ARTIST: Joe Satriani
TITLE: Not of this Earth
YEAR RELEASED: 1986
CHART ACTION: None
SINGLES: None
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Only if you’re a guitar mag freak
LINEUP: Joe Satriani, John Cuniberti, Jeff Campitelli
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: First instrumental release from the guitar hero shows off his chops, but falls into an 80’s trap.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: The guitar hero in the guitar magazine – those were huge in the past and the 80’s brought about several players who had chops galore and were more famous as sidemen or solo artists than guitarists in a band. Satriani definitely fit that bill.
This solo record shows off his talent and technique, and also his gift for melody and songwriting. It’s not a record that is all about the ‘wheedly-wheedly-whee’ but Satriani takes care to create actual songs around his riffs and solos.
What’s the issue? Well, the bane of the 80’s – the electronic drums. It kinda fits in a weird way, but I’d rather hear real drummers, or a drum machine perhaps. The electronic drum sounds reduce the effects of Satriani’s playing and make it like he’s playing in front of a New Romantic band at times.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: He was a guitar instructor who taught many guitar mag heroes himself.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No
GRADE: B: Pretty good instrumentals, but lose the electronic drums, please.