The Extremist

For the comic book series, see The Extremist (comics).
The Extremist
Studio album by Joe Satriani
Released July 21, 1992 (1992-07-21)[1]
Recorded 1990–92[2] at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York; Coast Recorders and Alpha & Omega Recording in San Francisco; Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood; Record One Studios in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles; Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
Genre Instrumental rock
Length 47:53[3]
Label Relativity
Producer Joe Satriani, Andy Johns, John Cuniberti
Joe Satriani chronology
Flying in a Blue Dream
(1989)
The Extremist
(1992)
The Beautiful Guitar
(1993)
Singles from The Extremist
  1. "Friends"
    Released: 1992[4]
  2. "Summer Song"
    Released: 1992[5]
  3. "Cryin'"
    Released: 1992[6]
  4. "The Extremist"
    Released: 1992[7]

The Extremist is the fourth studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on July 21, 1992 through Relativity Records[1] 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[8] and remaining on that chart for 28 weeks,[9] as well as reaching the top 50 in six other countries.[10] Three singles reached Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart: "Summer Song" at No. 5, "Friends" at No. 12 and "Cryin'" at No. 24.[8] The Extremist was certified Gold on December 22, 1992.[1] and received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards;[11] this being 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. "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[12] 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 compilation album Time Machine.[2]

Reissues

The Extremist has been reissued several times. The first was in 1997 through Epic Records[13] and again on June 16, 2008 as part of the Original Album Classics box set.[14] The most recent reissue was part of The Complete Studio Recordings, released on April 22, 2014 through Legacy Recordings; this is a box set compilation containing remastered editions of every Satriani studio album from 1986 to 2013.[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]

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.[16]

Track listing

All music composed by Joe Satriani.

No.TitleLength
1."Friends" (arrangement: Satriani, Andy Johns)3:29
2."The Extremist"  3:43
3."War"  5:48
4."Cryin'"  5:43
5."Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness"  6:11
6."Summer Song"  5:00
7."Tears in the Rain"  1:18
8."Why"  4:45
9."Motorcycle Driver"  4:58
10."New Blues"  6:58
Total length:47:53

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
bgcolor="#efefef" Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 29
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[19] 27
bgcolor="#efefef" Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[20] 44
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 55
bgcolor="#efefef" New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] 16
bgcolor="#efefef" Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[23] 5
bgcolor="#efefef" Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 35
bgcolor="#efefef" Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 11
bgcolor="#efefef" UK Albums (OCC)[26] 13
US Billboard 200[8] 22

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
France (SNEP)[27] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Singles

Year Title Chart Position
1992 "Friends"[8] Billboard Mainstream Rock 12
"Summer Song"[8] 5
1993 "Cryin'"[8] 24

Awards

Event Title Award Result
1993 Grammys The Extremist Best Rock Instrumental Performance Nominated[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  2. 1 2 Time Machine (booklet). Joe Satriani. U.S.: Relativity Records. 1993. 88561-1177-2.
  3. The Extremist (CD edition "EPC 471672 2").
  4. "Joe Satriani – Friends". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  5. "Joe Satriani – Why". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  6. "Joe Satriani – Cryin'". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  7. "Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Extremist - Joe Satriani | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  9. "Joe Satriani - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  10. "Joe Satriani - The Extremist (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  11. 1 2 "35th Grammy Awards - 1993". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  12. "Joe Satriani's Chronology". satriani.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  13. "Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  14. "Original Album Classics - Joe Satriani". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  15. Bosso, Joe (2014-04-08). "Joe Satriani talks The Complete Studio Recordings album by album | Surfing With The Alien (1987)". MusicRadar. Future Publishing. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  16. 1 2 Carter, Phil. "The Extremist - Joe Satriani". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  17. "Joe Satriani - The Extremist +1". MusicStack. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  18. "Australiancharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  19. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 56, No. 11, September 12 1992". RPM. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Joe Satriani – The Extremist" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  21. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – The Extremist". Offizielle Charts. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  22. "Charts.org.nz – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  25. "Swisscharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  26. "Joe Satriani | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  27. "Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP". Info Disc. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  28. "American album certifications – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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