Track Listing

1. Oriental Melody
2. Belly Dancer
3. Starry Night
4. Chords Of Life
5. Mind Storm
6. Sleep Walk
7. New Last Jam
8. Mountain Song
9. What Breaks A Heart
10. Seven String
11. Hill Grove
12. Journey
13. Traveller
14. You Saved My Life

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17230 in Music
• Released on: 2002-06-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Strange Beautiful Music--über-axeman Joe Satriani's eighth studio album (following on from the acclaim of Grammy-nudging Engines of Creation)--begins strangely and doesn't get beautiful until a third of the way through. Perhaps that's the result of a too-conscious effort to be that most elusive of things, "different". Openers "Oriental Melody" and "Belly Dancer" are every bit as Middle East as their titles suggest, but Satriani abandons this odd style with the kind of audacious whimsy that only a multi-million selling guitarist can do three tracks in, with the infinitely more interesting "Starry Night". It's semi-acoustic with a much simpler arrangement, which demonstrates that, in this genre especially, less can definitely be more.

His contemporaries have all carved out niches for themselves--from Santana's Latino-flecked demented noodling to Steve Vai's very strange but often very beautiful projects. However, no matter what Satriani tries (unless a completely acoustic album is on the cards--that would be interesting) there's nothing much a lead guitarist can really do to make things "different"--it's the same highly strung guitar with a scattering of strange effects--and at the end of the day they all sound like a buzzing Brian May with the capo on the eighth fret. If he really wanted to be different then he should have just hooked up a battered Jazzmaster to an overdrive and a fuzzbox, or unplugged altogether. --Ben Johncock

CD Description
For his first album since dabbling with electronica on 2000's ENGINES OF CREATION, Joe Satriani returns to the bread-and-butter of straight-forward instrumental virtuosity with a few exotic nuances sprinkled throughout like musical parmesan cheese. Heavy synths and delays give "Oriental Melody" a sinister glint while fat guitar tones mix with Middle Eastern-flavoured chord progressions on the intriguing "Belly Dancer". Fans put off by Satch's recent experimentation will havefurther reason to rejoice over the return of this prodigal son once they hear the thundering riffage of "Mind Storm", hook-filled "New Last Jam" and sassy snap of "Hill Groove". Elsewhere, the Long Island native distinguishes himself from the calculated playing associated with practitioners of thisgenre that he spawned on two cuts--the acoustic-guitar laced "You Saved My Life" and equally moving "Starry Night". Theone non-original is a gorgeous cover of the Santo and Johnny '50s hit "Sleep Walk" featuring a cameo by Robert Fripp, aguitar god in his own right. STRANGE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC is a welcome return from one of music's more maddeningly gifted participants.

Customer Reviews

Back to basics
After the experimental Engines Of Creation and all its pseudo-techno dance beats, Satch has gone back to what he does best: pure, unadultered, selfish guitar playing. And no-one does it better. More akin to The Extremist or Crystal Planet, this is a superb collection of inventive, beautiful guitar instrumentals.

Like most of Satch's more recent works, it takes a few lisenings before you're "in the zone", and it lacks the immediate thrills of Surfing With Th Alien or Flying In A Blue Dream, but I strongly suspect this is one you'll be finding new andsubtle nuances and delights in, long after the others have become very familiar. The variety shown here is, perhaps, the greatest yet, opening with Satch's typical oriental experimenting in Oriental Melody, moving through Surfing territory (Belly Dancer), Extremist ballade (Starry Night-gorgeous track), 70's prog rock ala Yes (Chords Of Life) and onwards, even including a homage to Bert Weadon (Sleep Walk)! Every track is pure Satriani, yet better, more mature, deeper, and less planned than ever. The production is more honest and the playing more ad lib than before. An after effect of the Joe Satriani album a few years back, perhaps? And it's all topped off with the most beautiful cherry, in the shape of final track You Saved My life. Not so strange, but incredibly beautiful.

Satch isn't Vai, despite the way critics seem so keen to mention the two in the same breath. His music isn't as flash, brash or experimental. More thoughtful, deeper, far more melodic, yes. More for the early hours of the morning than listening to whilst driving. Much as I love Vai's playing and abilities, Satch will always be the best of his kind. He puts so much feel and emotion into his playing, he's not a player to delve into for a quick thrill, but stick with him and you'll never leave. Genius.

Damn, Satch is back, and perhaps better than ever!!!! (?)
Well, what can I say? It's a masterpiece! I rushed out today to buy it (the first day of release)! I'm so glad I did to... the album opens with a fantastic and powerful song "oriental melody" with fantastic guitar riffs and effetcs. Every song on this album endorses this! Other tracks such as "belly dancer","starry night","chords of life","new last jam"...actaully i'll stop, every single song on this album opens with a fantastic catchyness to it that will draw your ears straight away. This album is technically similar to previous, but musically much more inventive! Each song has ATLEAST one fantastic riff and a great lead to it. Any guiatrist will appreciate it just for the music talent, but any music fan can appreciate it for the sheer genius and enjoyment! I suggest this to any rock fan, and existing Satriani fans will be in heaven with this new sound from him! Engines of Creation was perhaps too much of a new sound for some with all the techno beats etc, but this creates amazing depth and clarity in each and every song! This isn't just an excited rock fan raving about an album that he's just bought, I guarantee I will feel the same months after listening to it. I thank the lord for this piece of music! A suggestion to anyone that even thinks of looking at this album... BUY IT!!

Breathtaking stuff
One of the biggest challenges for artists in Satriani's genre is to be able to be technically proficient, but also to provide something interesting to listen to in the flurries of notes and runs. There are several 'Shred' albums out there that compromise this to nothing more than "See how fast I can play". Fortunately, there are guitarists out there who are not afraid of still being musically creative and be able to dazzle with virtuosity, while still being able to craft something melodic as well.

Satch has been able to take fast leads out of the genre it was best known for (i.e Metal) and take it into more exotic soundscapes. However, the amazing fretwork that Satriani is well known for is better, and more creatively used than ever before. Guitarists will be asking "How the hell did he do that?" - songwriters will probably also be asking the same question with the same amount of awe! Each song has a distinct and seperate 'feel' to it, unlike many shred albums where each guitarist seems to have similar basslines and drumbeats as the previous one. Satch proves that shred guitar shouldn't just be confined to videogames or action cartoons.