Amazon.com Customer Reviews
G3-Best Lead Guitarist on Earth! - Review written on August 01, 2006
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
I just got this CD Concert, and it is in every way AWESOME! I am a lead guitarist also and particular about who I listen to. My opinion of the best of the G3 is Eric Johnson whom I have seen in concert 3 times, once when he was 17 years old, and at that time he was the absolutely best guitarist I had ever seen, (and I also met him and we talked about Stratocasters and how he modified his to get those amazing tones, he was a real nice person) that opinion still stands. Eric Johnson still plays chords in his songs, which I feel a great guitarist does, plus the most technical and tasteful leads. I don't think I heard Joe Satriani or Steve Vai play any chords at all except for the 3 last cover tunes, now don't get me wrong, I think all 3 were great! I have Joe Satriani albums also and love them, but Eric Johnson is a vituoso for good reason. I plan to purchase the DVD also. Incidentally I have worked with some really hot lead guitarists who never play a chord either, guess what? I don't think they have any idea what the chords to the tune are. Why I appreciate virtuoso Eric Johnson, complete guitarist. I have heard and seen him play Clapton, Hendrix, almost any style flawlessly. I have his "Total Electric Guitar" VHS,....WOW,...I could never learn to play so well (I spent many hours trying). Some people are born to be spectacular-Eric Johnson.
Overall this is a wonderful live concert with 3 great lead guitarists and great backup musicians. I highly recommend it for fans and musicians alike.
Guitar lovers dream... or dissappointment? - Review written on January 28, 2005
Rating: 3 out of 5
4 customers found this review helpful, 4 did not.
Being a huge Satch fan, I eagerly bought this when it first came out. I also knew that Vai was his student, although I had never heard him play before this.
Eric Johnson I had never heard of.
For me, Satriani is clearly the best guitarist of these three.
His ability to combine melody and technique is streets above the rest, at least on this album. He just seems to work harder at being more innovative and different.
There is no doubt Vai is a competent guitarist. He is quick, damn quick, on some scales dare I say quicker than Satriani.
But he just doesn't have the X factor, his melodies are just average for mine, and there is no comparison for mine.
He just seems like one big guitar wanker! Some fun stuff- but I just want more!!
I was pleasantly surprised with Johnson.
A friend of mine who owns some of his stuff has said that he was restrained during his performances on this.
That said, I was mightily impressed, and he perfectly bridged the gap between the other two guitarists.
All in all, this is highly listenable, but for me, about half the album is ordinary.
I didn't like any of the songs they all did together, with only Vai looking at home in these songs. They all lacked melody and innovation.
Hard core fans of any of the three guitarists will no doubt eagerly get a copy, but casuals fans beware; have a few listens first to see if it's really what you want.
I will definitly try some more Johnson after this album though!
Thanks for reading!
Legends On Stage - Review written on June 12, 2004
Rating: 5 out of 5
4 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
This is a tour-de-force of guitar legends on stage. Satch, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson plugging their axes into Marshall and Fender amps to dazzle and wow for more than an hour of music. The album doesn't do the show any justice only playing three songs from each set, and not including any of the opening act, Adrian Legg - a great guitarist in his own right. As a live show, the energy is high and the boys are on playing some of their greatest tunes. The chosen songs could have been better, but I remember some songs missing from the set list when I saw them live.
Satch's set begins with "Cool No.9" from his self-titled release. A little more bluesy and spacey than his previous stuff, but it still rocks. Full of lightning fast licks, overpowering crunch, and dive-bombs it rocks out. He follows with big hits "Flying In a Blue Dream" and "Summer Song". Both were good, but I remember a great version of "Big Bad Moon" at the show that I would have like to seen here. Satch's student, Vai shows why he was the student and Satch is the master. Although his set is good and a little more raw, he does not match to the talent of his former teacher. Overall, it is Eric Johnson who steals the show, but not quite the album. Johnson is a tone freak and had the best tone of the night. His playing is jaw-dropping fast and unbelievably smooth. Unfortunately, his song choices weren't the greatest here. "Zap" is powerful, fast, and catch. The man's tone goes from low growl to crystal solos with elegant ease. He backs of with "Manhattan" playing cleaner and jazzy. Again his fret work is amazing.
The highlight of the album comes at the end when the three guitar-gods join together for an amazing jam session. Licks abound as each takes their turn with a solo in their unique style. They cover three great hits, and although none of them have a great voice, they do a good job with "Going Down," Frank Zappa's "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama" and Hendrix's "Red House" which is a fitting close to the album.
Any fan of guitar music or fan of these musicians would find this album a great addition to their collection. High energy, raw and amazing fingering. These guys are the monsters of guitar-rock.
Best Guitar-Oriented CD available - Review written on March 04, 2004
Rating: 5 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
If you play guitar, you must own this cd. Plain and simple. These three musicians have taken the instrument and produced amazing new sounds that could never have been imagined.
