Released on Oct 15, 1987, past times Relativity Records, Surfing alongside the Alien charted at number 29 on the Billboard 200, proving to live Satriani's 3rd highest-charting album inwards the United States. It remained on Billboard 200 for 75 weeks, the longest run of whatsoever of his releases.\Surfing alongside the Alien was certified Gold on Feb 17, 1989, together with Platinum on Feb 3, 1992, having shipped 1 1000000 copies inwards the US. It was Satriani's get-go together with exclusively album to earn platinum certification.
Two singles from the album reached Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart: "Satch Boogie" at No. 22 together with "Surfing alongside the Alien" at No. 37. H5N1 3rd single, "Always alongside Me, Always alongside You", received a nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards, piece the album itself was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the same event; these existence Satriani's get-go 2 of many such awards. Live versions of "Always alongside Me, Always alongside You" would after live nominated for Best Rock Instrumental twice more, at the 2002 together with 2008 Grammys.
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau snidely referred to Satriani every bit "the latest guitar god" together with felt he is also much of a formalist, because he non exclusively composes but edits his guitar melodies: "Thus he delivers both the prowess cultists require together with the comfort they secretly crave". In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine was to a greater extent than impressed past times his technical abilities together with praised Surfing alongside the Alien, writing that it "can live seen every bit the gilded criterion for guitar playing of the mid- to belatedly '80s, an album that captures everything that was skilful nearly the glory days of shred." According to The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), the tape "put Satriani on the map. Beautifully played together with well-paced, it manages to capture all the icy burn downward of fusion jazz without losing whatsoever of the visceral ability of stone & roll".
Surfing alongside the Alien belongs to its era similar Are You Experienced? belongs to its ain -- peradventure it doesn't go past times its fourth dimension the agency the Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1967 debut does, but Joe Satriani's 1987 breakthrough tin live seen every bit the gilded criterion for guitar playing of the mid- to belatedly '80s, an album that captures everything that was skilful nearly the glory days of shred. Certainly, Satriani was unique amid his peers inwards that his playing was thence fluid that his technical skills never seemed similar showboating -- something that was somewhat truthful of his 1986 debut, Not of This Earth, but on Surfing alongside the Alien he married this dexterity to a truthful sense of melodic songcraft, a gift that helped him live that rare thing: a guitar virtuoso who ordinary listeners enjoyed. Nowhere is this to a greater extent than truthful than on "Always alongside Me, Always alongside You," a genuine ballad -- non beefed upwardly alongside muscular ability chords but rather sighing gently alongside its tune -- but this knack was also evident on the ZZ Top homage "Satch Boogie" together with the championship rails itself, both of which turned into stone radio hits. This melodic facility, addition his fondness for a skilful old-fashioned three-chord rock, separated Satriani from his shredding peers inwards 1987, many of whom were quite literally his students. But he was no throwback: he equaled his quondam students Steve Vai together with Kirk Hammett inwards sweep picking together with fretboard acrobatics together with he had a sparkling, spacy character to approximately of his songs -- peculiarly the closing stretch of the Middle Eastern-flavored "Lords of Karma," the twinkling "Midnight," together with "Echo" -- that was thoroughly modern for 1987. The production of Surfing alongside the Alien is also thoroughly of its twelvemonth -- strong drumbeats, sparkling productions -- thence much thence that it tin appear a flake similar a relic from approximately other era, but it's fine that it doesn't go past times its time: it captures the best of its era together with is withal impressive inwards that regard.
The time to come of guitar playing arrived inwards stores inwards Oct 1987, courtesy of Joe Satriani’s epochal 2nd album, together with de facto world coming out party, Surfing With the Alien.
Before the album’s release, the Long-Island-bred, San Francisco-dwelling Satriani (Satch, to his friends) was a relative unknown to the average music fan, but a highly respected guitar instructor behind the scenes, responsible for honing the skills of all-star pupils such every bit Metallica’s Kirk, Primus’ Larry LaLonde, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, Counting Crows’ David Bryson, Third Eye Blind’s Kevin Cadogan, jazz-guitar wunderkind Charlie Hunter, together with eventual biggest champion, protégé together with peer, Steve Vai.
