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Steve Vai - "Real Illusions: Reflections" Previews

30K views 108 replies 63 participants last post by  uofkman 
#1 ·
www.stevevaimusic.com

Sony has created a special page where fans can check out short sneak previews of all tracks from Steve's new album "Real Illusions: Reflections".

Share your thoughts on the album previews here!

Mikey :)
vai.com
 
#77 · (Edited)
I picked it up a few days ago, and haven't even listened all the way through yet. Just doesn't do much for me. I'll give it another whirl or two, but it just seems over-produced and too psychedelic (sp?), eccentric, wierd, etc. It seems to me that if I were to smoke a little weed while listening this CD, I just might like it a lot.

UPDATE:

I've listened to it two or three more times. I'm liking it much better. Some of the EQ settings grate on me a bit, "Yai Yai" is pretty irritating, but I'm getting into the whole CD.
 
#78 ·
I picked this up the day it came out, gave it a listen and then tossed it aside. I couldn't stand it. Last week I caught myself singing the lead to 'Glorious' and had to listen to it. I'm not sure what happened, but that song along with 'Building the Church' are more digestable to me now. I really dig them both now. I really can't get enough of the outro to BTC, especially that cat sound Vai does at 4:17 and 4:37.
 
#79 ·
huh? I thought the cat sound was on the 3rd track. Which I think was glorious...not sure. But BTC is my favorite song off of the album, K'm Pee Du We is really pretty sounding and Lotus Feet took me a while, but I think the main riff of it is amazing (and really great to watch Steve perform live). BTC is still my favorite though. I think it was the 3rd or 4th song Steve performed when he was in Hartford, but right before he did it he goes, "so are you ready to build a church?" And after all the cheering he started with the tapping stuff. It seems easy enough, I think I may actually be able to play that song if I tried hard enough. It took some time, but the CD definately grew on me.
 
#83 ·
The new CD is a lot to digest. The more you listen to it, the more you will like it. Lotta different influences... takes a while to digest. I've listened to it a lot and I really dig it... and I don't even get high (for those who've said, "I might like this album more if I was high when I listen to it.").
 
#84 ·
I was pretty ambivalent about this album when I bought it last week but maybe it'll grow on me - good albums always take a while to digest. I usually find instant wow! factor albums fizzle out on me after a few months. Don't think it'll be remembered as his best though, still get put off by the vocals.

At least I didn't immediately take it back to the shop in outrage, which is what I did with Satch's latest effort (Is There Love In Space). I was so disappointed with that, I found it hard to believe it was written by the same Satch. I ended up exchanging it for Megadeth's 'The System Has Failed' - Now there's an album that's worth buying. It makes you realize just how much high quality music you can cram onto a plastic, and just how good metal can be in the right hands.

Cheers,

Dave
 
#86 ·
Picked this one up a little while ago. Not sure what to think, just yet. A LOT of impressive stuff, but I'm still not sold on Steve as a singer. As always, it's a lot of music to digest, and the playing is superb. The only thing that I don't like all that much is that as I'm listening, all of a sudden I hear passages that I swear are identical to "Ultra Zone" stuff. After seeing the G3 Live in Denver dvd, I'd rather see (or hear) him just jam with "The Breed" for an hour.....
 
#90 ·
Hmmm,... I actually did..

BUT... It's music and it should be enjoyable as music. In my opinion, the storyline is not the primary factor. Therefore, if the music is not good, it might have been better to write a book and maybe include a CD with background music. ( groundbreaking idea :D )

I'm not commenting on how easy to play something is. I referred to the artistic factor of yai yai.

This album is at times not as "musical" as Vai has been in the past. I like the album, but in the way someone may like a linkin park album. It's heavy and it makes you tap your foot. While the ballads are what I call " fat and sugar ", everyone will like it, but it's "easy". Not to play (especially with that out of this world phrasing etc.), but to please.

Exceptions like "freak show excess" are great songs, but seem a bit forcefully weird. As if HAD to make a freak show excess and therefore created something less musical but freakish.

Still 100% better than most things on CD today.
 
#91 ·
EL-CeeDee said:
Hmmm,... I actually did..

BUT... It's music and it should be enjoyable as music. In my opinion, the storyline is not the primary factor. Therefore, if the music is not good, it might have been better to write a book and maybe include a CD with background music. ( groundbreaking idea :D )

I'm not commenting on how easy to play something is. I referred to the artistic factor of yai yai.

This album is at times not as "musical" as Vai has been in the past. I like the album, but in the way someone may like a linkin park album. It's heavy and it makes you tap your foot. While the ballads are what I call " fat and sugar ", everyone will like it, but it's "easy". Not to play (especially with that out of this world phrasing etc.), but to please.