The Pros: Every song is enjoyable. Each artist's set is unique and offers a good sample of what to expect from each in other recordings. I fell in love with Satriani's style because of this cd's performance of "Cool No. 9" and with Vai's style because of the solo after "Answers."
The Cons: I would not want this cd to be any different, but I suppose it could use a better booklet?
This cd is worth so much more than you will ever pay for it.
Not particularly bad, but not particularly good - Review written on December 20, 2002
Rating: 3 out of 5
2 customers found this review not to be helpful.
The G3 tour was one of the best show I have ever seen, and this cd does an ok job of capturing that magic. I was a little disappointed with the song selection for Eric Johnson based mainly on the fact that "The Cliffs of Dover" was not included on this disc (which I feel is one of the greatest songs of all time, and certainly Eric Johnson's best). When all three get together to jam at the end can send chills down your spine, much like it did live in concert. The rendition of "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama" blew me away, and the cover of Hendrix's "Red House" is nothing short of brilliant. I just wish they would have made this at least a double cd so Satriani, Vai, and Johnson could each have had more than 3 songs on it. Overall, it's not a bad album. Buy it used, don't pay full price. Best $5 I ever spent.
Great Live Album - Review written on November 02, 2002
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
Who could have guessed that 3 of the greatest instrumental guitarist in the world would team up and perform a concert together(and in this case, record the concert and put out a cd of it). But it happened, and thankfully so.
G3 Live in Concert is; like it says on the sticker on the album, the ultimate live concert album. It starts off with the 3 guitarists: Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai, all performing songs from their own reputuar: Joe plays, 'Cool No.9', 'Flying In A Blue Dream', and 'Summer Song'. Eric plays: 'Zap', 'Manhattan', and 'Camels Night Out'. And Steve plays: 'Answers', 'For The Love Of God', and 'The Attitude Song'.
Then in the grand finale, all thre of the guitar giants come together and perform another set of 3 songs: 'Going Down', 'My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama'(originally by Frank Zappa), and a long drawn out(but still listenable) version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Red House'(the highlight of the CD).
With over 75 minutes of music, it might seem a bit long; but remember, it is a 'LIVE' album, and this particular live is one of the best.
Great Live Album - Review written on November 02, 2002
Rating: 5 out of 5
7 customers found this review helpful.
Who could have guessed that 3 of the greatest instrumental guitarist in the world would team up and perform a concert together(and in this case, record the concert and put out a cd of it). But it happened, and thankfully so.
G3 Live in Concert is; like it says on the sticker on the album, the ultimate live concert album. It starts off with the 3 guitarists: Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai, all performing songs from their own reputuar: Joe plays, 'Cool No.9', 'Flying In A Blue Dream', and 'Summer Song'. Eric plays: 'Zap', 'Manhattan', and 'Camels Night Out'. And Steve plays: 'Answers', 'For The Love Of God', and 'The Attitude Song'.
Then in the grand finale, all thre of the guitar giants come together and perform another set of 3 songs: 'Going Down', 'My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama'(originally by Frank Zappa), and a long drawn out(but still listenable) version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Red House'(the highlight of the CD).
With over 75 minutes of music, ot might seem a bit long; but remember, it is a 'LIVE' album, and this particular live is one of the best.
my first live cd!! - Review written on October 28, 2002
Rating: 5 out of 5
& also the one that got me started on joe & steve. a guitarist friend of mine bought this one as a gift to me & i can never thank him enough!!
i don't know what big fans of joe & steve might think of this review but my opinion is that the songs make a good introduction to their work.
all the songs are great, even the picks, i enjoyed johnson's performance too but don't get me wrong, i had my ears plenty by joe & steve. the covers are really good, especially going down, isn't it a jeff beck song?
anyway, this is a must buy live album, it's great listening to it on the road
ENJOY!!
a reviewer from massachusetts - Review written on August 06, 2002
Rating: 3 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
SAME COVER,BUT NOT THE SAME MUSIC ON THE VIDEO!the solos,especially the solo for answers on the video was much better,camels night out was too.im not suprised that steve vai wrote kill the guy with the ball,here tried to upstage everybody else,(acted just like a high school bully)joe satriani was mediocre at best for him.but even with all of vai's lightning speed,and stage performance,silly hats etc..the only one who put out real music was eric johnson,who played nice pieces of music displaying real musicianship,and composition,without showing off.the quietest was loudest heard........
. . . BUT WHAT IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY A CONVERT? - Review written on June 07, 2001
Rating: 3 out of 5
13 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
At the time of writing, 24 excitable air-guitar-fiends have already written reviews of this album averaging about 4.9 stars. But what if you're not already a convert to virtuoso-rock? What if you've just heard the names Satriani and Vai bandied around, and are wondering what all the fuss is about?
