Engines of Creation [Super Audio CD - DSD]

Joe Satriani | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Please Note: Requires SACD-compatible hardware
• Original Release Date: March 14, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Super Audio CD - DSD
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00004SGNO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (169 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,886 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Devil's Slide

2. Flavor Crystal 7

3. Borg Sex

4. Until We Say Goodbye

5. Attack

6. Champagne?

7. Clouds Race Across the Sky

8. The Power Cosmic 2000, Pt. 1

9. The Power Cosmic 2000, Pt. 2

10. Slow and Easy

11. Engines of Creation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new sound, but still the same old Satriani, March 17, 2000

By 

Peter Grashoff (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engines of Creation (Audio CD)

This new release is again different from his other masterpieces. At first, it sounds a bit strange with all those techno drum ryhtms and synthesizers. For me personally, I had to get used to almost all Satriani CD's, since his music is not that easy listening like most popular top 40 hits. Joe's music is much more complex than regular "top 40" songs with extremely melodic and detailed guitar playing. The main strenght of his instrumental work is the melody, which is so present that you won't even miss vocals. The same story for this CD. The style of the tracks on it varies a lot. The first 3 are very techno rythm orientated, number 4 is a classic brilliant song in the style of Always with me ... Always with you. It is also the only one with a full band. Number 5 is a song with lots of "noisy" techno influences, but it also contains one of the most sensitive guitar melodies on the album, which gives it a great contrast. Number 6 reminds me of his Joe Satriani album and Jeff Becks recent work. Track 7 is very relaxing, number 8 a great intermezzo/intro that changes in my personal favorite track 9 (Power Cosmic-PartII). Track 10 is again a very sensitive relaxed song with a harmonizer effect on his guitar. Finally, track 11, the title track, is a worthy end of album song. The only thing I dislike about the album is it's length. 53 minutes is way to short!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENGINES OF CREATION: Satriani's engine in overdrive!, May 21, 2000

By 

Alric Knebel (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Engines of Creation (Audio CD)

ENGINES OF CREATION is another amazing addition to Joe Satriani's canon of cutting-edge creativity. Dismissing the detractors outright, I consider this CD the next logical step for Satriani afte CRYSTAL PLANET. The liner notes on that CD credit Eric Caudieux with keyboards and programming, and on ENGINES OF CREATION, Caudieux shares arrangement credits with Satriani. So whatever went on between them during their previous enterprise effloresced into this new excursion. Once you're aware of this, you appreciate Satriani's bold progression, and if you're a true fan, you'll release the artist from the limitations of your own narrow preconceptions. Granted, the first time you hear it, it startles you, and what some of the other reviewers have said is true, but the context of their remarks is erroneous and too general. A more accurate broad-stroked description of the content of EoC would be more like "Nine Inch Nails collides with Vangelis," a melding conducive to some very futuristic creations. While the electronic drums and synthesizers appear to be the salient feature of the music, this perception is merely the product of your surprise during that first listen. You have to listen again. The electronic enhancements are intertwined with the guitar music, both elements forming an upwardly-spiraling double helix, a ladder inviting us to climb with Satriani into his newest realms. In the end, the guitar edges out the synthesizers, with leads as piercing as ever, sometimes more so, as if Satriani is driven to invent the state-of-the-art instruments required for consciousness-altering laser surgery. To say as one reviewer did that Satriani improvises over a programmed and synthesized background oversimplifies this work. This is by no means a plain album exploiting some trend toward "electronica." These creations are a product of Satriani going where his creativity dictates he go in order to stay fresh, to himself and to his fans. It works, and it works very well, a Grammy-deserving accomplishment.

As is the case in most of Satriani's previous albums, the first track is selected to shatter your complacency, and "Devil's Slide" is a monster assault on your expectations. It begins with sizzling synthesized notes, a deceptive melody interrupted by a sinister jackhammer lead. You can liken the experience to being ambushed and machine-gunned by the invader from a violent video game. Despite this awesome introduction to new dimensions, it was the third track, "Borg Sex," that inspired my deeper appreciation for this collection. The distinct characteristic in this piece is the dialogue established between two distinct riffs. The first is a two-chorded growl, answered by a single-chorded, string-bent wail, and the exchange quickens in tempo until it reaches a rhythmic crescendo, then shifts to a sustained, sailing release. This is only the strongest element to this song; the song is filled with other sounds that feed and weave around this dialogue. It's an incredible composition.

The fourth track, "Until We Say Goodbye," the bluesiest piece on the CD, is traditional in conception except for the addition of the synthesizer, proving that even on a stainless steel landscape a man still needs to weep. Satriani's guitar work here comprises one of the most wrenchingly beautiful pieces he's ever written, while in the distant background single synthesized notes fall like shooting stars, implying the pining away for a love receding into the horizon. A more hi-tech blues number is the track "Slow and Easy," which includes electronic wind and ominous single-note whirs, conjuring the image of sci-fi melancholy.

I see ENGINES OF CREATION as an extension to CRYSTAL PLANET. Don't let the naysayers influence you into dismissing this album as a failed experiment. It is a fully-realized work and it belongs in the collection of any true Satriani fan. It bears all of the originality of Satch at his creative finest. And those of you who think the album lacks guitar need to listen again. It's full of guitar work, so listen to it again and again until you break through your own biases of what you think a Satriani creation should be. This man is a composer, and he's currently invading the landscapes created by the likes of Vangelis and Tomita, but adding a rock guitar twist.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most exciting Satriani album to date, March 15, 2000

By 

Dave - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engines of Creation (Audio CD)

Yes, this album takes a little getting used to. And Satch is sure to upset some of his most die-hard fans by taking this new direction. However, if you really give it a chance, you'll find that Engines of Creation is full of fresh new ideas and amazing technique. And even with all the drum machines and high-tech wizardry, you can still tell that it's Joe. I can't count how many times I listened to the CD on loop yesterday after buying it, and I'm not even a fan of "techno" at all. This album is not for those looking for a "safe" album where you know exactly what you're getting before you buy it. Joe is not content with re-packaging the same material and duping fans into buying it as a "new" album, as he's shown time and time again - most notably with his self-titled blues-oriented album that at least initially disturbed many fans, including me. Now it's one of my favorite albums. The Silver Surfer has proved once again that he is the master of the six-string.