Flying In A Blue Dream

I have heard all of Satch's albums (minus 'Time machine') and for me this is probably the greatest album he has ever done. If you've heard 'Surfing with the alien', this album will be no different, but Satch has many more different, interesting songs here. Straight-ahead shred-rock ('Back to shalla-bal' and 'One big rush'), some funk ('Bells of lal part 2' and 'Strange'), a bit of folk/country ('The feeling' and 'Phone call') and a bit of 80s metal ('Big bad moon'). Don't worry, 'cause Satch still uses great guitaring and solos. For me Satch is great at making amazing solos, but also making them very musical, and not just a load of notes thrown together. He is very talented at composing songs, as well as being a great guitarist. He also includes his famous double handed tapping tecnique in the beautiful 'Day at the beach' and the not-so-good 'Headless', and the complex 'hand-holding-the-neck and hammer-on' tecnique in the fantastic 'Mystical potato head groove thing'.

But also, Satch does a bit of singing now. Some may not like the idea of that and I wasn't sure if i'd like it at first, but I found some of the vocal tracks to be just as enjoyable, from the punky 'Can't slow down' to the ballad of 'I believe' they are all great, but one of my favourites is the mid-tempo rocker 'Ride'. He also sings in 'Phone call', 'Big bad moon' and 'Strange'. Satch's voice isn't exactly fantastic, but it's not as bad as everyone says, his voice is suited to the songs (maybe with the exception of 'I believe', as he sometimes goes a bit flat in it). You can still sing the songs, no matter who sings them.

So, if you want to listen to Joe Satriani, i'd try 'Surfing with the alien' first, but this is also a good album to try as well and my favourite of Satriani. It just has a wide variety of songs and it's a great 70-minute listen. If you're a fan of guitar or just rock music in general, you will definately enjoy this album. This is Satch at is very best." - Amazon User Review

1. Flying In A Blue Dream - 5:25
2. The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing - 5:09
3. * Can't Slow Down - 4:49
4. Headless - 1:30
5. * Strange - 5:02
6. * I Believe/Interview - 5:52
7. One Big Rush - 3:28
8. * Big Bad Moon/Interview - 5:15
9. The Feeling/Interview - 0:50
10. * The Phone Call - 3:01
11. Day At The Beach (New Rays From An Ancient Sun) - 2:03
12. Back To Shalla-Bal - 3:14
13. * Ride - 4:56
14. The Forgotten (Part One) - 1:12
15. The Forgotten (Part Two) - 5:07
16. The Bells Of Lal (Part One) - 1:19
17. The Bells Of Lal (Part Two) - 4:06
18. Into The Light - 2:31

* Denotes songs with lyrics.