Blues Saraceno

Before there was a Joe Satriani, there was a Blues Saraceno. In fact, they launched solo careers around the same time period, but Blues had the added cachet of being Guitar Recordings' first "hot player" release. Blues was 15 at the time, and playing sessions for the stars soon followed - he was asked by Jack Bruce to replace Clapton for a reunited Cream. Never intending to record "guitar only" instrumentals, he ably demonstrates the art of making interesting records without the need of words by fusing lightning fast fusion jazz to stadium rock'n'roll. Fleet-fingered solos abound and while critics could label this mindless noodling, guitar aficionados get more than their money's worth. From softer ballads like "Before The Storm" to more fiery rockers like "Chewing On Crayons" and "Full Tank," there is much to enjoy here. This music in this collection may have aged slightly (although not as badly as Blues' big hair), but there is much to glean for any Eddie Van Halen wannabe and plenty of fine, fast guitar lines guaranteed to spin the head.