The Extremist

For the comic book series, see The Extremist (comics).
The Extremist
Studio album by
Joe Satriani
ReleasedJuly 21, 1992 (1992-07-21)[1]
Recorded1990–92[2]
Studio
GenreInstrumental rock
Length47:53[3]
LabelRelativity
ProducerJoe 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] 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, following "Rubina" from Not of This Earth (1986). "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 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 is 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
Japanese edition bonus track[17]
No.TitleLength
11."Crazy"4:06

Personnel

Technical

  • John Cuniberti – engineering (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10), production (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10)
  • Bart Stevens – engineering assistance
  • Dan Bosworth – engineering assistance
  • Michael Semanick – engineering assistance
  • David Plank – engineering assistance
  • Michael Reiter – engineering assistance
  • Julie Last – engineering assistance
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Matt Mahurin – cover photography

Charts

Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 29
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[19] 27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 44
European Albums (IFPI)[21] 25
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[22] 14
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 13
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 55
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 16
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 13
US Billboard 200[30] 23

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[31] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards

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

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. RIAA. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  2. ^ a b Time Machine (booklet). Joe Satriani. U.S.: Relativity Records. 1993. 88561-1177-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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)" Archived 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine. MusicRadar. Future Publishing. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  16. ^ a b Carter, Phil. "The Extremist - Joe Satriani". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  17. ^ "Joe Satriani - The Extremist +1" Archived 2014-03-21 at archive.today. MusicStack. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  18. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1924". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joe Satriani – The Extremist" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  21. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music and Media. American Radio History Archive. 12 September 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  22. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  23. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – S". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Joe Satriani from the menu, then press OK.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joe Satriani – The Extremist" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "Charts.nz – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  26. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  27. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  29. ^ "Joe Satriani | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  30. ^ "Joe Satriani Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  31. ^ "French album certifications – Joe Satriani – The Extremist" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 November 2021. Select JOE SATRIANI and click OK. 
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Joe Satriani – The Extremist". Recording Industry Association of America.