Customer Reviews

Live in San Francisco

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was somewhat apprehensive of buying this double CD set, being a huge Satch fan but was never quite satisfied with how his live recordings (3 tracks from Dreaming #11 and disc 2 of the Time Machine double CD set) turned out. However, this new recording haven't left my CD player since I bought it last week, it was such a joy to listen to, and you can tell the band likewise was on fire and having a blast playing the music. Joe was cutting loose and took some liberty re-inventing his material without making the songs unrecognizable, while the rest of the band followed closely even though Joe's playing can be really unpredictable sometimes, a testament to the talent of the musicians involved.

This was recorded during Satriani's "Engines of Creation" tour, which I had the pleasure of attending one of the shows. The songs presented were a balanced mix of exciting, recently recorded songs and the always crowd-pleasing "greatest hits" from his earlier albums. Quality of recording is great, unlike a great number of live recordings released by rock musicians. Personally, I am very pleased with the set list, which happens to be influenced by fans who vists Joe's website, who were given the opportunity to design their own set lists. Except for 1 song that I didn't really care for (hint: it had less notes per second than other songs, but that's not really the reason I disliked the song), the remaining 24 tracks simply made life more enjoyable while listening to them.

This double CD set belongs in any Joe Satriani fan's collection, especially if you did not like his previous live recordings too much, because this one is different in the sense that the playing was more organic and less of a literal recital of the recorded versions. While you are at it, get the DVD as well. I didn't realize there was a DVD version until I heard Joe mention about it between songs. It will be amazing to see the fireworks his lightning fingers are capable of setting off on the fretboard, even though at the end of the day it's the music counts, and Joe delivers on that front ten-fold as well. Sure, he could play less notes and "go for the feeling", but why does he need to slow down when the feeling is already there in the music?

Last but not least, for people who have never been to a Satch concert: the crowd was NOT booing after the bass solo or when Joe referred to him, they were actually worshipping him and yelling out the bassist's name, Stu! Definitely check out Stu Hamm's solo recordings if you haven't done so already, Satch fans usually find his music excellent as well.

Where did this come from? I consider myself a big Satriani fan, although I didn't even know this was coming out, and there's a DVD for the same concert! I guess I wasn't paying attention, but what counts is that this album caught my eye when I slid into the record store to shuffle through the bargain bin (which sometimes holds inconspicuous treasures). Naturally, I made the purchase, and was later blown away by the great performance captured on these two discs.

The power of Satch's infectious, virtuoso music is caught so effectively here, thanks in part to Eric Caudieux contributing the rhythm guitar section, which was often a neglected factor of Satch's live shows. The techno element of the Engines of Creation songs is buried under a raw, robust performance, so if you didn't like the last album, you'll probably love the iterations of its songs compiled here (which consumes a chunk of Disc 1.) Stu Hamm's compelling bass occupies a big space in the mix, which is cool because although Joe's arresting virtuosity is the highlight, his songs are often anchored to cool bass lines. An enjoyable solo spot also underscores Hamm's tasteful ability, where he integrates a quote from Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and really gets the crowd going with some galloping grooves.

"Time" can be forgiven as a somewhat tepid opener (great song, though), for it segues into the aggressive attack of "Devil's Slide," which blisters with intensity and sounds more visceral with real drums and a speedier take on the song's big crunchy riff. From there, the song selection is great, covering almost 150 minutes of Satch songs, from concert staples "Satch Boogie," "Summer Song," and "Surfing with the Alien" to newer tunes like the beautiful "Until We Say Goodbye," the quirky, sparkling "Borg Sex," and the dynamic, sizzling "Crystal Planet" (with a cool piano intro). Joe's hairpin soloing is often embellished live, so keep an ear open for elaboration, and he has fun with the crowd too. All the songs are treated with a favorable production that effectively balances clarity with rawness, and each song is performed awesomely. I would have liked to hear "Up in the Sky," because it's probably a smokin' live song (it'd be a good opener), and I wish he'd perform "Motorcycle Driver," because it's one of my favorites, but those are wishes, not detriments. Buy this...it just might become the most listened to Satriani album in your collection.

I can't deny that I love instrumental rock guitar, Joe Satriani being one of my personal favorites, so his new live CD was a no-brainer purchase for me. However, being spoiled by his previous double live record, Time Machine, I was expecting early Satch technique. Nowadays, he has gone a lot more experimental, gone the so-called "feeling" route, favoring expression in lieu of flawless performance, one of his best early traits. The result is a mixed bag: I like the new life he infuses into some old classics, such as Summer Song and Always With Me, Always With You (My all-time Satriani favorite), but whenever you break old structures, you make sacrifices, which don't always sit well with those familiarized with the old versions. Still, there's more than enough here to please both old-school and new Satriani fans, with songs from both his old and new facets, with a great band and good sound. For the Satch-head, a must have. For the new fan, I'd suggest checking out his previous live effort, Time Machine, so you can truly witness Satriani's evolution.

When it comes to modern rock guitar heroes, one of the first that comes to mind is Joe Satriani. Satch just released a new double CD, titled Live in San Francisco. Disc one rocks out for the most part, while the second disc covers more of a melodic, multi-textured mode. As youd expect, the musicianship from everyone in the band is stellar, from the opening notes of Time thru the end of Rubina at the close of disc two.

Recorded over two nights in December 2000, Satriani covers material from his entire catalog on the new album. When you hear the blistering renditions of classic cuts like The Crush of Love and Satchs Boogie, its clear that he doesnt tire of playing the older material either. Instead, he effectively breathes new life into each note. At the end of Borg Sex, the controlled feedback signals the intro to a beautifully executed version of Flying In A Blue Dream. The extended Summer Song is awe-inspiring. It doesnt seem to matter how many times he plays this song; it just keeps getting better.

