Artist: STEVE VAI
Album: PASSION & WARFARE (CD)

Release date: 1990
Media type: CD

Passion and Warfare is a 1990 instrumental album from guitarist Steve Vai. It has been certified 2 times Platinum. It was written based on a series of dream sequences that Vai had when he was younger, and in the guitar music book of the album, Vai sums it up as 'Jimi Hendrix meets Jesus Christ at a party that Ben Hur threw for Mel Blanc'. It was all recorded in 'The Mothership' studio at his home in the Hollywood Hills, a 1600 square foot building where his guitar parts for Whitesnake's album Slip of the Tongue were also recorded. (Whitesnake singer David Coverdale has small talking parts on Passion and Warfare.) Vai has many strange recording techniques, and for one of Passion and Warfare's tracks, "For the Love of God", he fasted for ten days and recorded this song on the fourth day of the fast to create the correct mindset he felt would give feeling to his playing in the song. The track Blue Powder was actually recorded in 1986 as a showcase track for Carvin amplification and given away with Guitar Player magazine in flexi-disc format (the drum performance was subsequently re-recorded for the album).

The gear used to record this album was: Ibanez JEM and Universe guitars, Charvel Greenie Meanie, Marshall JCM900 amplifiers, Boss DS-1 pedals, ADA-MP-1 preamp, Eventide H3000 harmonizer, Lexicon etc.

All songs written by Steve Vai.

TRACKLIST:

"Liberty" – 2:02
"Erotic Nightmares" – 4:13
"The Animal" – 3:55
"Answers" – 2:41
"The Riddle" – 6:22
"Ballerina 12/24" – 1:45
"For the Love of God" – 6:02
"The Audience Is Listening" – 5:30
"I Would Love To" – 3:40
"Blue Powder" – 4:44
"Greasy Kid's Stuff" – 2:57
"Alien Water Kiss" – 1:10
"Sisters" – 4:07
"Love Secrets" – 3:35

LINE-UP:

Steve Vai - guitar, keyboards and other various instruments
Stuart Hamm - bass
Chris Frazier - drums
Tris Imboden - drums
David Rosenthal - keyboards, backing vocals
Bob Harris - keyboards, backing vocals
Pia Vai - keyboards, backing vocals

Additional musicians:

Nancy Fagen - vocals
Jamie Firlotte - vocals
David Coverdale - backing vocals
Rudy Sarzo - backing vocals
Adrian Vandenberg - backing vocals
Pascal Fillet - backing vocals
Laurel Fishman - backing vocals
Lillian Vai - backing vocals
Pam Vai - backing vocals
Joel Kaith - backing vocals
Corky Tanassy - backing vocals
Jamie Kornberg - backing vocals
Lauren Kornberg - backing vocals
Corinne Larue - backing vocals
Famin' - backing vocals
Darla Albright - backing vocals
Laura Gross - backing vocals
Rupert Henry - backing vocals
Suzanna Harris - backing vocals
Julian Vai - backing vocals