Passion and Warfare

Artist: Steve Vai
Label: Relativity
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 088561103729
EAN: 0088561103729
ASIN: B000003BVM

Release Date: 1990-05-17

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General

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Shred

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Listmania:

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Tracks:

Liberty
Erotic Nightmares
Animal
Answers
Riddle
Ballerina 12/24
For the Love of God
Audience Is Listening
I Would Love To
Blue Powder
Greasy Kid's Stuff
Alien Water Kiss
Sisters
Love Secrets

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Customer Reviews:

Breathtaking.......2007-02-19

I've owned this masterpiece for many years, and just "rediscovered" it over the weekend, after letting it gather dust for awhile. I used to listen to it almost daily. My boyfriend had never heard it before and he fell in love with it instantly. This instrumental album says more than anything with lyrics, as Vai's guitar picks you up and takes you on an evocative journey from one emotion to another, in every corner of the spectrum. "For the Love of God" makes me want to weep, as I've always envisioned a movie about betrayal and loss playing through my head when I hear it. "Greasy Kid Stuff" is another stand-out piece, evoking images of a chase from land, to sea, to air. These are just two small samples of the treasure to be found on this disc, where the maestro makes his guitar giggle, talk, and wail with the depths of human emotion. I just plain FEEL everything in full technicolor when this album is playing. This is not an album one hears; it is one that is experienced. The only flaw I've ever been able to find with it is that it's not 80 hours long.

Reality Bites.......2007-02-02

It must be so frustrating for Vai, one of the greatest guitarist's ever, to see his work get basically financially and critically spat on while tool boxes like C.C. Deville (Poison), Mick Mars (Motley Crue), and J.J. French (Twisted Sister) go Triple Platty on multiple albums. Life can be as brutal as a Kip Winger dance routine. How this guitar guru isn't clinically depressed is beyond me.

A rock guitar classic.......2007-01-12

An absolute classic. Anyone who negatively criticises this album certainly doesn't understand the concept of melody or harmony. In the guitar world there's good noodling and bad noodling - this is a masterpiece, the perfect balance of technique, melody and soul. The end of the shred genre came about with the 90s pop/punk movement - those who "sucked and were proud of it"...
It was actually a good thing - it filtered out alot of fret w*nkers as the guitar scene was very watered down.. Vai wannabes, Satch, Van Halen wannabes... the list goes on - BUT the good players also got a rap in the process. Nevertheless the true players are still going strong and have never sold out regardless. Vai is one of them...
If you don't understand this album I urge you to give it another listen or two. Every note counts..

Commercial highpoint.......2006-07-21

The stocks of this ex Frank Zapppa/Alcatrazz/David Lee Roth six stringer were never highter. his street cred due to the Zappa connection was considerable to those in the know, who had followed him sinse the Flexible days. He had paid his dues in Alcatrazz and had a very public profile due to his association with Diamond Dave at the height of his solo powers. The time was right to strike and Vai did so with an eclectic mix of blistering runs, experimental bleeps and tweets and cool cameo numbers. Vai could of just put out a shred album and it would of sold - heck he could of put out acoustic versions of Estonian carpenters songs and it would of sold. He didn't quite go that far, but he did the brave thing and put out an album that wasn't a run of the mill guitar shred album. This is Vai coaxing all sorts of noises out of his Ibanez seven string, the sort of wailing, acrobatic playing that you would barely think possible, let along commercially viable.

So for guitar nuts this is almost an essential purchase. If you only buy on Vai album just to check out what all the fuss is about make it this one, the mans mainstream high point and for good reason. That's not to say the man didn't come in for some criticism at the time. Australias' Hot Metal magazine wrote him off, the reviewer stating 'the whole Steve Vai high priest of guitar' schtick was vomit inducing. And he was rightly hassled for things like 'thanks Ibanez, thanks God' but then maybe Hot Metal rightly had it's nose out of joine since Vai had refused to be interviewed for the magazine unless they'd guarantee him the cover! In the end they got around him by getting an interview from a freelance journalist.

Anyway, the music on this disc is just about all off on a tangent, perhaps the most accessable points coming when Vai allows some human connectivity to come into the mix on the amusing throw away tune The Audience is Listening. Elsewhere tunes such as The Riddle define for the listener much of what is exactly right and exactly wrong with Vai records. And prospective buyers should probably try to listen to at least a sample of this track to determine if this stuff is for them.

Extra credit to Vai for the fact that he appears to have made sure that everyone got credit where it was due - individually crediting musicians on each and every track. and the guy obviously took full responsibility for this album rising or falling, utilising his multi instrumentalist skills and also producing the whole shebang.

Most of my mates at the time bought this album. But often they played it is another matter. On this release Vai's positive image and talent got people to see past the fact that he wasn't really playing proper songs, just cataloguing his skills. On most of his other releases the lack of humanity became all consuming.

One of the true Great guitarists of our time.......2006-06-24

I have been playing guitar for a year and a half now. I discovered Steve Vai off of this album last summer. I was curious when i heard the beginning of it. And intrigued when i heard the intro to "The Audience is Listening", and when Vai began to play on "The Audience is Listening" i was thoroughly blown away by his insane whammy bar antics and incredible use of the wah pedal. I have never heard the wah pedal been used so effectively and put toward such a devastating effect. This album is full of moments of complete guitar domination. If you are interested in playing guitar, pick up this album. If you are a guitar player and are in a creative rut, pick up this album and get inspired brother!

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