Real Illusions: Reflections

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Real Illusions: Reflections
Studio album by Steve Vai
Released	February 22, 2005
Genre	Instrumental Rock Progressive metal
Length	55:10
Label	Epic/Red Ink
Producer(s)	Steve Vai
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Steve Vai chronology
The Infinite Steve Vai (2003)	Real Illusions: Reflections (2005)

Real Illusions: Reflections is the first album of new material since Steve Vai's 1999 studio release The Ultra Zone. The album was released on February 22, 2005. It is the first piece of a three part concept album about a town visited by the godsent Pamposh and his construction of the Church, Under It All.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Building the Church" – 4:58
2. "Dying For Your Love" – 4:50
3. "Glorious" – 4:35
4. "K'm-Pee-Du-We" – 4:00
5. "Firewall" – 4:19
6. "Freak Show Excess" – 6:51
7. "Lotus Feet" – 6:45
8. "Yai Yai" – 2:37
9. "Midway Creatures" – 3:42
10. "I'm Your Secrets" – 4:26
11. "Under It All" – 8:07

[edit] Miscellanea

It is interesting to note that Steve uses a seven-string guitar for the first time in several years on the track "Under It All".

"Lotus Feet", the seventh song (which is to be the most emotional of the songs on the album), was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The song was recorded live in Holland in 2004 during Vai's "The Aching Hunger Tour".

This is also the first album on which he has used his "Bad Horsie" Ibanez JEM. It is equipped with DiMarzio Breed pickups and a Fernandes Sustainer. It was used on "Building the Church" and "Dying For Your Love".[1][2]

At approximately 00:18 of "Under It All", when the music stops and crowd noises are heard, you can barely make out Vai screaming "I'm down here can ya hear me! I'm down he-" then the music cuts back in.

Towards the end of "Freak Show Excess" at around 6:22, after an extended guitar solo, Vai can be heard to say, "Alright, that's enough of that nonsense" before the main theme repeats.