# Steve Vai



## Scar Symmetry (Mar 11, 2009)

Your thoughts gentlemen?

I think he's incredible personally, my favourite 3 tracks of his are The Riddle, K'm Pee Du Wee and The Fire Garden Suite.

He's not just an amazing guitarist, but an amazing musician, and let's not forget to thank him for developing the Ibanez Universe!

All hail Steve Vai


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## ShadyDavey (Mar 11, 2009)

I used to really, really like Steve - I think I've got everything up to Real Illusions but it just started leaving me cold as if I'd heard it before. 

No doubt, he is a great musician but I haven't listened to anything of his for a long while so it might be the case that if I took the time to re-explore his music I might start to dig it again - I could subconciously be avoiding it for that reason 

I'd be hard-pressed to pick out tracks but Albums: Fire Garden, Sex and Religion, P&W.


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## jymellis (Mar 11, 2009)

love him! always have! he was my main inspiration as a guitarist in the late 80s early 90s. actually talked to the guy a few times. (also main reason i now have sevens,((WILL HAVE GREEN DOT!!!!))))))


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## ArtDecade (Mar 11, 2009)

Yeah, he is a beast of a player. I can't imagine what it would have been like to take lessons from Joe Satriani and then to be playing with Frank Zappa only a few years later. That's a musical pedigree.


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## jymellis (Mar 11, 2009)

i hate to admit it but, i found out about satch because of vai. i didnt get to hear or see satch until the flying in a blue dream tour. (still my favorite satch album


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## OzoneJunkie (Mar 11, 2009)

The Riddle, Blue Powder, Rescue Me Or Bury Me...

Yep, love his stuff...

@jymellis: Saw Satch open for Stevie Ray Vaughan. Found Satch early on - had Not Of This Earth on a non-clear cased cassette


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## DDDorian (Mar 11, 2009)

I have the utmost respect for both his skills as a guitarist and his general philosophy in regards to being a musician. That being said, I don't think there's a single song on any of his studio albums that I genuinely like. I mean, I dig some of the arrangements he's released for piano and orchestra, but overall his recorded output leaves me flat. Not really sure why.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 11, 2009)

> i found out about satch because of vai



same! Satch must've been pissed that he taught Vai and that Vai went on to be better and more famous than he was 

when I first became interested in lead playing, Vai was the first person I thought "shit... I wanna be like him!"


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## hufschmid (Mar 11, 2009)

As I always mention, I've been a long time Vai fan from his very solo debutes with the flex able album..

I dont consider him as ''a guitar hero'' but as a pure genious.

It is very rare when somebody achieves to express emotion true his music the way he does, he is just incredible.


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## Scali (Mar 11, 2009)

Vai is a bit of love/hate for me.
He has a very unique phrasing style, which doesn't quite 'click' with me, most of the time. Also, a lot of his music is very experimental, lots of effects and weird edits and things going on.

On the other hand, he's also done some tracks that I love, like Sisters, Juice, For The Love Of God, and some of his work with Whitesnake.
And that stuff is so incredibly good that it ranks right up there with my favourite stuff.

I guess it's just that I wish he'd play more songs in the style that I like.


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## BJames (Mar 11, 2009)

One other thing to add to the plethora of Vai accomplishments is his equally impressive recording prowess. Steve has quietly been partially responsible for the industry to look at music marketing in a different light. When the heyday of home recording came about in early to mid 80's, Steve's Flexable album was one that the major record companies and marketing companies looked at as a threat to their horrible way of doing business. Steve gave countless numbers of musicians, me included, the incentive to learn about recording, purchasing equipment, and getting your music to market without sacrificing your intellectual property. Today, Steve has his own label and anyone who listens to his music can clearly hear that it is top quality productions.


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## hufschmid (Mar 11, 2009)

This dude here on youtube is just da man 
Check out how he nails down the songs!


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 11, 2009)

> his equally impressive recording prowess



+1 

I forgot to mention that, thanks.

I can't watch those videos coz I'm at work, is it that Cesar guy?


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## timothydog76 (Mar 11, 2009)

Vai is an amazing musician and guitar player. He was one of my original influences on guitar when I was around 13 or so and one of the reasons I decided to go to Berklee as well. That being said, I haven't really listened to his stuff since The Ultra Zone. In fact, I have been turned off to instrumental rock in general for a long time until Guthrie Govan came around for me. I get the same kind of excitement and enjoyment with Govan that I did with early Vai. His ideas and musical vocabulary seem more fresh and bold to me.

Vai is still awesome in his own right though.


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## TMatt142 (Mar 11, 2009)

Once I started recording on my own computer, Vai's technical abilities REALLY became apparent. Now, I've been a Vai fan since his Alcatraz days and it really didn't dawn on me till a few years back. Take any one of his tunes from say..the past 4 albums/CD's. This guy is a monster when it comes to transitions. (you know, ...the stuff in between the licks he's playing.) That's all I listen to at this point because I've listen to it all so much. He is one of the few that you can really honestly say has "mastered" the instrument. Listening to these "transistions" has really helped me with my recordings.....Ok..he's a beast with everything else as well, but it's his attention to the minute details within the song that floor me....


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## DaveCarter (Mar 11, 2009)

Ive been a huge Vai fan for as long as I can remember. Players like him and Petrucci are the reason I get so mad when kids that Im teaching insist that Slash is the 'greatest guitarist EVER' - FAIL. I however am meeting Steve at LiMS this year - WIN!!! Cant wait!!!!!


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## orb451 (Mar 11, 2009)

I didn't catch on to Steve Vai until 90' or 91' whenever it was that P&W came out. I'd seen the David Lee Roth video for Yankee Rose a bit earlier than that but it didn't *click" who that guy was. So anyway, when P&W came out I was floored. Fucking amazing album. I liked everything up until Fire Garden, when Steve sings though, that started to bother me a bit. 

I didn't mind Sex & Religion but I wasn't quite blown away with it. Guitar-wise that is, I know it's not him singing the whole time. But when Steve sings on other albums, and I know musically it probably fits the tune and all that, it just tends to be a little too *out there* for me. I mean his vocal melodies, not his voice as I think it's good, and not his lyrics as those are fine. 

