Joe Satriani – The Complete Studio Recordings
Legacy Recordings
www.joesatriani.com

Rating: A

Let’s say you have a person in your life that is special to you, aaaaaaand... let’s say the one thing that drives you absolutely insane about this person is their love of hard rocking, instrumental guitar.  Perhaps this music, you fear, is more important than you! 

They may play guitar.  They may just play air-guitar and they crank it up all day and night, and it drives you crazy.  Yet, it is this sort of passion that makes you love them.  What, then, could you buy this person that would help satisfy their insatiable musical appetite and still keep you from going over the edge? 

The answer is two things.  First, get them a great set of earbuds and next, present them Christmas morning with The Complete Studio Recordings by Joe Satriani.  They will love you long-time… likely forever, yet you may not speak to them for days, as this sucker contains fifteen CDs by the guitar maestro.  Yes, that is FIFTEEN… all of the studio albums by Satch, plus one special disc of rarities. 

Satriani came to prominence when he did the unthinkable, by taking the musical world by storm in the late 1980s with the release of the now classic album Surfing with the Alien.  Not since Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen has the record buying public sat up and paid this much attention to a guitar player.  Joe has style, class, a fast hand, and a masterful sense of melody.  As heard on these fifteen, yes FIFTEEN I SAY, discs is some of the most accomplished guitar playing of all time. 

And, if you follow my advice, you don’t have to hear a note of it… thus the earbuds.  However, the loved one that you buy it for and give to on Christmas day will be in musical heaven for hours.  Oh, and if you’re the one into this sort of thing, as is this writer, then let me tell you from personal experience you will not stop listening.  Your jaw will be dropped the entire time, as Joe started his recording career off amazing, and seems to be getting better with age. 

As you experience Satriani through the ages you will be reminded, note after note, song after song, at just how damn good this guy is.  And since the box set contains fifteen CDS, everyday will be Christmas. 

Here is what is included:

1986 - "Not Of This Earth"
1987 - "Surfing With The Alien"
1989 - "Flying In A Blue Dream"
1992 - "The Extremist"
1993 - "Time Machine"
1995 - "Joe Satriani"
1998 - "Crystal Planet"
2000 - "Engines Of Creation"
2002 - "Strange Beautiful Music"
2004 - "Is There Love In Space?"
2006 - "Super Colossal"
2008 - "Professor Satchafunkilus And The Musterion Of Rock"
2010 - "Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards"
2013 - "Unstoppable Momentum"
2014 - "Additional Creations And Bonus Tracks"

By Jeb Wright