Joe Satriani: 'Surfing With The Alien' Reissue

"Surfing With The Alien" was the album that ignited Joe Satriani's career as a solo performer. The acclaimed guitarist's second full-length release, "Surfing With The Alien" was originally issued in October 1987 on Relativity Records. It became a left-field bestseller that reached No. 29 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified platinum for U.S. sales of over one million copies. It was the first rock guitar instrumental album to reach Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart. It includes the charting hits "Satch Boogie" and "Surfing With The Alien", plus the Grammy-nominated "Always With Me, Always With You".

"Surfing" launched Satriani on an ever-evolving creative path: eighteen further audio and video releases (nine of them certified gold and/or platinum) totaling over 10 million albums sold worldwide, fourteen Grammy Award nominations, and multiple world tours both as a headliner and as founder of the all-star "G3" guitar extravaganza.

On August 7, 2007, Epic/Legacy Recordings will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this groundbreaking album with the release of a new expanded edition of "Surfing With The Alien". This meticulously restored two-disc set includes the newly remastered album and a previously never-before-seen live show filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1988. It will also feature new liner notes written by Joe and special deluxe packaging featuring photos, notes and other memorabilia from Joe's personal archive.

Disc One: The Album

This portion of the 20th anniversary edition of "Surfing With The Alien" contains the original ten-track album, newly remastered by Joe Satriani and original album co-producer John Cuniberti at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California. The ten songs were written and arranged by Joe Satriani, who played guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, and drum programming on the original sessions. "From 1979 through 1984", Satriani recounts, "I was in a band called The Squares with John Cuniberti, who was our live engineer and also did our demos, and Jeff Campitelli on drums. I self-released my first EP ('Joe Satriani') and then worked with John and Jeff on my first full-length album, 'Not of This Earth'. Relativity released that recording in December 1986 and after I played some new songs at a New York showcase in January '87, the label gave me the go-ahead to make 'Surfing with the Alien'.

"Through 1987, I was dividing my time between teaching guitar, playing sessions, and working on my own tracks. We were so broke when we recorded 'Surfing' that there are no photos from the sessions-we wouldn't spend money on pictures if we could rent a cool piece of gear instead! We really thought it would be the last album that anyone would let us make."

Following the release of "Surfing With The Alien" in October 1987, Relativity execs urged Satriani to mount a tour as the leader of his own band. Despite his misgivings ("I'd never done that-I'd always been in rock bands with singers"), Joe assembled a trio and did two weeks of dates on the East Coast and around Southern California in January 1988. Before his own shows had concluded, Joe was recruited for a Mick Jagger solo tour in support of Jagger's "Primitive Cool" album. For the guitarist, it proved a valuable learning experience: "That tour kind of rescued me. I learned how to perform from Mick, when and when not to go over the top." In the summer of 1988, a newly confident Satriani joined forces with bassist Stu Hamm and drummer Jonathan Mover for his maiden voyage to Europe.

Disc 2: The Live DVD

The second disc of the 20th anniversary edition of "Surfing with the Alien" features a never-before-seen live show that captures Joe Satriani performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 14, 1988 during the bombastic "Surfing with the Alien" tour. Expertly backed by Hamm and Mover, Joe tears through "Ice 9", "Satch Boogie", and "Circles" (among other favorites from "Surfing") along with tunes like "Hordes of Locusts" and "Rubina" from "Not of This Earth". "It was my first trip to Europe and the first of our four shows overseas," Satriani recalls. "I was supposed to arrive at Montreux in time for sound check and play at midnight on July 14. We had a direct flight from London to Switzerland.

"Because of something to do with Bastille Day, our flight was grounded in Lyon, France-so my manager and I got off the plane, rented a car, and drove six or seven hours to Montreux. We missed the soundcheck. Fortunately, Carlos Santana and Milton Nascimento preceded our set and they would not get off the stage.

"It was 4:15 a.m. when we finally hit. We led off with 'Ice 9' and after the first eight bars, most people got up and left! I think it was just a little too over the top for that time of the morning, and they made us play a shortened set. When it was over, we went across the street to the hotel, took a shower, and got into the car for an 8:00 a.m. flight back to London to play two gigs.

"This show isn't anything like what you'd see me play today. But it's a personal historical document and I've learned to appreciate the raw energy of it. The set was mixed live-now we've expanded the sonic quality and tried to make the performance come off as powerfully on DVD as it did for us on stage that night."

"Surfing With The Alien" (20th Anniversary Epic/Legacy Edition):

CD - Disc 1 (remastered):

01. Surfing with the Alien
02. Ice 9
03. Crushing Day
04. Always With Me, Always With You
05. Satch Boogie
06. Hill of the Skull
07. Circles
08. Lords of Karma
09. Midnight
10. Echo

DVD - Disc 2:

Live at Montreux (previously unreleased):

01. Ice 9
02. Memories
03. Midnight
04. Rubina
05. Circles
06. Lords of Karma
07. S.T.U.
08. Echo
09. Hordes of Locusts
10. Always With Me, Always With You
11. Satch Boogie

Comments

[Pumpkins4Life]

Holy crap has it really been 20 years. Satch is a genius and this is one of the best shred albums around.