Exceptions like "freak show excess" are great songs, but seem a bit forcefully weird. As if HAD to make a freak show excess and therefore created something less musical but freakish.

Still 100% better than most things on CD today.
My God Just say it..I will

I bought this Cd ,This is the first time I ever heard Vai,

I cried my eyes out..I was so happy,Buying the cd I was scared,but after the 4 th song..I said to myself ..this is a GOD..

UUMM NO..

I gave the cd to a friend without even giving the whole cd a chance..
It was one of the best days of my life..I was shaken even in line to buy it..

All I heard from the first 3 or 4 songs were studio effects and whammy bar..I was hopeing to hear the most beautiful guitar playing of any human on planet earth..

JoeyDahlia
 
#94 · (Edited)
I've been listening to this for a week through beautifully tinny laptop speakers, and been mostly underwhelmed. Finally listened to it on decent headphones and my god what a brilliant album. I love it, it's the perfect fusion of "visionary" and "bonkers", kinda like Buckminster breakdancing or something.

I keep hearing gorgeous details in the mix that eluded me before, subtle at times, blatant upon further listening. Superb stuff. I love the fact that I can hear homages and reflections of all his previous albums on this CD, consciously played or otherwise. His tone, his phrasing, his note choice, all harmonising with the echoes of the past, and yet burning a trail into the future within an expressive, articulate, and highly compelling musical statement.

As ever, I ask myself..how does he do it?
 
#95 ·
I want to make a special mention of the final track "Under it All" a breathtaking work, a staggering musical achievement. Rich, dense, complex and still utterly light and dynamic, one of my favourite Steve tracks ever. I urge everyone who hasn't heard the album yet...please listen, and experience sublime, honest, artistry. To live and die in this ocean of song, what care I?
 
#96 ·
hamand said:
I want to make a special mention of the final track "Under it All" a breathtaking work, a staggering musical achievement. Rich, dense, complex and still utterly light and dynamic, one of my favourite Steve tracks ever. I urge everyone who hasn't heard the album yet...please listen, and experience sublime, honest, artistry. To live and die in this ocean of song, what care I?
Under it all is pretty cool track. Steve's vocals are quite good too ;).

Regards

André
 
#97 ·
i'm all for weirdness and artistry but i couldn't really get into ultrazone and i really couldn't get into this one. sure there are some good things but i just couldn't listen to it after half the album. i didn't want to buy it but i thought, well, i'll try once more. i still hold steve as one of my favs as i always have from day one but i just can't get into. either i'm losing it or it's just weirder...i don't know. i would rather listen to good metal with driving rhythms. the last awesome vai album for me was passion and warfare. that was really cool. i gave up on satch after "surfing." sure there are great songs by him but i would never buy an album. i wish there was like a Jack Butler type of player solo album...that would be really cool. i really respect steve's creativeness and talent and visions but i think i just got a little lost as the years went on.
 
#99 ·
joeydahlia said:
My God Just say it..I will

I bought this Cd ,This is the first time I ever heard Vai,

I cried my eyes out..I was so happy,Buying the cd I was scared,but after the 4 th song..I said to myself ..this is a GOD..

UUMM NO..

I gave the cd to a friend without even giving the whole cd a chance..
It was one of the best days of my life..I was shaken even in line to buy it..

All I heard from the first 3 or 4 songs were studio effects and whammy bar..I was hopeing to hear the most beautiful guitar playing of any human on planet earth..

JoeyDahlia
Studio effects? Sure you weren't listening to your own recordings?
 
#100 ·
joeydahlia said:
My God Just say it..I will

I bought this Cd ,This is the first time I ever heard Vai,

I cried my eyes out..I was so happy,Buying the cd I was scared,but after the 4 th song..I said to myself ..this is a GOD..

UUMM NO..

I gave the cd to a friend without even giving the whole cd a chance..
It was one of the best days of my life..I was shaken even in line to buy it..

All I heard from the first 3 or 4 songs were studio effects and whammy bar..I was hopeing to hear the most beautiful guitar playing of any human on planet earth..

JoeyDahlia
Studio effects, right...... Next you will claim that Eric Johnson doesn't know how to play.

Regards

André
 
#101 ·
I bought the album not too long ago (i'm a late buyer for it i guess - always said i would go out and buy it but never got round to it).

First time i listened to it all i could think was "TURN THAT F**KING SYNTH OFF". There are just points where i think there's no point for the synth to be there, but whatever. Vai did what he wanted.

The album has really grown on me. I quite like it. I definatly like it more then the first time i heard it. It didn't really impact on me much the first time i heard it. It's starting to now.

Saying that, Vai's vocals have improved no-end.
 
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