For the most part, Vai has very little to do with this album, and it is, from my perspective a somewhat lesser Zappa album. There are some good ideas, and some good arrangements, but it seems somewhat a transitional album, and I get the feeling that Zappa was fighting the battle in the courts over the whole PMRC situation that the album suffered as a result. I am sure that this album has some fans, but for me it is just kind of there, and it isn't one that I am going to reach for very often.
I more or less agree. He has better albums, and the disconnect between regular band pieces and Synclavier pieces hurts it somewhat. The Perfect Stranger combined orchestra and Synclavier and that one holds together much better. Having said that, Frank didn't usually look at his albums in the same way us fans do - to him they were collections of music, and what/who performed the music was a secondary concern. All in all, not an album I'm crazy about and not one I play much, but the high points are very high and make it worth having.
Flex-Able Leftovers Released 1984 Recorded 1982-1984 Genre Instrumental rock Length 32:25 Flex-Able Leftovers was a limited edition 10" vinyl EP by American composer and guitarist, Steve Vai. It was leftover material from the recordings done during the "Flex-Able" days (1982 to 1984) and originally released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). There were only two EP editions in 1984 : - The first issue (limited to 1000 copies) on Urantia Records. - The Second issue, with different artwork (limited to 1000 copies) on Akachic Records. Steve Vai – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, coral sitar, keyboards, electric piano, bass guitar, background vocals Scott Collard - Synthesizer (Prophet V) Larry Crane – piccolo xylophone, bell lyre, vibraphone Fammin - Voice (Screaming) Laurel Fishman - Vocals Chris Frazier – drums Joe Kearney – vocals Larry Kutcher - Voice (Narration) Lyrics (Little Pieces Of Seaweed) Stu Hamm – vocals, bass guitar Suzannah Harris – background vocals Bob Harris – vocals, Programmed by (Drums) Tommy Mars – vocals, violin, keyboards Lillian Vai - Vocals (Crying) Chad Wackerman - Drums Pete Zeldman – percussion Technical contributions[edit] John Matousek - mastering Mark Pinske - mastering (assistant) Steve Vai - Producer, Engineer, Mixed By, Artwork By [Cover Design] In Side "You Didn't Break It" (Bob Harris, Suzannah Harris) – 4:14 "Bledsoe Bluvd" – 4:22 "The Beast of Love" (Joe Kearney) – 3:29 "Burnin' Down the Mountain" – 4:22 Out Side "So Happy" (Vai, Laurel Fishman) – 2:43 "Details at 10" – 5:57 "Little Pieces of Seaweed" (Vai, Larry Kutcher) – 5:12 "Chronic Insomnia" – 2:00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I used to have the 10" vinyl with this cover. Unfortunately due to circumstances that left my hands in order to purchase a new guitar in about 1998/99, for a recording project I was working on. With all my vinyl, not just on it's own . This is somewhat the real alternative outtake album from the Flex-able sessions, and some of this stuff isn't really going to appeal to a lot of folks. I should have actually done this a little earlier, but I wanted to get a bit of the variety that Steve offered up here, before heading back into these sessions. Also down the track, we get the expanded cd edition that has even more tracks on it if I remember correctly. Just like its parent album, we get a wild variety of stuff here. We get some virtual pop (You Didn't Break It) a beautiful Instrumental (Burnin' Down the Mountain) various pieces of wonderful madness (Happy) and just more variety than most artists can generally afford to make. Again with these sessions, they were never recorded to release. Steve was merely experimenting with his then, new home studio, and just throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what came out of it. This probably isn't going to be in anyone's top albums of all time, but it is certainly interesting, and yet again, shows even more depth and variety coming from the mind of Mr Vai. So please let us know if you had this. What you thought then? What you think now? Just share your heart on these unusual leftovers for us please. Cheers Mark
Regarding MOP. I like the album. ‘Porn Wars’ is a bit of a ‘penalty track’-it’s ok to hear again every five years or so, but that’s it. I really like the Synclavier tracks-probably my favourite few, out of the many collections out there. Perhaps because they’re relatively short, and interspersed with regular tracks. IDEC and Yo Cats are...just ok. ‘We’re Turning Again’ is a poke at ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’, by The Byrds (I think). I love the cynical lyrics, how he shoehorns way too many words into a line, while he ‘eats a sandwich’, so to speak- a somewhat cruel dig at Mama Cass. I like the intro to WNIB, and AO is good 80’s Zappa. compared to SATLTSADW and TMFU this is a strong album...
I used to have some of these Leftovers on the old Flex-Able CD, way back about 30 years ago. The others I didn't get to hear until much later, via the late 90s CD. Bledsoe Bluvd (what on earth does that mean? What's that supposed to be?) is fantastic, and I really like both Burnin' Down The Mountain, Details At 10 and You Didn't Break It. I still enjoy So Happy, but I can't say it's a track I go for. A nice collection, but an acquired taste for sure. I remember the Leftovers CD having more tracks but they sounded as though they'd been finished/overdubbed years later, which made them sound more like contemporary, "mature" Vai and without the charm that these early recordings have.
