Vai states that planning the album started every bit early on every bit 1982, merely was shelved after joining the David Lee Roth band together with non picked upwards in i trial again until parting ways amongst Roth inward 1989.[2] Vai utilized many odd recording techniques on the album. For what would come upwards to go i of his most pop songs to date, "For the Love of God", he fasted for 10 days together with recorded the vocal on the 4th 24-hour interval of the fast. "Blue Powder" was originally recorded inward 1986 every bit a showcase rail for Carvin, using their X-100B amplifier, together with given away amongst Guitar Player magazine inward flexi disc format. Vai was introduced to Carvin past times his mentor Frank Zappa, who had also used the X-100B. The drums were afterwards re-recorded for the album.
The equipment used to tape Passion together with Warfare was: Ibanez JEM together with Universe guitars; Charvel Green Meanie guitar; Marshall JCM900 together with Carvin X-100B amplifiers; ADA MP-1 preamplier; Boss DS-1 distortion pedal; Eventide H3000 harmonizer; Lexicon 480L.
The vocal "For the Love of God" is available for download for the 2007 video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, together with was voted the 29th best solo of all fourth dimension past times a readers' poll inward Guitar World magazine.
In 2016, Vai embarked on the Passion together with Warfare 25th Anniversary World Tour, where he played the album inward its entirety for the offset time.
It’s difficult to explicate the excitement together with anticipation surrounding the unloose of Steve Vai’s 2nd solo album, Passion together with Warfare, when it was released inward September 1990.
In an era known for outrageous guitar playing, the album promised to go the final word—a veritable Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks display of technique, tones together with color.
One vocal was rumored to characteristic no less than thirty backward guitars, spell some other track, “For the Love of God,” was recorded after a reported 4 directly days of meditating, fasting together with non-stop practicing.
“I was trying to force myself to the limit,” says Vai. “When it came fourth dimension to tape ‘For the Love of God,’ my fingers were totally gone. I had pictures of my fingers taken after that session, together with they were haemorrhage nether the skin.”
Produced together with engineered past times the guitarist himself, the album was the culmination of xx years of study, experimentation, 12-hour marathon exercise days together with serious stone star prototype building. No mere compendium of “Steve’s latest riffs,” it was crafted to go the roadmap to the hereafter of the guitar; a projection together with therefore sprawling together with ambitious, Vai had to educate a revolutionary seven-string guitar to capture all the notes rattling unopen to inward his skull.
Passion together with Warfare was zilch less than the guitarist’s bid for immortality, together with if it had the added arrive at goodness of leaving contemporaries similar Edward Van Halen together with Yngwie Malmsteen inward the dust, together with therefore go it.
To actually empathise the genesis of the album, you lot cause got to go dorsum to 1980, when Vai was invited to bring together Frank Zappa’s band. Zappa, a guitarist together with composer of complex, satirical music, had a reputation every bit a fearsome bandleader that demanded zilch less than perfection from musicians. While the gig did non brand the 20-year-old a pop star—Zappa’s music was also bizarre together with clandestine for that—Vai was straight off pose on the brusk listing of “musicians to watch” inward the guitar community. To go together with therefore immature together with have validation past times individual every bit discerning together with brilliant every bit Frank Zappa was no little thing, together with people began to cause got uncovering every bit his street cred soared.
It was clear that big things were inward shop for the pocket-sized who could play anything Zappa could dish out, merely it would cause got a few years. After leaving Frank’s band inward 1983, Vai bought a solid inward Los Angeles where he built a modest recording studio inward his backyard. There, he produced, engineered together with recorded his offset solo album Flex-Able, a compendium of warped instrumentals that were fabulously absurd together with technically jaw-dropping.
The independent album sold surprisingly well, together with Vai gained a reputation every bit the thinking man’s guitar hero. It was an impression farther solidified past times his band, The Classified, a progressive, Zappa-esque unit of measurement that appealed to a little grouping of hipsters inward Los Angeles who had picayune usage for the growing Eighties pilus metallic scene. The solely downside was, it seemed similar Vai was headed for zilch to a greater extent than than cult status, when all of a abrupt he shifted gears.
In 1984, he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen inward the difficult stone unit of measurement Alcatrazz. After recording i fairly unremarkable album amongst the band, he left to bring together David Lee Roth’s high profile post–Van Halen band. Overnight the cult hero became i of the world’s most visible together with celebrated atomic number 82 guitarists, together with his meteoric ascent continued after he appeared inward the 1986 blockbuster celluloid Crossroads, where he played a pivotal purpose every bit the devil’s guitarist.
By 1990, Vai was a family name, together with he wasn’t virtually to allow the minute sideslip through his nimble fingers. Using his fame together with his dazzling chops, he ready out to brand zilch less than the ultimate guitar album.
Upon the record’s release, Guitar World wrote: “Each rail on Passion together with Warfare features ravishing neo-psychedelic stereo panoramas reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix together with fifty-fifty Sgt. Pepper’s–era Beatles. This recording is non virtually playing diminished scales at total throttle, or tapping amongst 4 fingers—it’s zilch less than the guitar every bit an orchestra. It’s also i of the damnedest things we’ve e'er heard.”
All these years later, it however is.
Track listing
All tracks written past times Steve Vai.
No. Title Length
01. "Liberty" 2:03
02. "Erotic Nightmares" 4:15
03. "The Animal" 4:01
04. "Answers" 2:56
05. "The Riddle" 6:24
06. "Ballerina 12/24" 1:43
07. "For the Love of God" 6:03
08. "The Audience Is Listening" 5:30
09. "I Would Love To" 3:41
10. "Blue Powder" 4:44
11. "Greasy Kid's Stuff" 2:58
12. "Alien Water Kiss" 1:10
13. "Sisters" 4:07
14. "Love Secrets" 3:40
Total length: 53:15
Personnel:
Steve Vai – guitar, Eventide H3000, keyboard (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 11), bass (tracks 8, 9, 11), arrangement, engineering, production
David Rosenthal – keyboard (tracks 2, 9, 13), background vocals
Pia Maiocco (credited every bit Pia Vai) – keyboard on i chord (track 4)
Bob Harris – keyboard (track 10), background vocals
Chris Frazier – drums (tracks 1–5, 8, 10, 11, 13)
Tris Imboden – drums (tracks 7, 9)
Stuart Hamm – bass (tracks 2–5, 7, 10, 13)
Nancy Fagen – vocals & hysteria (track 8)
Jamie Firlotte – man child vocals (track 8)
David Coverdale – background vocals
Rudy Sarzo – background vocals
Adrian Vandenberg – background vocals
Pascal Fillet – background vocals
Laurel Fishman – background vocals
Lillian Vai – background vocals
Pam Vai – background vocals
Joel Kaith – background vocals
Corky Tanassy – background vocals
Jamie Kornberg – background vocals
Lauren Kornberg – background vocals
Corinne Larue – background vocals
Famin' – background vocals
Darla Albright – background vocals
Laura Gross – background vocals
Rupert Henry – background vocals
Suzanna Harris – background vocals
Julian Angel Vai – background vocals
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