Album review: Joe Satriani, Surfing with the Alien (1988)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 3, 1988

By Steve Newton

Boy, talk about a guitarist’s wet dream! This Satriani guy comes up with some of the wildest, most innovative rock guitar sounds in many a day. He even makes Eddie Van Halen sound like a hacker!

Okay, so maybe he’s not that good. But if you want to hear what the future of raunch guitar sounds like, check out tunes like “Crushing Day”, “Satch Boogie”, and the title track.

And Satriani isn’t just some tasteless speed demon, as the poignant “Always with Me, Always with You” proves.

What do you expect from the guy who taught Steve Vai how to play? Chopped liver?

To hear the full 28-minute audio of my 1990 interview with Joe Satriani subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on over 500 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with musicians since 1982.