[sturm]

swt.. i'm gonna get this for sure.... lords of karma live, damn that'll make me orgasm...

[Instrumetal]

Neat.

[Razor Tormenta]

yea tht 1s being bought love satriani's stuff
surfing with the alien was the 1st song i heard from him nd iv been listenin ever since.
cant wait

[apmaman]

wonder if this has anything to do with the Silver Surfer Fantastically Bad 4 Film that will be out soon...


£50 that song is played when the silver surfer appears in the film

[acshadow25]

I love satch boogie, but tbh the actual song surfing never really did anything for me. But heez still a gr8 guitarist

[GiantRaven]

This album does not sound 20 years old

Amazing

[duggyrocks]

"never-before-seen live show"

How can you have a never before seen live show?

Great stuff btw

[ZEppelin1969]

wow this is gonna rock

[frankv]

duggyrocks wrote:

"never-before-seen live show"

How can you have a never before seen live show?

Great stuff btw

Imagine a live DVD with no audiance :O. It would be called "Joe Satriani, the soundcheck!" or "Fall Out Boy and the real fans"

[Pumpkins4Life]

ha i love it, an update about one of the greatest guitar players of our time, and someone still finds the need to take a shot at fall out boy.

[Smokey Amp]

I think I just came.

I'm buying this when it comes out, for sure.

Thank you for featuring this article, UG. There's a massive shortage of Satch articles on here.

Check check checkity check

[Guitarmeister]

frankv wrote:

duggyrocks wrote:

"never-before-seen live show"

How can you have a never before seen live show?

Great stuff btw

Imagine a live DVD with no audiance :O. It would be called "Joe Satriani, the soundcheck!" or "Fall Out Boy and the real fans"

haha!
too true though
satch is an awesome player

[wasp2020]

Fantastic, freakin totally rad awesome guys. Seriously. It was remastered once, but remastered again? With Joe's incredibly improved producing talents? I can't believe how good it'll sound now.

And yes, another Live Memories. here's to another 10 Minute one, as on the Dreaming #11 EP. That's a truly overlooked recording. And LIVE! Video! Lords of Karma! Echo! Too bad he doesn't play Surfing in the live one. yes, he plays it all the time, but back then he might've added that killer "Birdland"(Weather Report) outro transition to it that is on some bootlegs from back then. That would've truly been awesome.

[-[NiL]-]

Damn! I just bought the original last week! >

[Jackolas]

I bought a remasters of satch well under a year ago! At least, I thought that was the remasters

Has it been redone AGAIN?!

[Jackolas]

*of this satch album I mean

[shwilly]

I'm definetly going to get my hands on this one > seeing him play "always", "surfing", "midnight", "karma" and especially "echoes" (...why am I naming each song: I love the entire album!) just after they were created and in front of an audience that still needs to be convinced... seems like an awesome idea and will probably occupy a special spot between my "regular" satch DVD's, just like Surfing With The Alien did when I first bought it

I think it's still a unique piece of work, and it changed the face of instrumental rock if you ask me: Joe was an undeniable virtuoso but he combined that with so many incredible songs... Classic stuff!

[freddie_205]

No Jeff Campetelli on the live show! that'll be weird!

[zebrahead234]

After watching him play on G3 the man does NOT seem to be 50 years old.

[Justice-For-All]

Bad ass guitarist and Kirk Hammet's teacher.

[G0ply]

The GOD of Guitar IMO

Great stuff, I own the first remastering of this cd, and I'll probably still end up buying this version.

[G0ply]

"After watching him play on G3 the man does NOT seem to be 50 years old."
Haha no joke, he looks to be about 25-35 years old.

[Bored to Tears]

Woo! Satriani ftw!

[JS5150]

Justice-For-All wrote:

Bad ass guitarist and Kirk Hammet's teacher.

And Vai's

[creativeboner]

I'd like to see him either do an acoustic performance or team up with another band doing a rhythm guitar role.

[ibanezlover123]

Yeah, Surfing sounds alot better than some new albums. Did anyone else see G3? Satriani was good, but I think I liked Gilbert the best.

[FretboardToAsh]

kick ass

[ibanezlover123]

Did anyone else see G3?

Besides zebrahead

[jiste]

haha awesome!!!

satch really is a genius

7th august haha my birthday n all

long live Joe

[sambargun]

I have all his albums, i saw him when he came to bangalore, went with my babe, who never even heard of him, but she loved the show, said that "He's so simple and humble, but a monster on the guitar". Satch guested on Pat Martino's album "All sides now". Supposedly he recorded 2 tracks with Pat and left. Afterwards Pat told his sound executive (swear this is not made up) "Man, I've played with the best of the best, but that guy's a mother****er". These two statements (one by a legendary jazz guitarist, and the other by my ignorant girlfriend) pretty much sums up what the man is all about.....

