Audio CD review:
Joe Satriani - Crystal Planet

Joe Satriani - Crystal Planet

Band: Joe Satriani Title: Crystal Planet Rating: Release Date: Media: Audio CD Tracks:

Customer Reviews Not a clunker in the batch... To me, Crystal Planet is where the best elements of his music all came together. I've been listening to Satriani's music for many years, and have heard all the studio and live albums. Until his 1995, self-titled release, Joe Satriani records were all about the guitar, and little else. I've always thought that the material on "Not of This Earth" & "Surfing With the Alien" in particular sounded best in a live setting (i. e. the second disc of "Time Machine"), because they capture Satch in a group setting, rather than monster guitar embellished by weak, sterile rhythm backings. However, Crystal Planet has some INCREDIBLE drums and bass! Although I am more partial to the playing of Manu Katche & Nathan East on the previously mentioned 1995 album, CP has the best playing of his primarily rock recordings (the JS album seems more blues and jazz/fusion than rock to my ears), courtesy of Stuart Hamm and Jeff Campitelli. Essentially, this is Joe's live group in the studio, and they are consistently great. The most appealing quality to this recording is that Joe experiments with the structure of his composition, particularly with regards to key signatures. I recall having read in an interview that Joe intentionally designed the track listing so that the key of each song would be different. Even people who are not familiar with musical theory will notice that the first half of the disc is made up of "brighter" sounding tracks, while the second half features more "sad" sounds: this is a progression from major to minor key signatures (for example, from E major to F minor). I particularly love the second half of the album the most. This is a high quality disc, and none of the tracks are weak. Even some of Satch's best are littered with the occasional vocal track or purposeless display of technical prowess, but this one is all about the songs and the mood. The album peaks at "With Jupiter in Mind" and never cascades from that point - it stays great and ends the same. The guitar will always take the center stage on his discs, but here it all gels beautifully with the backing musicians. Stuart Hamm, most notably, has always been the greatest compliment to Satriani's "sound", because he can dance underneath the melodies and solos without stepping on any toes. For my personal tastes, I rank this one above the discs that others hold in higher regard, such as "Surfing. . . " and "The Extremist". They are great in their own ways, and have some of his most memorable tunes, but Crystal Planet is so much more adventurous and rewarding for me than anything else he's done before or since. Greatest. Satch. Ever. Always in heavy rotation on our home stereo, this CD opened my mind to the power and beauty of instrumental hard rock. I became a vicarious Satch fan at the age of 13 when my parents purchased this CD shortly after it was released. Now I've become a Satch fan in my own right; I finally got my own copy a few months ago. As I've expanded my musical library and learned more about music in general through both playing and listening, I keep coming back to Satriani (this CD particularly) with ever-increasing appreciation. And before I go any further, let me say that I'm not an awe-struck guitarist, but a drummer. I consider this CD to be Satch's best hard-rock CD. It may be a bit lacking for fans who most enjoy the jazz and blues side of his music, but I still consider this CD as an outstanding representative of the intricacy, depth, character and GROOVE of jazz and blues music -- just here it's mostly in a harder setting. The first four songs are a killer package. "Up In The Sky" is an explosive, up-tempo track that seems to soar thru the sky like "Surfing with the Alien" but with urgency; "House Full of Bullets" is a rumbling power-blues song with miles of groove; "Crystal Planet" has probably the best rhythm section playing of the entire CD, as well as a relentless climax; and "Love Thing" gives the listener a break in a smooth, sometimes heartwrenching ballad. Other strong tracks include "Raspberry Jam Delta V," which is the ideal song to run to on a sunny day, the heavy and driving "Ceremony," which, at the 2-minute mark, features the impossibly-fast shredding that Satch is known for, and "Time," which is among his more psychadelic and proggy songs. This CD has earned a spot in my top-ten CDs of all time. I doubt it will ever be bumped off the list. Amazing guitar album Yes, there are many incredible guitar players around, but Joe is without a doubt, in the top rated guitar player around the world. Joe Satriani is really incredible, this album prove that he is one of the best guitar player, if not the best. Greatly done Joe !. . You can see a complete list of all Joe Satriani discography, or go back to the Joe Satriani tabs