Celebrating Steve Vai

Exploration or genius? Either way. Steve Vai has left his mark on the making of music. Set for a June 24th release is something totally Him. Modern Primitive contains 13 tracks recorded between 1984, after the release of his debut Flex-Able, and the 1990 arrival of Passion and Warfare. “The music on Flex-Able is so vastly different from Passion and Warfare, one could wonder if the same guy actually made both records,” He wrote in the liner notes. “Modern Primitive is the missing link between these two records. It’s sort of Cro-Magnon Vai.” The two-CD set is packaged in a four-panel soft-pack with a 20-page booklet for Modern Primitive and a 24-panel poster fold for Passion and Warfare. Guitar World has a preview of one of the unreleased cuts, “Lovely Elixir.” The CDs can be pre-ordered at Amazon. Vai is also putting out this special version of Passion and Warfare in a two-LP, clear 180-gram vinyl package. The bonus tracks make up the entire fourth side, and you can pre-order it at Friday Music.