In other words, on the guitar he's extremely fluid and I really enjoy most of the guitar melodies he comes up with, his phrasing and his style. But when he sings, it to me gets a little annoying. I'd rather he hire a really good singer or just stick with strictly instrumental pieces. 

Overall though, he's one of the sickest players to ever pick up the instrument. And to echo that other guy's comment about Slash being the greatest player ever, I had an argument with a guy at work a while back that was saying the same thing. I think Slash is a good player and all but he's not in the same league as Vai. Period.

orb.......


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 11, 2009)

> I think Slash is a good player and all but he's not in the same league as Vai. Period.



^^^ this


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 11, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> same! Satch must've been pissed that he taught Vai and that Vai went on to be better and more famous than he was



But Satch has actually sold more albums than Vai  You are getting a skewed perception of "fame" because Vai generally has more guitar forumite fans.

Vai is god btw


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 11, 2009)

well Vai is more celebrated, surely celebrated = celebrity = fame?


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 11, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> well Vai is more celebrated, surely celebrated = celebrity = fame?



celebrated by who? Guitar forum posters? Satch is certainly a bigger name commercially. Vai is a better guitarist and musician, but he isn't on the same level as Satch commercially.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 11, 2009)

well he's certainly more celebrated than Satch here in the UK


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## Pauly (Mar 11, 2009)

I got into Vai through the probably typical route of Metallica and reading about Kirk getting guitar lessons from this guitar God Satriani, who also spawned this other guy called Vai. I was in an HMV somewhere many years ago and they had this 3 album boxset with P&W, S&R and ALS. I bought in wondering if I'd like it but it was dirt cheap so figured it couldn't hurt. I got home and my life changed, I couldn't believe that was a guy playing guitar. It seemed totally impossible. Songs weren't bad either! Thus my <3 of Vai started, was cemented further seeing him at the Astoria (front row on the DVD!) and havng the Evo experience a couple of yours back. Really awesome guy and anyway who makes the extremely hard look effortless gets serious props.


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## Tybanez (Mar 11, 2009)

Steve Vai rules. That is all.


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## liamh (Mar 11, 2009)

Steve Vai should be burnt for playing god..


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## Panterica (Mar 11, 2009)

love Vai, but like Satch more


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## Variant (Mar 11, 2009)

Esp Griffyn said:


> celebrated by who? Guitar forum posters? Satch is certainly a bigger name commercially. Vai is a better guitarist and musician, but he isn't on the same level as Satch commercially.



Yeah, Coldplay hasn't ripped off any Steve Vai tunes. 

Also it should be reiterated that Coldplay sucks dead, foetid, goat colon dry.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 11, 2009)

Steve Vai continues to dazzle me at whatever he does. Hell even the solo on Motorhead's Down on Me was a pleasure. 

That said, both Vai and Satch are the 2 sole reasons as to why I took guitar as a serious instrument and continue to do so. Yes the hero worship is still alive.  Got into Satriani first though.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Mar 11, 2009)

I think Vai is incredibly hit and miss for me, some of his stuff like "for the love of god" and the Halo theme song are awesome, but then some of his other stuff is garbage.


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## Harry (Mar 11, 2009)

I love Vai.
I think his work has been inconsistent over the years though, but nonetheless, a very talented and unique musician.


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## Trespass (Mar 11, 2009)

As a classical musician and an avid fan of world music approaching guitar, I can definitively say that the older the Vai recording, the less I like it. I absolutely despise Passion and Warfare, the Ultra Zone etc. I love, however, Real Illusions, Alive in An Ultra World, and Sound Theories. He really shook off the rock influence as he matured, and instead found the energy in the plethora of world music available.


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## demolisher (Mar 11, 2009)

Steve vai has more talent than I will ever have that said I can't stand his music.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 12, 2009)

> Yeah, Coldplay hasn't ripped off any Steve Vai tunes.



my keyboard player told me about that. which Satch tune and which Coldplay tune?


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## Wi77iam (Mar 12, 2009)

I don't like his music, but the UV is a great creation.


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 12, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> my keyboard player told me about that. which Satch tune and which Coldplay tune?



Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" is a straight rip from Satch's "If I could fly".


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## Scali (Mar 12, 2009)

Vai used to be a very public figure, playing in hugely popular bands like the David Lee Roth Band and Whitesnake. This gave him a status close to that of someone like Eddie van Halen.
Satriani never hit the mainstream like that. In fact, Vai is the one who got Satriani a recording deal in the first place.
So yes, I'd definitely say that Vai is (or at least was) bigger than Satriani.
Outside of guitarists/musicians, most people probably never heard of Joe Satriani, or even heard his music. DLR and Whitesnake got regular airplay on radio and MTV, and as such exposed Vai to a huge mainstream audience.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 12, 2009)

Scali said:


> Vai used to be a very public figure, playing in hugely popular bands like the David Lee Roth Band and Whitesnake. This gave him a status close to that of someone like Eddie van Halen.
> Satriani never hit the mainstream like that. In fact, Vai is the one who got Satriani a recording deal in the first place.
> So yes, I'd definitely say that Vai is (or at least was) bigger than Satriani.
> Outside of guitarists/musicians, most people probably never heard of Joe Satriani, or even heard his music. DLR and Whitesnake got regular airplay on radio and MTV, and as such exposed Vai to a huge mainstream audience.



^^^ this.


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## ArtDecade (Mar 12, 2009)

Satch did have a platinum record in 1986... This was also the year Vai had his first recording success with DLR.


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## Jzbass25 (Mar 12, 2009)

I love Vai, he is the one that got me more serious into guitar playing. I use to only putz around on Hendrix and SRV stuff.

There are only few songs I don't like from him, but those are usually the weird ones that are hardly songs such as Alien Water Kiss. 

