I have to vote Vai’s Passion And Warfare for best electric rock instrumental album. Yngwie’s “Rising Force” was a candidate, as was Satriani’s “Surfing With The Alien” but ultimately, I have to go with Vai’s recording.
I like fast electric guitar, but that’s all Yngwie does.
I like a more rock and roll appeal too, and that’s what Satriani is best at.
But Vai has weird Zappa influences on his music, and I like that even more.
I tend to think of Vai as a modern day Hendrix. I can’t see how anyone would disagree with that, given that both of them pushed the technological envelope almost as far is it could go for their time. Which continues today in the case of Vai.
I often wonder what Hendrix would be playing today if he were alive and had the access to the processing technology that Steve Vai does. I wonder if Hendrix would listen to some of Vai’s recordings and imagine himself playing like that, or with that ability to generate new sounds and techniques.
I have to give examples to support my OP in the sense that I believe that Steve Vai is the closest thing my generation has to Jimi Hendrix. I think he is, but his impact on non-geek guitarists is likely minimal compared to Hendrix because what Jimi did then was more surprising than what Steve does now.
Ever heard the Liquid Tension Experiment? It’s basically just Dream Theater with a different bassist, but it’s pretty awesome. Check out Acid Rain, my choice for best rock instrumental of all time (from the 2nd and last L.T.E. album)
Frank Zappa’s Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar is my pick. Since it was issued on CD, it also includes the subsequent LP releases Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar Some More and Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar, and as a package, I just don’t think it can be beat.
Dude, if you’re going to answer your own questions, why do I read?
When I first read your post, I started this whole argument for SRV in my head. Started to make some good arguments and all that. Then I started watching the vids. I’ve never … appreciated… Zappa, but I can respect his contribution.
…and then you went and proved me right about Stevie Ray.
I’d like to nominate Jeff Beck for both Blow By Blow and Guitar Shop. Great player, both fast and slow, and some cracking tunes too.
If you are of the modern school of guitar(Van Halen onward), you might prefer Guitar Shop.
The biggest issues with Beck is that: a) much of his instrumental stuff is not “rock”; and b) he is a brilliant interpreter - the best; the closest thing to an opera diva we have playing guitar - but sometimes the material isn’t up to his interpretation. There are usually 2 - 3 dog tracks on an instrumental Beck CD. But across his body of work? No one even comes close, imho.
Since the OP used the phrase Rock and Roll, I have to nominate Freddy/Freddie King’sLet’s Hide-Away and Dance Away. If you don’t dig his licks on legendary tracks like Hide Away, The Stumbleand San Ho-Zay;), well, you’re missing out. One of the great Texas Blues players and hugely influential to all the guitar heroes you can think of.
A little more Vai love-- his tearing it up at the end of Public Image Limited’s Ease. The story is they called him up and asked for a solo, and well, got one.
Hey! That is a good solo. Never heard of it before, thanks for putting that up. Who is that singer on that? It sounds a lot like Johnny Rotten or one of the English punks. Weird song. While I do think the solo is great, I do not think it really fits the vibe of the song very well. In fact, I think that most of Vai’s solos only fit Vai’s songs, with the caveat of perhaps the stuff he did with Zappa, of which I am less familiar, and the songs he did with David Lee Roth, of which I am intimately familiar.
In terms of conventional pop rock music, his stuff with Roth is his best, IMO…and as music, really isn’t comparable to his work on his solo albums.
If I had to pick a favorite “weird” Vai song/solo, it’s probably “Junkie” or “Call It Sleep” from Flexable, his first solo effort (in 1984! Now I officially feel very old!).
For a long time I couldn’t find anything from Flexable online, but now it’s up there. “Junkie” (the song is kind a turd but the solo is so bizarre its worth the listen if you’ve not heard it): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OaLbZh_vl4
As far as the best Vai instrumental entire album, Passion and Warfare is simply it. There are too many great tunes on there, and it’s so well-produced.