Disc two finds Satriani and his band dabbling in more textures than the first disc. Blues, ballads & bass solos--theyre all here. Stuart Hamm turns in the first of two bass solos on Raspberry Jam, and then comes to the forefront (and even throws in a bit of Beethovens "Moonlight Sonata") on the cleverly titled Bass Solo. The ballads, Love Thing and Always With Me, Always With You are absolutely gorgeous. Its amazing to hear Satriani expertly tackle songs like this, and then rock out on tracks like Big Bad Moon or Surfing With the Alien.

Satrianis playing has gotten a bit looser lately, favoring passion and expression over perfection and speed, and the results are much more enjoyable. Ill take passion over perfection any day. At a full two and a half hours, theres plenty of material here to please both new fans and old. Anyone who has ever witnessed a Satriani show will tell you that hes at his best on stage, and Live in San Francisco captures that feeling perfectly.

I'm a huge Satch fan, first hearing Surfing in the 80s then picking up every album/video is his career. He's truly one of a kind, and a great live performer. I've seen him three times, and will see him on the G3 tour this summer.

This is a great live CD set (although I'm more excited about the upcoming DVD release). It's a great collection of songs, with a solid mix from all of his albums. And while it sounds great, for Satch fans we've heard this before. Two live albums have been released in recent years which feature a lot of these songs, and there's not much difference in them. There are songs I've yet to see him play (Echo, Lords of Karma) that I wish he'd throw in the set. It's getting to the point where he's quite predictable; you know all the licks by heart, and that's what he's going to play. Mind you he plays them better than anyone, but he doesn't surprise you. Do some covers, play more obscure songs, play the banjo, something to shake up the standards.

I also wish he was more personable on the album. I had the opportunity to meet him at a record signing. What a great guy! Talking to him for three minutes was a true highlight, and he's quite intelligent. I wish that side would come out more in his concerts. (The DVD should have behind-the-scenes footage.)

Mind you these are my observations, but this would've been 5 stars with these inclusions, IMHO. (Because he included "Time" I'll give him 4 1/2 stars!). This is a perfect CD for the summer!

I love this album and would actually suggest it over the electric Satriani anthology, but after seeing his "An Evening With Joe Satriani" live show at the Fillmore I was expecting more from this performance. I guess these sound to much like the recorded studio tracks. During other live performances he has basically gone crazy with 20 or 30 minute jams and had improvisations in just about every song. I was especially disappointed with Always With Me, Always With You which he turned into an amazing 6-10 minute song on his latest tour by adding a huge and excellent new section at the end. On this it is just the basic song. Many other songs are the same way. Perhaps he had to conform more to his normal playing because they were filming it. I don't know.

For anyone looking for a door into the wonderful world of Joe Satriani. (The trainer of such guitar virtuosos as Steve Vai, John Petrucci of Dream Theater, and Kirk Hammet of Metallica) this may be the best place to start. First off it covers the best material from every studio album Satch ever released, and offers a wide ranging template of the stylistic boundaries he has crossed along the way, from hard rock (Surfing with the Alien, Devil's Crush) to pop ballads (Always with me Always with You, The Crush of Love) to blues (Satch Boogie) to jazz (Cool #9), hitting on each one with note-perfect precision, composition and (most importantly) originality. The one complaint of mine though is the surprising lack of material from his peak self titiled studio album, which contained stunning Clapton/McGlaughlin style blues workouts, in favor of his '80s style albums.

Second off, like all great guitarists from Son House of the '30s and onward, there is no comparing Satriani's studio albums to his live performances. On the live stage, he has an outrageous and inexhaustible level of energy and intensity that brings otherwise flat album tracks such as Borg Sex and Rasberry Jam to life.

Third off is the backing band, which is in prime form. Stu Hamm is one of the finest bass players alive today, and his bass solo on disc two is a rare one that is not a mundane distraction while the rest of the band takes a break. Very solid band that gives Satch the perfect stage to break less.

Lastly, the sound is pitch perfect. Close your eyes and you're at the Fillmore, it is just that believable. Kudos to the engineers on this one.

I don't have that much more to say, except that (contrary to the brainless critic above) this has some of the most soleful playing on a rock album since the days of Hendrix and Jeff Beck, and it deserves a place right alongside the greatest of guitarists on your rack. (Note: great DVD out too of this performance)

This is a great live set, I recommend it for any Satch fan, but would suggest a person who hasn't heard Satch yet to go and buy some of his studio albums first. One thing I really loved about this was that he took three "Engines of Creation" songs (borg sex, devil's slide, until we say goodbye) and 'instrumentalized' them so that they fit into the concert instead of the usual techno backing sound they have. Its great to compare these songs to the studio versions, and listening to this before/after listening to the live album "Time Machine" is great too.

Joe Satriani is quite talented in my opinion and don't think he gets the respect he deserves. Possibly since instrumental guitarists are not as popular as singing groups yet you can put him up there with some of the greats of today and yesterday. He seems to have a sound all his own that can have inspired, moving or even dancing. If you are not familiar with him, check out this set or 'Live in Paris' to discover his talent.

Peter J. Miller
peterjoemiller@gmail.com

I'm a fan of most of JS' work, but i always wondered if he could pull off his well-polished sounds live. Well, he sure as hell can. This album sounds great, and JS infuses new life into each, so you're definitely not listening to the album versions note-for-note. On the the other hand, there's no boring noodling/filler material. Great album, and with it being live, very crank-worthy.