This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Guitar magician Steve Vai landed on most folks’ radar during his rock star turns with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake — but for my money, he did his best work years earlier backing Frank Zappa. (Check out his spotlight Stevie’s Spanking on 1984’s Them Or Us and 1991’s You Can’t Do That On Stage Vol. 4 if you don’t believe me.)
Thankfully, it’s FZ’s spirit and not DLR’s that inhabits the soul of his latest one-man-band outing — and not just on the tribute instrumental Frank. Like Zappa, Vai is a consummate musician with keen intellect, fluid dexterity and jaw-dropping virtuosity. And like Zappa, he’s got a warped sense of humour, leavening his intricate flights of fancy fretwork with goofball lyrics about bees and even licks inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan. It ain’t Stevie’s Spanking, but I suspect Frank would dig it.