I feel like those who don't like him are those who like listening to either music with lyrics (even though vai sings in some songs) and people that don't appreciate his style. I got tired of repeating verses and all of that stuff, especially from being a bass player 5 years before I started guitar so I guess his tracks are especially great to me since they usually don't repeat the same thing over and over with a guitar solo stuck inside somewhere. (hope that makes sense, I have a bit of a fever so I may be crazy talkin)


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## WhiteShadow (Mar 12, 2009)

For all the Vai fiends...are there any tunes of his that are just as heavy or heavier than "Bad Horsie" and "Black Forest"? Those are really the only two songs of his i've heard that were up to my "Heaviness Scale". I know Vai isnt exactly a heavy music kinda player, but are there any other "Heavy" tunes from ol Vai?


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## Stealthdjentstic (Mar 12, 2009)

Jzbass25 said:


> I love Vai, he is the one that got me more serious into guitar playing. I use to only putz around on Hendrix and SRV stuff.
> 
> There are only few songs I don't like from him, but those are usually the weird ones that are hardly songs such as Alien Water Kiss.
> 
> I feel like *those who don't like him are those who like listening to either music with lyrics (even though vai sings in some songs) and people that don't appreciate his style. *I got tired of repeating verses and all of that stuff, especially from being a bass player 5 years before I started guitar so I guess his tracks are especially great to me since they usually don't repeat the same thing over and over with a guitar solo stuck inside somewhere. (hope that makes sense, I have a bit of a fever so I may be crazy talkin)




Or they appreciate some of his stuff and think some of it isn't what he's capable of doing and just seems like he put no effort into it...


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 13, 2009)

WhiteShadow said:


> For all the Vai fiends...are there any tunes of his that are just as heavy or heavier than "Bad Horsie" and "Black Forest"? Those are really the only two songs of his i've heard that were up to my "Heaviness Scale". I know Vai isnt exactly a heavy music kinda player, but are there any other "Heavy" tunes from ol Vai?


 
There's a Fire in the House
Ya Yo Gakk
Blowfish
Kill The Guy with The Ball / God Eaters
Giant Balls of Gold
Building the Church
OOOOOH
Burining Rain
Slip of the Tongue (for some whitesnake stuff)
Damn You
Pig
Sex and Religion

That's all I can think of at the moment.


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## yingmin (Mar 13, 2009)

DDDorian said:


> I have the utmost respect for both his skills as a guitarist and his general philosophy in regards to being a musician. That being said, I don't think there's a single song on any of his studio albums that I genuinely like. I mean, I dig some of the arrangements he's released for piano and orchestra, but overall his recorded output leaves me flat. Not really sure why.


I'm the same way. Even in my younger days, when I was really into shred, I just couldn't get into Vai. Now, the only shredders I can listen to are ones like Satriani and Andy Timmons, whose music shows an emphasis first and foremost on melody. Satriani songs especially are like wordless pop songs, where the guitar lines are so lyrical you could easily imagine a human voice replacing them. I just never got the same feeling from Vai. He's definitely not in the Rusty Cooley school, where his music is all about showing off how fast he can play, but it just doesn't grab me musically.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 13, 2009)

trying to analyse why people wouldn't like him is a little bit futile, when there is a plethora of reasons why they may or may not like him. it just comes down to personal preference.


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## ShadyDavey (Mar 13, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> trying to analyse why people wouldn't like him is a little bit futile, when there is a plethora of reasons why they may or may not like him. it just comes down to personal preference.



Aye, this.

I actually went back and listened to a couple of albums yesterday and there's some awesome stuff happening. Of course he, like every other guitarist, has a signature way of developing progressions and solos which can lead to some tracks sounding similar but when he gets it right, oh boy 

I'd definately make an effort to learn some of his pieces when I get axe-enabled.


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## Scali (Mar 13, 2009)

ArtDecade said:


> Satch did have a platinum record in 1986... This was also the year Vai had his first recording success with DLR.


 
Yea, but before that, Vai had already been playing with Zappa for years. He later replaced Yngwie in Alcatrazz, and he already had a solo album out (Flex-Able). Vai was pretty wellknown in some circles, as a recording and performing artist. Satriani was pretty much unknown before Surfing With The Alien.


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## Ancestor (Mar 13, 2009)

He's awesome. Kind of a mutant. I end up listening to a lot more AC/DC and Dio though.


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## ArtDecade (Mar 13, 2009)

Scali said:


> Yea, but before that, Vai had already been playing with Zappa for years. He later replaced Yngwie in Alcatrazz, and he already had a solo album out (Flex-Able). Vai was pretty wellknown in some circles, as a recording and performing artist. Satriani was pretty much unknown before Surfing With The Alien.



I'm with you on that. I was saying was that even though Vai was well known in the industry circles, he was not really a household name until 1986. The average person was not heavy into Zappa or Alcatrazz, but every radio station was playing VH and DLR. Although there is no denying that Vai helped set Satch up for success, I think they both became household names at the same time.


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## badger71 (Mar 13, 2009)

I posted this on another forum a few months back after I had the opportunity to interview Vai....one of my personal main influences. I've had a copy of P&W since it came out and had a cassette of it with me during my tour in the USMC during Desert Storm. I've always dug his "do it yourself, but acknowledge the help your recieve, approach to music making and the music business. Here's the exerpt:

My Vai interview...went very well. I found out Monday that we'd be doing the interview at Steve's home in LA. That kinda threw me off since I figured we'd end up in some office building somewhere...We bypassed the main house and went into Steve's home studio/man cave....the "Harmony Hut". As my crew was setting up the camera, lights, and mic, in the back room, I was marveling at the wall of rack gear in the entry room. My camera guy then asked me if I had seen the other room yet. I looked in and there was a wall of guitars two tiers deep....about 6 Legacy heads....and two Legacy Cabinets....and a pedal board with various effects. Gotta say this, the man uses what he endorses....Jems, Geminis, and Legacies were present and in use. It was great to have a sit down with an icon...very level headed, focused, and intelligent. 

