy of one such transcription, "Black Page," to Zappa himself. Zappa was so impressed with
the young guitarist that upon meeting him, he invited Vai to join his band.
Subsequently, Vai toured the world with Zappa (giving Vai the nicknames "Stunt Guitarist" and "Little Italian
Virtuoso") and played on such albums as 1981's Tinsel Town Rebellion and You Are What You Is, 1982's Ship Arriving
Too Late, 1983's Man from Utopia, plus 1984's Them or Us and Thing-Fish, before leaving to set out on his own. First
off was a pair of self-financed, recorded, and released solo albums in 1984, Flex-Able and Flex-Able Leftovers, both
of which showcased Vai's guitar playing and songwriting talents, yet were still heavily influenced by Zappa.
With Van Halen all the rage by the mid-'80s due to their massive hard rock/pop crossover success, Vai replaced
Yngwie Malmsteen in a similarly styled outfit called Alcatrazz (which featured former Rainbow vocalist Graham
Bonnett), playing on their overlooked 1985 release Disturbing the Peace. The same year, Vai made a cameo appearance
in the movie Crossroads (playing the Devil's guitarist and shredding away in a guitar duel with Ralph Macchio) and
got an invitation from his friend/bass master Billy Sheehan to try out for the guitar spot in singer David Lee
Roth's solo band (Roth had just split from Van Halen), and eventually landed the gig. The debut release from Roth
and his stellar solo band, Eat 'Em and Smile, arrived in 1986 and went on to become one of the year's top hard rock
releases. Both Vai and Sheehan were catapulted to superstardom due to their instrumental talents, as they took top
honors in numerous guitar magazines for years afterward.
But although the quartet showed great promise, Sheehan jumped ship just after their sophomore album, Skyscraper, was
issued in 1988. Although the album was more pop-based than its predecessor, it became another sizable hit -- with
Vai earning a co-producing credit on the album along with Roth. The same year, Vai issued his own line of snazzy
guitars, the Jem 777 series, via the Ibanez company. After the ensuing tour with Roth wrapped up in late 1988, it
was Vai's turn to jump ship. In addition to working on another solo album, he was invited to join up with chart-
topping pop-metallists Whitesnake, an offer he accepted. His one and only album with Whitesnake, Slip of the Tongue,
was issued in 1989, as was his third solo album overall, Passion and Warfare, a year later. The largely instrumental
album was based on dreams that Vai experienced as a teenager, and it became a sizable hit, earning gold
certification and solidifying Vai's standing as one of the top guitarists of the day. It was also around this time
that Vai created a seven-string guitar through Ibanez. Although the instrument didn't catch on initially, it would
by the mid- to late '90s, when the guitarists in such metal acts as Korn and Limp Bizkit would utilize the
instrument to achieve super-low tunings.
After an extended hiatus, Vai formed his first conventional rock band (called...Vai) along with newcomer Devin
Townsend on vocals, T.M. Stevens on bass, and Terry Bozzio on drums -- offering their one and only album in 1993,
Sex & Religion. When the album proved to be a disappointment both critically and commercially, Vai returned to all-
instrumental work with the 1995 EP Alien Love Secrets. For the remainder of the decade, Vai continued to issue solo
releases, including 1996's Fire Garden, 1998's Flex-Able Leftovers (a re-release of his long out of print second
solo album, with added tracks), and 1999's The Ultra Zone. It was also during the late '90s that Vai and Satriani
reunited for an annual co-headlining tour (with a different third artist added each year), called G3, unleashing a
live album, G3: Live in Concert, in 1997.
