Steve Vai: Modern Primitive + Passion & Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition

[Frumious B]

Vai took material he had done between Flexible and PaW, overdubbed some tracks and completely rerecorded others and the result is one of the most interesting Vai albums I've ever heard. It really does sound like the "missing link" between the two albums, which is Vai's stated intention in the liner notes and it ends with a three part proglike epic called "Pink And Blows Over". Meanwhile PaW, which remains my favorite guitar "shred" album of all time, picks up a remaster, which wasn't really needed IMHO as the old CD still sounds great, and four bonus cuts which are pretty neat. So you get a new/old Vai album and a reissued classic Vai album in one package which seems like a unique approach.

[mkeneally]

Modern Primitive is REALLY good. I need to hear it more to absorb all of it but there is a lot of beautiful Classic Vai Craziness on display. His melodic sense is really his own and the textures he creates get so sublime sometimes - he's a true original.

[Zeuhlmate]

Interesting!
I liked Flexable & Warfare, but not really anything since then.
I'd better check it out.

[Frumious B]

As a side note, listening to Modern Primitive inspired me to finally get around to grabbing a copy of Album by PiL. I knew he was on it, but I always assumed his role was just a cameo so I was really surprised to hear how deeply ingrained Vai's guitar work is in the fabric of the music. He's playing in a more restrained post punk style compared to, say, Eat 'Em And Smile, but there's some great stuff and it's a total genre buster to have an album with John Lydon singing, Vai's guitar and drums from Ginger Baker and Tony Williams.

[gpeccary]

As a side note, listening to Modern Primitive inspired me to finally get around to grabbing a copy of Album by PiL. I knew he was on it, but I always assumed his role was just a cameo so I was really surprised to hear how deeply ingrained Vai's guitar work is in the fabric of the music. He's playing in a more restrained post punk style compared to, say, Eat 'Em And Smile, but there's some great stuff and it's a total genre buster to have an album with John Lydon singing, Vai's guitar and drums from Ginger Baker and Tony Williams.

He tears it up on this ummm, album. He's also said he thinks its some of his best work. Apparently, a lot of it was laid down without Lydon being present.