We have a museum that is part of our organization. When the museum was created, various mfgs. donated/loaned historical instruments to the collection. One of the instruments was a Loch Ness Green Ibanez Jem....#777...the last instrument Vai signed of that model. When the point of my interview came to bring in Vai's relationship with Ibanez and his guitar design, I brought out that guitar. It was very touching to see the wave of nostalgia go across Vai...He kept saying "wow, how did you get this...where...?...etc..."... It was like I had brought back a long lost pet. Anyway, here's Steve with that guitar with a wall of Legacys behind him....don't mind my bald head in the shot.


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## Variant (Mar 13, 2009)

WhiteShadow said:


> For all the Vai fiends...are there any tunes of his that are just as heavy or heavier than "Bad Horsie" and "Black Forest"? Those are really the only two songs of his i've heard that were up to my "Heaviness Scale". I know Vai isnt exactly a heavy music kinda player, but are there any other "Heavy" tunes from ol Vai?



Not heavy in the chugga-chugga guitar sense, but 'Aching Hunger' (most definitely a top 5 fave Vai tune of mine) has some monstrous triggers in the odd metered percussion arrangement that blew one of the speakers in my car.


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## Scar Symmetry (May 6, 2009)

wakin' this baby up!

I bought Fire Garden the other day, and while some of it is very, VERY weird, the music only confirms to me that Steve Vai is one of the most talented musicians on the planet.

his keyboard chops are just as insane as his guitar chops


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## Triple7 (May 6, 2009)

He is an amazing musician. I only have Alien Love Secrets but I also have Crossroads, the movie where he played the devil's axeman and had a nasty guitar dual with The Karate Kid!


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## ShadyDavey (May 6, 2009)

"Eugene's Trick Bag"

I'll stand by my opinion the first time this thread was bought up - he occassionally touches a nerve with me and produces something brilliant but a lot of the time it leaves me flat - yes, I have every album of his from the DLR days right through P&W, Silp of the Tounge (awful, awful tone) through Alien Love Secrets, the Ultra Zone, New Illusions....and I would have trouble picking out really standout tracks on the later material.

Sure, I could pick a piece (the tapping intro to Building the Church for example) where something rhythmically or melodically inspired was taking place but while I don't deny his talent it doesn't move me as much as it used to.

I actually still like Sex and Religion....



Vai.com > Naked Tracks

Very, very interesting for those interested in Steve's music and wanted some backing tracks to blaze over (I would assume its being posted before so I kept it here rather than starting a new thread)


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## Bloody_Inferno (May 6, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> wakin' this baby up!
> 
> I bought Fire Garden the other day, and while some of it is very, VERY weird, the music only confirms to me that Steve Vai is one of the most talented musicians on the planet.
> 
> his keyboard chops are just as insane as his guitar chops


 

 Oddly enough, that was the first Vai album I bought back in 98, and boy when I heard it, There's a Fire in the House really did kick my ass. 

That and I wish I wrote The Crying Machine and wanted to cover the entire Bangkok/Fire Garden Suite.


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## Cadavuh (May 6, 2009)

Stealthtastic said:


> Or they appreciate some of his stuff and think some of it isn't what he's capable of doing and just seems like he put no effort into it...




I somewhat agree. I hear some of his stuff and my jaw just drops but others is just mehhh


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## DavyH (May 7, 2009)

I don't like everything he does, but there are some amazing pieces of music in his catalogue. Favourite: the Blood and Tears.

No-one mentioned The Attitude Song in the heavier stuff?

I've got nearly everything he's done, but I must confess I don't listen to him that much any more. Good for those nostalgic days though....


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## Crometeef (May 7, 2009)

i love steve vai. i've never had the pleasure of meeting him, but from what i hear from others and just judging off his personality in videos, he seems to be a very kind and laid back individual. i've tried to imitate his vibrato many of times and failed horribly hehe ! 

p.s. steve + devin = good times


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## ShadyDavey (May 7, 2009)

I first got introduced to him when he played with Alcatrazz and I've followed his career ever since so for me, he peaked a while ago technically and compositionally. I think that on a very personal level his eclectic stylings are simply a little hit and miss compared to earlier work but hey, I still own all his albums


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## hufschmid (May 7, 2009)

This almost made me cry last day...


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## ShadyDavey (May 7, 2009)

I think thats the same wee lassy that I saw playing a bunch of Schenker stuff - really cool vibrato. 

10 years old o.0


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## 74n4LL0 (May 7, 2009)

hufschmid said:


> This almost made me cry last day...




holy shit I hope this is edited otherwise that girl is a monster


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## hufschmid (May 7, 2009)

Its not edited, and I bow down to this little kid


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## ShadyDavey (May 7, 2009)

She's awesome, and thats a full-sized guitar. I just can't get over how cool her phrasing is - never mind the chops which clearly she's mastering as well.


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## Pauly (May 7, 2009)

Holy shit, I may as well just go and An Hero myself.

That said although I see loads of these amazing Chinese kids, most of them seem like musical robots, rather than budding musicians. Not hating just stating!


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## hufschmid (May 7, 2009)

Pauly said:


> Holy shit, I may as well just go and An Hero myself.
> 
> That said although I see loads of these amazing Chinese kids, most of them seem like musical robots, rather than budding musicians. Not hating just stating!



yeah true, but in this case, she has feeling when she plays and at that age its amazing


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## 74n4LL0 (May 8, 2009)

hufschmid said:


> yeah true, but in this case, she has feeling when she plays and at that age its amazing



yeah, and her tone is amazing too


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## Esp Griffyn (May 9, 2009)

Greatest living musician now Lane is gone.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (May 9, 2009)

Esp Griffyn said:


> Greatest living musician now Lane is gone.



I'll agree to that


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## Varcolac (May 9, 2009)

Pauly said:


> Holy shit, I may as well just go and An Hero myself.
> 
> That said although I see loads of these amazing Chinese kids, most of them seem like musical robots, rather than budding musicians. Not hating just stating!



She's Japanese. Their robots are superior!


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## hufschmid (May 9, 2009)

I just found those 2 videos on youtube


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## Excalibur (May 9, 2009)

Esp Griffyn said:


> Greatest living musician now Lane is gone.


I wouldn't go that far, and Lane was hardly the greatest living musician before 2003.


