Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir

I am a serious Satriani fan, that's why I gave it a "2". I found the book too technical and at times, boring. I am not a gear head and really don't care which amp or pickup was used, I was more interested to learn more the artist that the easel and paintbrushes.

It just left me wanting more. I think I knew what the book was about, but I thought there would at least be some personal tidbits. The pics were super cool, too.

If you're a Joe Satriani fan, this is a must read. Joe tells his story from his unique perspective, from how he decided to be a guitarist, to how he recorded his first record and how it's review in guitar player magazine gave him a glimpse of the guitarist he could be, an identity he embraced and sought to fulfill since that time. He describes what his approach was to every album, and other individuals add to the narrative, like Steve Vai, and (recording engineeres) John Cuniberti, Andy Johns, and Glyn Johns, throughout the story. It's interesting to learn how each album was recorded, and make going back to purchase and listen to any albums you may have missed along the way, a very intriguing and satisfying possibility. The self-titled Joe Satriani, for instance, was recorded by Glyn Johns, with Joe playing straight through an amp, the only recording of his to be done this way. That was one album I'd passed by over the years, and going back and listening to it, knowing there were no overdubs, no punch-ins, no effects, etc. gave me an even greater appreciation of Joe's technical prowess on the guitar, if that were possible. If you like Joe Satriani's music, it's certainly worth hearing Joe tell his story...

This is a good book, but not great...when I first got the book, I couldn't wait to read it and learn about what makes Joe "tick"...But by the time I was 75% through the book, I basically couldn't wait to finish it up...I'm as big a fan of Joe as anyone, but this book left me not completely fulfilled...

If you are into what type of gear Joe used on each album, and how each particular album was "mixed" (a lot of info on that), then you'll like this book even more than I did...you'll get a lot of info on who they used to "mix" this album and that album, and how the drums were mixed on this album versus that album, but you don't get to learn very much about Joe...and then later, in the "Chickenfoot" chapters, you'll get about half of the content of the chapters regarding the viewpoints/ dialogue of Chad Smith, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, etc...there's too much of that info, in this book that is supposed to be about about Joe...I didn't pick up this book to read about the thoughts of Chad Smith and Sammy Hagar, etc...

As a guitar player myself, I wanted to know about how he "grew" through playing his guitar: What struggles he might have encountered along the way and HOW he overcame those struggles and kept his focus (every great musician, even Joe, has their struggles and times of doubt, but you don't get to hear about them in this book); it would have been nice to know some of Joe's practice techniques (what he found that worked for him, and what didn't work for him), what he focused on as he tried to improve his playing, etc....I wanted to get some insight into HOW he went from being just another guitar player to being an AWESOME guitar player....but you really don't get that with this book...a great biography will get into the real obstacles that the subject of the book faced, and how they overcame those difficulties...but not in this book...also, we all know that Joe is into "aliens" and stuff along those lines, but we never get to hear "why" he is into that interesting science stuff...we don't get to know much of anything about Joe's cerebral side (which is rare in the rock music industry); we never hear anything about his crazy/interesting drawings, etc...

On the bright side, the pictures were great, and the beginning of the book was much more interesting (when Steve Vai would come over to Joe's house, the excitement when Joe got his first guitar, etc.), but there wasn't enough of that early-on stuff where you get to know Joe a little bit more....A basic summary of how the book goes is this: as a youngster he loved Hendrix...then Hendrix died and Joe bought a guitar; quickly he is this "awesome" player and he is in various small bands, then he joins "The Squares", ditches that and goes on his solo career...the rest of the book is a play-by-play of each album mainly focused on what amps were used and you get lots of dialogue and viewpoints of the guys who mixed his cd's, etc...oh and along the way in the book, you'll find that it's quickly mentioned that he has a wife, there is some excitement mentioned in the book when his son is born, but the next mention of his son is when his son is a teenager and does a few riffs for his Professor Satchafunkalis cd on the saxophone...

Good but not great....

Enjoyed this book a lot, but it does err on the technical side of things and instead of really containing a bunch of stories about Joe and his family or stories about Joe...it mostly is all about his music...which obviously fans want to read adventurous stories in a biographical sense about growing up and high school and the life of a professional musician...so I agree it does tend to go light on the personal topics and just stick to the music...but...as a caveat...Joe has been featured in guitar magazines for so many years, perhaps he felt he had already covered many personal guitar stories in his various articles over the years which if your an older fan...you've been reading quite a bit about Joe from Joe for many years. All in all I recommend it highly to any casual to extremist fan...especially if you play guitar or even in a band period. I'd buy another book if Joe wrote it.
Rock on and rock out!

