Not of This Earth

Not of This Earth is the debut studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on December 18, 1986, through Relativity Records. Overview In the liner notes, Satriani provides a brief introduction to himself and the background behind Not of This Earth, which was recorded in early 1985. He states that his goal was "to make a 'guitar-record' that would be enjoyed by all; not just a 'guitar-chops-record' but one with real music on it." He also mentions the recording of a follow-up album which he promises "will turn heads, drop jaws and create world peace in our lifetime!"; this would become his 1987 breakthrough smash hit, Surfing with the Alien. The album uses electronic drums rather than acoustic drums. The title track utilizes a unique compositional technique described by Satriani as pitch axis theory, which consists of shifting modes underneath a pedal tone (in this case, E). "The Enigmatic" uses the enigmatic scale. "Rubina" is one of two tracks named after his wife, the other being "Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness" on The Extremist (1992). "The Headless Horseman" is performed entirely using a two-handed tapping technique, and was revisited in the form of "Headless" on Flying in a Blue Dream (1989). Reissue Not of This Earth has been reissued several times. The original cover art used for the first vinyl and CD editions was lost early on, having since been replaced with an alternate cover which has been used for all releases since 1988. Notably the guitar, an Ibanez 540S, with which Satriani is pictured on this second edition cover was never actually used by him, instead being merely "a promo shot that got too much press".