The Extremist is the fourth studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on July 21, 1992, through Relativity Records.[ The album is one of Satriani's most popular releases and his highest-charting to date, reaching No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard 200][ "The Extremist - Joe Satriani | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-20.] and remaining on that chart for 28 weeks,[. Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-20.] as well as reaching the top 50 in six other countries.[ "Joe Satriani - The Extremist (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-03-20.] Three singles reached Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart: "Summer Song" at No. 5, "Friends" at No. 12 and "Cryin'" at No. 24.[ The Extremist was certified Gold on December 22, 1992.][ and received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards,][ "35th Grammy Awards - 1993". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2014-03-20.] Satriani's fourth such nomination.
Overview
"Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness" is dedicated to Satriani's wife Rubina, and is the second song named after her, following "Rubina" from Not of This Earth (1986). "Summer Song" has endured as one of Satriani's best-known songs and is a mainstay at his concerts; it was used by Sony in a commercial for the Walkman[ "Joe Satriani's Chronology". satriani.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.] and was later included on the soundtrack to two of Sony's console video games: Formula 1 (1996) for the PlayStation and Gran Turismo 4 (2004) for the PlayStation 2. Two B-sides from The Extremist's recording sessions, "Crazy" and "Banana Mango II", together with the outtakes "Thinking of You", "Speed of Light" and "Baroque", were later released on Satriani's 1993 double album Time Machine.[
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Reissues
The Extremist has been reissued several times. The first was in 1997 through Epic Records[ "Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-03-18.] and again on June 16, 2008, as part of the Original Album Classics box set.[ "Original Album Classics - Joe Satriani". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-21.] The most recent reissue was part of , released on April 22, 2014, through Legacy Recordings; this is a box set compilation containing editions of every Satriani studio album from 1986 to 2013.[Bosso, Joe (2014-04-08). "Joe Satriani talks The Complete Studio Recordings album by album | Surfing With The Alien (1987)" . MusicRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 2015-03-18.]
Critical reception
Phil Carter at AllMusic gave The Extremist four stars out of five, saying that the album lives up to its name. "Summer Song", "Friends", "Motorcycle Driver", and the title track were noted as highlights.[
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Track listing
Personnel
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Joe Satriani – guitar, Dobro, keyboard, synthesizer, banjo, mandolin, bass (tracks 8, 10), harmonica, arrangement, mixing engineer, producer
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Phil Ashley – keyboard (track 6), synthesized string section, synthesized trumpet (track 10), squeezebox
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Gregg Bissonette – drums (tracks 1–6, 8, 9)
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Bongo Bob Smith – drums (track 8), percussion (track 8)
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Simon Phillips – drums (tracks 5, 10), tambourine
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Paulinho da Costa – percussion (tracks 2–4, 6, 8, 9)
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Jeff Campitelli – cymbals (track 10)
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Andy Johns – organ (tracks 2, 9), arrangement (track 1), audio engineer (tracks 1–9), mixing, production (tracks 1–9)
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Brett Tuggle – organ (track 4)
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Matt Bissonette – bass (tracks 1–6, 9)
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Doug Wimbish – bass (track 5), spoken vocals
Technical
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John Cuniberti – engineering (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10), production (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10)
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Bart Stevens – engineering assistance
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Dan Bosworth – engineering assistance
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Michael Semanick – engineering assistance
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David Plank – engineering assistance
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Michael Reiter – engineering assistance
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Julie Last – engineering assistance
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Bernie Grundman – mastering
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Matt Mahurin – cover photography
Charts
Certifications
Awards
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| 1993 Grammys | The Extremist | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | Nominated |
External links
