Derek's individual track comments:
Day
Of The Dead:
On all four solo albums, the first song that was written ended up
by being the opening track. To have Allan Holdsworth on one of my
CD's is a huge milestone for me personally - special thanks to Keith
Ranch for making the connection happen. It was very humbling to
be around such a brillant musician. Now that the door is open, you
can count on me always making room for Allan on my CD's. "Day
of the Dead" may very well be the heaviest musical backdrop
that Holdsworth has recorded ever. The contrast between Allan and
Zakk epiomizes the metal fusion sound that I am searching for.
Alpha
Burst:
I have had the pleasure to work with Steve Stevens for three years
now in Billy Idol's band. When Steve played me the demos of "Alpha
Burst" and "A View From The Sky" I immediately wanted
to include them on my next CD. These two songs are clearly in the
spirit of Jeff Beck, and that is always a good thing! Simon sounds
amazing as usual.
God
of War:
I got the call from Marco Mendoza in April 2004 to do a one week
tour of Japan with Blue Murder featuring John Sykes, Tommy Aldridge
and Marco. I have a fan of Tommy Aldridge and John Sykes since I
was 16. John Sykes rarely guests on other people's albums, so to
have him guest on "Mythology" is very cool!
El
Flamingo Suave:
Steve Stevens does a live solo where he plays a Flamenco piece on
a nylon string guitar. I wanted to incorporate that sound somewhere
on my CD. Steve and I wrote this in late 2003. Marco Mendoza was
the perfect choice for this track.
Trojan
Horse:
I love writing with Brian Tichy. He is also a huge fan of Edward
Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, which is very important! Brian is playing
both guitar, and drums on this track - which I think is pretty amazing.
"Trojan Horse" is a tribute to the Mighty Edward Van Halen
- Thank you for your great inspiration over the years.
A
View From the Sky:
This song could have been an outtake off of "Blow by Blow"
or "Wired".
The
River Song:
With Zakk, I have learned after doing three records with him that
to get the best results out oh him, the best thing to do is just
hit record and just let him play. "The River Song" was
created on the spot in the studio. Zakk just started singing so
my engineer hooked up a mic for him and he just went off.
Zakk used his Jackson Randy Rhoads model on 90% of this CD - it
is rare to hear Zakk use a whammy bar. He also brought a vest that
was owned and worn by Randy Rhoads to the session, I immediately
got out my Eddie Van Halen/Randy Rhoads collage and hung it up on
the wall. Me, Zakk and Brian Tichy turn into 16 year-olds again
during these sessions. "The River Song" is the first vocal
performance on one of my recordings.
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