STEVE VAI's 'Modern Primitive' + 'Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition' To Be Released In June

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Steve Vai‘s “Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition”, a celebratory 2CD collection of classic tracks and previously unreleased music, on Friday, June 24.

Steve Vai and Legacy Recordings are commemorating the 25th anniversary of “Passion And Warfare” with a special 2CD edition of the album which includes the first-ever release of Vai‘s “Modern Primitive” songs and recordings. Based on song sketches and works-in-progress penned and recorded by Vai following the release of “Flex-Able”, his debut album, in January 1984, the music on “Modern Primitive” has been completed by Vai for release as a full album disc and the second CD is the bonus remastering of the “Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition”.

“The music on ‘Flex-Able’ is so vastly different from ‘Passion And Warfare’, one could wonder if the same guy actually made both records,” Steve writes in his liner notes for the collection. “‘Modern Primitive’ is the missing link between these two records. It’s sort of Cro-Magnon Vai.”

Newly remastered from the original analog tapes, the “Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition” disc includes, as bonus tracks, four previously unreleased recordings from the “Passion And Warfare” sessions.

“Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition” is being released as a 2CD physical collection while each disc will be available as a separate title on all digital platforms.

The 2CD “Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition” will be housed in a 4-panel soft-pack with a 20-page “Modern Primitive” booklet and a 24-panel “Passion And Warfare” poster fold.

In addition to the first-time release of his “lost” “Modern Primitive” music, composer/producer and electric guitar virtuoso Steve Vai will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his landmark album “Passion And Warfare” with a world tour starting on May 28 featuring — for the first time ever in concert — full performances of his groundbreaking instrumental rock masterpiece in its entirety.

“Performing this record from top to bottom (with some very special surprises in the works) is something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” Vai said. “There are songs here I’ve never performed before, and I’m delighted that 25 years after its release, I feel as though my guitar chops are as much up to the task as ever before.”

Often cited as one of the greatest and most influential instrumental rock guitar albums ever recorded, Vai‘s “Passion And Warfare” was originally released through Relativity/Epic in September 1990 and has been certified gold by the RIAA. Inspired by a series of dreams Vai had experienced as a young man, “Passion And Warfare” has been described by the artist as “Jimi Hendrix meets Jesus Christ at a party that Ben Hur threw for Mel Blanc.” Recorded at The Mothership, Vai‘s home studio in the Hollywood Hills, “Passion And Warfare” includes the classic track “For The Love Of God”, cited as one of the best solos of all time in a Guitar World magazine reader’s poll.

“Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition” track listing

“Modern Primitive”

01. Bop!
02. Dark Matter
03. Mighty Messengers
04. The Lost Chord
05. Upanishads
06. Fast Note People
07. And We Are One
08. Never Forever
09. Lights Are On
10. No Pockets
11. Pink and Blows Over: Part 1
12. Pink and Blows Over: Part 2 (Mars Attack)
13. Pink and Blows Over: Part 3 (Jazzbo Paddle-foot)

“Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition”

01. Liberty
02. Erotic Nightmares
03. The Animal
04. Answers
05. The Riddle
06. Ballerina 12/24
07. For Love Of God
08. The Audience ls Listening
09. I Would Love To
10. Blue Powder
11. Greasy Kid’s Stuff
12. Alien Water Kiss
13. Sisters
14. Love Secrets
15. Lovely Elixir (Bonus)
16. And We Are One (Solo #2) (Bonus)
17. As Above (Bonus)
18. So Below (Bonus)