Originally issued as a 10" EP in 1984, this 1998 reissue contains five bonus tracks not included on the original release. Original tracks recorded from
1982-1984.
Personnel: Steve Vai (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, coral sitar, synthesizer, electric piano, bass, background vocals); Tommy Mars (vocals, violin, keyboards); Stu Hamm (vocals, bass); Rantin & Rayven, Bob Harris, Laurel Fishman, Larry Kutcher, Joe Kearney (vocals); Larry Crane (piccolo xylophone, bell lyre, vibes); Robin DiMaggio, Chad Wackerman, Chris Frazier, Deen Castronovo (drums); Pete Zeldman (percussion); Suzannah Harris, Lill Vai, Joe Despagni (background vocals).
Vai came to prominence through his position as Frank Zappa's "stunt guitarist" in the '80s. Despite a brief bill-paying stint with pop-metal giants Whitesnake, Vai went on to become a respected solo artist. His impossibly fleet-fingered guitar work and irreverent sense of humor endeared him to "shred" guitar aficionados worldwide. FLEX-ABLE LEFTOVERS was originally issued as a limited edition EP in 1984, some of which later appeared on FLEX-ABLE. This package contains all the tracks from the original EP plus several intriguing bonus cuts. Vai is clearly indebted to Zappa, both conceptually (the explicit, iconoclastic "#?@! Yourself") and musically (the rock-classical fusion of "Bledsoe Bluvd"), but ultimately he's his own man, a unique voice in the cliche-ridden world of modern rock guitar. Vai lovers will welcome this opportunity to hear some previously unreleased selections from what many regard as the guitarist's salad days.
