Friday, November 4, 2016

Throwback Thursday: Joe Satriani (EP), by Joe Satriani



In 1984, before guitar god Joe Satriani was surfing with the alien or flying in a blue dream he was a guitar teacher in Berkeley, CA. Wanting to get his name a bit more out there as a guitarist but not having a whole lot of money to do so, he used a credit card to finance a self-recorded instrumental guitar EP titled Joe Satriani that ran a limited number of vinyl run copies until later on when the Time Machine compilation album was released in 1993 and most of the songs were rereleased. The EP has also since been rereleased in limited quantities.

One of the most extraordinary things about Joe Satriani is that Satch was his own one man band, but not in the way you would think. Every last sound you hear on that EP was made on a single electric guitar. For the bass tracks Satriani detuned his guitar so low that it could mimic the sound depth and for the percussion tracks he just tapped on the pick-ups. It all pieces together into five very cohesive songs that can rival anything done with a full traditional band.

Talk to Me has this really cool almost techno sounding intro, but when the song itself kicks in it sounds like a proper driving hard rock/metal song that you would hear either in a racing game or an action movie. Quite frankly I love all of the soloing and harmonizing Satch was able to do considering he was recording with some pretty cheap and low grade equipment at the time. Easily my favorite song on the EP.

I Am Become Death is one of the creepiest and darkest sounding tracks I've ever heard Satch do on any recorded album of his. It goes from sounding like a funeral dirge to like being in an ancient desert at night to so much more. It's definitely the most progressive sounding track on the whole EP and will have you looking over your shoulder if you are listening in the dark in the middle of the night. It has this eerie presence to it that will not relinquish its hold on you for quite some time after you are done listening to it.

Personally I would LOVE to hear what all of these songs would sound like if they had proper bass and drum tracks behind them, but even if I never do these are still some fantastic songs that show just what you can do with only a little if you're talented and determined enough to make something magical happen. From here Satch would only go on to do bigger and better things, but it's always fun to take a look back and listen to the very beginning of such a magnificent musical journey. A must have for any fan of Joe.

Joe Satriani (EP), by Joe Satriani receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Talk to Me
2. Dreaming #11
3. Banana Mango
4. I Am Become Death
5. Saying Goodbye

Listen to the EP online:



Writer's Moment:

I will be taking the next few days until next Wednesday off because I'm going to be having a fairly busy birthday weekend. Plus, I've been a bit stressed out lately so I kind of need a bit of a breather.

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