Joe Satriani

Few "guitar shredders" of the late '80s were able to cross over into the upper reaches of the pop charts, but Joe Satriani proved to be an exception to the rule. And with over eight full-length studio albums in the shops by late 2003, Satch was ripe for a "best-of" collection – resulting in the release of the double-disc overview Electric Joe Satriani: An Anthology. If you're a newcomer and are looking for a finely balanced set of highlights from throughout Satriani's career, Electric Joe Satriani is definitely the way to go.

The first time I ever heard Joe Satriani's brilliant Ibanez tone was via an Armed Forces Network television commercial, while I was stationed withthe Navy, in Japan, back in 1987. About every hour, each day, this AFN stationwould play a short "Here's what's happening in your community" type of announcement, which just so happened to use Satriani's "Always With Me, Always With You", as the background music throughout the announcement. It took me about a month to finally track down who the hell it was who was playing this awesome tune, and I immediately went out and picked up Surfing With The Alien, his great album that this song is from.

Is There Love in Space? is the tenth studio album by instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriani, released on April 13, 2004. The track "If I Could Fly" is now the base of a lawsuit between Joe Satriani and Coldplay. Joe Satriani was suing Coldplay for allegedly plagarising music from the song "If I Could Fly" for their song "Viva la Vida". On 14 September 2009, the case was dismissed by the California Central District Court, with both parties potentially agreeing to a settlement.

G3: Live In Concert matches six-time Grammy Award nominee Joe Satriani with three-time Grammy nominee Steve Vai, and Grammy winner Eric Johnson. The CD documents the group's 1996 North American tour, and features three tracks apiece by each of the guitarists as well as three no-holds-barred jams featuring all three axe-men. G3: Live In Concert is sure to please all lovers of guitar wizardry. This high-energy CD showcases the eclectic compositional skills of the three men, with tracks featuring everything from pumped-up fusion grooves to funk-infused rhythms and jazz-flavored numbers. Each tune, though, is really a vehicle for the soaring guitar pyrotechnics for which Vai, Satriani and Johnson are famous.

Along with teaching some of the top rock guitar players of the '80s and '90s, Joe Satriani is one of the most technically accomplished and widely respected guitarists to emerge in recent times. Born on July 15, 1956, in Westbury, New York, and raised in the nearby town of Carle Place, Satriani inspired by guitar legend Jimi Hendrix picked up the guitar at the age of 14 (although he was initially more interested in the drums). Quickly learning the instrument, Satriani began teaching guitar to others and found a kindred spirit in one of his students, Steve Vai. By the late '70s, however, Satriani had relocated to Berkeley, California.