I challenge anyone to release a more accessible instrumental rock album than Joe Satriani's "Surfing With the Alien." I don't play guitar myself, but that is hardly an impediment to enjoying his music...and that's probably the best thing about Joe -- you don't need to be a musician yourself to love his songs.

Surfing With the Alien was Joe's first successful record, and after listening to it just once you'll understand why. Joe eschews needless self-indulgence like most 'guitar heroes' and just plays rocking songs with interesting melodies. My favorite songs are "Crushing Day" -- an exhilarating song with mind-bending solos and some good hooks -- and "Echo" -- a great track that flows naturally and beautifully. Every other song here is excellent, from the epic and orchestral-sounding "Hill of the Skull" to the pretty ballad "Always With Me; Always With You."

I highly recommend this album to guitar players and rock fans alike.

The remastered audio CD is very nice, and to me there are some very notable improvements (not that any were really needed) such as Hill of the Skull. But the DVD is what I think makes the purchase a great value. The DVD shows Joe in a raw and hungry stage of his great carreer, and serves as a record that he has always been at the top of the instrumental guitar world. The audio is also very good, which kind of surprised me since the show was taped so long ago, and it seems like so many DVD's being released with shows from the 70's and 80's seem to be lacking in that department.

To me there are times when Joe seems to miss on certain whammy techniques and some of the more complex soloing paterns in this video, which is probably a combination of being very tired and the songs being pretty new, but what I think is important about that is that when you compare some of the songs to the versions on the SF live DVD you can see how far Joe has come as a performer, and how he has mastered those techniques. Don't get me wrong about what I'm saying, Joe absolutely destroys in the set offered here, and it is truly a shame that the set had to be shaved down, but I am grateful that Joe has released this very fine show. I highly recomend this to any fan of guitar driven music.

A guitar album which was both groundbreaking and unprecedented (and has since become legendary), "Surfing With The Alien" is an absolute classic. With this 20th anniversary remastered release, not much is changed- it still sounds fantastic, but oddly enough, I actually prefer the original production. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the remastered production seems a bit dry or sterile compared to the original release....

The real treat here for Satch fans is the addition of a bonus DVD with a fantastic early European gig in which a virtually unknown guitarists and band pull of a fantastic virtuoso performance despite a million setbacks (being "bumped" from a 12:00 time slot to 4:00 a.m., having to cut half of their set-list, jet-lag and fatigue- the accompanying notes from Satriani are both amusing and interesting to read) as well as videos for a couple of classic songs and a hilarious commentary from Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel. The real treat for long time fans such as myself is seeing Joe in all his funky late-eighties neo-Hendrix glory (weird outfits, hair, and all) and wielding his old self-decorated Ibanez guitars that he used to cut his first three albums....a fun and nostalgic experience. The only reason I knocked a star off is because I prefer the "old" mix of "Surfing"....other than that it's an excellent reissue....I may be nitpicking; can I give it 4 and a half stars?

Joe Satriani is the ultimate guitar hero. He has amazing chops, incredible melodic vision, and also fast, unbelievable shred skills. This album shows in a very inspiring way what an amazing musician he is. If you are a guitar player or have a good ear for talented and thoughtfull music, then you should pick this one up in a heartbeat.

This is the album that established Joe Satriani as one of the modern-day guitar gods, and deservedly so! This is a masterpiece of writing and skill. "Surfing With the Alien" starts it off and establishes Joe's early tone that was copied by so many. This one also starts a series of songs related to the Marvel superhero Silver Surfer (this album cover; "Back to Shalla-Bal" on the album "Flying in a Blue Dream" and "The Power Cosmic 2000, parts 1&2 on "Engines of Creation") "Satch Boogie" is an extremely rockin' tune that is his trademark. Still jaw-dropping after all this time. "Always With You, Always With Me" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and is one of the songs that got him noticed by mainstream audiences (it is often played during figure skating routines, along with another song by Joe, "All Alone") "Circles" is a song that was probably a source of inspiration for many alternative and punk bands simply for the fact that it starts out nice and soft, then goes nuclear, then back to nice and soft. Plus, "Crushing Day" is one of the most all-around perfect songs I've ever heard. As a whole, this is a must-definitely-own for any fan of the guitar. Well deserving of the perfect score.