Is There Love in Space?

Joe Satriani | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 13, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epic Records
• ASIN: B0001XAMOA
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,599 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Japanese edition of the acclaimed guitarist's ninth album includes the bonus track 'Dog Crown Earrings'. Epic. 2004. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Peaking..., February 12, 2006

By 

C. Shaw (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Is There Love in Space? (Audio CD)

All one can EVER say of Joe Satriani is...Wow. After all this time, as so many "guitar heros" have come and gone...along with big hair, grunge, heavy metal, industrial, and all the other labels which have at times been dominating -- but never lasting -- aspects of what passes for rock...Satch remains the undisputed king of technical, melodic guitar music. Eddie Van Halen invented a sound and style that are as recognizable as his face -- as did Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton, Beck, Page, Hendrix, Zappa, Iommi and too may other greats to list. But in my opinion (and 13 years of guitar playing), there is simply no one who has ever played with such melodic, beautiful proficiency.
"Is There Love In Space?", "If I Could Fly", and "Searching" are all uniquely different styles and 'feel' of songs, yet each is totally Satch. The latter is probably my favorite song on the album, but as with each album he's done, you never dislike songs...only favor some more than others. In my mind, very few artists create music of such consistently good quality. I literally put him up there with the Stones, Zeppelin, and that small few of others who produced nary a bad song.
More proof of his talent, I have NEVER seen anyone play live who sounded as true to their 'studio' sound. No overdubbing, 35 takes, digital processing...just his fingers, his Ibanez, and a 12" Mesa Boogie and digital delay pedal.
Least anyone forget, this is the man who "taught" Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett, and several other notables how to play. That's right, he was their guitar teacher when he was just a studio player, long before people who he'd for many years played studio guitar for convinced him that he HAD to cut an album.
For those who would dismiss him as a 'technical guitar stuntman,' I beg you to listen longer. Steve Vai, Ynvie Malmstein, Vinnie Vincent...these are stuntmen, who while technically proficient lack real musicality, in the sense that you never really sit down and listen to an entire Vai album on a rainy day. It just makes for great "WOW" fodder for teenage boys who think fast fingers are the essence of great guitar.
Please give this album a listen. It can join "Flying In A Blue Dream," "Surfing With The Alien," the "Red Album," and his best, "Crystal Planet" as your begin your PHD in great guitar-driven music.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satch boogies on, July 27, 2004

By 

John Terry "musiclikerguy" (Kansas City, Mo) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Is There Love in Space? (Audio CD)

Guitar hero Joe Satriani returns with what might be his best album since "Surfing With The Alien". Now in his late forties, Joe started out teaching guitar with students such as Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett and Charlie Hunter. Vai scored a gig with with David Lee Roth and praised his teacher and the rest is history. "Is There Love In Space" is simple, satisfying Satriani. Free of gimmickry, Joe just burns from start to finish. It's a myth that guitar instrumental albums are just for other guitar players. This is just great rock and roll and belongs in anybody's collection who appreciates an incredibly talented musician. Thanks Joe!

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Satch, if a little too familiar, January 27, 2005

By 

spiral_mind (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Is There Love in Space? (Audio CD)

So here we go again. There's a lot to like in the overall Satriani sound - hard-rocking guitar pyrotechnics, bright driving melodies, and.. well.. more guitar pyrotechnics. He hasn't learned how to make the instrumental technique serve the song the way Steve Morse does in the same genre (and doesn't quite have the same good ear for composition), but the string-bending isn't too overbearing either, so the melodic element is never buried (though it can be overridden in spots). I was pleasantly surprised to hear him incorporating some new elements like electronica with Engines of Creation and Strange Beautiful Music. His latest offering Is There Love In Space?, however, backpedals to the basic if consistently solid straight-guitar-rock approach of Surfing with the Alien and Crystal Planet. I'd almost say Joe's returning to his roots, except that he never really left.

That being said, of course it's still a fun sunny ride. And it does really get off the ground in spots, e.g. the gorgeous soaring "If I Could Fly" or the down-and-dirty "Souls of Distortion," which are to the ears what tangy candy is to the taste buds. Satch nicely keeps the needless-flash factor in check; sometimes he still can't resist the urge to show off in a small flurry of 128th notes, but as on SBM, there's a more restrained touch to the fretwork that helps the songs immensely. "Searching" and "Bamboo" get some good points for really taking the texture-over-shred road with some impressive results. If the writing on the rest of the disc slips into basic blues mode a little too often, as in the two vocal numbers especially, those are still some mighty impressive highlights.

I dock ITLiS a star since as fun and energizing as this ride is, it's still one we've been on several times before. But otherwise that's no reason not to crank up to high-octane-cruising levels and enjoy. Space? rocks hard, the level of melodic skill and guitar wizardry is never in question, and if you're happy with that (as I am most of the time), it's well worth adding to your shelves.