Comments on Merry Axemas cd [[...20-Oct-1997...]]

20-Oct-1997, 18:27 ... just listened to Merry Axemas from start to finish, and I don't understand why everyone isn't SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS to go out and BUY THIS CD - it's G-R-E-A-T-!

[[ok so I'm a pushover, but if you like guitar music, you're in for a real treat ...8-)...]]

joy joy joy - yeahhhhhhh

1) Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer .......Kenny and his band are HOT (love the TEETH on Kenny's guitar!)

2) Eric Johnson - The First Nowell .......Beautiful - ohhhhh

3) Jeff Beck - Amazing Grace .......Truly inspiring - soars - simply heavenly

4) Brian Setzer Orchestra - Jingle Bells .......Swings!

5) Joe Satriani - Silent Night / Holy Night Jam .......Pure 100% Satriani. In a word: awesome. Joe's touch on the wah-pedal is light, deft, and lusciously subtle: applied ever-so-carefully for specific tonal effect. This sort of masterful finesse is exactly what I like to hear: judicious and purposeful, creating that emotionally- telling mood, and then as the jam starts up, twisting it beyond itself to those far-reaching realms where his listeners are often transported at the sound of his melodic lines .......[["I wanna boogie!" ...8-)...]]

6) Steve Morse - Joy to the World .......Multi-layered musicality. Joy, indeed! Not to be missed.

7) Steve Vai - Christmastime is Here .......STUNNING. Vai has chosen the perfect song-vehicle for his musical tastes and talents. A new classic, along with Joe's "Silent Night".

8) Joe Perry - Blue Christmas .......Rock 'n Slide, then Bang Yer Head. Classic licks.

9) Alex Lifeson - The Little Drummer Boy .......A moving treatment of this song, a song I have to say I think suffers in the popular gestalt from being covered so much we're all sick of it. I never liked the lyrics, so an instrumental is preferable. He's managed to pull it off and I'll definitely be decorating my tree to this one. His instinct to re-tune the strings is what really sells both the tune and his arrangement. Well-done.

10) Richie Sambora - Cantique de Noel (O' Holy Night) ......Sings and brings it home

11) Hotei - Happy Xmas (War is Over) ......A joyful outing, some blistering guitar work, ends the cd with a tender smile.

Merry Axemas is a delight from start to finish.

The more I listen to Merry Axemas the more I realize how very MUSICAL it is. That's why I enjoy listening to it over and over, right now in October. I don't care WHAT the neighbors think. I love all the music on this cd. Every cut has something to offer. These are not just guitar-players. These are MUSICIANS who know how to bring forth, musically, the potential from these cornball ditties and traditional songs. Every arrangement has something unique and special to offer any lover of music, and especially any lover of guitar music.

My thanks, as a fan, goes out to Steve Vai for heading up this project, and may I just say *Major *Congrats (!) to Everyone involved.

...peace and joy...


(&&&) Links to ...

G3 Concert Review: River Queen Showplace 9/28/97
Front Door ... : ... Contents... ...Dragon... ...What's Cookin'...
My Merry Axemas Wish List ... : ... I'm not a total pushover... ...coupla things I wish were different...