Description
Medieval Death LP and free DVD + Mordicus “Rights ‘n Trials” LP. Official videos, audio, info.
Check the exclusive video showing this tape for sale
Check the exclusive video showing this tape for sale
Medieval Death LP and free DVD + Mordicus “Rights ‘n Trials” LP. Official videos, audio, info.
Joe Satriani (born July 15, 1956) is an American instrumental rock guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and multiple Grammy Award nominee. Early in his career, Satriani worked as a guitar instructor, with many of his former students achieving fame, such as: Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie Hunter, Kevin Cadogan and Alex Skolnick.
Tracklist
A1 | Not Of This Earth | |
A2 | The Snake | |
A3 | Rubina | |
A4 | Memories | |
A5 | Brother John | |
B1 | The Enigmatic | |
B2 | Driving At Night | |
B3 | Hordes Of Locusts | |
B4 | New Day | |
B5 | The Headless Horseman |
Details
Producer: Joe Satriani, John Cuniberti
5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable First Album,
This may not have the production of his later albums, but this is still one of Satriani most inventive, and hey the recording was paid using his credit card! It has some of his best pieces, often using more guitar layers to combine melodies than the later albums.
As one of the first guitar ‘god’ albums, it a must for any one who considers themselves a fan of guitar music.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning debut, still vibrant and innovative 22 years on…,
Joe`s self-financed 1986 debut contains at least two of my favourite Joe songs. “”Memories”” (which is fully extended to eight minutes on “”Dreaming #11) and “”Driving at Night”” are so perfect; not only does the music perfectly evocate the titles, but the solos and structure are strikingly original. The feel of these two songs illustrates why you don`t need a vocalist!
So, I`m never tired of these songs; thankfully my fiancée agrees that Joe is special as I haven`t listened to much else this year yet, and can`t wait to see the master at the stunning Birmingham Symphony Hall in May.
Back to this tape- the opener and title track showcases all the ability and invention that still delights today, “”Rubina”” is a lovely ballad dedicated to his wife; “”Brother John”” is clever and classy, and “”The Enigmatic”” prefaces “”Flying In A Blue Dream””`s “”Strange””, and “”Time Machine””`s “”Crazy””.
The album winds up with crowd favourite “”Hordes of Locusts””, with it`s biblical theme, and biblical power; “”New Day”” – another personal favourite, and the majestic “”The Headless Horseman””, too short but great fun.
Great start to Joe`s career. It may have been bettered in terms of production and sheer inventiveness, but for impact and originality it`s as good a debut that exists.
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As an awkward teenager I found most of my heroes in guitarists. Middle school was littered with cassettes of guys with names like Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Steve Howe, Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman. Every time I picked up a Guitar magazine I’d flip to the back of the magazine and find what new Shrapnel Records album I needed to look for on the next trip to the mall. There were exceptions, but for the most part these were cats playing as many notes as possible to the fastest drum beat they could muster. Not much for melody and pop hooks, the neo-classical shredder was about melting the guitar neck to songs with themes like dragons, fire, warriors, and time travel.
In that time frame of 7th and 8th grade there were a few exceptions in the guitar god world. Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Howe kind of broke the mold. They were lyrical players that hooked you with a great riff and melody before pummelling you with super sonic speed. Vinnie Moore was a tasteful neo-classical player, and his album Time Odyssey is a classic in that genre. He covered “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on that one and it was a fantastic rendition. Steve Howe on his High Gear album went full Van Halen boogie and with his brother made a classic Sunset Strip-inspired rocker. And Paul Gilbert? He’s Paul “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” Gilbert. Need I say more?
But in the 9th grade my mind was fully blown when I discovered Joe Satriani. Surfing With The Alien is easily one of the absolute greatest guitar instrumental albums ever made. It may only be second to Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow. Joe made an album that you could indeed imagine riding through space and time on a silver surfboard. It was an all-out assault on the senses, and was inspired by science fiction, Jimi Hendrix, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Not only was the playing on a whole other level, but the songs were catchy as hell. “Crushing Day”, “Lords Of Karma”, “Ice 9”, “Always With Me, Always With You”, and “Satch Boogie” are just a sample of the timeless tracks Joe wrote for this monumental record. I still go to sleep hearing “Circles” and “Echo” playing over and over in my head.
So of course after hearing Surfing With The Alien I wanted everything I could get my hands on. At that time Satriani only had one other album out, his debut Not Of This Earth. Of course on the next trip to the mall I found Joe’s debut at National Record Mart and excitedly put it in the family’s Honda Accord cassette deck for the ride home.
To say I was thrown through a loop is putting it mildly. I really wasn’t sure what I was listening to. It was weird, and definitely NOT Surfing With The Alien. The fun, driving tracks and mind-blowing solos were subdued and in their place were these odd tracks with names like “The Snake”, “The Enigmatic”, and “Driving At Night”. “Hordes of Locusts”? What? The guitars were much cleaner, and when they weren’t it sounded like weird computer noises. I just wasn’t connecting at all to Joe’s trip on Not Of This Earth.
The album found a place in the cassette case and there it sat for years. Joe would release Flying In A Blue Dream in 1990 and from that point on it was only looking forward, leaving Not Of This Earth in the case until my cassettes were traded in for CDs. I would occasionally wonder about that first Satch record, but it wasn’t until a few years ago when streaming services allowed easy access to albums did I give Satch’s debut record another spin. Man, was I wrong about Not Of This Earth.
With age comes wisdom I guess? Or maybe just better taste, or the tools to be able to unlock those hidden layers we don’t hear on a surface level. Whatever it was, I can say that Not Of This Earth is easily in my top 3 or 4 favorite Joe Satriani albums. There are so many gems on this album. From the mysterious title track to the funky and otherworldly “The Snake” to the quiet beauty of “Brother John”. I did get to love “Hordes of Locusts” thanks to the live version on Joe’s Dreaming #11 EP from 1988. “The Enigmatic” is full of alien-esque sounds and just feels like this strange musical trip. “Driving At Night” is a hard-driving track, like 100-mile an hour music down the freeway. “New Day” has a triumphant lean.
Listening to Not Of This Earth with older ears I can hear hints of future Satch to come, but there’s this sort of bedroom vibe to the album. From the Tom Scholz Rockman guitar sound to the 80s drum machine rhythms to the funky bass lines, it all feels like some cool project that Joe and producer John Cuniberti did over a couple weekends. There’s an intimacy here that would continue on thru Surfing With The Alien. Flying In A Blue Dream was the next-level record. It put Joe in stadiums and made him the almighty king of guitar nerdery, at least until Steve Vai would take that crown for a bit with Passion and Warfare.
Even to this day I’m listening to Joe. From 14 to 46 Joe Satriani has been a constant in my life and ears. Whenever I think I’m past the whole guitar god thing, I’ll hear “Ice 9” or “The Snake” and I’ll suddenly be that 14-year old kid getting a Squier Strat for his birthday and dreams of shredding on a concert stage come flooding back to me.
I think the thing that made Joe Satriani stand out from everyone else was that he seemed like a completely humble guy. This guy from Long Island that moved to San Francisco and became the guitar teacher du jour to cats like Kirk Hammett, Larry LaLonde, Alex Skolnick, and back in New York to a teenage Steve Vai, was still that humble guitar teacher while on the cover of Guitar and on MTV Unplugged. But he was also making mind-blowing guitar albums that rewired the brains of awkward teenage boys everywhere, including mine.
Not Of This Earth may not have been the go-to guitar album for the 14-year old me, but it’s certainly a favorite of the current 46-year old me. It’s a fun, eclectic, and otherworldly guitar record that was a glimpse of the monumental work to come.
Core Band:
- Drums, Percussion, Whistle – Jeff Campitelli
- Was Joe’s drummer in the band Squares.
- Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Percussion – Joe Satriani
- Percussion, Vocals – John Cuniberti
Technical:
- Engineer – John Cuniberti
- Was the producer for Squares.
- Also worked with The Dead Kennedys, PJ Harvey, and The Grateful Dead.
- Producer – Joe Satriani, John Cuniberti

