This album was recorded in ’83 just after Steve had finished playing with Frank Zappa’s band. I’m assuming a lot of those Zappa vibes were embedded deep into Vai’s soul as a lot of the tunes here carry that DNA. This version is the 2020 all analog reissue mastered by Bernie Grundman, and the record sounds superb.
I haven’t played this in a long while and it’s interesting how Steve recycles certain riffs. I’m sure if you’ve heard this, some Dave Lee Roth tunes spring to mind (well, musically at least).
The weird and wonderful Little Green Men opens up the album in a weird yet wonderful style. I love the Close Encounters references throughout. Viv Woman follows and this is where all Steve’s chops first come out to play. Lovers Are Crazy is a rare Vai vocal tune and those Zappa vibes are there for all to see. Salamanders In The Sun is another wild and wonderful off the beaten track piece that you wonder how come all this diverse material came together. The short answer is none of these songs were meant to be on an album together at all. It just seemed a good idea at the time to put all these pieces together on a self financed record. The Boy And Girl song closes out Side 1 and you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was a souped up Laurel Canyon inspired piece.
Flipping over to Side 2 we come to the track that brought us all to buying this record. The Attitude Song is an incredible showcase for Steve’s Amazing talents and it’s my favourite track on the album. A killer groove and main riff, and the playing was a revelation at the time, a lot of people paid some serious attention. Call It Sleep is Vai’s version of what I call smooth Jazz and it’s cool to hear all those tricks and skills played initially in a clean tone before that insane solo kicks in. Junkie starts and feels like a lullaby, except the lyrics are quite dark and sang with a Meatloaf vibe. The rest of the album feels like improv pieces, lots of messing around to see what sticks and works.
In between the recording of this as a virtual unknown and its follow up in 1990 Passion And Warfare, Steve had become a guitar god after stints with Alcatrazz , Dave Lee Roth, and Whitesnake.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
