Joe had done it: Surfing With The Alien was a Top 20 smash, going Gold and eventually Platinum. He toured with Mick Jagger and was becoming a household name. But triumph mixed with tragedy on his next album...

Joe Satriani says:

“Making this record was such a challenge. First off, I was suffering from TMJ and the only way to treat it was to endure ten months of excruciating dental work.

“In addition, I was dealing with an undiagnosed case of giardia that I had picked up in Indonesia on the Mick Jagger solo tour. My face hurt, my intestines were cramping and I had lost about 10 pounds that I shouldn’t have.

"We had studio, musician and budget issues. Just as I completed the album, my father passed away. Two weeks later, my grandmother died. The day I flew to NYC for the record release party, the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live, experienced an earthquake. I couldn’t reach my wife for four days.

"1989 was rough.”