Not of This Earth (Joe Satriani album)

In the liner notes, Satriani provides a brief introduction to himself and the background behind Not of This Earth, which was recorded in early 1985. He states that his goal was "to make a 'guitar-record' that would be enjoyed by all; not just a 'guitar-chops-record' but one with real music on it." He also mentions the recording of a follow-up album which he promises "will turn heads, drop jaws and create world peace in our lifetime!"; "Rubina" is one of two tracks named after his wife, the other being "Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness" on The Extremist (1992). "The Headless Horseman" is performed entirely using a two-handed tapping technique, and was revisited in the form of "Headless" on Flying in a Blue Dream (1989). ==Reissue==

Not of This Earth has been reissued several times. The original cover art used for the first vinyl and CD editions was lost early on, having since been replaced with an alternate cover which has been used for all releases since 1988. Notably, the guitar with which Satriani is pictured on this second edition cover, an Ibanez 540P (originally known as the "Power"), was never actually used by him. The photo was "just a promo shot that got too much press". The second major reissue of the album was as part of the Joe Satriani Original Album Classics box set, released on June 16, 2008 through Epic Records. 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 newly remastered editions of every Satriani studio album from 1986 to 2013. ==Critical reception==

Phil Carter at AllMusic gave Not of This Earth four stars out of five, describing it as having "superior compositions, a signature style, a unique tone, and playing that's out of this world." He praised Satriani's "fluid playing and wicked licks [that] are enough to drop jaws and widen eyes" and that "There isn't a weak track on this disc". ==Track listing==

• Joe Satriani – guitar, keyboard, percussion, bass, producer • John Cuniberti – vocals, percussion, engineering, mixing, production • Jeff Campitelli – drums, percussion, DX, whistle • Bernie Grundman – mastering ==References==