Strange Beautiful Music is the ninth studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on June 25, 2002, through Epic Records;"Strange Beautiful Music". satriani.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18. a Super Audio CD edition was released on September 10."Strange Beautiful Music (Multichannel/Stereo)". Amazon. Retrieved 2014-03-23. The album reached No. 140 on the United States Billboard 200"Strange Beautiful Music - Joe Satriani | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-18. and remained on that chart for a week,[ "Joe Satriani - Chart History"]. Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-18. as well as reaching the top 100 in four other countries."Joe Satriani - Strange Beautiful Music (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
"Starry Night" was released as a single on June 10Webmaster (2002-06-09). "New Album and New Site". satriani.com. Retrieved 2014-03-22. and received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 2003 Grammy Awards,"45th Grammy Awards - 2003". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2014-03-20. Satriani's twelfth such nomination.
The title Strange Beautiful Music is also the name of Satriani's publishing company, as well as a lyric from "Third Stone from the Sun", a song by Jimi Hendrix, whom Satriani has cited as his main inspiration to start playing the guitar in his youth.Newton, Steve (2015-02-15). "Joe Satriani's Strange Beautiful Music grew from a cathartic Hendrix experience". earofnewt.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
Release and tour Recording for Strange Beautiful Music began in January 2002 and the title was announced on March 25. Worldwide touring began in Europe in July, followed by North America from August to September, East Asia in October, additional dates in North America from November through to February 2003, Central America in March, and concluding in South America in April."strange beautiful tour 2002-2003". satriani.com. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
Critical reception
Mike Gowan of AllMusic praised Satriani’s ability to combine technical guitar playing with melody and strong hooks, while noting that ‘‘Strange Beautiful Music’’ incorporates world music influences and elements of techno. He highlighted “Belly Dancer” for its combination of rock riffs, Middle Eastern-influenced melodies and rapid guitar passages, and “Oriental Melody” for its use of delay and keyboards. Gowan also praised the catchy melody of “New Last Jam”, but felt that the album did not match the pop brilliance of ‘‘Surfing with the Alien’’. He described the album as inconsistent, arguing that the experimental approach worked effectively on some tracks but less successfully on others. He was critical of “Chords of Life”, which he felt combined disparate musical elements awkwardly, and considered “Starry Night” a less successful attempt to recreate the qualities of “Always with Me, Always with You”.
Track listing
Personnel
Joe Satriani – guitar, banjo, keyboard (tracks 11, 14), sitar, autoharp (track 2), bass, engineering, mixing, production Robert Fripp – Frippertronics (track 6) Eric Caudieux – keyboard (track 4), digital editing, production Jeff Campitelli – drums, percussion (track 14) Gregg Bissonette – drums (track 2) John Cuniberti – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 5, 10, 11), engineering, mixing, production Matt Bissonette – bass Pia Vai – harp (track 4) Justin Phelps – engineering assistance, digital editing Bernie Grundman – mastering
Charts Chart (2002) Peakposition
Awards Event Title Award Result2003 Grammys"Starry Night"Best Rock Instrumental Performance
References
External links In Review: Joe Satriani "Strange Beautiful Music" at Guitar Nine Records Interview: Joe Satriani at AskMen