Steven Siro Vai is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and played in Zappa's band from 1980 to 1983. He embarked on a solo career in 1983 and has released eight solo albums to date. He has recorded and toured with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake, as well as recording with artists such as Public Image Ltd, Mary J. Blige, Spinal Tap, Alice Cooper, and Motörhead. Additionally, Vai has toured with live-only acts G3, Zappa Plays Zappa, and the Experience Hendrix tour, as well as headlining international tours.
Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa, released in October 1969. It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original version of the Mothers of Invention. Five of the six songs are instrumental; while "Willie the Pimp", features vocals by Captain Beefheart. In his original sleeve notes, Zappa described the album as "a movie for your ears".
Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar, a project consisting of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More and Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar, is a series of albums by Frank Zappa. The albums consist solely of electric guitar instrumentals and improvised solos played by Zappa and featuring a wide variety of backing musicians.
Disturbing the Peace is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Alcatrazz, and is the only one featuring Steve Vai on guitar. The album remained for 7 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at No. 145.
Läther is the sixty-fifth official album by Frank Zappa. It was released posthumously as a three-CD set on Rykodisc in 1996. The album's title is derived from bits of comic dialog that link the songs. Zappa also explained that the name is a joke, based on "common bastardized pronunciation of Germanic syllables by the Swiss."
Studio Tan is the 24th album by American musician Frank Zappa, first released in September 1978 on his own DiscReet Records label. It reached #147 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.
The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his career, and as early as 1958, into the mid-1970s. Zappa had been working on these tracks in the years before his death in 1993.
Eddie's Head is a box set by Iron Maiden, in the shape of the head of their mascot, Eddie and containing their first 12 albums remastered, from Iron Maiden to Live at Donington, each with bonus multimedia material, plus a limited In Profile CD. The spine of each CD has a part of the original cover art for Iron Maiden.
The Turning Point is a live album by John Mayall, featuring British blues music recorded at a concert at Bill Graham's Fillmore East on 12 July 1969.
Tinsel Town Rebellion is a double live album released by Frank Zappa in May 1981. The album was conceived by Zappa after he scrapped the planned albums Warts and All and Crush All Boxes, and contains tracks that were intended for those albums.
The Art of Control is the eighth studio solo album by Peter Frampton and the album was first released in 1982 on A&M Records, his last for the label.
You Are What You Is is a double album by American musician Frank Zappa. It was originally released as a double album in 1981 and later by Rykodisc as a 20-song CD.
Mystery Tracks – Archives Vol. 3 is the 12th studio album released by guitarist Steve Vai. It is the third in a series of discs collecting unreleased tracks, demo recordings and other bits. The track Speeding is a playable song in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, although it is a re-recording.
This Is Volume 4 in "The Secret Jewel Box".
FZ Original Recordings is only available in The Secret Jewel Box set. Steve Vai reflects here on his three years as a member of Frank Zappa's ensemble where he was credited not just as "guitarist" but as wielder of "strat abuse" and "impossible guitar parts." These are Frank Zappa recordings, written and produced by Zappa, and authorized by the Zappa Family Trust.
Various Artists – Archives Vol. 4 is a collection of songs Steve Vai has contributed to other projects and records including Public Image Ltd, tracks from the Jimi Hendrix tribute In From The Storm with the London Symphony Orchestra, and a collaboration with Chick Corea from The Songs Of West Side Story, among others.
"Sofa" is a composition by American musician Frank Zappa, released in 1975 on One Size Fits All. In 1993, the year of Zappa's death, Steve Vai covered "Sofa" for Zappa's tribute album Zappa's Universe. The cover won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1994. This was Vai's first of three Grammies.
Road Tapes, Venue #3 is a posthumous album of Frank Zappa, released in May 2016, consisting of the recording of the two shows on July 5, 1970 at Tyrone Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN. The album was recorded as one of the first shows with the (then) newly formed Mothers of Invention featuring Flo & Eddie, Aynsley Dunbar, George Duke, Jeff Simmons and returning member Ian Underwood. This release is notable for being one of the few tapes in the Zappa Vault from this time period, and line up. It is the ninth installment on the Vaulternative Records label that is dedicated to the posthumous release of complete Zappa concerts, following the releases of FZ:OZ (2002), Buffalo (2007), Wazoo (2007), Philly '76 (2009), Hammersmith Odeon (2010), Carnegie Hall (2011), Road Tapes, Venue #1 (2012) and Road Tapes, Venue #2 (2013).
The Roxy Performances is a box set by Frank Zappa. It was released as a 7-CD boxset on February 2, 2018. The collection contains four full shows, a rehearsal, a recording session at Bolic Sound, a sound check, and a previously unreleased version of "The Idiot Bastard Son" titled "That Arrogant Dick Nixon".
Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive is a live album by various artists, packaged as a box set of 38 CDs. It contains nearly all of the performances from the Woodstock music festival, which took place on August 15–18, 1969, in Bethel, New York. The CDs also include many stage announcements and miscellaneous audio material. The box set also contains bonus material such as a Blu-ray copy of the director's cut of the Woodstock documentary film, a hardcover book written by concert promoter Michael Lang, and a replica of the original concert program. It was released by Rhino Records on August 2, 2019, in a limited edition of 1,969 copies.
The Lot is a compilation box set by Queen drummer Roger Taylor, containing nearly all of his solo work outside of Queen, including material released both under his own name and with his band the Cross. The box set's release was originally scheduled for 11 October 2013, but was pushed back a month; both The Lot and Taylor's fifth solo album Fun on Earth were released on 11 November 2013.