Basically these two guys represent a sort of "Gee-tar University" school of musicianship. Imagine your favourite professor, in cap and gown, lecturing you: "This is how it's done. This is an octave bend; this is two-handed tapping; this is choking - and you may be able to do it as fast as this if you work hard, sonny . . ."
And actually it's all terribly impressive. What's so intimidating (as people used to say about Yes back in the 1970's) is that they can really do this stuff live on stage. It's frankly dazzling. They're the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven of electric guitar. Wherever the axe evolves to in the future, these guys will have defined it. Like those two classical worthies, these guys have taken everything that went before and melded it into an academic discipline that learned men and women are already writing treatises on. Everything that comes after will either build on it, dilute it, or set out to tear it down.
That's the good part. The bad part is that it's indescribably boring. Compared with these guys, the pages and claptons and hendrixes of this world are just guitarists. And yet, Page and Clapton and Hendrix could say more in a 20 second lead break than the professors can manage in 20 minutes. Neil Young could convey more emotion playing the same note 20 times in a row than the academics can manage playing 20 notes in a second!
The exception on the strength of this album is the understated and charming Eric Johnson. He's a kind of acolyte - possibly a past student of Satriani's - who hasn't let pure abstract technique overcome his natural flair for melody, tone and phrasing. His three solo tracks are a refreshing break from the remorseless attack of heavy metal without theme or lyric that accounts for over half this album. I mean, just how do guys who write earnest but interchangeable instrumental compositions come up with titles? . . .
"Hey, Bill, I can't decide whether to call this one `Attack of the Killer Aspidistra' or `Plasma 659'. What do you think?"
"Dunno, how'd the lyrics go?"
"Ain't got no lyrics, jus' like all the others."
"OK, why not call it `My Cat's Got Chiggers'."
"Hey, thanks man, that gives me the idea for another riff!"
It has to be said, nobody who's grown up with prog rock is going to really dislike this. It contains three well-chosen tracks by each of the three front-men with faultless scratch-band support, followed by three jams on rock standards where the guys trade licks with ane another. Bits of it are tuneful, bits of it are stirring, bits of it could inspire you to take up the guitar yourself, bits of it are frightening enough to make you chuck your Strat in the pond.
On the other hand, one of the several solo albums by the three virtuosi is probably a better investment. And if you like great tunes, virtuoso solo-ing and impossibly tight ensemble playing, why not take a mega-risk and try 20 year old Hilary Hahn's dazzling cut of the Barber and Meyer violin concertos. Like pomp-rock before it, prof-rock is struggling to ape the sonic & thematic range, intellectual ambition, technical accomplishment and raw emotional power of classical music - still without success. If you share that vision, try the real classics.
This review is going to collect unhelpful votes like a dog collects fleas, but remember . . . they'll be existing converts to this impressive but soulless perfectionism.
It is a great album. - Review written on April 09, 2001
Rating: 4 out of 5
6 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
I didn't even know Eric Johnson before I got this album. He is a fantastic player. If you like these guys already, you really can't go wrong. This is pretty similar to what you'll find on their albums though. The jam on Red House is an awesome performance and all 3 final songs are great. However Joe Satriani is nowhere near a blues vocalist, he does play a great electric blues guitar. As for Steve Vai, his choice of playing is always odd, and I always thought that some of his stuff was just silly even when it wasn't intended to be. That considered I still have to say that the rendition of For The Love of God always gives me goosebumps and it has got to be one of the greatest guitar led instrumentals that exist. Personally it's in my top 5 and I've heard a whole lot of them. These guys are all master guitar players and Vai gives atleast one other great tune to the picks which is the one he chose to do in the final three called My Guitar Wants to kill your mama- A Frank Zappa tune. If you can believe it, when Vai wasn't even old enough to purchase alcohol he was playing lead guitar for Frank doing all the difficult parts that Frank himself said he couldn't do. That's something to have on your resume. All three guys have three instrumentals and then all three play on 3 final jams taking turns singing for each song. Eric Johnson does a soulful yet almost timid vocal on Red House and Satriani does a rocking version of Goin' down, not to be confused with Goin' Down slow the classic blues song, Though this song might be a blues song in another version, I don't know.
As for Eric Johnson's instrumentals, he is an incredibly talented cool jazz man, and you won't forget his name after you hear them, in all probability anyway. This is one long great album full of mostly instrumental work. It's over 70 minutes long and it has tremendous sound quality. Hope that Helped.
One of the Best Live Guitar Rock Albums Ever Made! - Review written on January 19, 2001
Rating: 5 out of 5
9 customers found this review helpful.
