Description

Book Synopsis
Go behind the scenes with the musician The New York Times called "a guitar God!"

Oft-hailed as the Jimi Hendrix of his generation, living guitar legend Joe Satriani has long transcended stylistic boundaries with a sound that raises the bar like a new horizon for the broader genre of instrumental guitar rock. Joe's 6-string secrets have astounded listeners around the world for nearly 30 years.

In Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir, Satriani and coauthor, music biographer Jake Brown, take fans on their first authorized tour of the story behind his climb to stardom and the creative odyssey involved in writing and recording a storied catalog of classics including "Surfing with the Alien," "Summer Song," "Satch Boogie," "Always With Me, Always With You," "The Extremist," "Flying in a Blue Dream," "Crowd Chant," and more.

Featuring previously unpublished photos and hours of exclusive, firsthand interviews with Satriani, Strange Beautiful Music offers a unique look inside the studio with Joe, giving fans a chance to get up close and personal like never before. With insider details about his collaboration with multi-platinum supergroup Chickenfoot, exclusive interviews with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Van Halen and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, commentary from fellow guitar legends such as Steve Vai, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Primus's Larry LaLonde, and legendary music producers including Glynn Johns and the late Andy Johns, this memoir offers a rare inside look for die-hard Satriani fans, guitar enthusiasts, and anyone who loves to rock.

Trade Review
"Joe has refined his own style of playing to a point where he's forever up there in the stratosphere of excellence that is reached by very few musicians."
—Brian May

"Every time Joe puts his fingers on a guitar, what comes out sounds like inspired music, even if its just a finger exercise. He created and branded a niche with his own voice and in so doing he wielded an entire genre."
—Steve Vai

"After all the times I had been on stages with Joe, been on the side of stages watching and listening to Joe, and all the times I have been in the audience cheering for Joe, I continue to have no idea how Joe does what he does."
—Robert Fripp

"Joe Satriani's my favorite guitar player."
—Sammy Hagar

Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1: The Hendrix Experience

Chapter 2: High School Confidential

Chapter 3: Learning Curves

Chapter 4: Satch Goes West

Chapter 5: Twists of Fate—The Joe Satriani EP, 1983–1984

Chapter 6: Not of This Earth—1985–1986

Chapter 7: Relativity

Chapter 8: Surfing with the Alien—1987

Chapter 9: Launching the Silver Surfer

Chapter 10: Flying in a Blue Dream—1989

Chapter 11: The Bearsville Experiment

Chapter 12: The Extremist—1992

Chapter 13: Eponymous—1995

Chapter 14: G3/Crystal Planet—1997

Chapter 15: Engines of Creation—2000

Chapter 16: Strange Beautiful Music—2002

Chapter 17: Is There Love in Space?—2004

Chapter 18: Super Colossal—2006

Chapter 19: Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock—2008

Chapter 20: Chickenfoot I—2009

Chapter 21: Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards—2010

Chapter 22: Chickenfoot III—2011/2012

Chapter 23: Unstoppable Momentum—2013

Chapter 24: Shockwave Supernova—2016

Conclusion: 2017 and Beyond

The Gear: Album by Album

Acknowledgments

Index

Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir

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    £12.99

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Wed 24 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Joe Satriani, Jake Brown

    7 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir by Joe Satriani

      Publisher: BenBella Books
      Publication Date: 07/11/2017
      ISBN13: 9781941631577, 978-1941631577
      ISBN10: 1941631576

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Go behind the scenes with the musician The New York Times called "a guitar God!"

      Oft-hailed as the Jimi Hendrix of his generation, living guitar legend Joe Satriani has long transcended stylistic boundaries with a sound that raises the bar like a new horizon for the broader genre of instrumental guitar rock. Joe's 6-string secrets have astounded listeners around the world for nearly 30 years.

      In Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir, Satriani and coauthor, music biographer Jake Brown, take fans on their first authorized tour of the story behind his climb to stardom and the creative odyssey involved in writing and recording a storied catalog of classics including "Surfing with the Alien," "Summer Song," "Satch Boogie," "Always With Me, Always With You," "The Extremist," "Flying in a Blue Dream," "Crowd Chant," and more.

      Featuring previously unpublished photos and hours of exclusive, firsthand interviews with Satriani, Strange Beautiful Music offers a unique look inside the studio with Joe, giving fans a chance to get up close and personal like never before. With insider details about his collaboration with multi-platinum supergroup Chickenfoot, exclusive interviews with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Van Halen and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, commentary from fellow guitar legends such as Steve Vai, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Primus's Larry LaLonde, and legendary music producers including Glynn Johns and the late Andy Johns, this memoir offers a rare inside look for die-hard Satriani fans, guitar enthusiasts, and anyone who loves to rock.

      Trade Review
      "Joe has refined his own style of playing to a point where he's forever up there in the stratosphere of excellence that is reached by very few musicians."
      —Brian May

      "Every time Joe puts his fingers on a guitar, what comes out sounds like inspired music, even if its just a finger exercise. He created and branded a niche with his own voice and in so doing he wielded an entire genre."
      —Steve Vai

      "After all the times I had been on stages with Joe, been on the side of stages watching and listening to Joe, and all the times I have been in the audience cheering for Joe, I continue to have no idea how Joe does what he does."
      —Robert Fripp

      "Joe Satriani's my favorite guitar player."
      —Sammy Hagar

      Table of Contents

      Foreword

      Chapter 1: The Hendrix Experience

      Chapter 2: High School Confidential

      Chapter 3: Learning Curves

      Chapter 4: Satch Goes West

      Chapter 5: Twists of Fate—The Joe Satriani EP, 1983–1984

      Chapter 6: Not of This Earth—1985–1986

      Chapter 7: Relativity

      Chapter 8: Surfing with the Alien—1987

      Chapter 9: Launching the Silver Surfer

      Chapter 10: Flying in a Blue Dream—1989

      Chapter 11: The Bearsville Experiment

      Chapter 12: The Extremist—1992

      Chapter 13: Eponymous—1995

      Chapter 14: G3/Crystal Planet—1997

      Chapter 15: Engines of Creation—2000

      Chapter 16: Strange Beautiful Music—2002

      Chapter 17: Is There Love in Space?—2004

      Chapter 18: Super Colossal—2006

      Chapter 19: Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock—2008

      Chapter 20: Chickenfoot I—2009

      Chapter 21: Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards—2010

      Chapter 22: Chickenfoot III—2011/2012

      Chapter 23: Unstoppable Momentum—2013

      Chapter 24: Shockwave Supernova—2016

      Conclusion: 2017 and Beyond

      The Gear: Album by Album

      Acknowledgments

      Index

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