Sex & Religion [Import]

Steve Vai, Vai | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000074PU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,108,296 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. An Earth Dweller's Return

2. Here & Now

3. In My Dream With You

4. Still My Bleeding Heart

5. Sex & Religion

6. Dirty Black Hole

7. Touching Tongues

8. Just Cartilage

9. State Of Grace

10. Survive

11. Pig

12. Road To Mt. Calvary

13. Down Deep Into The Pain

14. Rescue Me Or Bury Me

Editorial Reviews

Japanese pressing of 1993 album, scheduled to include one bonus track. CBS. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps Vai's best effort but still pretty mediocre, November 30, 2004

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex & Religion (Audio CD)

Sex & Religion is in my opinion the best thing Steve Vai has released as a 'solo' artist. Most of his fans tend to diss this record because it isn't as 'wicked' as Passion and Warfare or as 'deep' as Fire Garden. I bought my first Steve Vai album in March 1991 and over the last 13+ years I never really liked his music. He has excellent technique and is a virtuoso in every sense of the word but his songwriting has never appealed to me for some reason. Not to mention his tone, his production and his song arrangements. The guy has excellent prowess over his instrument but his choice of notes does nothing for me.

This is the reason why I think Sex & Religion contains some of his best moments as a 'solo' artist. This was released under the VAI moniker instead of Steve Vai because initial plans were to put together a band with competitive players like Terry Bozzio, T.M. Stevens and Devin Townsend where each musician could contribute their ideas and talents in a healthy exchange. Isn't that the point of forming a band anyway? There needs to be unconditional acceptance of everybody else's contribution. Obviously Vai was not ready for that kind of commitment. He wasn't ready to sacrifice his own 'quirky' songwriting attitude in order to write songs together with the rest of the amazing singers on the bill. He himself admitted this years later and seemed to regret it greatly. Well, too bad -- cause the album begins to drag horribly after the first 7-8 tracks and it turns into this Steve Vai solo project with amazing players merely backing him up, rather than adding something unique to the mold of the songcraft.

I've always considered Sex & Religion to be an album with some of the most amazing musicians coming together to play some of the most mediocre music ever. It's a shame Vai didn't make better use of the amazing Terry Bozzio's godly drum work. As I said, the album has a great beginning introducing the 19-year-old Devin Townsend on vocals with his mesmerizing vocal delivery. He shines on each and every track he appears on, but the lead choruses on "Here & Now", "Still My Bleeding Heart" and the title track are particularly overwhelming. It is he for the most part who makes this album a worthwhile effort. The first seven songs sound more like a band effort where each musician contributes their performance expertise. With the popular "Touching Tongues", however, the albums begins to move on a different musical path, thus utilising Vai's quirky soundscapes. He begins to experiment with more and more different styles and soon the songs lose their momentum and turn into lifeless chunks of riffs with poorly composed melodies. The guitar tone, though better than other Vai releases (with the exception of Fire Garden perhaps), is pretty thin and watery.

Although "State of Grace" is a nice instrumental it also seems to me that Vai would have done much better if he just finished the album at around 10 tracks instead of coming up with songs like "Pig", "The Road to Mt. Calvary" and "Down Deep into the Pain". While "Survive" and the last track "Rescue Me Or Bury Me" offer some quality musicianship the good ideas on these tracks could have been combined in hopes of creating a single, yet more powerful song. "Pig" is perhaps the most horrendous song on the record and it gives me the creeps. It's the epitome of a Steve Vai track with random and incoherent structure, weird (pig) noises and a lousy guitar that drones on forever. The rest of the songs are merely a noisy, chaotic and murky mess lacking dynamics and power. Apart from the run-out (tap) solo in "Rescue Me or Bury Me" the song sounds simply uninspired and forgettable. Though the back-up guys are competent, they are extremely limited because Vai wouldn't give them any creative input. It's best to check out their solo efforts (Bozzio Leven Stevens, Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad).

Lead singer Devin Townsend is one of the most amazing and uniquely talented souls making music as Vai himself admits. Unfortunately very little of his true brilliance comes through on S&R. Be sure to check out his solo albums (Terria and Ocean Machine would be good starting points) and discover the genius in his songwriting not to mention his otherworldly vocal ability. Overall, this album is good, but only by Steve Vai's standards. It's by no means essential listening but does contain some amazing moments such as Townsend's killer vocal melody in "Touching Tongues", Bozzio's awesome cymbal work on the title track and Stevens' bizarre and groovy bass lines through the entire album. Steve Vai? Well, you probably already know.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Vai's hit and miss "band", October 3, 2005

By 

LM BUTCHER (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex & Religion (Audio CD)

The theme, sex and religion, is pure Steve Vai -- and something I don't think he'll ever tire of exploring or expressing. I would say Vai makes better vocal music when he's a hired gun (e.g David Lee Roth etc) but in recruiting a young Devin Townsend he picked an almost equal to himself. Some may disagree but how anyone can remain more salient over Vai in a recording studio is anybody's guess. Devin Townsend is an extremely insightful and intelligent musician in his own right and when he's not writing his own parts things are bound to suffer, therefore; the results are a little mixed. The musicianship overall however, is not - this is absolutely stellar. And herein lies my biggest criticism: it's not what you hear but rather what you *don't* hear. With a line-up including Terry Bozzio on drums and TM Stevens on bass, it's a crying shame this wasn't more of the "band project" Vai lead us to believe. The demon-fingered one pens virtually every song (music and lyrics) and although each band member puts their own distinct stamp on things, the collaborative aspect is ultimately lost. For guitarists however, there's some great stuff to get your teeth into - "Here and Now", "Still my Bleeding Heart" (cool solo tone!) and "Rescue me or Bury Me" are particular standouts. But there's also some nonsense too, so be warned. Bottom line is that this album doesn't leave you wanting more, which is a shame, because on paper, this line-up of musicians promises the Earth.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steve Vai - Rock's Wizard of Odds, July 12, 2001

By 

Mike Lynes (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sex & Religion (Audio CD)

Steve Vai is Steve Vai, not [other people]. The intensity and uniqueness of Steve's music, especially this album, defies categorization. With Sex and Religion, Steve courageously transports his listeners beyond the surface and deep inside the human heart - in all its glory and ignominy - and paints us an unabashed, wide-eyed portrait while giving us some of his most interestingly intense musical expressions along the way.

As Steve's recordings go, this one is especially weird but that's EXACTLY why genuine Vai fans will love this. He's unique and eclectic and his music reflects this. Devin Townsend is the only vocalist on the planet that could have adequately given voice to Steve's vision for this album and while his voice is not my favorite, it is nonetheless a perfect fit to Steve's intense, unapologetic, pure musical genius. From the opening glass shattering through the last notes of "Rescue Me or Bury Me", Steve takes you on a musical journey of unparalleled intensity - he even includes audio from his son Julian's birth, probably his own most intense spiritual experience - hence this is not for shallow-minded [people] who lack the capacity to listen past the surface.

As a guitarist myself, I stand in humble awe of his incredible talent, creativity, and genuine eccentricity. Most geniuses border upon madness and Steve [turn] it up all the way, and hold on for dear life because Steve is going to completely blow your mind!!....