Jimmy James wrote:
http://www.guitarworld.com/top-10-classic-shred-albums
10. Greg Howe (Shrapnel, 1988) Greg HoweA funk-savvy speedster, Greg Howe injected the shred scene with some much-needed shake and soul. The funkdafied “Kick It All Over” kicks off the festivities, and the following track, “The Pepper Shake,” offers a spicy display of Howe’s legato and alternate-picking chops.
09. Speed Metal Symphony (Shrapnel, 1987) Cacophony Speed Metal Symphony, a mighty opus featuring first-chair guitar virtuosos Marty Friedman and Jason Becker, uses “speed metal” rhythm beds and shifting time signatures to help break up the cacophonous onslaught of all-out shred.
08. Michael Lee Firkins (Shrapnel, 1990) Michael Lee Firkins A unique shredder, Firkins employed hybrid picking, subtle whammy wobbling, and country-flavored intervallic leaps to craft some surprisingly listenable tunes.
07. Powers of Ten (Warner Bros., 1992) Shawn Lane From his debut, the now out-of-printPowers of Ten, to his fusion work on Tri-Tone Fascination, the late Shawn Lane exhibited a tremendous sense of melody, even while melting picks with his incendiary technique. If Eric Johnson were a pure shredder, this is what he might sound like.
06. Surfing With the Alien (Relativity, 1987) Joe Satriani Just how badass is Joe Satriani? Well, his list of students includes Steve Vai. And “Satch Boogie” was (and still is) the only shred tune that FM radio would touch. But the real highlight of this release is Side 2, which contains the gemini-like clean and distorted tones of “Circles” and “Lords of Karma,” as well as the clean-toned two-handed tapfest “Midnight” and the hypnotic “Echo.”
05. Passion and Warfare (Relativity, 1990) Steve Vai Remember the cute MTV video for Vai’s “The Audience Is Listening”? What school-age guitar player didn’t want to live out that fantasy? Melodic, flashy, humorous, and filled with hooks, Passion and Warfare is the bar by which all other instrumental guitar albums are measured.
04. Edge of Insanity (Shrapnel, 1986) Tony MacAlpine The album that launched Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records, Edge of Insanity shows off Tony MacAlpine’s fearsome shred chops not only on the six-string (“Quarter to Midnight”) but also on the ivories (“Chopin, Prelude 16, Opus 28”).
03. Mind’s Eye (Shrapnel, 1986) Vinnie Moore Only one year after Yngwie unleashed his fury on U.S. shores, Vinnie Moore responded with the “Oh yeah? Check this out” release Mind’s Eye. On “Daydream,” Moore demonstrates his grasp of classical themes and motifs; then, on “The Journey,” he shows he can do it with “feel.”
02. Live: Extreme Volume (Shrapnel, 1988) Racer X In the mood for a steaming bowl of notemeal? Check out this 1988 live release from shred poster boys Paul Gilbert and Bruce Bouillet. The best part? There was no pretense of cultural significance with these guys; Racer X was simply speed for the sake of speed.
01. Rising Force (Polydor, 1985) Yngwie Malmsteen We're laying it on the line right now: Yngwie J. Malmsteen was, is, and always will be the greatest shredder of all time. Hell, he invented the genre with his 1985 debut. The standout track “Far Beyond the Sun” was far beyond what any guitar player had ever imagined possible.
I approve of this list! Finally they got something right with a best of 10 list.
I was a huge Shrapnel music fan when I started out playing in '87. Thanks to GFTPM (which turned into Guitar World) who used to tab out super technical stuff (ah, those were the days) I learned about Vinnie Moore (Feb 88 issue with Daydream) and Paul Gilbert (April 88 with Frenzy). I would later go back and buy the back issues, but I asked my mother for my birthday, would she get me a subscription to the magazine, which I still have to this day.
Through the Shrapnel front page ad's (which were as exciting as looking through Musicians Friends Christmas cataloge in those days), I learned of every hot new player. I always thought that Vinnie's was the best of the first batch, though Tony was so similar and is the better all around musician (what could he do if he focused all of his energy on just one instrument?). My teacher turned me onto Yngwie afterwards, and though I didn't get it at first, I agree that Yngwie was first and has a touch and feel (which he has sadly lost over the years) that the others just don't have.
I remember going through the whole neo-classical phase with Yngwie, Vinnie, Tony, Racer X (though they were more Van Halen than Yngwie) and Cacaphony. It seemed like with each release the bar was raised again. I remember when I bought Street Lethal (well, my mother bought it for me on spring break, so I could hear what Frenzy sounded like, since I had the tab). Holy Sh*t! I had already had Yngwie's first three, Vinnie and Tony's first releases and Impellitteri's Stand in Line, but nothing prepared me for just how fast and clean Paul played. Later when Extreme Vol 1 came out, I would just laugh like a giddy school kid when I would listen to the string skipping part during his solo. WTF!
Later, when I bought Greg Howe, it was like, whoa!, this is different. I loved his swinging style and likewise Joey Tafolla's Infra-blue was also equally surprising and fun.
While Joe and Steve were getting all of the headlines in those days and I owned their big releases, to me the Shrapnel guys had a lot more meat. Looking back, I realize that it was that I was young and impressed with speed for speeds sake. Joe was too much like Jeff Beck (not enough speed) and Steve was too quirky, not enough melody. I'm still not a big fan of Joe's, but Steve hit it out of the park with Alien Love Secrets, which is when I really thought, WOW, this guy can play!
Here's my gear:
Amps
Engl SE EL34; Engl Powerball V1; Marshall JCM 800 2204 Cameron Aldrich Mod;Mesa Triaxis V2.0;Mesa 50/50 Power amp;Carvin Legacy Head;Lee Jackson XLA 1000;ADA MP1, Mesa and Marshall Cabs
Guitars
Guild x170;Ibanez Universe;Ibanez Usa Custom;Ibanez prestige 2020x;Ibanez RG760;Fender USA B-Bender Tele;Kramer Focus 3000;Ovation Legend;Alverez 12 string;Fender J Bass Fretless
Originally Posted by Prages
but to be honest I couldn't sit through any of those albums. I liked "Black Star" and "Far beyond the sun" from the Yngwie album, but much preferred the "Marching Out" and "Odyssey" albums 'cos they had more actual songs.
Help Desk