You Didn't Break It We get an inversion of a turnaround here and this track is a really straight pop/rock song. Vai colours in the track with some really nice guitar. The rhythm guitar that opens us up is really very good and instantly adds a little flavour. The chorus vocal sections are really just straight pop/rock, but around the 1:20 mark of the song we get a little Zappa influenced section that leads into a traditional style bridge. I think Steve makes this really well, and it ends up remaining in the accessible zone, even though it takes in some things outside that zone. We get a really nice harmonised lead break.... I guess I'm wondering if he was rolling the Eventide out, or if he doubled it on a second track. So please you guys who know, please share it with us. We hit a key modulation for the last chorus. This is a really great song. A little humour, great structure, interesting alternative little bits to spice it up, some great guitar, and a really accessible pop/rock style that is something a little different for the bulk of Steve's solo work.
Bledsoe Blvd This is one of those instrumentals that really reflects Steve's time with Zappa. We start with a melodic line that is layered and works really well. Then we get some of those percussive break downs that I, at least, associate with Zappa tracks. Then we move into a bit of a drum break down and Steve seems to have a guitar and a choral sitar layered, unless it is just an effect. Unlike the opening track, this is much more out there in comparison to the opener. When I look and see that Tommy Mars is on here, it makes me feel Tommy has a much more identifiable playing style than I had previously thought. I like this instrumental a lot and it keeps the interest up all the way to the end, with its unusual last vocal entry.
Thing is, the u after the l doesn't convince me that what "bluvd" means is an abbreviation of "boulevard".
The Beast Of Love Here we have a sort of ballad. It is a mellow affair, with a low pitch vocal, and an understated kind of delivery. For me my favourite section is Steve's lead break. We get this really laid back melodic section that uses harmony really nicely, and with this track I am pretty sure this is one guitar, rather than double tracked, or done with the Eventide. This track is a decent sideline, but a somewhat lesser track. Again though, as bunch of demos that were really never considered as releasable product, it is a nice addition to the catalog.
Burnin' Down the Mountain We start with a shaker and an acoustic playing a really nice melody. In the background we get some cool percussion. This track for me is very picturesque ... It sends me places. The melodic variations work really well in keeping the track moving. They are based on the same rhythmic structure but keep moving the melodic centre to create something that is quite different and, for me at least quite engrossing. We get a sor of tension breakdown in the middle with just the shaker and the guitar barely there holding a particular note, then it builds back into the theme, and moves into an extended kind of outro with a drone in the background. This is certainly not one of Steve's most complex tracks, but for me it is a really nice atmospheric variation that shows an even more broad base of music in Steve's trick bag.
An interesting article about how Steve says his eighties image makes him cringe a bit now. Power is out here, so I'm stuck on the phone Steve Vai Talks How Cringey '80s Image Makes Him Feel Now, Addresses Odds of Joining Another Band
This is one of the coolest tracks Vai ever recorded. Melodic with an understated rhythmic percussion, capped off with a unique acoustic guitar lead. Vai should have released an expanded Flex-able project once he started reissuing his catalogue via CD, rather than the breaking up the material into two separate projects. One suspects he has more material (i.e. alternate mixes and guitar passages) from this project in the archives.
We get the extended Leftovers release in 98, but yea, I assume there is still stuff sitting around from that period. A new studio, free time, and enthusiasm, leads to tons of recording.
So Happy This track is kind of hilarious. Laurel Fishman has, I would assume a prepared dialog about being happy. It is somewhat idealist in its naivety, but kind of sweet at the same time.... This is accompanied by several folks in the studio making moaning, screaming, and pained noises in revulsion at the pixieland speech being given. We start with Laurel speaking regularly, and then after the tone has been set we get her voices manipulated in pitch, and doubled by Steve's guitar. This is probably not going to make anyone's top ten list, but it sure puts a smile on my face. Mind you, back in the day when we were listening to this ... there were combustible substances involved.
Details At 10 To be honest it had been so long since I listened to this album/EP that this track wasn't coming to mind. Then as soon as it started I recognised it. I think this is Steve's first lead vocal we heard, and it isn't Elvis/Ronnie James/whoever, but it effectively communicates the song, and has a good deal of personality. We start with a very cool melodic instrumental section, that leads us in nicely to the song. The song comes in a as a somewhat reggae feel track. Funnily enough the lyrics seem even more poignant these days, as the news media has become so sensationalist and tabloid media directed that the news is a dubious title to give it.... The newsreader interlude may be somewhat gratuitous, but to me at least, really does seem to capture the heart of the news media, in an ironic way that is food for thought regarding what actually is important news, and how it should be reported. Anyway I like this for what it is, and what it is trying to say, even if it doesn't quite manage it.