Steve Vai - Alien Love Secrets

Alien Love Secrets was the very first Steve Via album I bought. I picked it up because of a song called Bad Horsie that I heard on the radio one time only, which is complete bullshit, and decided if I ever found the album I would pick it up. This was long before the internet was a household tool, trying to research songs and albums back then was pretty much pointless. I only count my blessings the DJ said the name of the musician and the song title.

Now the first time I ever heard of the song Bad Horsie was while looking at a guitar mag, and seeing the transcripts. I was listening to Drew, Matt and Varg, the three musicians I was working with at the time go on and on about the ghost notes and the crazy insane playing, and so forth and so on. All of it well deserved, but I will never forget the first time I heard this song. It's this big bad heavy ass wall of riffage that has amazing fills and solos and nothing like I expected after personally looking at the music, with my brief understanding at the time. I mean this song is one of the best instrumental pieces I have heard to this day, and not just because it's heavy, but because this song is truly a wild mustang out on the plains, or a bucking bronco, or what ever image it is you can conjure up of a wild beast doing it's thing. The donkey sound clip at the end of the song adds good humour.

That's followed up by Juice, a great little boogie woogie number that should get the toe tapping and if you can swing dance, or some variation off this song is totally usable. I'd love to see a couple in Olympic Pairs figure skating pull this one out, because it would look totally awesome on the ice. If grandma can over look the instruments playing the music, and truly hear the music she would enjoy this one too.

Die To Live takes the album into a mellower direction. While the skill and styling are there, I find this song a little basic sounding, and a bit cliche. I find this one song probably the least inspired on the album, and it always feels like it's dragging on. It's just shy of four minutes and feels more like five maybe even six.

I don't care for The Boy From Seattle, but it really is a good song. It's well played and totally enjoyable, but there's something about the sound of it, I'm leaning hard on the guitar tone, that puts me off. However, as a percussion guy I do enjoy that side of this song. It's not your typical drumming, it's more of a worldly sound. Deen Castronovo reminds me a lot of some Terry Bozzio I've been listening to lately. I actually had to double check the liner notes to see who was playing on this track.

So Beyonce and Jay-Z put their kid on a song and everyone goes stupid. While in 1995 Steve Vai's son Julian was crushing the Z-Rock air waves with Ya-Yo Gakk. Seriously, I couldn't get over how much this song was on the radio back in 1995, I remember Drew and I shaking our heads doing a whole "what the fuck?" thing. However, this is an awesome exercise in repiclating sounds on a guitar. Julian lays down this killer set of lines, that border on gibberish, and Steve mimics them on his guitar, and really it's awesome, and the song has a great vibe to it.

Kill The Guy With The Ball is just a crazy Acid Jazz, Acid Rock, whole lotta wild loud and brash music. Some may argue not music so much as noise. I would say those people are old, ignorant, or need to check themselves, before they wreck themselves. And yes I know how that sounds. I wouldn't call this track a masterpiece, but it's a damn fine example of musicianship. However, it helps if you are into the style, it's not for everyone. The song actually has two parts and the second is called The God Eaters, but if you aren't paying attention you won't know when it kicks in, because that's the way the song flows.

Tender Surrender is a slower track, but it's the most epic. This is the one song on the album where the music takes you on a full journey and doesn't just give you photographic glimpse. It really is a good and solid way to close out the album.

This is really an EP, but it's a really good one. I love throwing Alien Love Secrets in the cd player on a regular basis. Meaning at least once a year for a couple months. It's just one of those albums that offers so much, for so many different moods and occasions.

8/10 - content

7/10 - production

10/10 - personal bias