Surfing
with the Alien is one of Satriani's most successful albums to
date. The album produced three hit singles for him: "Surfing with the Alien", Satch Boogie",
and the radio-only single "Always with Me, Always with You". Although
released in late 1987, it did not enter the Billboard 200 until
April 1988. As of 2010, Surfing with the Alien is Satriani's only studio
album to go platinum in America.
The album contains fast and complex songs such as "Surfing
with the Alien" and "Satch Boogie" in addition to the
stranger-sounding "Crushing Day" and "Lords of Karma", in
contrast to slower, melodic songs like "Always with Me, Always with
You" and "Echo" which provide a change of pace. Also notable is
"Midnight", which utilizes the technique of two-hand tapping at great
speed, evoking a Spanish fingerstyle effect. There are also Nashville tuned guitars
(on "Echo") and key changes (on "Always with Me, Always with
You" and "Echo") to vary the album.
The track "Ice 9" references the fictional apocalyptic
substance from Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle. The title song,
"Surfing with the Alien", is available as downloadable content in
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero Arcade. "Satch
Boogie" is available as a playable track in Guitar Hero III's sequel,
Guitar Hero World Tour. It is also a bonus track in the game Guitar Hero On
Tour: Decades. Additionally, both "Satch Boogie" and "Surfing
with the Alien" are downloadable tracks for the Rock Band series.
Download Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Surfing with the Alien"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Ice9"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "CrushingDay"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Always with Me, Always with You"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "SatchBoogie"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Hillof the Skull"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Circles"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Lordsof Karma"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Midnight"
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien - "Echo"
