This blog is about anything related to music, right? At Christmas we came down from the mountain to visit the folks in Tidewater, VA. This arcade and mini golf joint in town has become a regular vacation stop. Mars picked a good song for this round of Guitar Hero, Satch’s “Surfing with the Alien.” Is this also on our home version?
I got to see Joe Satriani on this tour. Note the ticket stub and dig the album art. Back to hard rocking Mars, I wish you could have seen the couple minutes right before I started recording. This is subdued in comparison.
Acquired: 1987 – Bought when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
Keeper: Yes
This record is awesome! Sure, it’s mostly for guitar geeks or wannabes, the songs are sorta stiff, and much of the drums are programmed. But who cares!? That stuff is not what Joe Satriani and Surfing With the Alien are all about. Besides, his playing is so exciting and the solos so completely excellent that they are the hooks, and what make the tunes memorable. I can’t pretend to play this stuff on guitar but I tell you I can hum along with every note, and of course air guitar the entire record. It sticks with you.
Be-cause
he’s just
that good.
Bonus on this post is that I remembered to take a pic of the liner with Joe rocking in the Reebok hightops. Bonus number two is that I found my ticket stub from seeing him live in 1988. Mary and I went to see him with my friends Bennie Ingram and Jeff Slay. Of course Joe tore the Boathouse roof off.
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