Artist: JOE SATRIANI
Album: FLYING IN A BLUE DREAM (CD)

Release date: 1989/ 1997
Media type: CD

Flying in a Blue Dream is a 1989 album by instrumental rock solo artist Joe Satriani. It is his third studio album (Dreaming #11 is a mostly live EP).

Tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 13 also contain lead and background vocals by Satriani himself. Flying in a Blue Dream marks Joe's first record to feature himself playing harmonica and banjo but is noted for Satriani's use of echoing harmonics throughout much the album including the track "Flying in a Blue Dream" itself.

Track 4 contains simulated vocals played on the guitar. The Satch Tapes, which was first issued on VHS cassette in 1993 and later on DVD in 2003 includes two music videos from the album, "I Believe" and "Big Bad Moon" as well as excerpts from an MTV performance where he played "The Feeling" on banjo with Johnathan Mover playing percussion. The song "One Big Rush" is also featured in the 1989 John Cusack movie Say Anything.

The intro heard on the title track was not planned, but was recorded nonetheless by producer John Cuniberti while recording Joe's guitar parts for the song. Apparently, Joe's amplifier was picking up a frequency from a radio or TV station and John Cuniberti simply said "I'm recording this." and proceeded. Among the recorded speech is a young boy's voice saying "sometimes they act like they still like each other, and sometimes they don't." The same excerpt is still used today when Satriani performs the song live in concert. Satriani himself admitted in a FAQ that he does not know what is being said at the beginning of the song "Flying In A Blue Dream"

Satriani commented in a guitar magazine interview that he frequently had dreams as a child that he was flying over a blue, crystalized world and that this is where the song partially got its title from.

The track "Back to Shalla-Bal" refers to Marvel Comics' The Silver Surfer returning home with hopes of restoring his relationship with Shalla-Bal, the empress of Zenn-La. This is a reference to the cover of his album Surfing with the Alien, which used The Silver Surfer as cover art.

Satriani's father also passed away during the recording of this album. The track,"Into The Light", was composed in his memory. Satriani's parents were very supportive of his artistic goals, as were his sisters, Joan and Carol, who have both designed artwork for several of Joe's guitars.

Along with Satriani's releases up to his 1995 self-titled album, Flying in a Blue Dream was re-issued in 1997 on Epic Records. The Relativity Records version is now out of print.

All songs by Joe Satriani.

TRACKLIST:

"Flying in a Blue Dream" – 5:28
"The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing" – 5:05
"Can't Slow Down" – 4:46
"Headless" – 1:28
"Strange" – 4:55
"I Believe" – 5:50
"One Big Rush" – 3:20
"Big Bad Moon" – 5:13
"The Feeling" – 0:52
"The Phone Call" – 3:00
"Day at the Beach (New Rays from an Ancient Sun)" – 2:03
"Back to Shalla-Bal" – 3:15
"Ride" – 4:58
"The Forgotten (Part One)" – 1:10
"The Forgotten (Part Two)" – 5:10
"The Bells of Lal (Part One)" – 1:19
"The Bells of Lal (Part Two)" – 4:08
"Into the Light" – 2:25

LINE-UP:

Joe Satriani – Banjo, Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion, Arranger, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals, Producer
Jeff Campitelli – Percussion, Drums, Programming, Drums (Electric)
John Cuniberti – Percussion, Sitar, Producer, Engineer
Stuart Hamm – Bass
Simon Phillips – Drums