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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ah, complete control over vibrational radiance., July 1, 2007
It wouldn't be accurate to call this a live album. It's really more like an album that was recorded (mostly) in front of a live audience and HEAVILY edited. It sounds like a live album, though. Basically, Steve Vai has taken seven complete performances and, for each section, phrase, or sometimes even single note of all seventeen songs, chosen the most perfect of the seven. He then pasted all of these most favorable parts together to make one perfect whole. This is especially remarkable considering that Steve had to deal with the different sound ambiences of different venues.
In the liner notes, Steve writes that the two-part piece "Frangelica" has hundreds of edits, while other tracks (he doesn't specify which ones) have very few. It's fascinating reading how he carefully listened to each note of each instrument and replaced any less-desirable notes with notes from other performances or even from other sections of music. In some cases, when no "right notes" (defined by Steve as notes that were played with the correct pitch, phrase, confidence, and attitude) were available, he would try to "re-fabricate" the notes in the studio or take them out altogether. Only perfection is heard on this album!
I know it's an overused word, but Vol. I (entitled "The Aching Hunger") is brilliant! Each track on this disc showcases Steve's exceptional guitar work in completely refreshing ways. The old songs, with the backing of the Holland Metropole Orkest, often seem entirely new. There's a lot of newly composed material on this disc, too... all of it beautiful. The highlight here, in my opinion, is the perfectly arranged "Salamanders in the Sun," originally from the album Flex-Able.
Steve, as a guitarist, gives the impression that he has the ability to translate through his guitar absolutely anything that enters his head. It's always been amazing to hear Steve perform his most complex passages note-for-note, accurately and exactly as intended. With these new versions of the songs, we hear other instruments keep up with him note-for-note, as well. Even knowing that these performances have been highly edited, it's evident that Steve and the orchestra played amazingly tight together!
Personally, Vol. II (entitled "Shadows and Sparks") isn't nearly as accessible for me. It's without Steve's true expressive voice, his guitar, and frankly the compositions here aren't quite as brilliant (they are still very good, though). It's interesting and different and incredibly complex.
In addition to traditional orchestral instruments, there is often more eccentric instrumentation used. Saxophone, Moog synthesizer, electric guitar (not played by Steve), bass guitar, what sounds like at least one drum set, and even a referee-type whistle are commonly heard. This makes the Holland Metropole Orkest able to have a chameleon-like sound. It often resembles a traditional symphony orchestra, but sometimes it sounds more like a marching band or big band or, quite often, a jazz fusion group. Rarely does it sound like any one thing for too long, which keeps it interesting.
A few of the melodies on disc two are familiar ("Shadows and..." contains allusions to "Whispering a Prayer" and an excerpt from "Bangkok," for example) and some of the melodies are subtle and inspired, but some of the melodies don't make sense for me, musically. Some individual sections of compositions seem too different from one another or seem to exist without real purpose or are never really given a chance to develop. Many of the odd time and key signatures are overwhelming. I don't possess the musical understanding that is needed to appreciate exactly what Steve is doing.
Even if there are perhaps some shortcomings, I find disc two to still be a true wonder to listen to. Although it doesn't contain his guitar playing, it still contains Steve's magic. The standout track for me is "Frangelica Pt. II," one of the more accessible tracks on Vol. II.
There is an undeniable attraction to the music on both of these discs that has made me want to listen to them over and over. The title of this review is a phrase Steve used in the liner notes to describe the ability of a composer to "capture, and make real, the audio vision of their mind's eye." There's no doubt that Steve has captured something intangible and made it quite real. It's the ethereal magnetism of his music. Very few artists today are capable of this. It would probably be fair to say that not even all of Steve's releases have it, but Sound Theories most certainly does. It contains music with so many layers, so much depth, and Steve has so much passion for what he plays and creates, that undoubtedly both discs in this set will be spinning in cd players... and spinning heads... for years to come.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Steve Vai and an Orchestra, pure magic., June 28, 2007
Sound Theories Vol 1 & 2", a double-live CD capturing legendary guitarist Steve Vai's electrifying collaboration with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra. The two-disc set spotlights rare material pulled from five European performances, a studio session and a soundcheck rehearsal recording, all of which took place between mid-2004 and 2005.
"Volume 1" features Steve Vai playing guitar with the Orchestra, which has earned worldwide acclaim.
What he does on CD 1 is take those performances and blends them together so it sounds as though it was all 1 show. Truly amazing.
Steve Vai never disappoints.
Together Steve and the Orchestra they bring new life to both
existing and never-before-heard Steve Vai songs.
Highlights on disc 1 are
"For the Love of God", "Liberty", "The Murder", "Attitude Song", "Salamanders in the Sun".
That's not to say the rest aren't as good as those, they are but I feel that these are the songs that are just a bit above the rest and will be the ones you'll remember most.
"Volume 2" features the Orchestra by it self performing songs written and composed by Steve Vai.
Listening to CD 2 it sounds as though he's playing along with the Orchestra, but he's not.
Highlights on CD 2 are
Well CD 2 is the highlight as the whole disc is just that good.
So there you have it.
The question is should you buy it or not.
I say this is an album that Steve Vai fans and rock music fans and even some of you metal heads out there can agree on that is worth buying.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Blah., August 1, 2007
I'm a pretty big Vai fan, having purchased pretty much everything he has released, including all of his studio work plus several DVD's. I do think he's one of the most creative and talented guitarists out there, and on top of that is a brilliant composer to boot. Unfortunately he often goes off on weird tangents that, for him and others who tire of music that is musical, probably is a joy and wonder to listen to despite its non-musicality. That's pretty much what we have here.
The first CD is a bunch of familiar songs arranged for orchestra and then apparently Vai added some guitar in the studio or some such... in all cases (except maybe The Attitude Song) the original studio versions are not only better, but these versions simply didn't really need to happen... it's cool to bring an orchestra in and really flesh things out, but it's a bit over the top here. For the Love of God has a great start until, believe it or not, the guitar kicks in: ruins the mood he spent the first three or four minutes creating. So unfortunately: good idea, but poor execution.
Disc 2 is also a good idea: I was interested in hearing Vai flex his compositional muscles, but again it's basically that over-the-top Vai weirdness arranged for an orchestra. I found myself thinking that it would be better if he had just created ordinary songs out of these (e.g. Lucky Charms: brilliant little tune that's "just right" on The Ultra World... doesn't need an orchestra and, having heard this, I don't want to hear it with an orchestra).
I prefer Vai the eccentric, maniacal guitarist... and I appreciate the sonic exploration he does, but I've come to expect the occasional bit of madness that simply doesn't connect. Unfortunately this two-disc set is just that.
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album Sound Theories, Volumes I & II 
