My Merry Axemas Wish List 01-Nov-1997

* I wish I knew why the (2nd) highest note Jeff Beck hits strikes my ear as somehow a bit off but then seems to pull itself around as the harmony moves forward - are my ears wonky? does he actually pull the note around or is this a function of the shifting harmony? am I imagining this???

* I wish there wasn't such a long a gap between the two halves of Joe Perry's "Blue Christmas", making it sound more like two, separate songs instead of the second half of the same song, which is what I would have preferred. I wouldn't mind the second half starting up even slightly BEFORE the last strains of the first half die completely out.

* I wish I could hear Hotei's guitar work more prominently in the mix of the last couple verses. The overall sound is big, large, grand and I love it, but I have to struggle to hear the guitar. That's a real shame, especially a)when the melodic line moves into the lower registers it's particularly hard to hear and follow - and more specifically when the sound is "plucked" rather than singing, and b)from what I *can hear his lines on the guitar are exquisite. I really wish I could hear them more clearly.

* I wish Steve Vai's assistants and helper elves had the "bells" to persuade him, gently, that "cornballest" is not a real word, and either "corniest" or "most cornball" would have worked equally well and much better. It's not Mr. Vai's job to model perfect grammar (his job, after all, is to play the guitar!) but it surely must be SOMEBODY'S job to look out for him (mind his words, proofread and edit what he writes) and make him look good, and I wish they weren't, apparently, asleep at the wheel.

* I wish Santa would bring me a pony [[just kidding]]

* I wish everyone The Most Joyful Holiday Season, and the very best fortune in the New Year.

...peace...



Links to ...

My Review of Merry Axemas cd ... : ... Steve Vai's project... ...eleven guitarists... ...original arrangements... ...my reactions to each cut...
G3 Concert Review: River Queen Showplace 9/28/97... ...Satriani... ...Vai... ...Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band... ...Robert Fripp... ...my story, one slightly biased fan...
Front Door ... : ... Contents... ...Dragon... ...What's Cookin'...