Band : Joe Satriani
Album title : Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock
Label : Epic Records
Distributor : Sony Music
Release date : 02/02/2010
Release : CD

Guitarist Joe Satriani is hardly an unknown entity. With Live In Paris, he’s released a total of 14 instrumental solo albums, which sold enough copies to see 2 of ‘em get a Planinum status, and 4 others a Gold one. He’s also gotten no less than 15 Grammy nominations. He’s also the founder of the guitarists extravaganza G3, with which he not only recorded albums but also toured (besides his headliner shows) worldwide several times. Occasionally, he’s guested on other artists’ albums, but he never really got into a band situation until in 2009 he hooked up with Sammy Hagar & Michael Anthony (respectively former singer and bassist of Van Halen) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer) to form Chickenfoot and record a self-titled album (review posted 16/07/2009).

For the history of the album we need to go back to Spring 2008. To a certain extend, Satch would be ocupied for most of the next 18 months by touring in promotion of the Professor Satchafunkipus album. Well, it’s not like it was the first time the Satch had had an evening recorded to video, you know. August 2007 already saw the addition of a DVD with a 1988 show at the Montreux Jazz Festival added to the 20 Anniversary edition of Joe’s classic Surfing With The Alien album. That beside, it was decided well beforehand that the May 27th show at Paris’ Theatre Grand Rex was going to be recorded (and I’m sure the fact that it was sold-out quite some time before helped in that decision…even if other shows on that same tour were equally sold-out). At the beginning of a 7-week European run, the show in Paris became great fun, because the people there were really elated and very emotional towards Satch’s music.

What can you expect? A large part of the set of course included songs from the new album, and with 7 songs off the album it was indeed well represented. But with 12 preceeding albums Satch sure had enough material to go back to, and of course songs like “Flying In A Blue Dream”, “Ghosts”, “Surfing With The Alien”, and the great “Crowd Chant” have become Satriani live staples! In all, what you get is a total of 22 songs (in the order as they were played, by the way), divided over two discs…the first one lasting just over 59 minutes, the second 67 ½ minutes.

To give him the necessary support, Satch had hired the help of his good friend Stuart Hamm on the bass, Gallen Henson (also tour manager, by the way) on the rhythm guitar, and Jeff Campitelli on the drums. A definitely well-oiled and rehearsed team that didn’t miss a note, and clearly had as much fun as the Satch on stage, and the Parisians in front of it! I’m under the impression that Satch had divided the play-list in sets with changing moods, each set containing 3 songs, with a few exceptions (the bass solo stands on its own, the so-called “closing” set contains 4 for a change, and the “encore” section…which is really part of the show…is only two tracks as well).

The no-rating thing? This is after all a live recording, and a sorts of “best of”, and we don’t rate that kind of releases! It’s a website policy and pretty sound reasoning at that, but be sure you’ll be able to find Live In Paris – I Just Wanna Rock in my year-lists!

Tony.