[LustGardenBlues]

Satriani is the greatest.

[cool#9]

Can't wait to get it, Satch is a god.

Checking around

[Draken]

*craps self* There.is.a.god!

[geetarguy92]

mmm...surfing with the alien...tasty solos...

[R0CKER1220]

Dammit, I just got that album a few months ago. . .I don't want to re-buy it. . .

[troutBoy]

Excellent! I love his greatest hits, and I have the G3 DVD with Yngwie and it's all just fantastic. What a guy!

[Guitar_Poet]

Pumpkins4Life wrote:

ha i love it, an update about one of the greatest guitar players of our time, and someone still finds the need to take a shot at fall out boy.

rofl, +1.

ill probably buy this, even though i have the other remastered version.... like someone else said, this album really doesnt sound 20 years old! its still a great album... kickass.

[bassmanjoe08]

LawlIWantItNowZOMGZ!!!

[Forced In]

Did he have hair back then?

[DeathForAll]

Ah, not much into Joe Satriani.

Not saying he sucks, hell of a guitar player, but I'm just not into instrumentals like Vai and things.

But oddly, I like Malmsteen's instrumentals. The classical sound is probably what does it.

[dann_blood]

Justice-For-All :
Bad ass guitarist and Kirk Hammet's teacher.

And Steve Vai. Which shows he isnt just a great guitarist.
Awesome. This, Systematic Chaos, DT world tour, this year cant get much better.

[Guitar_Poet]

dann_blood wrote:

Justice-For-All :
Bad ass guitarist and Kirk Hammet's teacher.

And Steve Vai. Which shows he isnt just a great guitarist.
Awesome. This, Systematic Chaos, DT world tour, this year cant get much better.

hahahahahaaaa +1 i cant wait for Systematic Chaos! and this should be cool, even though its not NEW material (though the video is new, at least for those who werent actually AT the concert)

[Ibzman]

Pumpkins4Life wrote:

Holy crap has it really been 20 years. Satch is a genius and this is one of the best shred albums around.

Please tell me that you didn't say that Satch was a shredder. Rusty Cooley is a shredder, ok, but Satch is a MUSICIAN, way different

[POWERMETAL!]

joe satriani. *creams self*

[Tono_fyr]

I saw him on G3. I'm honestly a huge Petrucci fan... but Satch stole the show in the biggest of ways.

I loved how he declared it an "unofficial 20th anniversary tour". So amazing. Satch is truly one of the greatest guitarists to ever live.

[EZLN libertad]

nice, really lookin forward to this

saw him on G3
best of all 3 guys, amazing musician ship

[Aftertime]

aw sweet~can't wait for this to come out, definitely a buy

[DopeDanny]

Damn i cant wait,ive seen hime twice, my dad says he saw him in Boston on that 1988 tour, this is gonan be sweet!

[timmEH]

yaya!

[SvnStringMaster]

maybe he'll reissue his ego

[diablo_man]

dont forget he also taught alex skolnick of Testament.

[molfe]

I like Yngwie Malmsteen better great guitar player though.

Checking...with the Alien!

=/

[fireoptic]

This is a ****ing good cd. I didn't know it was that old already, haha. Satch Boogie for life nigga!

kirbyrocknroll wrote:

Checking...with the Alien!

=/

lol I was thinking about that. haha

[Rocker3829]

If anyone deserves a reissue like this it is Satch. The guy is a pure genious, I love he can write Flying in a Blue Dream and then go write something like Speed of Light, both opposite ends of the spectrum but both are two of my fav Satch songs, his knowledge of melody still amazes me to this day

[thecameronator]

woooo i got the original surfing with the alien cd

[civilunrest]

ive got the original but im stil gunna buy the reissue!!!

[garthunkle]

this is goin to be so awesome cant wait for it to come out

[tilleking]

I can't believe it's been 20 years!

Gonna buy the reissue, sounds awesome.

[irishman]

frankv wrote:

duggyrocks wrote:

"never-before-seen live show"

How can you have a never before seen live show?

Great stuff btw

Imagine a live DVD with no audiance :O. It would be called "Joe Satriani, the soundcheck!" or "Fall Out Boy and the real fans"

...or Pink Floyd live in Pompeii

[satcher]

steve vai
kirk hammett
larry lalonde.....
and me
this guy is just amazing when i got s.w.t.a first time i felt like i'm not of this earth
he just tell do and it's done he's a guitar god
and what makes me really respect him how humble he is

[RCalisto]

whoever calls satch a shreder should be slapped. hes one of the greatest musicians in my view. my favorite actually

[Satch_Boogie]

One of the best musicians of our time. To call him just a guitarist is insulting.

[Anty 7]

well technically he didn't teach Steve Vai that much. They were both in high school, and Satch wasn't an awesome guitarist at the time, Steve learned most of his stuff alone, then at Berklee, and then I suppose with Zappa. But Satch was just his teacher when he was a beginner, and Jo wasn't really that good at the time.