Customer Reviews

Fire Garden

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What an album! Half instrumental, half vocal. "There's a Fire in the House" starts off this one in fine fashion and has been used by me to wake people up, as it starts off with an explosion! Very cool! Those with sub-woofers will definitely shake the rafters with this one. "The Crying Machine" is a feel-good song that is one of Steve's most mature-sounding ballads. "Whookam" and "The Mysterious Murder of Christian Tiera's Lover" are two strange, short numbers that help the album progress nicely. "Whookam" features Devin Townsend on vocals, who was the singer on Steve's full-on heavy metal album "Sex and Religion." "Bangkok," followed by "Fire Garden Suite" are my biggest reasons to recommend this album. This lead-in and suite are worth the full price alone. Steve plays eveything on these except drums and that includes guitars, bass, sitar, piano and a few other things besides. This is a true masterpiece and is, in my opinion, one of the most amazing pieces ever written. Very, very impressive! It is hard to describe how awesome this is. The flow is perfect, and so is the writing. I can't say enough about this song. Check it out! "All About Eve" is Steve's favorite vocal selection on this one, but mine is "Brother," a very heartfelt number that is similar to the Foo Fighter's "My Hero" in it's message. This is a very impressive album overall and should be displayed on mantlepieces as an example of modern genius in songwriting.

This was the first Steve Vai album that I ever heard. I only had to hear track one and I knew I had to have it. I really like his sound! Definitely cool stuff. I also own The Ultra Zone. That album is an interesting journey, and pretty far out at times. Consider both for your collection.

Tune by tune:
There's a Fire in the House: this is one of those wild, loud, frenetic, insane Vai things that's always fun to listen to but is unfortunately somewhat forgettable when compared to his most amazing work; (think "Answers" for instance: great tune, but no "For the Love of God"). Killer guitar solo, of coruse!

Crying Machine: Great sing-songy tune that's mostly guitar solo... ends with about a minute and a half of left channel right channel leads - very, very cool tune... amazing guitar work of course.

Dying Day: Vai instrumental power ballad... just as good as all the rest. Vai emotes so well with the guitar that it annoys me when some morons think blues guitarists with big bends display more emotion than guys like Vai. Vai just rips your insides out and leaves you gasping for air. This is one of those sorts of things.

Whookam: Just a little interlude thing; backwards masked... if you reverse it and listen it's quite homorous even if rather irreverent. It leads nicely into the next song and doesn't really stand on its own...

Blowfish: Another of those freakish Vai extravaganzas that, like Song 1, is excellent but somewhat forgettable compared to the rest.

Mysterious Murder of Christian Tiera's Lover: totally insane noisemaking that isn't so much a song as a lead-in to the next song...

Hand on Heart: The 7th song on the CD, Vai always goes for raw emotion in this spot and succeeds brilliantly. This song really runs the gamut of emotion - bleak loneliness, soaring highs, madness, etc... more evidence of his ability to assail emotional mountains that others don't even know exist. Brilliant!!!

Bangkok: Very cool eastern sounding thing; stands nicely on its own but could just as well be considered another movement in the Fire Garden Suite that follows.

Fire Garden Suite: Simply breathtaking... not only mind-boggling for the guitar parts, but for the sheer imagination of composition. This is where Vai beats all the rest in my opinion: his ability to compose the most amazing music around. There may be a few guys who can stay with him for technical proficiency (and that number is small enough), but then add in brilliant tunes like this, and he has no equal. This (along with the lead-in Bangkok) is some 12 minutes of sheer, mad brilliance. Perhaps THE SINGLE BEST THING I've ever heard out of Vai.

(OK, on to the vocal end of things. As we all know, Via isn't exactly Geoff Tate in terms of great vocal tone, but he is a perfectionist and he certainly hits the right notes everywhere. I like that he sings his own songs since that way it's basically "all Vai" which I think is better than having any external influence).

Little Alligator: This is just a fun, happy little tune that features plenty of crazed guitar, and as noted, just has a real happy, positive vibe about it. And is more catchy than some of Vai's other excursions.

All About Eve: Vocal power ballad... and powerful indeed - every bit as good as the other two ballads I already applauded. Very nicely sung by Vai, and the arrangement really fits together well.

Aching Hunger: Starts out with an insane guitar line... vocals get a little chaotic in the middle, but it's a vocal vision of our inner desires... and yeah, you all know the sort of vacation Vai can take you on along those lines. that's just what he does here.

Brother: An ode of sorts to his brother and father. Very powerful song: emotion packed and gut wrenching. Bravo!

Damn You: Lyrically not as up to par as the rest; vocally it's just fine and overall... even though it's not at all a bad song I'd say it's about the weakest on the CD.

When I was a Little Boy: Just a humorous little interlude - not actually a song at all... or a lead-in either. It's short, though, so not a bother.

Genocide: Lyrically another slightly weaker tune, but vocally OK... better than 'Damn You', though, and has a wicked guitar solo in there; the lyrics while not spectacular are also somewhat catchier than 'Damn You,' and are the feature piece in the song... you'll have to listen. Good song, but not what you'll buy the CD for.

