Customer Reviews

Michael Lee Firkins

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD shows clearly what Michael Lee Firkins is made of, which is an exceptionally gifted guitar player with a fabulous fingertechnique. Furthermore, he also shows that he is able to play an amazing variety of styles of music. He knows how to write songs that will leave you breathless after first time listening and will keep on lingering in your brain forever. A must for anyone who likes guitar music. By the way, this CD is totally free of long winding, egotripping guitar solos.

There are so many stupidly superb guitarists out there who have cut shred-a-thons that the genre can easily become a bit of a caricature of itself, and doubtless many fans will come here looking for the same.

But this is the album that rises way above that genre. Sixteen years after its release it stills sounds fresh and vibrant because Firkins made a mini-epic of each track. Not only is each tune a rollercoaster ride, but the solo has also been painstakingly put together so that there is each and every time a firey climax guaranteed to give goosebumps.

Essential six-string listening...

I first songs from this CD when I was at the Planetarium in L.A. "The Sargasso Sea" came over the sound system and I had to ask the guy what this was. I went out and bought it immediately and turned it on to all of my guitar worshiping friends. This is really good music for both musicians and non-musicians as well. His other albums are good, but this one will always be my favorite. You should buy this for any guitar players that you know, they would really wear it out.......

He is with out a doubt one of the few great players to survive the guitar hero dynasty of the 80's. This being his first CD is stellar and still holds up today 9 years later. This is clearly a must have for any guitar player. Check out his hot lick video as well.....mind bogglin!!!

Great instrumental album. I can't believe this guy is so unknown. Nice balance of bluesy & a little shred seasoned occasonally with a little country.

as many chops as the best and an uncanny ear for melodie makes this cd stand out from the crowd. Excellent compositions and a georgous tone plus techniques unique to FIRKINS makes this a must have for any fans of VI / HOEY / SATRIANI etc. This is their equal for chops and is more inventive then a lot of other offerings in this genre. Above all else it's a pleasure to listen to and has plenty of jawdropping moments.

This was the title of the first article I read about Michael in the eighties. It was in the Guitar Player magazine. I tought "three right hands"? What are they meaning? So I read on and I discovered that they meant that Michael could use his right hand with a dexterity so high that you can think he had three hands going on on the guitar's body (left hand is on the neck). This happens because Michael is able to use the pick, the fingers and the whammy bar at the same time wih his right hand generating an incredible array of sounds, great slide effects and incredibly clean shred chops. Later on I did buy his first record, this one (and more later I did buy every album he recorded). When I listened to it for the first time I was immediatly floored. His sound and his music, his compositions floored me more than his technique, which by the way is outstanding. This album after so many years remains one of the ones I love the most in the genre considering it instrumental guitar music. Michael's music is a blend of south blues rock oriented music mixed with shred techniques and solos. The intensity he is able to build as a player is unbelievable. His sound is fantastic, he can play magnificiently with his right hand but also with the pick and be incredibly clean in distorted scales, arpeggios and licks. But what I really want to say to you is that Michael is fantastic more than everything else as a songwriter (and this statement means a lot in the case of a technician of the Michael's stature believe me). His music is not a futile display of virtuosity. His albums are about music, compositions, something you can't say of a lot of guitar players. This first album of his is phenomenal, probably it is still his best. It is way better than the 99% of shred guitar albums, Vai, Satriani and Yngwie included. And it has a special place in my 7000 cds collection which is full of masterpieces from any era. Another exceptional gem from Michael is "chapter eleven". I REALLY suggest the purchase of both albums. Michael is a TRUE master!!! A true MASTER MUSICIAN, COMPOSER and a TRUE MASTER GUITAR PLAYER.

Yeah, this guy is one of the most good taste players ever!!! I was listenig to the algum "Guitar Battle" - tones of guitar players in the same songs - and he won that battle! With a few , but perfect notes, he can build a road to heaven... This man is THE man who create the tecnique called "slide-guitar-without-a-slide" (just a joke :) This album is the first album ever made with someone playing in this way...and I must say that is just perfect!! Buy it NOW!!! Look for his very special appearence in the Jason Bbecker's Perspective album - Michael played a concerto on it...it's the most beautiful guitar song I ever listened...TRUE!!!

This album is exceptional from start to finish. Michael has encompassed all of his techniques in a wide array of genre's, including Rock, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass and more. All his compositions are extremely tasteful and recorded very well. I find alot of late 80's guitar albums are very poorly recorded, but it's not the case. A must have for any musician. 10 out of 10!