Tuesday, February 8, 2011: Joe Satriani - Light Years Away

Of his album Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards, here is one of the greatest shredders ever.

When I was in high school, I remember a Swedish guitarist called Yngwie Malmsteen, who was all the rage.

If you wanted to play fast, he was one of the great inspirations of the time.  But I remember just listening to his stuff and being bored out of my mind.  Sure, he was fast, but there was no melody, no space, no breathing room for anything other than a thousand notes strung together and played at a breakneck speed.

Joe Satriani was accused, by some, of being that kind of guitarist as well, but I always thought that he rose above those narrow classifications.  I thought he brought a bit of thought and spirit into his shredding.

Here's more proof that I was right.  Enjoy.