puntiniCAZpuntini

Zappa died in 1991, he didn’t get to see Malmsteen become Cicciobombacannoniere. Someone I know insists on defending Cicciobomba from the 80s; honestly, I find him gay, but still better than the ridiculous hyper-skill he has become. The Circus is beautiful because it’s not easy to be a circus performer; even tightrope walkers are just “people walking on a wire,” but go ahead and try if you can. It’s a different concept from “making songs,” it can be liked or not, but the fact remains that Vai is a monster, he has creativity, it’s not all speed-for-show, it’s not just hyper-fast scales but he uses the guitar in every possible way, and that’s not for everyone, let alone the typical schoolboy stuff. For me, the fact that Zappa would take a pen and write impossible things, then hand them to a (then) kid and the kid would show him they were not impossible at all, is a sign of a musician with big balls, keeping in mind that Zappa didn’t write everything, and the sound, the distortions, and the effects were from Vai’s hand, and those are the things that make the difference. Many volumes of "Non ce la fai a fare questo sul palco" (a name, a guarantee) were 80% improvisation, and even there Vai puts on a show. He’s cool; you might not like him, but he’s cool. I find a concert of indie-rock much more “disgustingly-circus-like” where the show is given by the screams and movements of the band rather than the notes they produce. It’s a matter of taste, but it must be said that if Vai wants, he can play covers of any damn band on Earth, while few guitarists in the world can cover Vai, and you can’t say he’s crap; you can only say “I don’t like him.”

Alright, but if you only heard the favorite album of a 14-year-old, then I believe it. With Zappa, Vai is beautiful and lovable to the core. Alone, it’s a heavy boulder that can become tedious because it’s too minimal; it’s all guitar, and after five minutes, I can’t take it anymore. I need more things and more sounds. However, with Zappa, he created Oscar-worthy stuff—"Jazz From Hell," "Tinsel Town Rebellion," and "You Are What You Is" are three incredible albums. If you want a truckload of fantasy, then "You Can't Do That On Stage ANYMORE" (because without Animore, they're the 70s ones, without Vai), which you can find around 8 volumes of. Or any live performance of Zappa from 1980 until his death; Vai is always there except for rare occasions at specific festivals, but it’s more difficult to find him without Vai than with him (always since '80). Vai is a genius; this album is a heavy boulder that can become tedious, but he is a genius—it needs to be listened to with a band, though.

No Easy, you’re blowing it out of proportion, you don’t get it.

Sure, but it's not Vai's fault that when Fripp was playing guitar, he was in kindergarten. Besides, Fripp and Vai do completely different things; they can't be compared. What points are you comparing them on? And come on, they have played together several times; I believe they respect each other, right? They put together a show to take around the world, and I don't think that (from your perspective) Fripp would dirty his hands going around with just anyone. The crux of the matter is that saying Vai sucks is a huge load of bullshit. It's like saying Johann Cruyff didn't know how to play soccer... someone comes along and says, "Yeah, but damn, Pelé was better, so Cruyff sucks." What kind of reasoning is that? Come on, this is just default hate, nothing more. But those are things to reserve for Yngwie Malmsteen, not for Vai.

And why Gigino, what has Frusciante given to the history of Rock, aside from reviving 70s Funk Rock? If we think about who has contributed something to the history of rock, we can exaggerate and save about 10 guitarists, but that’s really stretching it.

This is a different discussion from saying "Frusciante is better than Vai." They do two completely different things, and you might prefer one or the other. But the fact remains that Frusciante derives from Vai, from Parliament Funkadelic, from Black Merda, and from a thousand other guitarists. Frusciante hasn't contributed a damn thing to music. I also enjoy Blood Sugar Sex Magik way more than a long-winded Vai solo, but if we take the bands into account, then I believe that "Jazz From Hell" is millions of times more important than the entire discography of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When it comes to personal taste, that's one thing, but here a discussion started about "the better worst" and "this is a great guitarist and this one isn't," and that's nonsense because Vai is universally recognized as a MONSTER. Zappa took him in at 18 years old... ZAPPA, not Cino Tortorella, ZAPPA. Saying "I can't stand Vai" is fine, but saying "Vai sucks" or "Vai only plays hyper-fast scales" is mega-gigantic nonsense.

Gigì, do us a favor. Only speed? You’ve never listened to Vai, otherwise, you wouldn’t say that. Robi is right in comparing him to Malmsteen, the fat guy. The Fat Guy is a jerk, Vai is a huge guitarist, and he doesn’t just play hyper-fast scales; he distorts, slows down, and modulates sound in 80,000 ways, transitioning from Blues to Jazz without you even noticing... just listen to him, instead of spouting nonsense after having caught a glimpse of one of his songs exaggeratedly.

Listen to the various volumes of "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore" by Zappa, there are 6 volumes plus some special editions, then let’s see if you can say that Frusciante is better than Him. Come on, the level is just not comparable; we’re in completely different dimensions.

But why COULD he? He did it, Steve Vai was Zappa's guitarist, and he made a hundred funk pieces before Frusciante learned to tell right from left. I'm okay with the fact that his solo albums are practically unlistenable, not to mention colossal and indigestible messes, but with Zappa, he did Rock, Funk, Jazz masterfully. In "The Man From Utopia," he does things beyond human comprehension, in "Jazz From Hell," he goes from Funk to Jazz to Fusion in a single piece… comparing him to poor bastards who play simple rock, in the guitar realm, is a colossal load of nonsense. His solo albums may be messes, but that doesn’t change the fact that he outshines any poor bastard from RHCP to the Pumpkins or whoever you want. He’s a monster of creativity, technique, and sound. He doesn’t make songs, and it's hard for him to please everyone, but that’s another story.

<- Mother Nature always has an ace up her sleeve.