| Surfing with the Alien | ||||
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| Studio album by Joe Satriani | ||||
| Released | October 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 at Alpha and Omega Recording, Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, California | |||
| Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
| Length | 36:33 | |||
| Label | Relativity Epic (re-release) |
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| Producer | Joe Satriani and John Cuniberti | |||
| Joe Satriani chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Surfing with the Alien | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
| Enjoy The Music | link |
Surfing with the Alien is the second album by instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriani, released in 1987. Surfing with the Alien contributed greatly to establishing Satriani's reputation as a respected rock guitarist.[1]
Surfing with the Alien is one of Satriani's most successful albums to date. The album produced three hit singles for him: "Surfing with the Alien", Satch Boogie", and the radio-only single "Always with Me, Always with You". Although released in late 1987, it did not enter the Billboard 200 until April 1988.[2] As of 2010, Surfing with the Alien is Satriani's only studio album to go platinum in America.[3]
Contents |
The album contains fast and complex songs such as "Surfing with the Alien" and "Satch Boogie" in addition to the stranger-sounding "Crushing Day" and "Lords of Karma", in contrast to slower, melodic songs like "Always with Me, Always with You" and "Echo" which provide a change of pace. Also notable is "Midnight", which utilizes the technique of two-hand tapping at great speed, evoking a Spanish fingerstyle effect. There are also Nashville tuned guitars (on "Echo") and key changes (on "Always with Me, Always with You" and "Echo") to vary the album.
The track "Ice 9" references the fictional apocalyptic substance from Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle.
The title song, "Surfing with the Alien", is available as downloadable content in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero Arcade. "Satch Boogie" is available as a playable track in Guitar Hero III's sequel, Guitar Hero World Tour. It is also a bonus track in the game Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades. Additionally, both "Satch Boogie" and "Surfing with the Alien" are downloadable tracks for the Rock Band series.
The album cover depicts the Marvel Comics character the Silver Surfer on the front and the hand of Galactus on the back. The image is from Silver Surfer #1 (1982). The artist, John Byrne, has noted that the image was used without his permission and that he has never received payment for its use. The art is from panel 1 of page 6 of Silver Surfer #1 published in 1982.[4] However, the album liner notes mention a Marvel Characters, Inc. copyright and say the Silver Surfer likeness is used with permission.
As with Satriani's other releases up to his 1995 self-titled album, Surfing with the Alien was re-issued in 1997 on Epic Records and again in 2007 for a legacy edition celebrating the 20th anniversary of its release. The Relativity Records version is now out of print.
All songs written by Joe Satriani.
All songs written by Joe Satriani
All songs published by Strange Beautiful Music/ASCAP
Produced by Joe Satriani and John Cuniberti
Engineered by John Cuniberti[5]
Epic/Legacy Records reissued the album on August 7, 2007. The two-disc reissue includes a CD of the original album remastered in 2007, expanded liner notes by Joe with amusing stories that comment on the recording of the album such as the writing process for the album, how they went twice over budget for a low-budget instrumental guitar album, that the iconic name we all know was actually a second choice for the album after the original was mixed, and how in the days before Pro Tools and non-destructive edits, editing decisions were not to be taken lightly as they required physically cutting sections out of the master tape with a razor blade and splicing the ends back together. Also included is a DVD containing a live concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1988, the music videos for "Satch Boogie" and "Always With Me, Always With You" and additional bonus material.
In addition, Satriani played exclusive club gigs in select cities.[6]
"Surfing with the Alien" is notable for being one of the first instrumental rock albums to appear in the Top 40 charts at all, although Flying in a Blue Dream beat its position in 1989.
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Billboard 200 | 29 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Satch Boogie" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 |
| 1988 | "Surfing with the Alien" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 37 |
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