Recorded in between Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare solo album and the collaboration with Devin Townsend, Sex & Religion, Vai/Gash has been sitting in Steve's archives for 30 years, until now. Johnny 'Gash' Sombrotto was a pal of Vai's and fellow motorcycle enthusiast, who also happened to be a singer. While enjoying time out on the open road, the two decided to do a fun little 30-minute album looking back on '80s hard rock, and with Gash's clearly Graham Bonnet inspired vocal delivery and Steve's blend of fun, acrobatic David Lee Roth-meets-Alcatrazz guitar histrionics sparking a little bit of magic. While this is certainly no guitar extravaganza, Vai does unleash a volley of crunchy riffs, screaming fills, and the occasional blazing solo on fun tracks like "Busted", "Let's Jam", "Danger Zone", and "New Generation". It's all so '80's, every step away, from the trademark hooks to the 'whoa whoa whoa's', right down to the more basic guitar playing from Vai, but you can't help but have fun with this. Some songs sound like leftovers from Roth's Eat 'Em and Smile era, but without all the shredding. "Flowers of Fire" even comes across like a long lost late '80s Ozzy ballad, Gash falling somewhere between the Oz and Mr. Bonnet. Sadly, Gash was killed in, you guessed in, a motorcycle accident in 1998, roughly 20 years after previously suffering an almost near fatal accident out on the road. So, as a tribute to his fallen friend, Steve Vai did a good thing making this recording available. Perhaps not essential, but fun nonetheless.
Track Listing
1 In the Wind
2 Busted
3 Let's Jam
4 Woman Fever
5 She Saved My Life Tonight
6 Danger Zone
7 New Generation
8 Flowers of Fire
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