Warm Regards: This is an instrumental ballad-ish sorta tune that's just as worthy of the 7th slot as 'Hand on Heart' (in other words, it's simply excellent!) But the title makes it a fitting album closer, and that's what it is!

Overall:
74 minutes or so of great stuff. While I hack on the occasional song here, there are none that I skip while listening: all are worthy of the minutes spent listening, and as is typical of Via, you're always hearing something new, even after YEARS of listening.

An amazing work by an amazing musician. A lot of people pigeonhole Steve Vai into being just another guitarist, a relic of the shred-happy '80s. But take another listen. Forget his stints in Alcatrazz and Whitesnake, forget that ridiculous triple-necked heart guitar that backed David Lee Roth, and listen to Vai's own music, made on his own terms. Yes, he is an incredibly talented guitarist, but he's also much more, a true modern-day composer. No matter how off-the-wall his songs seem, there's an amazing musical quality and deep spirituality that underscores every note in his truly amazing body of work. As for Fire Garden, it can't be adequately explained in a short review. The first phase is pure magic, especially the Fire Garden Suite. His lyrics are a little corny in some of the tracks in phase 2, but his voice, while not the most beautiful in the world, fits every song perfectly. In closing, this is an amazing album in both its scope and its execution, giving the listener a glimpse at the many sides of Steve Vai, the man. A definite must-have; I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a wonderful album. So much melody, so many twists and turns, so much fun.
If you're not already in love with this album, then I recommend for starters Track 7, Hand On Heart, and Track 18, Warm Regards. Play these three times in a row (at high volume, it should be obvious), and then you'll be dying to hear the rest of the album.
There's hardly anything detractive to say about Fire Garden. Hm, let's try hard: Well, Blowfish is a bit too distorted for my taste. Initially I found Little Alligator and All About Eve too grungy, but now I'm also fond of them. Whookam and the weenie story are funny for about ten runs; now I skip them, but that's ok.
Steve Vai is not a natural born singer like Robert Plant and Bono, but he's worked a lot on it (like with everything else he does, let's not forget), and he's become really good. (I just don't understand his detractors on this point.) I couldn't imagine anybody else singing on Brother (and not at all on his spellbinding Dying For Your Love on the album Real Illusions: Reflections).
What he does with his guitar is just beyond words.
The Crying Machine is a killer (as several other reviewers have noted).
He also has other excellent musicians playing along on particularly drums (and I guess John Kalodner does his job well again, whatever it is).
Listen for a while, and then stand in awe!

This is the real deal, people.
Believe me, you havent lived musically until you've sat down and listened to the combined genius of "Bangcock" and "The Fire Garden Suite" (the former i'm aware being a perviously existing peice of music whose title doesnt come to mind at the moment - Steve's arrangement of it will blow your socks off though). That's enough genius right there to make this album Steve's best, but wait, woah... theres more tracks - a LOT more!

If it's serious balls to the wall rock you want, this record's got it covered - if "There's A Fire In The House" or "Blowfish" don't get you at least tapping your feet, you must be tied down or something - seriously f#*@ing solid grooves.

I can't lie and say the whole album is great, but theres way less filler here than "Passion and Warfare" has; it's mostly the vocal tracks - not by virtue of Steve's performance (which is surprisingly good), it's just that some of the tunes arent that great to begin with.

Yep, good stuff.
Pay attention, kids...

I got it for $4.99, so not too much to complain about, a good value.
However, why should I care what you did with your weenie, and how old you were, or what you do with it now?! Cut it off if you like, or take Viagra if it's too small. Then write a song about it.
Too many noises, bees, fire engines, etc. I deleted half the songs, what's left gets 4/5, as it is the album gets 3/5.

well where do i start, this is one of my all-time favorite albums ever. basically i don't care who you are and what your tastes are, you're going to find something on it that you really like. this album is like a juxtaposition of some of vai's different sounds. everytime i listen to this cd i find a new favorite song.

This is the real deal, people.
Believe me, you havent lived musically until you've sat down and listened to the combined genius of "Bangcock" and "The Fire Garden Suite" (the former i'm aware being a perviously existing peice of music whose title doesnt come to mind at the moment - Steve's arrangement of it will blow your socks off though). That's enough genius right there to make this album Steve's best, but wait, woah... theres more tracks - a LOT more!

If it's serious balls to the wall rock you want, this record's got it covered - if "There's A Fire In The House" or "Blowfish" don't get you at least tapping your feet, you must be tied down or something - seriously f#*@ing solid grooves.

I can't lie and say the whole album is great, but theres way less filler here than "Passion and Warfare" has; it's mostly the vocal tracks - not by virtue of Steve's performance (which is surprisingly good), it's just that some of the tunes arent that great to begin with.

Yep, good stuff.
Pay attention, kids...

This is without a doubt, a fantastic investment in music.
For people who like NuMetal.... don't bother.

A CD like this is for people who appreciate sophistacated music.
I hear new something new everytime I play it. Steve Vai has a real talent for layering his music in interesting ways.
It makes it interesting to listen time after time and allows it to never become tiresome or worn out.

It's really a shame more people don't take the time to appreciate how talented a musician he is.

On the other hand, it almost feels like you're part of an exclusive and priveledged club to be aware of how great his music is.......
Purchase this. You'll definitely enjoy the experience.