This trio would tour extensively and they would get tighter as a unit – the live set on Time Machine — but this might be the only filmed footage of them on the Surfing tour, which alone makes this a worthwhile purchase. It's not uniformly great but it's never terrible and there are frequent moments of sonic nirvana.
The DVD gives the options of DTS, Dolby Digital, and Stereo mixes.
The Liner Notes
I can't help but think Gordon Hauptfleisch, our fabulously talented resident expert on the joys of liner notes would appreciate the lovely booklet that accompanies this release.
Digital music and the digital marketplace has its place in the music universe but there are some things digital just cannot deliver. The feel of the tangible object, the fun and excitement of flipping through pages of lyrics, credits, and exposition on slick pages held in your own hands are all part of the experience, part of the experience digital cannot deliver.
The liner notes do more than give background on the album, they tell us something about the creator. His ambitions, confidence, doubts, and humor are all on display in track-by-track notes, the stories he tells about the making of the record and the ill-fated Montreux performance.
The music has no words, so it is in the presentation of this 20th Anniversary Edition of Surfing With the Alien that we see how personal this record still is to Satriani and how much love he still has for it. The glossy pages, the photos, the notes, the remastering, the DVD… all of these combine to make this feel like a big deal, giving fans the opportunity to participate in the joy of these songs once again.
The third time is the charm for Surfing With the Alien. This is the definitive version of a classic record.
Article comments
1 - Chris Beaumont
need to get my hands on this.
2 - Mark Saleski
me too! i might even walk into one of those gawd-awful fye places tomorrow.
it's all your fault hathaway!!!
3 - Glen Boyd
Not a huge fan here (he was always a little too flashy for me -- I was always more of a Jeff Beck guy when it comes to this type of stuff). But this sounds like the one to get. No FYE for me though (throwing up the sign of the cross there).
-Glen
4 - Mark Saleski
i keep tellin' josh that he needs to hear both Wired and the more recent Guitar Shop
5 - Josh
Mark, order it from Amazon. Stay away from the box stores! My life is at least 20% better since I stopped shopping at freakin' Best Buy.
Glen, this is the version of the album to get and for my money it's still Joe's best album. There are many, many great songs to be found on his other records but this is truly an album, and a special one at that.
For the record, I'm not anti-Beck. Satriani is flashy and plays a lot of notes but does so in a melodic manner and in the context of an actual song.
6 - Mark Saleski
i've never actually set foot in an fye...but there happens to be one up the street from where i work.
of course, i usually go to my local independent cd shop.
7 - Tom Johnson
Very excited to get my hands on this one. Hopefully UPS will actually get my address right* this week and it'll be on my doorstep when I get home.
I was going to do my usual weekly writeup in the Breakdown about this one (and only this release) but I'm running late and your review is so thorough and good I don't know that there's much need. You were too fast and too awesome, Josh.
*The post office recently changed our zip code and UPS doesn't like it. One would think they'd update their zip code list regularly and frequently but apparently not.
8 - John C Comedy
Thanks for the review Josh! I'm definitely ordering it. He turned out a great guitarist in Kirk Hammett as well :)