Joe Satriani - Satchurated: Live in Montreal

Awhile back I was TDY in Northern California, and I was doing what I normally do while I’m there with nothing better to do – I was wandering about the independent music stores I could find, waiting for the one CD that would jump out and say “buy me!” While I was doing said wandering, one of the people working in the store played a familiar tune. It was Joe Satriani’s Flying in a Blue Dream. This version was live, and I thought it sounded pretty good. I always liked that song. Now fast forward a few weeks to another TDY, this one in Phoenix. I wondered through a nearby Best Buy and spotted Satriani’s new live 2-CD set, Satchurated: Live in Montreal. After I spotted it, I heard the little voice say “buy me!” This is quite a step for me because many years ago I tired of Joe Satriani’s music. I had Surfing With the Alien, Flying in a Blue Dream, and The Extremist. This was so long ago that Satch still had a full head of hair. I had these albums, but the songs all started to sound the same to me. When all the songs start to sound the same, I lose quickly interest.

The guy is an astounding guitarist, but here’s my beef with Satch’s music. Have you watched the movie Amadeus? Mozart presented a four-hour piece of music, during which the Hapsburg Emperor yawned. When Mozart asked the Emperor what he thought of his music, the Emperor said “too many notes.” That is my criticism of Satch’s music. But I bought Satchurated anyway to see if any of his music since The Extremist has mellowed any. I also wanted to see if my own attitude to his music has changed in almost twenty years. In short, my attitude is unchanged. I can take Satch’s music in small doses, but after hearing one shredfest after another, that “sameness” that I mentioned earlier was still there. Satchurated comes roaring out the gates with Ice 9, and doesn’t let up until Pyrrhic Victoria – nine songs later. The first thing resembling a slow song doesn’t come until the second disc’s Littleworth Lane. For those keeping track, it’s the seventeenth song in the set. That’s a long time to wait for a change of pace. One of his more deliberate and better known songs, Always With You, Always With Me doesn’t show up until near the end of the set. I read one author say this of Satch’s live presentation – “Joe Satriani knows almost everything about playing the electric guitar. He knows very little about how to effectively pace a concert… most of Satriani's solos emphasize technique over feeling.” Let me echo that sentiment – I tried to watch a Chickenfoot show on the Palladia channel awhile ago. For the first time ever, a rock show bored me. Need I say more?

Not all is lost on Satchurated. There is some fine music here – one just has to have the patience to sit and wait for it. Songs I really like – the aforementioned Flying in a Blue Dream, Dream Song, Premonition, Revelation [I’m sensing a theme here…], God Is Crying [a good guitar-keyboard duel with keyboardist Mike Keneally, the same guy who used to work with Frank Zappa], Andalusia [acoustic!], War, Why, Pyrrhic Victoria, Crystal Planet, Satch Boogie [ALWAYS a good one]. There are two new studio tracks at the end – Two Sides to Every Story and The Golden Room. Satch successfully resists the urge to shred his brains out and produced something [dare I say] melodic.  These two songs are very, very good. As a result of listening to this album, will I be going out of my mind to acquire all the solo stuff and the Chickenfoot stuff there is? Carol will be glad to read this – the answer to that question is “no.” This CD will serve as my fix for wanting to hear awe-inspiring technique, if I don’t already get that fix from the otherworldly guitarists that I listen to [David Gilmour, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, et al]. Since this a 2-CD set, I’m glad I paid only $14.99 + tax for it. Otherwise I think I’d really be pissed. If non-stop shredding and jaw-dropping technique is your thing, this collection is for you. Satchurated: Live in Montreal is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some excellent songs here, but those take up about only half of the album. I wanted to like this album, but after hearing a few songs I want something else in the CD player. It’s small doses of Satch for this guy.