Alive in an Ultra World

Steve Vai | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005KHEY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,184 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #57 in Music > Rock > Rock Guitarists > Shred

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Steve Vai introduces this ambitious live double-album thusly: "This is an indulgent compilation of music with many little guitar notes!" It's a typically self-deprecating, if telling comment. While big-guitar rock virtuosity has largely been consigned to cult status in his home country, Vai's worldwide audience thrives. That ongoing international love affair seems the inspiration behind this industrious collection. The 15 tracks were each inspired by a different country (spanning from the U.K. to central and eastern Europe, the Mediterranean to the Pacific Rim), then recorded live in '00 tour performances or, in some of the most gratifying cases, improvised in as little as 10 minutes at soundcheck jams. Instead of a slavish devotion to ethnic modalities, Vai wisely lets them wash over and seep into his own eclectic music. Indeed, many of the tracks weren't necessarily recorded in the country they pay tribute to, adding yet another savory dimension to the musician's challenging stew. The results of such an undertaking can't help but be mixed, but the high points here range from bold drama (the metallic swagger of the improvised "Giant Balls of Gold [Song for Poland])" to the anthemic majesty of "Blood and Glory (Song for the U.K.)" to the pyrotechnics of "Iberian Jewel (Song for Spain") to understated grace ("Burning Rain [Song for Japan])." Only rarely do Vai's compositions fall victim to nationalist musical clichés. Vai's playing is as free and playful as ever, his often prodigious and tortured constructions undercut by stage banter that refreshingly mocks the very trappings of stardom his musical dedication has earned him. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprise: Vai out of the studio is still Vai!, July 9, 2001

By 

Shane Carey "badgerbadgerbadger" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alive in an Ultra World (Audio CD)

Listening to Steve Vai's solo CDs, one is struck by the layered guitar parts, the details tucked into every sonic crevasse, and one thinks: this must have taken months of time in the studio. Then you see him in concert, and, although it hardly seems possible that those five guys you see in front of you can be recreating that sound in real time -- especially when one of them is also mugging and bouncing around the stage the way Steve does -- there it is. And so you think: this must have taken months of rehearsal.

Then "Alive in an Ultra World" shows you what they can do with nothing more than a couple of soundchecks.

I can't agree with those who wish this had been a live retrospective. This band plays the old material so well and so faithfully that a traditional live album would be like listening to the original recording while standing in a crowd. It would be a shame, to me, never to get a document of this incredible live band, and these new songs, born and raised in the wild, belong to the band in a way that older material couldn't. It is unbelievable how good these guys can make a new song sound after just a couple of rehearsals, and how much of Vai's trademark sound remains without a studio-crafted reference document. Many players spend days at a time composing and perfecting solos as enjoyable as those Vai plays off the cuff in one take, two at the most. If the songs were composed in any more or less time than his previous efforts, it doesn't show: the melodies are strong, the arrangements well-formed. As for the wish that this material had been recorded in the studio, there's nothing I could say to dissuade the audiophiles, but Vai produces a better sound live than many get in the studio. The guitar tone is sweet, the instruments are audible and distinct, and I don't hear the music suffering in any way. I reserve a fifth star for the intense focus that I haven't heard in anything except "Passion and Warfare"; but this is certainly as honorable an addition to Steve's body of work as the last two releases. Out of the studio, Vai is still Vai.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent!!, May 29, 2002

By 

"ansquared" (Manhattan Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alive in an Ultra World (Audio CD)

Vai's compositions keep on getting better and better, and really give substance to his always stunning technique. Several albums ago, he seemed to have a "breakthrough" in his composing abilities, where he was able to really breathe life into his songs and create epic, almost life-changing masterpieces. "Whispering a Prayer" (Ireland) is definitely an example of this. I travel a lot, and often listen to both discs end to end while flying or walking through airports, and also while bike riding...this album is all about experiencing the world!! I was riding the commuter train in Los Angeles, and when "Being With You (in Paris)" came through the earphones, I was suddenly riding the Metropolitan in Paris!! Along with these songs, "Principessa" (Italy), "Brandos Costumes" (Portugal), "Blood and Glory" (England), and "Iberian Jewel" (Spain) are my favorites...I think he has the Western European styles mastered the best! This is my favorite Vai album thus far, and I have them all.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's a lot better than me., August 19, 2002

By 

Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alive in an Ultra World (Audio CD)

This just might be my favorite release of Steve Vai's many great ones. It's endlessly fun, adventurous, and the band is just so good! Not to mention the fact that Steve Vai's guitar tone is like sexual audio syrup.

_Alive in an Ultra World_ is a live album, but these aren't familiar Vai songs. These songs are all new, and all of them are based on a different country. Vai covers everything from Germany ("The Black Forest") to Slovenia (the title track). Expectedly, songs like "Blood and Glory" (Britain's song) and "Principessa" (for Italy) rely on common motifs ascribed to the appropriate nations. However, other songs are quite inventive. Portugal's song, "Brandos Costumes", is a beautiful little piece, amiable, sparkly, with a quiet, free-flowing energy. The song for Bulgaria, "Incantation", is an aggressively groovy rock piece with the requisite gypsy flavor -- not to mention a mad drum solo and guitar playing! "The Black Forest" is quaking and darkly celestial. The pop-flavored guitar rock with vocals (the title track and "Light of the Moon") are excellent, simple but loaded with hooks and more tasty musicianship. Japan's song, "Burning Rain", is intense at first, then renascent after a hazy slowdown.

"Devil's Food" is a delight, electrified with Vai's presence as a frontman and the band's spontaneous coolness. During a duet with acoustic guitar and piano, Vai breaks a string. While his assistant replaces it, Vai has the band perform all sorts of crazy things to pass the time. It has to be heard to be believed. The bass player's demonstration is just eerie! "Babushka" has a similar spirit. While trying to kick off into an energetic gypsy song, Vai finds that he is out of tune. As he corrects the problem, his band gets anxious and moves into a jazzy jam.

The variety is also amazing. Since Vai draws on so many different cultural influences (sometimes even ideas that don't seem to have much to do with the country), there's a great assortment of styles here. It's an album that will never get boring. It's like Amazing Guitar Songs World Tour.

Mike Mangini is a monster drummer. Of course, I knew this already but now I have an entirely new respect for the man, especially with his interplay with bassist Philip Bynoe. The rhythm section here is mighty!

The little things are nice too, like where Vai candidly points out all the edits to the live cuts in the liner notes, and his introduction to the album: "This is an indulgent compilation of music with many little guitar notes!" I like that kind of attitude.

Any fan of amazing musicianship with a good dose of plain ol' fun needs this disc.