*( I don't care about Joe's personal life but people have mentioned it and its kind of true when reading this...its mostly about his music)

A must for any Satch fan. He breaks down how he started off as a musician along with the struggles he went through to create each of his Cds. It also goes over his ideas and methods for recording each album. The book is a little unique because it has Joe's version of events written by him and then it will include excerpts from other musicians, producers, managers, etc. version of the same events or period of time written by them, so it gives different perspectives on each topic. The excerpts include Steve Vai, Stu Hamm, Jeff Campitelli, etc. The book covers a lot of technical aspects of playing and recording, but does not get too technical, so it is still enjoyable to read even if you don't understand the technical aspects. If you love his music, you will love the book. I

I've been a fan of Satriani since my brother introduced me to his music in high school. Joe ROCKS! And I was looking forward to reading his story. But I was surprised that it was so focused on his musical and recording journey. He talked about his childhood and upbringing a bit, but he doesn't share any stories about meeting his wife - he just has one all the sudden. He shares his joy when he first learns he's going to be a father, but then the next time he's mentioned in the book he's a teenager. This book was a very detailed, technical bio from Joe. I was just hoping to learn a little more about the man as well as the artist.

I loved this book !!, if you are a fan of Joe's music, it is a must have.! If you are a Guitar player it is a MUST READ,this book gives you a complete run down of how he recorded his cds,what guitars and effects he used,he kepts complete details of everything he does,he writes everything down in notebooks,which I find is so smart because with a schedule and the many ideas he has,it is a good way not to let any creativity slip away,he records everything too..really you Have to BUY THIS BOOK!..What you will also learn is that Joe is not only an amazing player,he is a great guy, who loves what he does,and is continually working on improving his playing and designing guitars,he shares what he knows with the reader.I read a lot of guitarist memoir books This Book is the Best I have read so far..it is well worth a second read and a third..BUY IT you will Love it!!

At age 15, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani started giving lessons in his bedroom; precisely where he wound up teaching schoolmate Steve Vai. Now, at age 57, Satch has teamed up with author Jake Brown (who’s written books on Heart and Motörhead) to pen his musical memoir. Just shy of 300 pages, this behind the scenes look at the life of the best-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time is supplemented throughout with interviews by those who experienced it firsthand. Fellow musicians – including Queen guitarist Brian May who provided the foreword – producers, engineers, and record company executives offer recollections of the journey that led to 15 Grammy nominations. Yet in the beginning, Satriani considered his music odd and strange, fully admitting that he didn’t want to be accessible. Guitar enthusiasts will appreciate this book more than the average fan for the detailed descriptions of how unique sounds were achieved, explanations behind recording technology, and in-depth examination of the gear that was used. Readers are taken on an album to album guided tour, with Joe’s perfectionist tendencies and devotion to “unlocking the secrets of compositional harmony” ever present. Yet he peels back personal layers, revealing song inspirations and the importance of family throughout. Come chapter 20, Chickenfoot enters the picture and suddenly turning the pages becomes much more exciting. Collaborating with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith gave Joe “a natural place” for his blues influences. He calls the experience “extreme, with a lot of joking around and a super amount of energy, though it was a challenging transition… and my guitar never sounded so good.” Always in love with his instrument, Joe attests, “The more records I put out and the more live performances I do, the more exciting the whole experience becomes.”

I'm thrilled that there are so many biographies and autobiographies available from musicians that I cut my teeth on as a youngster. Back in '87, I was a huge fan of Joe Satriani's mind-blowing record, "Surfing With The Alien," and knowing that he's still touring and recording over 30 years later, I thought it would be fun to read a little more about the man and his music. The problem with this book is that it's ALL about the music, and very little about the man. Even being a long-time musician didn't make it easier to digest chapter after chapter of detailed production notes, advanced studio techniques, and musical equipment jargon. Once the recording of each album was complete, the book never went into any post-release touring anecdotes, tales of family shenanigans, or even drug-fueled party incidents! Once the album was in the bag, the following chapters jumped right into the production of the next album. If you're a Satch fanatic who owns every album, and is very interested in hearing how the songs you know and love were produced, you may find this book very satisfying. If, like me, you enjoy learning more about the lives, experiences, lessons, growth and setbacks endured by your favorite musical heroes, Strange Beautiful Music, may leave you wanting more.

If you are a fan of Joe Satriani you will probably enjoy this book. He tells his story like he plays his guitar, meaning it is very logically written, honest and methodical with few surprises.