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## Arctodus (May 9, 2009)

I kind of find Vai's stuff too quirky, Vai himself is a great guy though. Way too many effects and processors for me. I do like some of his tunes like Juice and Boston Rain Melody, but most of them to my ears are just sort of "thrown together." They really lead no where to my ears.


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## Konfyouzd (May 9, 2009)

Vai's awesome. I love Tender Surrender, Windows to the Soul, Boston Rain Melody, The Boy From Seattle and Lotus Feet. 

I have yet to play a universe, though.


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## schecter007 (May 9, 2009)

amazing guitarist and skills, boring songs and dresses like a homo IMO


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## Esp Griffyn (May 10, 2009)

Excalibur said:


> I wouldn't go that far, and Lane was hardly the greatest living musician before 2003.



I'm sorry, maybe you didn't get the memo.


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## Excalibur (May 10, 2009)

Esp Griffyn said:


> I'm sorry, maybe you didn't get the memo.


He's really not the greatest musician, he's a great guitarist and pianist, but not the greatest musician


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## vontetzianos (May 10, 2009)

Excalibur said:


> but not the greatest musician


 
That's relative, isn't it. Some people really love and admire his musicianship and some don't. Its someting completely subjective. The beauty about music is that its impossible to be classed as the 'best' or the 'worst'.


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## Excalibur (May 10, 2009)

vontetzianos said:


> That's relative, isn't it. Some people really love and admire his musicianship and some don't. Its someting completely subjective. The beauty about music is that its impossible to be classed as the 'best' or the 'worst'.


Which is why I said he isn't the greatest


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## hufschmid (May 10, 2009)

I just found this one youtube 

Do you think that some players can tune the guitars before performing on stage? 

This is pure pain to my ears....


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## sami (May 10, 2009)

don't forget


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## shadowlife (May 10, 2009)

As others have stated, his work is very hit or miss with me. I don't really listen to him anymore, but his solo on "Ease" from the PIL album is still one of my favorite rock guitar solos ever.
As a whole, i would say i like his work on the Alcatrazz and Alien Love Secrets albums the best.


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## ShadyDavey (May 11, 2009)

shadowlife said:


> As others have stated, his work is very hit or miss with me. I don't really listen to him anymore, but his solo on "Ease" from the PIL album is still one of my favorite rock guitar solos ever.
> As a whole, i would say i like his work on the Alcatrazz and Alien Love Secrets albums the best.



Ah, Ease is a classic - included here for those folks that haven't heard it :



(Steve appears as "Reckless Fable" on the liner notes by the way")


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## Excalibur (May 11, 2009)

sami said:


> don't forget


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## hufschmid (May 11, 2009)

I fucking love the flex able girls and boys song


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## Harry (May 11, 2009)

I'm really digging the Visual Sound Theories DVD right now.


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## Harry (May 11, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> wakin' this baby up!
> 
> I bought Fire Garden the other day, and while some of it is very, VERY weird, the music only confirms to me that Steve Vai is one of the most talented musicians on the planet.
> 
> his keyboard chops are just as insane as his guitar chops



The Fire Garden Suite track from that album is goddamn amazing


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## Xiphos68 (May 11, 2009)

Harry said:


> I'm really digging the Visual Sound Theories DVD right now.



That is an amazing dvd! Did you know he composed all of it.


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## lucasreis (May 11, 2009)

Just yesterday I turned on the classic rock radio and it was playing For the Love of God.

This song gives me goosebumps since I was a kid (I have Passion & Warfare on Vynil). And I also have some of his cds. I love his work to death!!


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## Nick (May 11, 2009)

im sure there are tracks of his which i would enjoy as i do like 'for the love of god' but i generally just dont enjoy stuff like vai satch and gilbert. I do respect their insane skills though.


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## Scar Symmetry (May 12, 2009)

was listening to the intro of 'Bangkok' this morning, it's fucking disgusting 

I can honestly say I'd rather listen to Vai or Satriani solo albums than Loomis or Petrucci solo albums, but I still love Suspended Animation


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## RationalEntropy (May 12, 2009)

When I first heard Steve Vai I was about four... and wondered if something was wrong with the tape player. It was Passion and Warfare. Ever since then I've enjoyed most of his stuff. I found out about Satriani a bit later. It is all my older brother's fault that I learned about this when I did. Shouldn't have left his music out. lol


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 13, 2010)

Bumping this thread.

I was listening to Steve Vai in the car last week and I was reminded of how fucking awesome he is!


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## ittoa666 (Mar 13, 2010)

As soon as I heard building the church, I was addicted. Beyond everyone other than Lane and Holdsworth.....no offense to PG or Petrucci though  And how could I forget. He wrote for the Love of God.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 13, 2010)

Vai tearing it up! 





Question was Now We Run an old song or did he compose it recently?


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## ittoa666 (Mar 13, 2010)




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## liamh (Mar 13, 2010)

AFAIK, he composed it exclusively for the DVD.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 13, 2010)

liamh said:


> AFAIK, he composed it exclusively for the DVD.


That's pretty cool. I really like that song! You know some of it reminds me of Dream Theater?


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## liamh (Mar 13, 2010)

Hmm, I guess it does have a sorta Liquid Tension Experiment vibe to it.


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## scottro202 (Mar 13, 2010)

liamh said:


> AFAIK, he composed it exclusively for the DVD.



Well, that's a special version from the DVD. If I'm not mistaken, he previously wrote "Now We Run", and a few other songs from "The Elusive Light", and he peaces some of those together for the DVD. I could be wrong.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 13, 2010)

scottro202 said:


> Well, that's a special version from the DVD. If I'm not mistaken, he previously wrote "Now We Run", and a few other songs from "The Elusive Light", and he peaces some of those together for the DVD. I could be wrong.


Was that a album?


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## scottro202 (Mar 13, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> Was that a album?



Yeah, it was an album he did, of all the songs he did for TV, movies, and such. 

Track 25 is called "Now We Run"

The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 13, 2010)

scottro202 said:


> Yeah, it was an album he did, of all the songs he did for TV, movies, and such.
> 
> Track 25 is called "Now We Run"
> 
> The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Oh ok cool! Thanks.


