Anyone still reading this? It feels like updating a personal diary.
Anyway...
Seventh part:
ALIVE IN AN ULTRA WORLD by STEVE VAI (2001)
Tracks played in:
Giant Balls of Gold
Burning Rain
The Black Forest
Alive in an Ultra World
Devil's Food
Blood and Glory
Iberian Jewel
The Power of Bombos
Incantation
Light of the Moon
Babushka
Being with You (in Paris)
Principessa
Brandos Costumes (Gentle Ways)
During the 2000 world tour for the Ultra Zone album, Steve Vai conceived of a project to write a new song for every country they would visit. Steve Vai is crazy. What we got is this amazing double album of new songs composed while on tour, practiced during extended soundchecks, and recorded on the night that the song debuts onstage.
Because of the nature of how the songs were written, the playing of Mangini in this album is relatively on-point and uncomplicated in structure. The simpler song structures breathed Mangini's playing with a lot of raw improvisational energy. The effort to write a song based on the country to which the song is dedicated to also stretched the range of styles of playing in the songs. As I said in an earlier post, Mangini
plays waltz in this album, with an accordion accompanying them. He also played some metal, a lot of rock, some blues, a couple of marches, a proggy-11/8 rhythm, and a rocked-up version of Italian ballroom.
From a drumming standpoint,
Iberian Jewel is tops. From the
0:54 mark onwards, it really sounds to me like a Dream Theater instrumental. Mangini's fills and the basic rhythm is killer. This is how you compose a song that would feature Mangini.
Incantation is also another good drumming piece, so much so that this is the song where Virgil Donati did his drum solos in Vai's later world tour. The 11/8 basic drum rhythm sounds like MP's drum rhythm in the instrumental section of The Dark Eternal Night, played in a more "classic rock" style. Mangini's improvs in this song exude power, instead of speed.
Devil's Food is the only song in this album which is not new. The playing is topnotch, and the interaction by the band after Vai broke a guitar string is funny. Mangini showcased speed drumming and orchestration in this song.
This is one of the few records where you can hear the "fun" factor in the songs. I always find myself smiling when listening to Vai and his band in this album having fun, making mistakes, improvising, and showing off. What a fun album. Even the audience is funny (somebody shouted "A guitar for me!" after Vai gave away a pick. LOL). This is definitely my favorite in Steve Vai's discography.
Alive in an Ultra World marks Mangini's last collaboration with Steve Vai. I hope they would get a chance to play together again because Vai brings out the "fun" side and the versatile range of Mike Mangini.
Coming next, a second round with James LaBrie, which would become a preview of things to come much later in Mangini's career.