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Read the Joe Satriani interview
What's the 4-1-1?
Three guitar Gods share the stage for the first time. Each player
does a solo set followed by a G3 jam session.
Genre
Hard rock
The Good
It's tough to evaluate a 'live' CD that comprises of three guys
that are known for performing instrumentals. Let's face it, you
know that their performances will be flawless and loaded with
plenty of improvised guitar soloing. Joe Satriani starts things
off with the hard and heavy track "The Extremist".
You can recognize instantly that it's Satch. He keeps the pace
going with "Crystal Planet", which comes from the album
of the same name (an underrated album that contains some of his
best work). Joe displays plenty of emotion through his guitar
on the ballad "Always with Me, Always with You". "Midnight" shows
off some awesome finger-picking and "Mystical Potato Head
Groove Thing" is just as trippy as the title suggests.
You recognize Steve Vai's signature guitar tone when he takes
the stage with "You're Here". He doesn't do it often,
but Steve sings on this one. Vai resurrects a rare track from that
Keanu Reeves classic Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey for his second
song "Reaping". Formerly known as "The Reaper",
this is one of Steve's heavier songs, and in my opinion, one of
his best. Steve's fans will be pleased with the extra long, guitar
wailing conclusion. The final song for Vai is one of his trademark
ballads, the nine minute, tear-jerker "Whispering a Prayer" (Steve,
shouldn't this have been track seven?). Yngwie's set focuses on
his current fascination with classical music. Its evident Yngwie
hasn't lost any of his speed on "Blitzkrieg". The classical
tracks (whose titles are too long to type) display more of his
guitar mechanics. Yngwie kicks ass on the Hendrix classic "Red
House".
On disc two the guitar masters come together for the G3 Jam session.
It's more or less a forum for the guys to try and out play each
other. The results are astounding as the listener is treated to
some excellent shredding. I guess Hendrix was a big influence on
these three, because they jam on "Voodoo Child" and "Little
Wing". It tough sometimes to hear which one is Vai and which
one is Satriani, but there's no mistaking Yngwie. Each player tries
to top the other, with Malmsteen standing out. The disc concludes
with a fiery version of Neil Young's "Rockin’ in the
Free World". I wonder if they realize that this is a sad song.
The Bad
Yngwie has always been great when he shreds on rockin' tunes, but
when it comes to his classical stuff......yawn! Is it me or does
Yngwie play the same solo in different keys lately?
The Verdict
I must say, I never thought these guys would share the same stage.
This is just a sampling of what these three virtuosos are capable
of. All are great guitarist with their own unique sound. Two
CDs cannot contain their live energy and musicianship.
Did you know?
Joe Satriani was Steve Vai's guitar teacher. On every Steve Vai
solo record, track number seven is always a ballad. Yngwie Malmsteen's
real name is Lars Johann Yngve Lannerbeck
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Joe Satriani - Is Their Love in Space?
--George Dionne
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