Customer Reviews

Transcendental Sky Guitar

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a guitar solo junkie's paradise! Uli has definitely proven with this recording that he is one of the very elite electric guitarists on the planet. His custom made sky guitar easily covers the range from cello to violin as it has seven strings and over thirty frets. Anyone who has transcribed violin pieces (as I have) will appreciate this. It makes me wonder why more electric guitarists who dabble in classical have not had guitars with this kind of range made. TSG is a double CD of which the first is stronger in my opinion. The first is full of classical compositions ranging from Moussorgsky to Paganini. Uli's interpretations are powerful and unlike most other electric guitarists who have attempted classical, Uli is convincing. Uli sounds like someone who really loves classical and takes interpreting it seriously. Other electric guitarists tend to learn a few classical style patterns which they play over and over again without regard for proper interpretation, nuance, or dynamics. In contrast, Uli sounds as if he has spent years of mastering the nuances in minute detail. His use of vibrato, volume, different timbres (by way of wah, distortion, etc.), etc.really makes his playing the standard for this new, growing, and exciting genre of electric guitar. The way Uli uses bends, slides, volume swells, and vibrato at times makes him sound very close to a violin or an opera singer. My only minor complaints are the obvious editing on certain tracks and the less consistent second CD which has tracks which tend to wander aimlessly. But this is a great CD which any electric guitar fan should own. Uli 's playing is like Beethoven's soul in Hendrix's steroid pumped body. Even Yngwie can't touch this!

One of the unsung heros of the guitar puts his best foot foward with this two disc offering. He skillfully blends the art and beauty of some of the world's greates classical composers with the soul and energy of Jimi Hendrix. The result... a must have for anyone who loves music. If Roth has one weakness, it's his singing voice (though I like it, it is definately an acquired taste) - not to worry with this awesome set, as it is pure instrumental heaven.

I have been raised listening to Uli Roth, my little brother is actually named after him. His stuff with the Scorpions in the 1970's was way ahead of it's time, his solo work in the 80's was groundbreaking, but this is a whole new level.

Uli has taken pure classical music and fused it with the best of rock and blues. My personal favorite tracks were on The Dragon, which seemed more bluesy then the classically based Phoenix. If you have any appreciation for what possibilities the electric guitar hold, you will be blown away by where Uli has taken his instrument on this album.

I can't even begin to do this release justice in words... the playing is flawless, the compositions and arrangments beautiful, and overall, perfect. Buy it and play it over and over and over again... this is truly a musical journey for the body, mind, and soul.

The music on this cd left me gape jawed and extremely satisfied this is perhaps the most innovative guitar driven album since Friedman's "scenes" it captures your heart with intense blissful soundscapes that delve to the lowest parts of humanity to the highest parts of freedom it envelopes you with every note to give you recompence of reward a true musical journey for the new millenium of guitar albums please thank God today for creating ULI JON ROTH a pure musical genius! A talent not to be matched anywhere today! ULI is the guitar players, player, listen to him today this cd will change your perspective on life as well as music!!!

Uli Jon Roth...what can be better, herhaps a resurrected Antonio Vivaldi of our time? I don't know much about Uli Jon, but I do know enough about the history and his amazing guitar work. I started listening to some of his old stuff like "Electric Sun" from the late 70s-80s era and from then on I knew this was an extremely gifted, talented and educated musician. This album correlates to the stuff from Electric Sun, but with more depth due to the introduction of his custom built 7-stringed-31 scalloped fretted "Sky Guitar" capable of hitting higher octaves such as of the violin. The opening of "Sky Overture" is a dead giveaway of his signature sound and technique. The Vivaldi's "Tuona E Fulmina" and Mozart's "Ronda Alla Turka" is to proved that the impossible IS possible and he nailed it note-for-note with soaring violin-like (and piano) octaves on the guitar! This is an extraordinary album work, if permits, deserves more than 5 stars. He's a "textbook perfect" guitarist that plays it like his recordings which meant to be heard the way it should be and seldom improvise his stuff live...who else can pull all this...other than Uli Jon Roth?

What can I say about Uli? I have always loved listening to his guitar playing ever since he played on the Scorpion's "Fly to the Rainbow" album. This is a real nice 2-CD compilation of some of Uli's music over the past few years. There's a little bit of everything on these CD's; live recordings, Hendrix cover songs, R&B and jazz, new age and classical covers from Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, etc. If you like guitar instrumentals and like Uli I recommend purchasing these CD's.

THE GRANDMASTER OF NEO-CLASSICAL AXE MUSIC GIVES US 25 SELECTIONS OF VARIOUS STYLES ON HIS 7 STRING, 6 OCTAVE GUITAR. ONE CAN SEE WHERE VAN HALEN, RHOADS & MALMSTEEN GOT THEIR INSPIRATION FROM. COMBINING MOZART WITH HENDRIX IS WHERE ROTH LIVES AND BREATHES. AS HE GETS OLDER HE KEEPS REFINING HIS SOUND AND WE SHOULD THANK HIM FOR SINGING LESS THESE DAYS. ROTH LETS HIS EXPRESSIVE GUITAR DO THE TALKING FOR HIM ON THIS 2 DISC,PART LIVE/PART STUDIO RECORDING. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL GUITAR FANS.

This is an incredible album full of the very best guitar playing you will hear, ULI JON ROTH is a master guitar player pulling dinosaur death sounds (on the song "Hiroshima") AND beautiful leads, tones & melodies from his Sky Guitar!

Highly recommended, I bought TWO of these CD's from AMAZON, one for me and another for a friend, it is that good.

The 1st Cd is classical music and the 2nd CD is more rock oriented.

"Sky Overture", "Hiroshima", "Earthquake" & "Atlantis" are my favorites.

I have bought this album after my experience with Roth's most recent "Legends of Rock" live album, where the tracks like "All Along the Watchtower" was in the heaviest rotation in my car for months and I have bout quite a few of this double CD to my friends as presents.

BUT YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS "Transcendental Sky Guitar" album! Even if you've got 10,000 other CDs/LPs with every recording of world's every great musician, there's no chance this album leaves you cold. You may feel jealous if you're a fan of Blackmore. You may feel uncomfortable if you're a Clapton fan (yes- that man is slow!). But it's 110% true that you will keep this album as close to your heart as you can.

That's where great composition talents meets unmatched musical abilities. Roth is inviting for the journey through recent 5 centuries by means of his 7-string (!) Transcendential Sky Guitar, with compositions from Mozart, Vivaldi, Mussorgski, Paganini, Hendrix and Uli Jon Roth himself.

Guitar players: you can't miss this one!