Flex-Able Leftovers [Import, Explicit Lyrics]

1.#$%@ Yourself - funky, and freakin' hilarious. This is one of the album's vocal-led tracks, containing some very, very humourous lyrics. Personally, this is one of my least favourates on the album, because while the lyrics WILL have you on the ground in hysterics, the words just aren't backed up by all that great of music. But, if you hang on till the end, theres quite a nice extended gtr. solo that should fulfill those wanting to hear some grade A shredding. This track is the reason for the "explicit lyrics" labeling.

2. So Happy - This one also falls under the freakin' hilarious category. Here's roughly the story of what this track is all about: basically, Steve got this chick to go off on an improvised rant about how happy she is, and then transcribed the pitch of her voice and doubled it on guitar. This is the kind of thing that doesn't lend itself very well to repeated listening, but each time you listen, and suddenly hear that guitar come in, you can't help but marvel at how cool of an idea it was.

3. Bledsoe Bluvd. - instrumental. No, not a guitar instrumental, but this is a rather nice track, showcasing Steve's talents as an all around composer.

4.Natural Born Boy - Instrumental. Yes, a guitar instrumental, containing one of the coolest riffs ever. I KNOW you'll like at LEAST this one.

5.Details At 10 - a vocal-led track that would probably also fall under the freakin' hilarious category. You'll like it.

6. Massacre - Another one of the coolest riffs ever, over which Vai messes around with what sounds like a Digetec Whammy pedal. Underlined by technoy drum machine beat (don't let throw you off).

7. Burnin' Down the Mountain - acoustic instrumental. Apperently this was just improvised while sitting on the roof of the studio with a few other people who were there for the album sessions. It's got kind of a nice little melody, but it's a very personal track, for Steve, and the others who made it; it really should've been left off the album.

8. Little Pieces of Seaweed - Holy *&%#! Where to start... I personally love this track, cuz i'm just really into the weird and quirky, but it's understandable if you aren't able to fully understand this; it IS quite a bit to take in at once. Everyone HAS to hear this track at least ONCE. Thats all i'll say.

9. San Sebastian - Elevator music-y instrumental that again, showcases his Zappa-like compositional talents.

10. Beast of Love - vocal track. Rather mundane I think. it doesn't really go anywhere.

11. You Didn't Break It - cheesy pop song ( like the "Boy/Girl Song" on Flex-Able). You won't be blown away by anything, but it IS a pretty catchy tune.

12. The X-Equilibrium Dance - Instrumental that sorta goes all over the place. Doesn't really have what one would call a melody. Still kind of an interesting track, though.

13. Chronic Insomnia - Not a track your going to listen to more than once, it's just a recording of Steve doing a bunch crazy whammy bar dives that was put into reverse. Kinda cool to see what sounds it's possible to make on a guitar, but there isn't any kind of MELODY here for you to keep coming back to.

Whew! Now that you have read THAT, i'm sure you'll have a better idea of whether this record is right for YOU or not.
Thanks,
the Duke of Dunbar

Message for Vai:
I am still waiting to see some CLASSIC Vai guitar on some form of CD compillation. Here's what I'm talking about:
- 1 or 2 songs from the group WESTERN VACATION, featuring Vai on guitar.
- Parts, or the whole of the group ALCATRAZZ (there is some INCREDIBLE guitar work on this album!)
- Amazing Grace, from the soundtrack "Dudes"
- All of the VAI parts from the movie CROSSROADS.
- Some LIVE highlites from the David Lee Roth period. You know, at least 3 or 4 great performances from Vai when he was touring with Roth.
- That's it.

Live on!
Good stuff!

Respectfully,
-Jeff K.

P.S. If Kenny Stewart is reading this: Peace, bro. You are the best :)

This material gets slagged because it isn't the shredfest that a lot of people have come to expect (spend money on). This is the first Vai record I've dropped coin on since "Passion And Warfare." Vai fans are usually polarized: Most people I know that like the early records, don't like the later ones, and vice versa. I fall into the former catagory, so you might take the rest of this with a grain of salt.

Four of the tracks here show up as bonus tracks on "Flex-able." The audio cleanup on "Leftovers" is great, so hearing the duplicate tracks is a pleasure.

The socio-political commentary is funny, scathing, and right on the money, just like a Zappa record (his employer when the "Flex-able" material was written). "#?@! Yourself" is a seething, muscle-bound howl at some of the dumb, evil stuff people do. "Details At 10" goes way beyond Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" in pointing out all that is wrong with TV news.

There are a couple of disturbing moments on this disc. "The Beast Of Love" is a matter-of-fact delivery of a guy who lives to use women. "Little Pieces Of Seaweed" is a socipathic stream of consciousness piece about a guy who uses... little pieces of seaweed. And an axe.

That's not to say that there isn't any fun on this disc. "You Didn't Break It" is a rave up pop song. "So Happy" is another stream of consciousness track, this time with Laurel Fishman telling us what she could do with Steve, "We would go into bad neighborhoods where very sad and very bad people live. But we'd make them happy, and they wouldn't be sad, or bad, anymore."

I wouldn't try to make any converts with this record (I'd use "Flex-able" for that). If you like "Flex-able," you need the "Leftovers." The only complaint I have is the "Flex-able" material didn't get re-released like Vai had talked about at one point. It was mentioned that "Flex-able" and "Leftovers" would come out as a two-disc set, that would include unreleased material from the same time frame, including some live material.

To borrow from Zappa, "Music Is The Best." This disc helps show why.