Joe Satriani - Professor Satchafunkilus & Musterion of Rock
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Free Music Notes for Professor Satchafunkilus & Musterion of Rock
Free Music Review: Get the iTunes version - bonus track is killer
Hit: 4 Stars
Hey, just wanted to give everyone heads up. The iTunes version contains one extra track called "Ghosts" and it's by far the most interesting thing i heard Satch do recently. I'm actually baffled as to why that song is not in the "official" tracklisting. The vide is reminiscent of "Dweller on the Treshold" with some really twisted melodies and sounds. Overall, first listen, this is a very good album with "Musterion", "Asik Vaysel" and "Andalusia" being the standout tracks. "Out of the Sunrise" has a cool 80's vibe.Free Music Review: Another great Guitar album by the master
Hit: 4 Stars
If you like Satriani, you have to add this one to your collection. Up to his usual standards, yet slightly different styles to expand his repetoire. Joe trys to keep it fresh.Free Music Review: joe satriani
Hit: 4 Stars
I hope this will one be Joe Satriani's best albums there with his previous Super Colossal and all his classics.Free Music Review: Push Harder Joe!
Hit: 3 Stars
Let me start off by saying I've been a fan of Joe's music since Surfing with the Alien, and he turned me onto the whole burgeoning genre of instrumental rock, my exploration of which continues to this day through Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Liquid Tension Experiment, Bozzio,Levin,Stevens, Greg Howe, and too many others to mention. I have all of his discs, and I always look forward to his new releases with great anticipation. I have seen him live on three different occasions. So my review is a comparison of this release to his other works as well as to those other artists I mentioned.
This release starts off with the great melodies we all love Joe for, and the monotonous rhythm tracks we always pray will magically disappear. It's a mixed blessing. One of my favorite Joe CDs is his self-titled effort, with a group of hard-core musicians who helped push him along through the tracks and provide counterweight to his huge sound. I much prefer seeing him live because the rhythm section gets to live it up a little and provide some meaty fills.
Track one pushes little new ground to me, and I was just settling in to be disappointed when the Spanish-style guitar intro of Andalusia came sparkling through my headphones. I stopped what I was doing just to listen to him through this new 'voice'. No distortion, wah-pedal, or whammy bar. It's really great. Of course that's just the intro, and it segues nicely into an electric section which continues on the same theme. Overdriver has more of a heavy feel to it, using sheets of sound interlaced with delicate fret explorations to good effect.
Then we get to I Just Wanna Rock. Ok, let me say this: I put up with Crowd Chant on Super Colossal, realizing it's potential for the tour set, even though it's really lame to have blasting out your car stereo as you roll down the street. As a rule I skipped this one. Now we have another track whose sole purpose is to toss into live shows to keep us entertained with crowd feedback vocals. As soon as I got to the chorus, I hit skip, onto the next track. I hope I never have to listen to that one all the way through. It seems really sophomoric for this point in an artists illustrious career to have these on every release. Joe, we love you for the musical journey you take us on. We could care less if we get to sing back to you. Or if you sing. Ok, I'm done ranting about that.
Professor Satchafunklius is ok, has a nice groove, but doesn't really make you want to leave your seat and shake it like FUNK does. Revelation is nice, but doesn't push too many boundaries as far as sound or pyrotechnnics. It doesn't challenge the listener. Yes, that's what I'm looking for, a challenge, something unusual in tempo or sound. I know Joe can compose songs like this until the cows come home, but after a while they start to blend together until you find you're not paying attention.
Come On Baby is Joe's love song for this release. I always appreciate these soulful downtempo numbers, not only in and of themselves, because they show that he has an ability to wring emotion of a few select notes as well as rip off four bars of 128th notes. I like the layering of guitars in this one, and the fact that there's a good deal of space in the mix.
Out of the Sunrise goes back to uptempo, with some piano in the intro. This would be a great driving song, a la Summer Song. It has an interesting, quasi-Reggae break a little past the halfway mark where he stretches out a little.
Diddle-Y-A-Doo Dates rolls along nicely. It has a touch of organ to it and an almost-funky bassline. Would be better if the bass was more gritty and further forward in the mix. I wonder who is in charge of the mix these days, speaking of that. Just a thought. And throw the organist a bone and let him have a break too, Joe!
Asik Vaysel is different. This is more what I'm talking about as far a variety and letting the rhythm section out of the box. Easily the best track here energy-wise. I'm smiling.
Overall I give this release three stars, not because it's overtly bad, but because it does not meet my expectations. I would love to see what Joe would do if locked up in the studio for a month with Dennis Chambers and Tony Levin, or Terry Bozzio and Victor Wooten, or Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan or Mike Mangini and Gary Willis...
Free Music Review: some flashes of brilliance, but also some real garbage
Hit: 3 Stars
This review comes after only one listen-through, but I wanted to go with my first impressions. The first two and last two songs are great. I Just Wanna Rock is just a step above sucking badly. It's a lame concept, and the song is only saved by a pretty cool solo. Professor Satcha-Crapolis....uh, let's move on. Revelation is very good; Come On Baby is the obligatory wimpy love ballad. Now for Out Of The Sunrise...this song completely sucks in every conceivable way. It bites so hard, it's like a pitbull on your privates. That lame, looping drum track; the horrific, antiquated 80's pop synthesizer sound...this might be Satch's worst song ever. It sounds like it fell off of his Not Of This Earth album, with those other weenie 80's fillers. He doesn't redeem himself with the next track, which I won't even attempt to spell here. Suffice it to say that it involves an incredibly irritating introduction and closing, although it does clean up a little in the middle. Fortunately, Satch does redeem himself with the final two tracks. Both brilliant and reminiscent of the old master. Overall, this album is not his best effort by any means. I should have become suspicious when I heard that idiotic album title. I was hoping it was a bad April Fool's Day joke, but alas, somebody actually thought this was a good album title. Yikes. This man needs to get back in the trenches and kick some butt like he is capable of doing. As I said before, there is some great stuff in here, but the bad stuff far outweighs. A sad step down from the great Super Colossal album.
I purchased the CD/DVD set of this album, so I'll say something short about the DVD. First of all, the making of the new album-portion is a waste of time. All it does is focus on the making of I Just Wanna Rock. It's bad enough to listen to this lame song; to watch and hear the making of this lame song makes one beg for death. Basically, everything on the DVD is throw-away (yes, even the live performance of Surfing, which sounds like it's being recorded out of a well) except for the live studio performances of Ice 9 and Crushing Day. Crushing Day is, by far, my favorite Satriani song, and it was exhilirating to hear it played live, finally. Let's just hope he puts this song out on the tour.
In closing, thanks for reading my sarcastic review. I am a huge Satriani fan overall, and wish for future brilliance from the master.