Surfing with the Alien
Surfing with the Alien is the second studio album by American guitarist Joe Satriani, released on October 15, 1987, through Relativity Records.[1][2] An all-instrumental rock record, it features ten tracks that highlight Satriani's technical prowess, melodic songwriting, and innovative use of effects, including the title track's iconic wah-wah solo inspired by the Silver Surfer comic character.[3][4] Produced by John Cuniberti and recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco with drummer Jeff Campitelli, the album was created with the ambition to make instrumental guitar music as energetic and accessible as mainstream rock acts like Van Halen or Queen.[4][3] Satriani, already known as an influential guitar teacher to artists such as Kirk Hammett and Steve Vai, drew from influences like Jeff Beck to craft songs that balanced shredding virtuosity with pop sensibility and exotic flavors.[1][4] Notable tracks include the upbeat opener "Surfing with the Alien," the bluesy "Always with Me, Always with You," and the rhythmic "Satch Boogie," all of which exemplify the album's bright and inviting tone.[3] Commercially, Surfing with the Alien marked a breakthrough, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and eventually achieving platinum certification in the United States.[3][1] It propelled Satriani from underground status to guitar-hero fame, revitalizing interest in instrumental rock during the late 1980s and influencing subsequent shred and fusion guitarists.[4][3] The album's enduring legacy is evident in its reissues, including a 20th-anniversary expanded edition in 2007, and its role in establishing Satriani as a pioneer of modern instrumental guitar music.[3]Background and production
Album development
Following the modest reception of his 1986 debut album Not of This Earth, Joe Satriani shifted focus from his earlier career as a guitar teacher—where he instructed future virtuosos such as Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett—to developing his second full-length studio album.[5][6] This transition emphasized Satriani's growing commitment to instrumental rock as a solo artist, building on the experimental tone of his first record while aiming for broader accessibility.[7] The album's creative inspirations stemmed from science fiction narratives, surfing culture, and the expressive potential of guitar virtuosity, capturing Satriani's fascination with otherworldly exploration and melodic freedom.[7] The title track exemplifies this, envisioning an alien visitor who perceives the soaring tones of an electric guitar as an immense wave to surf, symbolizing discovery and exhilaration through music.[4] These themes allowed Satriani to craft instrumental pieces that evoked vivid storytelling without vocals, prioritizing emotional resonance over technical display alone.[8] With an initial $13,000 budget from independent label Relativity Records that resulted in total production costs of approximately $29,000 supplemented by $10,000–$15,000 in trade credits, Satriani opted for a streamlined approach to instrumental rock, relying on minimal resources to highlight guitar-driven compositions.[9][10] He partnered with producer and engineer John Cuniberti, whose expertise in capturing raw guitar energy complemented the project's economical scope.[11] Songwriting began in 1986 and continued into 1987, with Satriani composing many tracks in hotel rooms during a year-long tour as a sideman with the Greg Kihn Band, transforming road experiences into the album's foundational riffs and structures.[10]Recording process
The recording of Surfing with the Alien took place primarily at Alpha & Omega Recording in San Rafael, California,[12] with additional sessions and mixing at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, necessitated by the project's tight initial $13,000 budget from Relativity Records—which resulted in total costs of approximately $29,000, supplemented by $10,000–$15,000 in trade credits from studio owner Sandy Pearlman and Hyde Street—that limited lockout time and required short bursts of studio access, such as four-hour sessions on Wednesdays and six-hour sessions on Thursdays.[10][3] The sessions unfolded over approximately two months in the summer of 1987, starting with basic tracks and progressing to overdubs and mixing in a fast-paced environment that emphasized efficiency.[8][3] Satriani's guitar work was captured using a limited setup, including two Kramer Pacer electric guitars for rhythm and whammy bar effects, as well as an adapted Fender Stratocaster with interchangeable pickups to achieve tonal variety.[3][10] Amplification relied on a Roland JC-120 chorus amp for clean tones and a modified 1968 Marshall half-stack with a master volume for higher-gain sounds, while sustain and compression were enhanced by a Scholz Rockman device run through the chain.[3][13] Drums were handled innovatively due to the budget, with initial programming by Bongo Bob Smith using an Oberheim drum machine for foundational grooves, followed by refinements on an E-mu SP-12 sampler during mixing to add a distinctive machined texture.[10][14] Live drum overdubs were then added by Jeff Campitelli, particularly on tracks like "Satch Boogie," where he tracked quickly using close and shotgun microphones to capture dynamic performances.[10][15] A notable challenge arose during the solo for the title track, "Surfing with the Alien," when Satriani routed his guitar signal through a malfunctioning Eventide H949 Harmonizer set for subtle pitch modulation; the unit began introducing erratic artifacts and random detuning just as the take was printed to tape near the end of the allotted session time, but the unintended effects were retained for their unique, otherworldly character that complemented the song's theme.[3][8] This incident highlighted the improvisational nature of the production, overseen by co-producer John Cuniberti, who adapted to the equipment quirks to wrap the album efficiently.[16]Personnel