The early 21st century saw a flurry of releases from Vai, including a compilation of instrumentals, The 7th Song:
Enchanting Guitar Melodies Archive, in 2000, and his first full-length live release, Alive in an Ultra World, in
2001, as well as his mammoth career-encompassing ten-disc box set The Secret Jewel Box. In 2002 he collected several
pieces that he had contributed to films through the years, including the guitar duel from Crossroads and the theme
to Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and put them together in a 40-track collection called The Elusive Light and Sound,
Vol. 1. A series of compilations came next, and after a five-year hiatus from the studio, Vai returned in 2005 with
Real Illusions: Reflections. A tour with the Metropole Orchestra followed and he released a ambitious double live
set documenting his performances, titled Sound Theories, Vols. 1-2, in 2007. In 2010, he performed with the North
Netherlands Orchestra, debuting several new compositions that fused rock music with orchestral arrangements, dubbed
the "Evo Era." Vai also made several television appearances in 2010, performing on The Tonight Show and on American
Idol with Mary J. Blige, Orianthi, Travis Barker, Ron Fair, Orianthi, and Randy Jackson. In 2012, eighth studio
album The Story of Light arrived, continuing the new age themes first put forth on Real Illusions: Reflections, and
including unexpected twists such as a rootsy blues cover backed by a full gospel choir as well as a duet with Aimee
Mann.
Over the years, Vai has guested on countless albums by other artists, including Gregg Bissonette's self-titled debut
and Submarine, Alice Cooper's Hey Stoopid, Randy Coven's Funk Me Tender, Al di Meola's Infinite Desire, Public Image
Ltd.'s Album, Joe Jackson's Symphony 1, and Billy Sheehan's Compression, and also releases from Mike Stern, Ozzy,
and Meat Loaf. He can also be found on such additional Zappa releases as Jazz from Hell, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar,
Guitar, and on several volumes of the ongoing You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore series and the live tribute disc
Zappa's Universe. As if his busy schedule weren't full enough, Vai pursued a lifelong interest when he began
harvesting honey among five bee colonies in the backyard of his home.
Album Review - from allmusic
Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai's music has its roots in some unknown interstellar worlds. From his earliest mid-'80s solo
output, Vai's largely instrumental tricked-out guitar compositions found some strange middle ground between heavy
metal bliss and space-traveling experimentalism. Released in 2005, Real Illusions: Reflection found Vai shifting
from his alien undercurrents to a more spiritual vibe, with themes of new age discovery and introspection filling
the album. The Story of Light, Vai's eighth studio album of solo work, continues down the spiritual path, infusing
his monolithic metal fusion playing with inward reflections, as well as expanding on the "rock fable" begun on the
last album. His signature heavily processed tone and liquid playing characterize barnburning runs like the funky
"Velorum" and the roadhouse stomp of "Gravity Storm," while softer tracks like "Creamsicle Sunset" and "The Moon and
I" wander longingly through various time signatures and modes, the later dabbling with Middle Eastern scales. The
most winning moments on The Story of Light are the unexpected ones, as with "No More Amsterdam," a zigzagging ballad
about the ennui of world travel that finds Vai duetting with singer/songwriter institution Aimee Mann, who also
wrote the song's lyrics. Most uncommon to the guitarist's catalog thus far is his two-part cover of bluesman Blind
Willie Johnson's "John the Revelator." This surprising cut is sung largely by Beverly McClellan from television's
The Voice, backed by a full gospel choir with samples of Johnson's original recording of the song sampled in
intermittently. The effect, much like the entire album, is epic, but not the type of epic we've come to expect from
one of the longer-running guitar gods of his era. While always prolific, uncompromising, and inarguably shredding,
it's refreshing to see that Vai is still deeply interested in expanding his sound. Even at a well-established level
and decades into his craft, Vai takes some surprising risks on The Story of Light, and the album almost always
benefits from them.
Track Listing
1. The Story of Light
2. Velorum
3. John the Revelator
4. Book of the Seven Seals
5. Creamsicle Sunset
6. Gravity Storm
7. Mullach atSi
8. The Moon and I
9. Weeping China Doll
10. Racing the World
11. No More Amsterdam
12. Sunshine Electric Raindrops