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- Liner notes:
- Joe’s Words About The Album:
- Liner notes:

- Steve Vai endorsement:

- When I was fourteen, I bought a guitar for five dollars. I had heard about a hot guitar teacher in my town named Joe Satriani, he was a few years older than me and went to the same school. I called him for lesions and went to his house with my $5.00 guitar and a pack of strings (for 3 years). Through Joe, I saw what true musicality was. His playing never cease to venture into unexplored realms. As a role model his attitude is totally professional but there’s always the unexpected element of surprise. His personality reflects a subtle spirituality. He’s an incredible inspiration. Love ya Joe.
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- –Steve Vai
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- This is the artwork used on all releases prior to the original release from 1988 on.
- The Ibanez 540S guitar used on the cover was just a prop for the shoot and Satriani says he never used it on the recording or otherwise.
Album Tracks:
All songs written and arranged by Joe Satriani.
- Not Of This Earth
- The title track utilizes a unique compositional technique described by Satriani as pitch axis theory, which consists of shifting modes underneath a pedal tone (in this case, E).
- This song uses a technique which Satriani calls “Pitch Axis Theory.”
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_axis_theory
- The Snake
- Rubina
- “Rubina” is one of two tracks named after his wife, the other being “Rubina’s Blue Sky Happiness” on The Extremist (1992).
- Memories
- Brother John
- The Enigmatic
- “The Enigmatic” uses the enigmatic scale.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigmatic_scale
- The enigmatic scale was invented by a professor of music at the Bologna Conservatory, Adolfo Crescentini.
- Driving at Night
- Hordes of Locusts
- New Day
- The Headless Horseman
- “The Headless Horseman” is performed entirely using a two-handed tapping technique, and was revisited in the form of “Headless” on Flying in a Blue Dream (1989).
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