Before his high-profile gigs amongst David Lee Roth in addition to Whitesnake, Steve Vai served fourth dimension as Frank Zappa's guitarist inward the early on '80s. And judging past times Vai's commencement ii solo albums released unopen to this time, 1984's Flex-Able in addition to Flex-Able Leftovers, he was heavily influenced past times Zappa's songwriting in addition to compositional skills. Although in that location is definitely a noticeable Zappa postage stamp on the tunes, Vai's ain personality in addition to awe-inspiring guitar chops are what actually brand these ii solo albums hence impressive. Also, Vai was 1 of the few guitar heroes of the '80s to stress the importance of songwriting over mindless soloing. While Flex-Able was a total album, Flex-Able Leftovers was originally simply an EP of textile that didn't larn inward onto the debut.
When Flex-Able was released on CD inward 1988, a few tracks from Leftovers were included as a bonus, yet fans convey wondered all along if the total EP would always hold upwards released on CD. Ten years later, their want came true. Not alone has the EP been re-released, but unreleased tracks from that era are included, making upwards a full-length album. Vai's over-the-top humour tin hold upwards sampled on the profanity-fest "#?@! Yourself" in addition to the goofy "So Happy," patch "Massacre" in addition to "Natural Born Boy" characteristic his immense guitar skill. And Vai's unique songwriting talent is evident on such tracks as "Burnin' Down the Mountain," "The Beast of Love," in addition to "Bledsoe Blvd." The 1998 version of Flex-Able Leftovers is highly recommended to guitar freaks everywhere, as good as lovers of completely original in addition to cutting-edge stone music.
With $5000 in addition to a homebuilt studio, Steve Vai recorded an album that made him a star in addition to changed guitar music forever. On the 25th anniversary of Flex-Able, Vai delivers the most in-depth await always into the making of his shred-tastic debut in addition to his plans to remake it.
“I was completely scared to popular off of beingness famous,” Steve Vai confides. “And I simply thought, There’s no way I could sell this music I’ve made. I don’t fifty-fifty desire to displace to sell it! It’s also personal.”
The music that Vai is discussing is Flex-Able, his commencement solo album. Released inward 1984, a quarter of a century agone this year, it has larn a classic amid fans of virtuoso stone guitar in addition to a landmark of the Eighties shred phenomenon that forever raised the bar for stone guitar technique. It has been reissued many times in addition to inward many formats, along amongst the immediately as famous Flex-Able Leftovers bonus tracks. In commemoration of its silvery anniversary, Vai is preparing a especially remastered, 25th anniversary deluxe reissue of the album that pose him on the map.
Flex-Able was the disc that introduced Steve Vai to the world. Although he had already made several albums amongst Frank Zappa, Flex-Able was the commencement tape that presented him on his ain terms. His uncanny mastery of the fretboard, the foreign voodoo he could move amongst a whammy bar, the soul-searching lyricism of his ballad playing, his compositional flair, fifty-fifty his mystical, tantric alien dearest god persona—the whole Vai even out begins amongst Flex-Able.
The album is also an of import early on illustration of a stone instrumentalist seizing command of the agency of production in addition to distribution, in addition to having it his ain way. Vai recorded it inward a abode studio that he built amongst his ain hands, in addition to and hence released it independently. In that respect, Flex-Able is an of import harbinger of our ain digital D.I.Y. era of MySpace in addition to YouTube, Pro Tools in addition to Garage Band—except that Vai did it all analog, at a fourth dimension earlier personal computers had fifty-fifty made their way into most people’s homes in addition to the network was yet to a greater extent than than a decade downward the road. Nonetheless, Flex-Able has sold to a greater extent than than 300,000 copies to date. Not bad for music that its creator idea would never sell.
Track listing:
All songs written past times Steve Vai, except where noted.
"Fuck Yourself" (Listed as #?@! Yourself)[2] (Bonus Ed. 1998) – 8:27
"So Happy" (Vai, Laurel Fishman) – 2:43
"Bledsoe Bluvd" – 4:22
"Natural Born Boy" (Bonus Ed. 1998) – 3:34
"Details at 10" – 5:58
"Massacre" (Bonus Ed. 1998) – 3:25
"Burnin' Down the Mountain" – 4:22
"Little Pieces of Seaweed" – 5:12 (Vai, Larry Kutcher)
"San Sebastian" (Bonus Ed. 1998) – 1:08
"The Beast of Love" (Joe Kearney) – 3:30
"You Didn't Break it" (Bob Harris, Suzannah Harris) (1998 Version, amongst Robin DiMaggio (Drums)) – 4:19
"The X-Equilibrium Dance" (Bonus Ed. 1998) – 5:10
"Chronic Insomnia" – 2:00
Personnel:
Steve Vai – vocals, acoustic in addition to electrical guitars, coral sitar, keyboards, electrical piano, bass guitar, background vocals
Mike Keneally – keyboards on "Fuck Yourself"
Tommy Mars – vocals, violin, keyboards
Stu Hamm – vocals, bass guitar
Bob Harris – background vocals
Joe Kearney – background vocals
Alex Acerra - background vocals
Larry Crane – piccolo xylophone, bell lyre, vibraphone
Robin DiMaggio – drums
Chris Frazier – drums
Deen Castronovo – drums
Pete Zeldman – percussion
Suzannah Harris – background vocals
Larry Kutcher - vocals in addition to narration on Little Pieces of Seaweed
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