''Not of This Earth'' is the debut studio album by guitarist

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

, released on December 18, 1986, through

Relativity Records Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and ag ...

."Not Of This Earth"
satriani.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

Overview

In the liner notes, Satriani provides a brief introduction to himself and the background behind ''Not of This Earth'', which was recorded in early 1985.''Not of This Earth'' (CD edition liner notes). He states that his goal was "to make a 'guitar-record' that would be enjoyed by all; not just a 'guitar-chops-record' but one with real music on it." He also mentions the recording of a follow-up album which he promises "will turn heads, drop jaws and create world peace in our lifetime!"; this would become his 1987 breakthrough smash hit, '' Surfing with the Alien''. The album uses

electronic drum Electronic drums are a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the Drum synthesiser, synthesized or Sampler ...

s rather than acoustic drums. The title track utilizes a unique compositional technique described by Satriani as

pitch axis theory Pitch axis theory refers to a way of thinking about chord progressions and mode (music), modes, that was heavily used and popularized (though not invented) by the guitarist Joe Satriani. When composing using this concept, the pitch axis is simply ...

, which consists of shifting

modes Mode ( meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * MO''D''E (magazine), a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is the setting fo ...

underneath a

pedal tone Pedal tones (or pedals) are special low notes in the harmonic series of brass instruments. A pedal tone has the pitch of its harmonic series' fundamental tone. Its name comes from the foot pedal keyboard pedals of a pipe organ, which are used ...

(in this case, E). "The Enigmatic" uses the

enigmatic scale The enigmatic scale () is an unusual musical scale, with elements of both major scale, major and minor scale, minor scales, as well as the whole-tone scale. It was originally published in a Milan journal as a musical challenge, with an invitatio ...

. "Rubina" is one of two tracks named after his wife, the other being "Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness" on '' The Extremist'' (1992). "The Headless Horseman" is performed entirely using a two-handed tapping technique, and was revisited in the form of "Headless" on ''

Flying in a Blue Dream ''Flying in a Blue Dream'' is the third studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on October 30, 1989 through Relativity Records. It is one of Satriani's most popular albums and his second highest-charting release to date, reaching No. 23 ...

'' (1989).

Reissue

''Not of This Earth'' has been reissued several times. The original cover art used for the first

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

and CD editions was lost early on, having since been replaced with an alternate cover which has been used for all releases since 1988. Notably the guitar, an

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki was one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United Stat ...

540S, with which Satriani is pictured on this second edition cover was never actually used by him, instead being merely "a promo shot that got too much press". The second major reissue of the album was as part of the '' Joe Satriani Original Album Classics'' box set, released on June 16, 2008 through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

. The most recent reissue was part of '' The Complete Studio Recordings'', released on April 22, 2014 through

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

; this is a box set compilation containing newly

remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

ed editions of every Satriani studio album from 1986 to 2013.Bosso, Joe (April 8, 2014)
"Joe Satriani talks The Complete Studio Recordings album by album"
''

MusicRadar Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was founded by Chris Anderson a ...

''.

Future plc Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson (entrepreneur), Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was ...

. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

Critical reception

Phil Carter at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

gave ''Not of This Earth'' four stars out of five, describing it as having "superior compositions, a signature style, a unique tone, and playing that's out of this world." He praised Satriani's "fluid playing and wicked licks

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

are enough to drop jaws and widen eyes" and that "There isn't a weak track on this disc".

Track listing

Personnel

– guitar, keyboard, percussion, bass, producer *

John Cuniberti John Cuniberti is an American recording engineer and producer. Career John Cuniberti was the drummer for The Rockets in the early 1970s, the original band for Eddie Money. He later managed Hyde Street Studios, where he was the recording engin ...

– vocals, percussion,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, mixing, production *

Jeff Campitelli Jeff Campitelli (born 29 December 1960) is an American drummer best known for his collaborations with Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. R ...

– drums, percussion, DX, whistle *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...

– mastering

References

External links

Joe Satriani "Not Of This Earth"
at Guitar Nine {{DEFAULTSORT:Not Of This Earth (Joe Satriani Album) Joe Satriani albums 1986 debut albums Relativity Records albums