Hey, Check out this awesome video with Whitesnake playing "Slip of the Tongue."

[


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## lefty robb (Mar 14, 2010)

"Now we run" was in the movie PCU, which, if you have never seen, you must, right now.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 14, 2010)

lefty robb said:


> "Now we run" was in the movie PCU, which, if you have never seen, you must, right now.



 In fact, the last half of The Elusive Light and Sound is basically the entire score to PCU. 

Also:



David Lee Roth wanted to cover this song and had Vai transcribe the whole thing... Vai thought he wrote the intro during the recording of Fire Garden but somebody said that's a Chess song... then he remembered that he did transcribe the actual song for Roth. 



Surprisingly, one of Vai's best solos right there.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 14, 2010)

Also let's not forget this:


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 14, 2010)

Scar Symmetry said:


> was listening to the intro of 'Bangkok' this morning, it's fucking disgusting
> 
> I can honestly say I'd rather listen to Vai or Satriani solo albums than Loomis or Petrucci solo albums, but I still love Suspended Animation



EDIT:Beaten to it.


Bangkok was actually written by the two blokes from Abba, believe it or not. He transcribed the music on tour and filed it away in his notes, then when he arrived at the studio to record his next album, he dug the music out, liked it, recorded it and was about to finalise the album when he recalled where it came from. I think they had to stall the album to get permission to use it or they would have had to cut the track. Vai talks about this on his "Live at the Astoria" dvd on the audio track.


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## BrainArt (Mar 14, 2010)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> Also:




Chess.  I grew up hearing those albums played and love it to this day.


On-Topic: Vai is pretty much the main inspiration that helped me pick up guitar, again, and play seriously.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 14, 2010)

So wait... the dudes from Abba wrote the Egyptian theme in Fire Garden Suite?

That's my favourite bit... they've just got my utmost respect for that.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 14, 2010)

For those who didn't see. I made a thread because I didn't this thread would succeed. Just some Steve Vai vids from Whitesnake. http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...nd-some-awesome-whitesnake-vids-with-vai.html







Steve Vai Solo with the For the Love of God



I was very surprised to see him play "For the love of God" as his solo for Whitesnake.
Wasn't he in Whitesnake before Passion and Warfare was written? BTW those universes look so yummy!


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## slapnutz (Mar 14, 2010)

Scar Symmetry said:


> Bumping this thread.
> 
> I was listening to Steve Vai in the car last week and I was reminded of how fucking awesome he is!




My favourite song on that album!!... the riff at *4m39s* sounds awesome and heavy and exotic! Both the lead and rythmn guitars work so well together... its like the entire song was building with the lead and rythmn until that point where they met and exploded in awesomeness!!


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 14, 2010)

slapnutz said:


> My favourite song on that album!!... the riff at *4m39s* sounds awesome and heavy and exotic! Both the lead and rythmn guitars work so well together... its like the entire song was building with the lead and rythmn until that point where they met and exploded in awesomeness!!


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 14, 2010)

Scar Symmetry said:


> So wait... the dudes from Abba wrote the Egyptian theme in Fire Garden Suite?
> 
> That's my favourite bit... they've just got my utmost respect for that.



Indeed, which is surprising because when you listen to Abba you don't see them as credible musicians, which obviously they are. Then again, I suppose they spun some not so great singers into megabucks money makers, so their business sense is probably about as good as their latent compositional ability.

As for my favourite Steve Vai song, perhaps The Animal, because it has such a heavy swagger and groove, along with some absolutely orgasmic licks in it, but for a more outside choice, and also a very strong contender for my #1 Vai song, is "The Blood and Tears" from the Ultra zone. The solo that begins about 1:36 into the song is incredible, the tapping lick it culminates in at 2:07 is perfect. Imo, only Shawn Lane was as good at making the lead work snake around the chord changes and making it breathe like Vai does.

So many hack guitarists just rip out licks over the track and make sure to resolve on a chord tone, but Vai's compositional ability to make the lead do so much more than "fit" is incredible. He makes the music come alive in a way that so few others can. What really sets Vai apart from the others is his ability to improvise in that style, now that was something that I've only ever heard him and Lane do.


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## Thaeon (Mar 14, 2010)

Strangely enough... I started out as a huge Metallica fan and had never heard of either. Back then I was a drummer. I was snooping around in the record store on day, and I remember seeing an album cover with the Silver Surfer on it. I'd seen it several times before, and being that I was a huge Silver Surfer comic nerd (I owned the first 10 comics the character had been in in the '60's), I decided to buy it. I was completely blown away when I got home and decided that I had to have a guitar for Christmas. Vai I discovered during one of my initial guitar lessons. I met Vai a couple times years later. He's an awesome guy.

I still love both... Mainly Satriani up to Crystal Planet and Vai ALS and later.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 15, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> I was very surprised to see him play "For the love of God" as his solo for Whitesnake.
> Wasn't he in Whitesnake before Passion and Warfare was written? BTW those universes look so yummy!


 
Yes he was. Passion and Warfare was released in 1990 IIRC during the time touring Slip of the Tongue. Vai didn't tour the P&W record stating that it was the "biggest mistake of my life".


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 15, 2010)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> Yes he was. Passion and Warfare was released in 1990 IIRC during the time touring Slip of the Tongue. Vai didn't tour the P&W record stating that it was the "biggest mistake of my life".


Little did he know it was probably the greatest decision he ever made.

Thanks for the info dude.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 26, 2010)

Steve Vai is so fucking awesome!


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## liamh (Mar 26, 2010)

^ That fusion-y bit at around 2:00 has some of my favourite phrasing ever


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## synrgy (Mar 26, 2010)

Thanks largely in part to this song and video (which I was exposed to at a very tender young age), Steve will be one of my heroes for the rest of my life:



It's *still* my favorite Vai tune. No contest. 

*edit* in hindsight, yeah, it's totally cheesy, but I was like 8 or 9 the first time I saw this, and it was SO inspiring at the time.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 26, 2010)

Scar Symmetry said:


> Steve Vai is so fucking awesome!



