Customer Reviews
not of this earth, but definitely of the 80's
Don't get me wrong; some of his best stuff is in here. Wow! Does this have 80's stamped all over it! Satch's breakout album was inarguably the guitar classic Surfing With The Alien, but this was the master's first offering, and it definitely is feeling it's decade at some points. The title track is awesome, as are Rubina, Memories and Hordes of Locusts. But The Snake, The Enigmatic and Driving At Night; yikes! These three sound like they came off the soundtrack of a bad John Hughes movie. For anyone starting out getting into Satch''s music, don't start with this one. This one is for the collector of all things Satch. Still a good album, but not a career-definer.
First solo steps of a guitar god - 3.5 stars
As stated on the liner notes Joe didn't plan this to be a 'guitar chops record' but one with real music on it. Apparently recorded with the proceeds from an unsolicited credit card, this debut marks out Joe Satrianis territory right from the get go. That plan is achieved, though having heard a range of his later albums it's clear that he succeeded mor fully on those later discs. Though in some ways tihs is a little more experimental that some of the later releases - check some of the effects on The Snake, for instance.
Satriani set up his career with this disc, his fluid axework making his brand of guitar record something different to say, a Vai record which, while brilliant technically, are hardly mellow or easy listeining experiences. Joes style means he can shred and you can still relax to it at the same time and it's this flowing style that sets him apart from guys like Friedman, Vai, Tafolla and early Becker.
If you are a Satriani fan you must buy this. If your into instrumental guitar albums and somehow haven't heard Satriani, then buy Surfing With the Alien first and then come back to this. In fct the generic music fan would probably enjoy Surfing. . ,if they leave their preconceptions at the door.
However I defend my 3. 5 star rating due to - the ideas here aren't fully realised; the mellowness here is a touch overdone and no real songs with vocals which reduces the connectivity with an audience.
Guitar legend's debut.
The guitarist, supported by drummer Jeff Campitelli and percussionist John Cuniberti came into public attention when Steve Vai, a former student of Satriani, ended up singing his teacher's praises in the music press. In many ways a relic of its era, "Not of This Earth" is the first widely distributed release by Joe Satriani (a previous EP ended up being reissued as part of "Time Machine", years later).
The result is that this album, more than likely to have been lost in the shuffle of instrumental rock music, received wider recognition and poised Satriani to explode into a bonafide celebrity on his next record.
The album itself is a bit uneven-- Satriani is a flawlessly brilliant guitarist, but as a songwriter, he wasn't quite ready. Several pieces ("Not of This Earth", "Hordes of Locusts") seem to run out of steam before they end, and a couple ("The Snake", "Driving At Night") feel like bad '80s metal. On the other hand, several pieces shine-- delicate and lovely "Rubina", reggaeish and emotionally soaked "Memories", and the overtly Frippesque "New Day" are all fine examples of what Satriani is capable of. But my favorite is probably "Brother John", where Satriani abandons all his effects and performs his delicate and bubbly melody cleantone.
In the end, the album is ok, but Satriani would go on to do so much more interesting in the future. Come back to this one if you've picked up a bunch of other stuff and are looking for more, but most should start with "Surfing With the Alien".
. You can see a complete list of all Joe Satriani discography, or go back to the Joe Satriani tabs
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