Joe Satriani performed all lead guitar parts and handled bass on select tracks through multi-tracking, while also contributing keyboards, percussion, and serving as co-producer.[2][17] Jeff Campitelli provided drums and percussion on several tracks, adding live drum elements to the album's rhythm section.[15] Bongo Bob Smith contributed drum programming, sound design, percussion, and additional keyboards, emphasizing the album's electronic and programmed drum textures.[2][15] John Cuniberti co-produced the album alongside Satriani, performed bass on the remaining tracks, and handled all engineering and mixing duties at Alpha & Omega Recording in San Rafael, California.[2][17] The album features no vocalists, maintaining a purely instrumental focus that highlights Satriani's guitar work.[18] Mastering was completed by Bernie Grundman at his Hollywood studio, ensuring the final sonic polish for the 1987 release.[2]Musical content
Style and influences
Surfing with the Alien is characterized by its predominant style of instrumental rock, featuring prominent shred guitar elements that blend hard rock, surf rock, and progressive influences.[4][7] The album's sound draws from blues-rooted guitar traditions while incorporating energetic, reverb-heavy riffs reminiscent of surf music and intricate, evolving structures typical of progressive rock.[4] This fusion creates a dynamic, guitar-centric landscape that prioritizes expressive solos over vocals.[19] Key techniques showcased throughout the album include two-handed tapping, whammy bar dives, and harmonic squeals, which enhance the guitar's melodic and timbral range.[7][4] These methods reflect influences from guitar pioneers such as Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, whose innovative approaches to tone and phrasing are echoed in the album's fluid, improvisational feel.[4][19] Additionally, sci-fi themes infuse the music with a futuristic edge, evoking otherworldly narratives through soaring leads and atmospheric effects.[7][19] The album played a significant role in the 1980s guitar hero era, emerging in the post-Van Halen landscape by emphasizing melody and songcraft over sheer speed and virtuosic display.[7][4] Its cultural nods include the surfing motif, inspired by Dick Dale's pioneering surf guitar style with its rapid, tremolo-picked lines, and the alien theme drawn from Marvel Comics' Silver Surfer, symbolizing cosmic exploration and isolation.[4][7] This thematic integration ties the instrumental prowess to broader artistic storytelling.[19]Composition
Surfing with the Alien comprises 10 instrumental tracks totaling 37:33 in length, relying entirely on guitar work to convey narratives and emotions without vocals.[18] The title track, "Surfing with the Alien," serves as a fast-paced, riff-driven opener lasting 4:20, drawing from a dream-inspired sci-fi narrative of an extraterrestrial surfing adventure.[4] It prominently employs the harmonic minor scale to enhance its melodic intensity.[20] The ballad "Always with Me, Always with You" presents an acoustic-inspired melody supported by emotional clean guitar tones, composed as a love song dedicated to Satriani's wife, Rubina.[21] This track contrasts the album's high-energy moments with its introspective warmth. "Satch Boogie" delivers an upbeat bluesy shuffle infused with boogie-woogie rhythms, prominently showcasing Satriani's two-handed tapping technique.[22] Among the more experimental pieces, "Midnight" features flamenco-influenced tapping patterns that create a resonant, percussive atmosphere.[23] Similarly, "Ice 9" alludes to Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle, incorporating crystalline, ice-like guitar effects to mirror the book's dystopian theme of global catastrophe.[24]Track listing
All tracks are instrumental and written by Joe Satriani.[15] The 1987 original edition contains ten tracks with a total length of 37:33.[18] The vinyl LP divides the tracks across two sides, as follows:[14]| Side | No. | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Surfing with the Alien | 4:20 |
| A | 2 | Ice 9 | 4:08 |
| A | 3 | Crushing Day | 5:16 |
| A | 4 | Always with Me, Always with You | 3:20 |
| A | 5 | Satch Boogie | 3:10 |
| B | 6 | Hill of the Skull | 1:46 |
| B | 7 | Circles | 3:27 |
| B | 8 | Lords of Karma | 4:46 |
| B | 9 | Midnight | 1:42 |
| B | 10 | Echo | 5:38 |
Packaging and release
Artwork