Love this song!


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 26, 2010)

synrgy said:


> Thanks largely in part to this song and video (which I was exposed to at a very tender young age), Steve will be one of my heroes for the rest of my life:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I love it too man! Pure awesomeness


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 26, 2010)

liamh said:


> ^ That fusion-y bit at around 2:00 has some of my favourite phrasing ever



Indeed, I think is probably my favourite part of any song I've ever heard. The lick he pulls off starting at 2:24 is incredible. I have hummed my way through this little solo more times than I have had hot meals I think!

I really should make the effort to learn it sometime, but it will probably pwn my fingers and blow my amp up with awesome and win


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 27, 2010)

This is the track that made me swear by the Breed+Basswood combo.


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## Scar Symmetry (Mar 27, 2010)

^ Awesome 

This video is really interesting I think:


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## ittoa666 (Mar 27, 2010)

I wish I could be influenced by Bulgarian wedding music.


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 27, 2010)

Scar Symmetry said:


> ^ Awesome
> 
> This video is really interesting I think:





Have you seen this one Dave? 



So awesome live!


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## liamh (Mar 27, 2010)

Do you guys have the Sound Theories cd?
I was listening to Frangelica earlier and I remembered how beautiful it is


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## scottro202 (Mar 27, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> Have you seen this one Dave?
> 
> 
> 
> So awesome live!




Got that DVD for Xmas


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## Xiphos68 (Mar 27, 2010)

scottro202 said:


> Got that DVD for Xmas


 This probably my favorite DVD ever! I love it! I could watch it over and over!


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## Joel (Jun 13, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> This probably my favorite DVD ever! I love it! I could watch it over and over!



I prefer live at London Astoria DVD. I love Vai but for some reason when the violins join in on this DVD some parts (IMO) have an annoying shrill quality to them which grates on my nerves a bit.


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## Xiphos68 (Jun 13, 2010)

techdeath16 said:


> I prefer live at London Astoria DVD. I love Vai but for some reason when the violins join in on this DVD some parts (IMO) have an annoying shrill quality to them which grates on my nerves a bit.


I think it sounds good IMO. But Astoria was a good DVD too I just wish that DVD had a better set-list. I wasn't crazy about all of it. But there's a few I like on there.


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## Joel (Jun 13, 2010)

Xiphos68 said:


> I think it sounds good IMO. But Astoria was a good DVD too _*I just wish that DVD had a better set-list*_. I wasn't crazy about all of it. But there's a few I like on there.



I totally agree with you on that point, but I think the band as a whole is the best Steve Vai touring band there has been. I mean: Vai, Sheehan, TMac, Donati and Weiner is just great. And the parts where Vai and TMac are playing back to back are really entertaining.


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## guitareben (Jun 13, 2010)

Steve vai is probably my biggest inspiration for music, EVER. His whole approach to music, guitar playing and just life in general is just amazing, always coming up with new things and just being cool . The time and effort he puts into his music and guitar playing is incredible too! And his approach to the music industry and recording is awesome too.

He has some of my all time favourite tunes as well, many of them in fact - I connect very well with his style. I mean, he is just GOD! I haven't even come onto his playing skills yet..... That vibrato  and, guys, try playing freak show excess - monster song  very very hard (and not cos of shredding speed either, which makes a change).

And, (more ranting ) he is an incredible musician, ya know, he understands theory incredibly well, is very well rounded guitarist, can read/write music, sing minor second harmonies him on guitar (there is a vid of that somewhere on youtube ^^), and he understands, and writes for, whole orchestras and stuff - check out the sound theories DVD.

And, his new DVD is amazing! Best live DVD ever, if not best DVD.

Best songs? Many, but here are some of my favourites:

Juice < first Vai song I ever heard and completely awesome 

Frangelica < Absolutely beautiful composition, both parts one and two. Pure genius.

The Blood and tears < Simply stunning - one of those tracks which i have to stop everything and just listen

Tender surrender < Classic 


There are many others but ah well. 


I like babbling


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 30, 2011)

Seriously, I bet you've all also spent countless hours watching his live video's on YouTube. Super fun to watch and looks like he puts on a great show. 






For major WTF-ness





Also because this is SS.org


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## rlott1 (May 30, 2011)

Agreed.... Vai is the man....let's face it, he did bring the 7 string to the masses


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## TRENCHLORD (May 30, 2011)

STEVE VAI-can "speak" with his guitar like no other


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## ZXIIIT (May 30, 2011)

G3 1996 DVD
Steve Vai Live At Astoria London DVD

'Nuff said


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## Bloody_Inferno (May 30, 2011)

I just got back through another Vai marathon again too.


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## BrainArt (May 30, 2011)

Well, looks like I'm going on a Vai binge.  I love Vai.


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## MikeH (May 30, 2011)

I feel like Vai doesn't age. Every era he looks the same, just with different hair.


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## Bloody_Inferno (May 30, 2011)

Some Vai guest solos:















I love Vai's solo on these tracks:





Vai actually made this song cooler: 



And the only studio track where Vai and Satch duel melting everybody's face in the process.


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 30, 2011)

Ibz_rg said:


> I feel like Vai doesn't age. Every era he looks the same, just with different hair.



Word, and maybe different sunglasses. He also seems to wear em more often.


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## Bennykins (May 30, 2011)

The best concert I have ever been to was when I saw Steve in Sydney in 1999 (i think it was 1999 anyway, on the Ultrazone tour). No concert since has had the same impact on me.


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## Dead Undead (May 31, 2011)

I feel his live performances are a lot better (in just about all ways) than what he does in the studio.
Can't deny that's he's a genius. I know I'll never be that clean, or write the stuff he wrote at the age he wrote it.
On his more recent stuff I've really been diggin' the tone.
And his Ultra Zone guitar is win.


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## Wingchunwarrior (May 31, 2011)

Obviously there is no such thing as "the best guitarist" but I just can't help but describe Vai as that.He has ultimately achieved what any musician strives to achieve,Illustrate his personality and emotions through his music and instrument.I have never seen or heard anyone else like Vai in that matter.He has such a deep connection with his music and his guitar.I'm also pretty convinced he's Jesus as well.


