Steve Vai - classical/avant-garde

I think it fits pretty well. Besides, he was influenced by Frank Zappa and still, he play on the album "Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar" and its sucessor. But, what do you think about Vai's Prog Related label on the archives right now? Don't you think it should stay on Jazz Rock / Fusion, just where it was before???

How do rate Paul Gilbert's work. Do you think it will fit well under Jazz Rock/Fusion. I know that he sounds more like hard rock. Besides, he comes from a Hard Rock band (Mr. Big). He formed a band called Racer X and heard that the sound is kind of progressive metal. What do you think about that???

MikeEnRegalia wrote: Don Quito wrote: I think it fits pretty well. Besides, he was influenced by Frank Zappa and still, he play on the album "Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar" and its sucessor. But, what do you think about Vai's Prog Related label on the archives right now? Don't you think it should stay on Jazz Rock / Fusion, just where it was before??? His early albums are Avant-Garde. The 90s stuff (P&W, S&R, FG) is guitar rock (shred) stuff which has a lot of Jazz/Fusion leanings ... and the 2000s stuff is more Avant-Garde again. For now I don't care what genre he's in ... Putting him back in Jazz/Fusion will only cause all kind of below the belt accusations. Don Quito wrote: How do rate Paul Gilbert's work. Do you think it will fit well under Jazz Rock/Fusion. I know that he sounds more like hard rock. Besides, he comes from a Hard Rock band (Mr. Big). He formed a band called Racer X and heard that the sound is kind of progressive metal. What do you think about that??? That's a difficult call ... I wouldn't include any Gilbert album in the archives ... maybe the Racer X stuff, which I don't like too much, haven't heard extensively and can't say something definite about it. But the Mr. Big albums are plain Hard Rock, and his solo albums are even more "plain". I have them and love every song, but it's far from prog. BTW: Check out the Yellow Matter Custard DVD - Portnoy, Bisonette, Gilbert and Mores!

Yeah! I think you're right. I haven't purchased anything from Gilbert yet (except Technical Difficulties from Racer X and Get Over It from Mr. Big), but I listenned to a few samples and I totally agree that he is more hard rock than anything else, but the title track from Burning Organ is pure jazzy instrumental (fusion). That gave me the feeling he could be on the fusion side, but still not sure.

I'll check out the Yellow Matter Custard DVD. I saw it is drums related. Seems pretty cool to me. Thanks for it...

Hello, here I am.

I see , now Vai become avant garde guitarist

If you are going further listen or ask someone what avant garde mean, and who can be named avant garde guitarist.

For example:

Fred Frith - from Henry Cow is an exellent example

Robert Wayatt - from early Soft Machine

Trevor Dunn, John Zorn (with all other instruments), Trey Spruance, Henry Caiser ........

I have got one Steve Vai album and that was very awfull containing a mere two songs that where listenable...The rest filled with horrible techno backing tracks where steve would improvise something and sing sume vocals that reminds me of some of them boyzone guys...That album frankly was the reason why i have not bought any steve vai records ever again. Anyway he is great live tho just as joe satriani is great live but crap on most studio releases

maidenrulez wrote: I have got one Steve Vai album and that was very awfull containing a mere two songs that where listenable...The rest filled with horrible techno backing tracks where steve would improvise something and sing sume vocals that reminds me of some of them boyzone guys...That album frankly was the reason why i have not bought any steve vai records ever again. Anyway he is great live tho just as joe satriani is great live but crap on most studio releases

I wonder which album it was ...

maidenrulez wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: maidenrulez wrote: I have got one Steve Vai album and that was very awfull containing a mere two songs that where listenable...The rest filled with horrible techno backing tracks where steve would improvise something and sing sume vocals that reminds me of some of them boyzone guys...That album frankly was the reason why i have not bought any steve vai records ever again. Anyway he is great live tho just as joe satriani is great live but crap on most studio releases I wonder which album it was ... the ULTRA zone

Maybe it was too Avant-Garde for you. It certainly is an unusual album. Lucky Charms is one of the best songs he ever made. I've written a review for the album ... I'd say that 30% of the music is brilliant in an Avant-Garde way, 30% is nice experimental rock and the rest is - well, acceptable (I'm a fan and I like his oddities, so I'm biased). 

But there is NO techno whatsoever on that album, and NOTHING even close to boyzone. But I agree that some of the songs where he sings are a bit cheesy. But there are also some brilliant ones.

MikeEnRegalia wrote: maidenrulez wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: maidenrulez wrote: I have got one Steve Vai album and that was very awfull containing a mere two songs that where listenable...The rest filled with horrible techno backing tracks where steve would improvise something and sing sume vocals that reminds me of some of them boyzone guys...That album frankly was the reason why i have not bought any steve vai records ever again. Anyway he is great live tho just as joe satriani is great live but crap on most studio releases I wonder which album it was ... the ULTRA zone Maybe it was too Avant-Garde for you. It certainly is an unusual album. Lucky Charms is one of the best songs he ever made. I've written a review for the album ... I'd say that 30% of the music is brilliant in an Avant-Garde way, 30% is nice experimental rock and the rest is - well, acceptable (I'm a fan and I like his oddities, so I'm biased).  But there is NO techno whatsoever on that album, and NOTHING even close to boyzone. But I agree that some of the songs where he sings are a bit cheesy. But there are also some brilliant ones.

check it out he lists a series of cd's wich he just samples everything's on and then plays guitar over it...and there are too few really cool guitar songs with nice solos...i think Jiboom or whatever the name is pretty cool but the rest is just drowning in some dreadful asian themes and chessy ballads like Ill be around.

I also thinks that there are too few tracks on where it is used proper instruments instead of horrible electric drums...and i love avant-garde music

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ check out is Flexable albums (there are samples in the archives). Tell me what you think about them - and the excerpt which I linked to in the first post.

Yea well as long as it is REAL instruments on the cd...thats basically also why STEVE VAI and SATCH sounds so much better live than they do on record where the music tend to get a bit too "electronica inspired to me"

MikeEnRegalia wrote: maidenrulez wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ check out is Flexable albums (there are samples in the archives). Tell me what you think about them - and the excerpt which I linked to in the first post. Yea well as long as it is REAL instruments on the cd...thats basically also why STEVE VAI and SATCH sounds so much better live than they do on record where the music tend to get a bit too "electronica inspired to me" I've seen him live on the "Ultra World" tour and he played many songs from the Ultra Zone ... there were only very few samples and of course no drum loop or anything like that. The album is far from electronic/house. BTW: Tangerine Dream also used electronica a lot and nobody seems to mind.

ah i love tangerine dream...i guess it is the old synths and stuff that i like...but the 80s and 90s stuffi cant stand

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ Then don't blame it on Vai. Listen to the excerpt ... it was performed by a full orchestra + band, it's really amazing.

Nah i dont like that vai, in several of the songs is just using sample cd's and i just improvising some guitar licks over that...you dont have to be awfully clever to do that...