The original 1987 cover artwork for Surfing with the Alien depicts the Marvel Comics character Silver Surfer riding a cosmic wave, directly inspired by a panel from Silver Surfer #1 (1982) illustrated by John Byrne, and licensed from Marvel to evoke the album's extraterrestrial theme.[25] The art direction was handled by Jim Kozlowski, who suggested the Silver Surfer imagery due to its alignment with the title track's narrative of an alien visitor.[26] The back cover features Galactus's hand emerging from space, further tying into the comic's lore.[25] The inner sleeve includes black-and-white photographs of Joe Satriani posing with his guitars, emphasizing his instrumental focus and personal connection to the music.[14] For the 2019 deluxe reissue, the cover was updated to show Satriani's chrome Ibanez JS guitar bursting through a multicolor wormhole against a cosmic background, a design Satriani described as fitting and integral to the album's identity, prompted by rising licensing fees from Marvel.[27][28]Release history
Surfing with the Alien was first released in the United States on October 15, 1987, through the independent label Relativity Records.[18] The album debuted in standard formats of vinyl LP (catalog number 88561-8193-1) and cassette (88561-8193-4), with a compact disc edition (88561-8193-2) made available later that year.[2] International distribution followed in late 1987 and 1988 via licensing agreements with regional labels, including Food For Thought Records for the UK market (LP, GRUB 8) and N.E.W. Musidisc for France (CD, 100162).[2] In several European territories, the album appeared under Epic Records, a division of CBS, starting in October 1988 (for example, vinyl edition EPC 450444 1).[29] Relativity's status as an independent label meant the rollout relied on pressing-and-distribution deals rather than major promotional campaigns, supported by a constrained marketing budget that emphasized grassroots and radio outreach.[8] The compact disc format gained broader digital reavailability through Relativity and affiliated distributors during the early 1990s.[15]Singles and promotion
To promote Surfing with the Alien, Relativity Records released "Satch Boogie" as the lead single in 1987, marking an early effort to introduce Satriani's instrumental rock to radio audiences.[30] The track's energetic, boogie-infused riff highlighted Satriani's guitar prowess and received targeted radio play, helping to build momentum for the album's October launch.[7] In 1988, the title track "Surfing with the Alien" followed as a single, further capitalizing on the album's growing buzz with its surf-rock inspired melody and thematic alien imagery.[31] A music video for the song, featuring Satriani's dynamic live performance, entered heavy rotation on MTV, exposing his virtuosic style to a broader rock audience and contributing to the album's breakthrough visibility.[7] Relativity Records emphasized radio promotion for the album's instrumentals, pairing Satriani with a dedicated radio promo representative during an initial promotional tour to secure airplay slots on rock stations.[32] Interviews during this period often highlighted Satriani's background as a guitar teacher to notable musicians like Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett, positioning him as a innovative educator-turned-performer to appeal to guitar enthusiasts and industry insiders.[3] Live performances played a key role in the promotion, with Satriani launching a tour in late 1987 as a trio alongside bassist Stu Hamm and drummer Jonathan Mover, starting with a two-week run of U.S. dates to showcase material from the album.[3] The tour expanded in 1988 when Satriani joined Mick Jagger's solo outing as a supporting act, performing at major venues across North America and Europe, which significantly boosted the album's profile through high-energy sets featuring tracks like the title song and "Satch Boogie."[7]Commercial performance
Chart performance
Upon its release in late 1987, Surfing with the Alien debuted at number 183 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[33] The album climbed steadily, reaching a peak position of number 29 in 1988 and spending a total of 75 weeks on the chart, marking the longest chart run of any Joe Satriani album.[34][35] It also ranked number 43 on the Billboard 200 year-end chart for 1988.[36] Internationally, the album performed strongly in select markets, peaking at number 10 on the Australian Albums Chart with 25 weeks on the listing.[37] In New Zealand, it reached number 16 on the Albums Chart and charted for 36 weeks.[38] European performance was more limited, with the album failing to enter the UK Albums Chart Top 100 during its initial 1987–1988 run, though it later re-entered upon reissues.[39] The album's singles also achieved modest success on rock-oriented charts. "Satch Boogie" peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1988. The title track, "Surfing with the Alien," reached number 37 on the same chart. These positions highlighted the album's appeal within rock radio formats, contributing to its overall longevity on broader album charts.| Chart (1988) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 29 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 16 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks ("Satch Boogie") | 22 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks ("Surfing with the Alien") | 37 |