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## Christian Muenzner (May 31, 2011)

One of my very first guitar heroes since I was a kid (I first bought Passion and Warfare on a vacation in Texas when I was 12 in 1994). He never ceases to amaze me. I also thought Real Illusions: Reflections was an awesome album for the most part (he always has like 2 songs or so on each album that I just can't listen to, so I just ignore those hehe).
Favorite albums would be P&W (of course), Real Illusions and Alien Love Secrets.
I also think he really shines as part of a band, I think my favorite work by him as a side man is David Lee Roth's Eat em and smile, some of Steve's best ever playing on this one!


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## BrainArt (May 31, 2011)

For those who haven't heard this news, Vai said a few months back that he'll be writing and recording for another album and that it's going to be more along the lines of Alien Love Secrets, just a straightforward guitar driven album. I'm stoked.


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## SirMyghin (May 31, 2011)

Love me some Vai, I mean how can we not. I typically equate him to being the guitar equivilant of the classical greats (shows how much I think of a lot of the modern 'classical' I have run accross ). I'd like to think guys like him will be rememberred as the great composers of this era.


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## RevDrucifer (May 31, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> I'd like to think guys like him will be rememberred as the great composers of this era.



Same here.

Unfortunately, the general listening audience only hears the flurry of notes and they don't even take a moment to consider the arrangements underneath. Not to mention his engineering skills, which are unbelievable when you put albums like Passion And Warfare and Fire Garden into perspective.


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## jon66 (May 31, 2011)

RevDrucifer said:


> Same here.
> 
> Unfortunately, the general listening audience only hears the flurry of notes and they don't even take a moment to consider the arrangements underneath. Not to mention his engineering skills, which are unbelievable when you put albums like Passion And Warfare and Fire Garden into perspective.




One of the things I love so much about Vai is that I can appreciate it 4-fold. 

1 - the obvious: his rediculous playing chops, speed at times but beautiful melodic at the same time
2 - the music itself: as already stated above, i find lots of it seems "composed" instead of "written"... does that make any sense? 
3 - knowing he started out almost bankrupting himself starting his own studio back in the day and recorded his first album, and producing pretty much everything himself ever since... (right?)
4 - unlike lots of other music which sounds great, its just captivating WATCHING him perform his songs, and seeing the emotion he puts into each and every note, from giant smiles and laughs, to almost tears at times.

 to the master


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## SirMyghin (May 31, 2011)

RevDrucifer said:


> Same here.
> 
> Unfortunately, the general listening audience only hears the flurry of notes and they don't even take a moment to consider the arrangements underneath. Not to mention his engineering skills, which are unbelievable when you put albums like Passion And Warfare and Fire Garden into perspective.



Thing is not even the general listening audience, but a lot of players also lump him in on this. They just think "oh what a show off" and stop listening before they make up their mind. Anyone over 40 is really bad for this, as are people who can't get past blues music . So instead he gets lumped in with 80s shredders (as you know, they didn't have melodies or anything, so he mustn't either).

These are also the same guys who will tell you he plays without feeling, despite the obvious pointed out above.

Edit: Yes, the composed vs written thing I can see too. Songs are written, and there usually isn't much to them. I consider the 2 different in a time commitment sort of way.


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## AngelVivaldi (May 31, 2011)

I've met him a few times, and more importantly had a chance to perform in front of him last year, (no pressure or anything). He was always very kind and a fun person to talk to. 

His SUCCESS & live performances have always been true inspirations to me, but not necessarily his music. There are maybe 2/3 songs I really enjoy. Might be blasphemous to say being an instrumentalist myself lol. I don&#8217;t listen to much guitar instrumental minus Kaki King and Mattias Eklundh. 

Respect, 100%


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## Skyblue (May 31, 2011)

I always had a problem with Vai's stuff. I have immense respect for his playing and music knowledge, but every time I try to listen to random stuff by him (usually just the stuff that comes up first on youtube) I just get the sense of a long solo instead of a more structured song. I start listening and lose focus. 
If you guys have any suggestions for stuff that might change my mind I'd love to hear it.


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## fwd0120 (May 31, 2011)

last year I had the opportunity to meet Vai and also played in a jam with him listening, it was pretty dang cool...... I think Angel Vivaldi was there too......

He was a really great dude and I learned a lot from him. Great music as well.


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## Louis Cypher (Jun 1, 2011)

Wingchunwarrior said:


> Obviously there is no such thing as "the best guitarist" but I just can't help but describe Vai as that.He has ultimately achieved what any musician strives to achieve,Illustrate his personality and emotions through his music and instrument.I have never seen or heard anyone else like Vai in that matter.He has such a deep connection with his music and his guitar.I'm also pretty convinced he's Jesus as well.



Totally agree dude. Yankee Rose intro just blew my mind and then I brought PaW and For the Love of God came on & just changed my world. He is one of the very very few that the guitar truly is just an extension of his mind and personality/emotions. Whatever is in his head he can translate perfectly in to his music. TBH not all his stuff sits well with me (Real Illusions especially) but thats more my problem of idiocy rather than a problem with the music Steve created! haha! 

You may or may not like everything he has ever committed to tape but I can't think of anyone else (certainly outside of Rock Guitar anyway) that is on a par with him. Genius is often over used but Vai is a Genius Musician not just a guitar player. Whatever era/century he was born or instrument he picked up and played people will remember him and his music as such.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jun 2, 2011)

One of the most intruiging songs Vai has ever done:



Curious how this 7th track off the 7th song compilation is the strongest of the lot (even with legends like For The Love Of God and Call It Sleep). I nearly quit guitar trying to figure this out let alone transcribe it....


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## thedonal (Jun 3, 2011)

It took me a long time to get into Vai's music. 

I love Passion and Warfare with- well- a passion! To me, it's still his most complete and satisfying work. 

That said, I've not listened to Real Illusions:Reflections enough.

His playing is so inspiring though- just the sheer amount of expression he squeezes out of every note and his showmanship equally worthy.


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