On G3 Live three of the most talented electric guitar players of all-time come together for an album that sizzles with creative synergy. Each of the three play three of their best pieces- Satriani starts out kind of mellow and cool with "Dreaming # 11," picks up momentum with "Flying in a Blue Dream," then closes his set with an ear-popping rendition of "Summer Song" that really cooks! Satriani's live tracks are very impressive for their creative virtuousity and willingness to explore new musical ideas that may differ a bit from his studio cut, which he then weaves together masterfully- taking a classic work and giving it a fresh, edgy and breath-taking new interpretation.
Eric Johnson dazzles the listener with an amazing blend of guitar styles that flow together seamlessly- ranging from a bluesy, jazz-rock style on Zap, to the rich jazz progressions and solo work on Manhattan to the intricate merging of blues and shred rock on Camel's Night Out.
Steve Vai highlights some of his better work here with Answers, For the Love of God and Attitude Song. His awesomely arpeggiated melodic lines soar as they seem to rise out of nowhere and fly out into space. Out of the three on this album, Vai seems to get the most unique sounds out of the instrument- he makes it sing, ring, scream, cry and soar... my only major critique of Vai's guitar work is that the harmonies and sounds he uses in the background tend to distract from his melodic lines rather than enhance them as they do with Satriani and to some degree with Johnson.
Out of the three pieces they play together, their version of RED HOUSE is awesome! The three blend and complement one another nicely, beginning with a classic blues opening and gradually building in intensity. the song is extended to include a solo by each of the three after each verse, and to close it out they trade eights- (one guitar plays a riff and the next one responds), finishing strong with a great ending. Hendrix would have been proud and probably impressed by this fine rendition. The only liability with their cover of RED HOUSE is Eric Johnson's drab singing, but then again- when you listen, you will be so amazed by the guitar work that Roseanne Barr could be singing, and it would still sound pretty darn good! But seriously, it is an awesome album, that gives an excellent taste of some of the best work of these three- check it out!
Great cd that has a great video, too! - Review written on July 22, 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5
16 customers found this review helpful, 3 did not.
What a lineup! Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai, three of the world's greatest guitarists together and playing in fine form. Joe has the first three tracks, which come from three different albums. "Cool #9" is just that: cool! The number nine is from a naming system he has because he's written so many blues numbers in his spare time. "Flying in a Blue Dream" is a nice, slightly softer song that is from the same-titled cd. "Summer Song" is a classic! Amazing virtuosity and overall catchiness ensure that this is one of the fan's all-time favorites. Great video for this one as well. Eric is next, with his amazingly precise playing and mellower tone. He is much different in style than Satch and Vai, but fits right in with three outstanding songs (two of which are different on the G3 video). "Zap" is from his album "Tones" and is a very catchy number featuring speed and skill. "Manhattan" is a more mellow, jazzy number and has a great ambient, deep sound to it. "Camel's Night Out" is a more rockin' tune that is very fun to hear. Eric plays with such precision that it is almost like listening to the album versions. It's too bad he doesn't add to the songs, like Joe does, but oh well. Steve is last and is another guy that is incredibly precise live. Joe was impressed by this, as Steve plays so loud that it would seem that he would be distracted (he played at 126db at one point!) "Answers" is a funky song with lots of interesting sounds and is from his awesome "Passion and Warfare" album, as is "For the Love of God," a nice, well-written meaningful piece. "The Attitude Song" finishes off his set and is a treat for fans to hear because it is a better rendition than the original. Much more attitude on this one! The album also features the three musicians coming together for three cool songs. "Going Down" is a good blues number for them all to play on to create a very layered (obviously) sound. "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama" is a weird/funny/rough cover of a Frank Zappa tune and they do a nice job. "Red House" is the Jimi Hendrix classic and is decently done, though I like Jimi singing it much more than Eric Johnson. Overall, this is a very good cd and I recommend that you pick up the G3 video too. Then you get to see the men behind the instruments, including Steve's excellent guest-guitarist, the incomparable Mike Keneally! Please look up this video and read my review of it as well. I expand on my thoughts of Mike Keneally in it. Buy both, sit back and be amazed!
A Must For Guitar Fans - Review written on May 29, 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful.
Staggering. That is the only word to describe this album with. If you are a fan of solo guitar, then this album is the ultimate. Three of the geniuses of the instrument strut their stuff with their band for 3 songs apiece, and then, finally, all get on stage together and jam on three covers (with vocals no less). Personally, I like Steve Vai's set the best, closely followed by Satriani's. Johnson takes a more subtle route, bypassing most of the high-flying guitar pyrotechnics that his partners in crime use, showing that he is a true master of the instrument. All three jams are great, but the closing near 10 minute cover of Jimi Hendrix's Red House, with Johnson on vocals is the highlight of that set, and possibly the album, rivaled only by Vai's For The Love of God. Needless to say, this is an album to get if you are a fan of either three of these guitarists, or guitar soloing in general.