For You Lot Steve Vai - 1984 Flex-Able

Steve Vai is an American guitar player, songwriter as well as producer. He started his career inwards 1980 playing alongside Frank Zappa as well as has since recorded as well as toured alongside Alcatrazz, Whitesnake, David Lee Roth as well as Public Image Ltd. Since 1983 Vai likewise released his ain studio albums. His discography consists of 8 studio albums, 2 EP's, 2 exceptional albums, 8 live albums, twelve soundtracks, 20 compilation albums as well as vii videos. Vai has been awarded 3 Grammy Awards as well as twoscore other awards. Vai likewise appeared every bit a invitee instrumentalist on forty-four albums, playing alongside artists similar Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Motorhead as well as Gregg Bissonette as well as nigh lately for the 2d fourth dimension alongside Joe Jackson.

Flex-Able is an album yesteryear Steve Vai. This was his starting fourth dimension every bit a solo artist, as well as was created inwards Stucco Blue, a shed converted into a studio inwards Vai's old dorsum garden. It is really dissimilar from many of his other albums, as well as is largely influenced yesteryear Frank Zappa. Flex-Able does non rely every bit much on massive guitar arrangements as well as shred moments every bit the remainder of his output from the 1990s onwards, alongside the exception of Leftovers which is a compilation of bonus tracks as well as remasters from his sessions at 'Stucco Blue'.
The encompass of the May 2009 termination of Guitar World features a photograph of Vai inwards a pose similar to the album's cover, including the bending guitar neck.

Steve Vai recorded his debut album, Flex-able, at dwelling household on an eight-track studio as well as released it himself inwards 1984. Even though Vai is 1 of rock's nigh renowned guitar virtuosos, Flex-able isn't actually a typical "shred" album; playing alongside Frank Zappa for several years rubbed off on Vai, as well as many of his compositions reverberate both Zappa's musical influence as well as a skewed feel of humour that makes for about whimsically entertaining moments (i.e., "Little Green Men"). Make no mistake, there's even as well as hence enough of Joe Satriani-esque technical virtuosity on display, but since Vai has a few other tricks inwards his bag, Flex-able turns out to endure much to a greater extent than enjoyable (and accessible to listeners other than guitar-technique fetishists) than the average '80s guitar shred-fest.

This isn't the sort of album that you lot tin simply popular into your cd thespian as well as heed to for fun. That said, this is a bully album. It's non 1 that volition relax you, or somethign to aid you lot popular off through the day. It's the sort of album that when you lot heed to, you lot heed difficult as well as closely. There are tons of niggling nuances that'll brand you lot smile, brand you lot wonder if he's sane, or simply blow you lot away. Vai actually isn't the sort of guitarist that anyone tin like. This likewise isn't a predominantly guitar album. When you lot heed to it, you lot honor Vai to a greater extent than every bit a composer/arranger than a guitarist. You desire a guitar album, popular off passion as well as warfare, or alien honey secrets. For a to a greater extent than zappa-inflected album, popular off this. The mental attitude vocal is really guitar based though, as well as telephone holler upward it slumber is simply beautiful.

"Flex-Able" was recorded on a Fostex 1/4-inch 8-track machine inwards guitarist Steve Vai's dwelling household studio betwixt Apr '83 as well as Nov '83. Self-financed, this tape turned into an tube favorite, inwards spite of the depression budget approach. Many of Vai's compositions reverberate mentor as well as old boss Frank Zappa's musical influence as well as offbeat feel of humour that makes for about 'Zappa-esque' as well as entertaining moments ("Little Green Men", "Boy-Girl Song"). "Flex-Able" is as well as hence named becasue of its diversity, as well as includes the oustanding instrumental "The Attitude Song".

Track listing:

01.    Little Green Men    5:37
02.    Viv Woman    3:08
03.    Lovers Are Crazy    5:38
04.    Salamanders In The Sun    2:25
05.    The Boy/Girl Song     4:00
06.    The Attitude Song    3:22
07.    Call It Sleep    5:09
08.    Junkie    7:23
09.    Bill's Private Parts    0:16
10.    Next Stop Earth    0:34
11.    There Is Something Dead In Here    3:55
12.    So Happy (Bonus Track)*    2:44
13.    Bledsoe Bluvd (Bonus Track)*    4:21
14.    Burnin’ Down The Mountain (Bonus Track)*    4:20
15.     Chronic Insomnia (Bonus Track)*    2:03

Personnel:

Steve Vai / synth, bass, guitar, percussion, piano, keys, sitar, vocals, bells, drum programming
Scott Collard / synth, keys
Larry Crane / lyre, xylophone, bells, vibraphone, piccolo xylophone
Greg Degler / clarinet, flute, sax
Laurel FIshman / vocals
Peggy Foster / bass
Chris Frazier / drums
Stuart Hamm / bass, vocals
Bob Harris / trumpet, vocals
Suzannah Harris / vocals
Billy James / percussion, drums
Paul Lemcke / keys
Pai Maiocco / vocals
Tommy Mars / violin, keys, vocals
Republic of Chad Wackerman / drums
Pete Zeldman / percussion, drums