Somewhere betwixt devising lesson plans together with task brief stints alongside local groups (including a quick attain through Greg Khin’s band), a little solo career was born, together with after cutting his teeth on a 1984 demo EP together with 1986’s formative full-length debut, Not of This Earth, the already 30-year-old Satriani was finally create for his close-up.
This became Surfing With the Alien, which, on its agency to achieving platinum U.S. sales transformed Satriani from best-kept subway to the acknowledged fastest depict inwards town – the six-string gunslinger whatsoever would-be guitar hero only had to challenge to earn his ain stripes, never hear what the album also did to seat instrumental music dorsum on the stone ‘n’ curl map.
In a conspicuously Italian-American partnership involving producer John Cuniberti together with drummer Jeff Campitelli, Surfing witnessed Satch striking upon a “golden songwriting ratio” of sorts, which entailed the creation of mesmerizing musical beds – rhythms, chord sequences, etc. – over which Joe could thence vamp all over the fretboard, completely untethered past times to a greater extent than conventional commercial restrictions.
The concluding pinch of pixie dust genius was of course of written report slapping the Silver Surfer on the album cover. Trust us, Satch had no intention of winding upwardly bald every bit a cue ball (and the Surfer) agency dorsum inwards 1987. But inwards an era when his little amount of charisma was clearly no gibe for over-the-top showmen similar David Lee Roth, together with Axl Rose, presenting his otherworldly musical vision inwards the guise of Marvel Comics’ most enigmatic together with philosophical hero was a stroke of genius. The ploy, if 1 could fifty-fifty telephone phone it that, quite literally established him every bit the ultimate super (guitar) hero.
And thence it’s non surprising that, for many, Surfing With the Alien played similar an animated film of the mind’s eye, driven past times Satriani’s evocative soundtrack, together with held inwards cheque exclusively past times each listener’s wildest imagination. Personally, my mental film for side one, at least, played something similar a day-in-the-life chronicle for a time to come deep infinite citizen. Along alongside the muddled conversations that introduced it, the opening championship track’s frantic measure together with blindsiding solo runs suggested a busy rush hr infinite port; the comparatively sedate, almost thumb-twiddling tolerant “Ice 9″ the ensuing daily commute; the alternately spirited together with despairingly moody “Crushing Day” the highs together with lows of 9-5 grind inwards between; the sublime “Always With Me, Always With You” a wistful daydream of life dorsum on the protagonist’s menage planet; together with the jazz-cum-blues-on-steroids “Satch Boogie” that tall, strong drinkable together with short-tempered bar-brawling to cap approximately other difficult day.
Side 2 inspired less interconnected images, past times comparison, but after seemingly paying circumspect lip service to his many metalhead students via the ominous “Hill of the Skull,” Satch embarked on approximately other batch of sensual together with seductive mini-adventures taking inwards the exotic orbiting arpeggios of “Circles,” the (probably faux-) sitar flourishes of “Lords of Karma,” Spanish-flavored string tapping of “Midnight” and, finally, the atmospheric stratospheric extrapolations of “Echo.” It feels similar a trip for an album lasting nether xl minutes together with yet traveling thousands of low-cal years.
And heck, fifty-fifty if the mental film didn’t play for everyone, Surfing With the Alien withal sounded of a slice every bit an album-length listening experience, together with for all the guitarist’s subsequent triumphs working inside together with beyond its template, Surfing remains the cardinal mensuration stick past times which all instrumental stone guitar records are withal considered all these years on – together with may proceed to make thence for decades to follow. At the terminate of the day, Satch is withal teaching, it would seem, exclusively on a much grander scale.
Track listing:
All music composed past times Joe Satriani.
1. "Surfing alongside the Alien" 4:25
2. "Ice 9" 4:00
3. "Crushing Day" 5:14
4. "Always alongside Me, Always alongside You" 3:22
5. "Satch Boogie" 3:13
6. "Hill of the Skull" 1:48
7. "Circles" 3:28
8. "Lords of Karma" 4:48
9. "Midnight" 1:42
10. "Echo" 5:37
Total length: 37:37
Personnel:
Joe Satriani – guitar, keyboard, drum programming, percussion, bass, arrangement, production
Bongo Bob Smith – drum programming, percussion, audio design
Jeff Campitelli – drums, percussion
John Cuniberti – percussion, engineering, remastering (reissue), production
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