Perspective
Jason Becker
A fantabulous album by guitar master Jason Becker. Originally released in 1995, and rereleased in 2001. This album was mostly written and performed shortly after he found out that he had ALS. It is a highly emotional album that exemplifies a change in perspective on life that nearly dying gave him. Opening it up, one can find pictures of Jason and his friends, family and dog from when he was a baby holding a little guitar until after he lost the ability to move. The top of the inlet reads
"I have had ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) since I was almost 20 years old. When I made this record I was 25 years old. Now I am going on 32. I was a guitarist until this disease swiped that little skill (for the time being, anyway). I wrote songs and recorded four albums. But as my guitar playing dwindled, something else in my music got better. Something indefinable. Every song on this album was done during this time. They are like my kids. My mother calls them her grandsongs.
I believe I will be heals, but if not, so be it. Even though I have this disease I am really lucky in most ways. I am surrounded by friends and loved ones who never let me forget my inner fire, hope and faith. Many handicapped people do not have this luxury. Please do what you can to be aware of tehm, help them, or just give them some positive thoughts. And keep your butts out of the blue zones. Please try to feel and give only love and compassion to everyonel; you will be happy. Don't judge or hate anything; you will be unhappy."
The tracks are as followed:
- 1. Primal - Primal is an interesting song. Throughout the song tribal drum beats are played throughout it with a wailing chorus. One may be a bit put off by this song at first but after a few listenings it can become a favorite. This song features Steve Perry of Journey.
- 2. Rain - This is a nice song which was written when Jason first felt the symptoms of the disease. Basically, Rain is a neat little guitar solo with keyboards in the background adding an ambient feel to the music.
- 3. End of the Beginning - This is IMHO the high point of the album. It opens with a peacefully sounding piano then goes into a guitar riff and continues until the listener is drowned in ecstasy. The guitars are clean, the solos fit the keyboards, pianos and so on provide a perfect backing. This song is truly moving, leaving the listener feeling a wide range of emotions from despair to optimism.
- 4. Higher - This is a lovely sounding song featuring mostly vocals with some keyboards added in near the end. This reminds me of whenever I heard Latin singing choirs before I started to learn it. No real meaning, just beautiful voices.
- 5. Blue - Blue is just that, a blues song. This song was recorded back in 1990 when Jason was on recording with David Lee Roth. This was recorded when Jason's left hand had begun to feel lazy as his leg had already. Blue is a fun track to listen to and keeps a strong rhythm throughout.
- 6. Life and Death - As Jason puts it, "The title speaks for what was on my mind at the time." Whenever I listen to this song I imagine a epic battle between two supernatural forces within a very thick rain-forest until ultimately the good wins out. This song is nice because rather than conveying the common meme "things could be worse" it presents a more positive "things will get better."
- 7. Empire - This song sounds almost Asian, like something Jason's buddy Marty Friedman would do. It features a peaceful sounding flute and a war-like drum/guitar combination. This is a fun song to listen to.
- 8. Serrana - This is an odd song. The intro is what Jason had originally intended to be the intro played backwards by Jason's father Gary. The rest is a neat little keyboard tune with a synclavier thrown in. This song always reminds me of both the ghost level of Super Mario 64 and the circus.
- 9. Meet Me in the Morning - Fans of Bob Dylan will recognize this song. This song was added in for two reasons: Bob Dylan was the biggest influence on Jason as a kid, and because this was originally recorded when Jason's ability to play the guitar was leaving him. It's a shame not too many new musicians play like this any more.
All in all this is a wonderful album which I would recommend to any music lover. Speed Metal fans which are generally the type of people who would listen to Jason's earlier stuff may be a bit shocked by how different this is but with an open mind will grow to love this.
Visit Jason's website at http://www.jasonbecker.com